LOGINIvan lifted himself up and got completely on top of Shay to study her deeper. The pretty puppy was literally about to cry just thinking about it."Can you confirm with your wolf, however that works? Maybe she'll actually find it hot," Ivan pushed and saw Shay avert her eyes, then swallow harder, "Yes or no?""Uhm, yeah. She... I think she'll like it," Shay finally said. God, she was terrible at lying, "Can you stop bringing it up now? I don't find it sexy, not even a little bit."Ivan sighed, then looked back at the cooler with the warm blood.He wanted it so bad, he did not understand how that could possibly come across as cheating. It's not like Ivan would be biting another wolf, that was dumb.And Shay was playing games, she was not planning on actually killing him. Even if she had the intention, it was clear she wouldn't be able to go through with it, and then it would just be dangerous.If Shay didn't fight back, Ivan would consume her.That was unacceptable."You know what? Mayb
Ivan's fangs started itching as soon as the realization hit, all his instincts awakening and telling him to drink it. Now.There was a reason why this packet had a straw. It was not meant to be fuel. It was a treat, a delicacy. He had to taste it with his tongue and savor it. Every drop."What is it?" Shay asked, still not getting it."Uh... it's nothing," Ivan murmured and stared at it like an addict would a syringe filled with his substance of choice. He hadn't had werewolf blood since Erika, sixteen years ago. But even then, he had never craved it as bad as he craved it right now.Fucking Sera. She knew exactly what she was doing."It's obviously not nothing. Let me see," Shay insisted."I... it’s dumb," Ivan murmured, but he wasn't able to stop Shay from grabbing the boxed blood. Ivan almost hissed at her for that."Werewolf?" Shay read, with a confused frown, "Does it mean it's for me or...""No. It's for me," Ivan muttered and grabbed it back before something happened to it.Iva
Ivan had never really been jealous about the hybrid… however, he had been annoyed at the thought of him liking Shay, and then the two of them living together in Luxe City, probably forming some romantic relationship at some point. But now that Ivan had actually met Lucas, that possibility felt a lot less likely.Shay wouldn't be into him. Ivan was almost sure of it.The kid was smaller than Shay and wouldn't be able to give her what she needed. There was nothing to worry about there.They spent most of the day around him.Shay introduced him to her pack and, of course, they were nice to the kid. Helene gushed about how cute he was for the entire lunch and kept touching his hair. Adrian was his usual self too, asking him a million questions about Luxe City—most of which the kid couldn't even answer, because apparently they kept him in the dark about most things.After lunch, Ivan went to take a nap because the whole pack had decided to go to the gym together, and he could tell they wou
"What the hell, Shay?" he spat, probably embarrassed by that very obvious reaction, "I'm trying to give this little monster some perspective. Listen, your parents' relationship shouldn't be your concern. They have the right to do whatever they want.""I know that," Lucas murmured, lifting both hands to wipe his face roughly, "But it hurts. They're all I have, and now my dad is going to move to another house.""So now you'll have two houses in Luxe City and you're crying about it?" Ivan shook his head, "Kids these days are so ungrateful. Do you know what it takes to have even one house there?""God, Ivan. Stop now," Shay said, shaking her head as she walked over to Lucas. She had absolutely no idea what to say, but she wanted to give him some kind of comfort, so she wrapped her arms around him. Lucas froze for one second, then immediately melted into the hug, "I'm sorry that's happening. I would feel very sad too, if my parents decided to get divorced.""Like it's your business too?" I
"Thanks for the offer, but I think it's best if I just don't do that. I'll keep to myself, that's okay. I'm not… I don't really need a pack anyway," Lucas shrugged.Shay wanted to freak out, but she forced herself to stay cool."Well, the offer is still open for you. We come here at five in the morning and run for a while. It's fun. To be honest, it's the most fun thing about this place. Sera kinda lied to you," Shay murmured, finally making Lucas chuckle."No, she'll try to make it fun for me," he said, like he knew he could trust her, "But no, I really shouldn't. I'm just going to scare you and your pack. They won't take it well. I've been told unenlightened wolves aren't good with things that are different.""They will take it well or they'll have to deal with me," Shay stated, knowing she wouldn't let her friends make an outsider feel unwelcome, "I'm their Alpha. And you, coming here as a half-wolf… you're kind of in my territory, you know? So I'm technically your Alpha too. If I
Ivan was annoyed and intrigued at the same time. He knew the presence of that monster baby was going to shake things up, and he—for once in his fucking life—didn't want anything to change.Sera and Ivan waited in silence for about three minutes, until they heard the front door of the building opening and closing. Sera only relaxed once Shay and Lucas walked away, but Ivan spoke first."If you steal the little time I have with Shay because of that monster baby, I'm going to burn this place down," he threatened. He wasn't even sure if he was exaggerating or not.Sera took a deep breath and lifted a hand to run it over her bald head."What is even happening?""This was unexpected, alright? It was never in the plans. Yesterday, Lucas got bad news and his temperament flared up in a way we've never seen before. He wanted to leave the city. The council agreed because chaos is not welcome," Sera explained, then pulled a phone out of her tailored pants to check a text that had just pinged. She
The next morning, Shay woke up earlier than necessary, feeling unrested.Probably because she spent most of the night overthinking about that moment with Ivan Belov. And even after hours of doing that, she had no clue of what had happened. Not really.She wasn't entirely sure of whether Belov took
Shay told herself it was curiosity that made her walk behind Ivan Belov. Strategic curiosity.If he wanted to taunt her or to start some kind of psychological game, Shay needed to know what kind of opponent she was dealing with.That was reasonable, right?The vampire walked without looking back, h
"See ya, neighbor," Adrian muttered when they finally reached the dorms, both of theirs on the same floor. Each door had their name written on a sticky note. Adrian Payne opened his own door and gave Shay a tentative smile before entering, "I know we can't really be friends, since we're competing a
The first day went by easier than she expected. She was introduced to the other three werewolves in the program. Two other women and one man, all from different parts of the world. They were not exactly friendly, but she understood why.There was only one spot available for Luxe City. Only one novi







