Chapter three

All the students could talk about that morning was the new girl in school.

Every student I passed murmured about her.

Just one day in school and she had already made herself known to everyone.

I saw Mia standing before her locker, arms crossed over her chest, with her two best friends, Lola and Eva, in front of her. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I knew it was about the new girl.

I knew she would make school even more miserable than it already was. Because of her, I couldn’t sleep all night.

Losing that necklace felt as if I had just lost Dad all over again.

What would I say to Mom when she asked?

I had held it in my hands and cried all night. Thankfully, my eyes weren’t red. The students would use any opportunity to mock me.

Soon the bell rang and all the students went to their various classes. The classroom fell silent the moment Isaac walked in. Because of her—Lydia—she had her arms wrapped around his. They both moved to sit together, and all eyes followed them.

“Argh, my heart is breaking,” Kate said, her hands squeezing her chest. “He had a girlfriend all along?”

My eyes caught Mia in the front row. She was looking back at them. I had never seen her so hurt. Unlike the other girls who felt intimidated by her, I didn’t think there was anything she could do to scare Lydia away from Isaac.

She had lost.

“She is beautiful,” Lola said.

Mia’s eyes darted to her. “Go sit in the back,” she commanded.

Lola looked at her. “You are prettier,” she quickly tried to defend.

“Go to the back,” Mia spat again.

Lola sighed and grabbed her bag as she slowly moved to sit alone in the back. I smiled, struggling to hold in my laughter. As I turned to look away, my eyes caught Isaac’s. He was staring at me.

He instantly looked away as our eyes met.

Soon it was time for lunch. Like always, I ate alone in a corner. I watched as Lydia threw herself all over him. She tapped his back, drew her face too close to his when she spoke, and continued to kiss his hand.

She was obsessed.

Her eyes suddenly met mine and I quickly looked away.

“Are you staring at my boyfriend?” she spat.

I looked up again and my heart dropped. She was talking to me.

The whole place fell silent.

I quickly shook my head.

“I saw you,” she spat.

I didn’t want any trouble. I quickly stood up, carried my tray of spaghetti, and tried to walk out of the hall.

“Are you walking out on me?” She quickly stood up and marched toward me.

My head was bowed to the ground, my legs trembling. I looked up and my gaze caught Isaac staring back at us. “I don’t want anything to do with you or your boyfriend, please.”

She erupted into loud laughter. “You expect me to believe that you wouldn’t want him? Isaac McCall? Even a girl with bad taste wouldn’t look away from him.”

“That’s right, new girl. She has been bugging Isaac even before you got here,” Mia said, walking toward us.

Lydia turned around to look at her. “See, I was right.”

“That is not true,” I said.

“Are you calling me a liar?” Lydia asked. Before I could respond, she lifted her hand to slap me. I quickly bowed my head, but I didn’t feel a slap. Instead, there was a sharp clap.

I looked up and saw that Isaac had grabbed her hand. “Lydia, cut it out,” he growled and tossed her hand off.

“How dare you save her?” Lydia asked.

I quickly ran off with tears in my eyes.

Throughout that day, I stayed in the library and didn’t come out, crying my eyes out with my head on the table.

I didn’t want to be here anymore.

But I couldn’t leave school. When would this torture end?

When I heard the school bell ring, I waited thirty more minutes before I walked out of the library so I wouldn’t bump into Mia or Lydia.

As I strolled down the halls, I noticed Lydia in front of her locker.

What was she still doing here?

Most of the students had already gone home.

I quickly ran so she wouldn’t see me, and soon I found myself in the swimming arena. I panted as I walked deeper into the place. It was empty, and my footsteps echoed.

“Charlotte?” I heard a sudden voice.

I shrieked, startled. I spun around to see Isaac standing a few feet from me with a puzzled expression on his face. He hadn’t expected me to be here. I took a step back. Another loud cry escaped me as I landed in the pool.

I couldn’t swim.

The water quickly swallowed me as I sank to the bottom. I struggled to swim up, but it only pushed me down further.

My heart raced with fear. I could feel my hands trembling in the water, the water rushing into my ears.

I was going to die.

My eyes slowly closed. I felt myself losing consciousness as I drank the pool water. Then I felt a hand wrap around mine and pull me out of the pool.

Immediately, I felt oxygen around me. I gasped for breath, my eyes swinging open. Isaac’s arm was wrapped around my waist to prevent me from falling back in. His uniform was drenched with water, his brown hair sticking to his skin.

“Are you okay?” he asked, panting heavily as he gripped the tiled floor to support himself.

My body trembled, not from the cold but from fear. I couldn’t breathe no matter how much I struggled for air.

“Hey, Charlotte.”

“I… I can’t breathe…” I gasped. “I…”

His eyes scanned me. Before I could say anything more, his lips pressed against mine.

My eyes grew wide with shock.

Isaac… was kissing me?

The kiss deepened until he finally pulled away. “I’m sorry…” he swallowed. “Werewolves from my bloodline have the ability to heal. I thought that would help,” he explained.

Of course that was it. He wouldn’t really kiss me, right?

I felt a sudden tickle within me. My whole body felt as if something was alive inside me, pulling me toward him. “What is that?” I asked as I looked up at him.

He pressed his lips together. “We are mates.”

My heart dropped.

Mates?

Why did he say it like it wasn’t a surprise to him?

N

o… how could we be mates? Lydia would kill me.

“How…” I tried to speak, but his lips covered mine again. This time the kiss deepened.