CHAPTER SEVEN

The morning sun hit on my face causing me to groan and shield my face. I opened my eyelids slowly and turned off the alarm that had been beeping for a long while. Today is not school day, it’s Saturday and I can’t help but feel so good, my lips stretching in a smile.

I picked up my phone lying beside my bed pillow. And turned it on. A lot of messages flowed in causing my phone to beep. I glanced at the phone, those messages were from the school chat. I didn’t open it. I turned on the music “ Dancing with your ghost” by Sasha Sloan. And plucked on my headphones.

I walked to the shower room and brushed my teeth. I walked out and stared at the room.

A king-sized bed stood at the center, dressed in silky white sheets and a thick cream duvet, with pillows of different sizes piled high like clouds. A velvet throw in deep gold lay across the foot of the bed, adding a rich, elegant touch.

Against one wall sat a sleek marble-topped desk, with a gold lamp, a few leather-bound notebooks, and a crystal pen holder. above a low wooden cabinet, with a sound system and a few designer books carefully arranged.

Near the corner, an armchair with a soft fur blanket draped over it created the perfect reading spot. A delicate scent of vanilla and white rose floated through the air from a lit candle on the nightstand.

I was making breakfast, which was toast when a knock came on the door.

I opened the door. Jason stood there staring right at me, with a nerdy smile on his face. He was sweating in the sports shirt and shorts he wore, his ear puds in his ear, his phone buried in the short pocket.

“Hey buddy” he said and shook hands with me.

“Whatsup, where are you coming from?” I asked.

“I went for morning walks. I decided to come and have breakfast here.

“Which breakfast?” I asked my brows raised.

“Let me in” he said, walking deeper into the room. I shifted from the way creating space for him to walk into the room.

Jason bounced on my bed and instantly his eyes fell on the cream by the shelf.

“What’s this? What are you doing with this girlie stuff?”

“They don’t belong to me, a girl left it here yesterday” I said, turning on the television set.

Jason screamed and slammed my arm.

“A girl left it here?, Your girlfriend??”

“Crazy dude you never told me you have a girlfriend”

“Who’s she? Is she our student?”

“Did you do anything with her, dude come on tell me about it, spill the stuff, was she sweet on bed” Jason asked so much with his eyes staring inquisitively at me.

“Oh come just stop this nothing happened, it’s not what you are thinking” I told Jason.

“You kidding me. How would a girl forget her cream here and you say nothing happened? Oh now I get why you weren’t at school today, bad guy”

“Jasssonn!!!” I call out in a scream.

“Oh I give up, nothing happened you stared at her and she stared back, and you both smiled and she left and forgot her cream, you know that’s crazy” We both laughed.

Jason rose from the bed and picked a ball by the bed. Tossing it with a finger. I went in to check the meal. I was cooking. Jason walked in to meet me at the kitchen.

“What chore can I help out with?” He asked, leaning his back on the cabinet.

“While there’s nothing to do but if you insist, perhaps you can just slice the carrot” I said, turning the egg on the saucepan.

“Does Daman ever show up at school? I have never seen his shadow in that school?” I was very worried. Jason laughed. And mimicked me

“Come on guy you don’t just say his name so commonly like that”

“That guy is very powerful and supernatural,” Jason said and I stared at him.

“He possesses great supernatural abilities, for instance he can turn a human into ice with just his mere thought. He is among the strongest beings on earth but the rarest thing is seeing him or being close to him. I have been at Rowan for a long time but I have only seen him once. And that day was a very memorable day at school. It is so rare to see him, let alone get close to him” I stared at nothing in particular my mind filled with thoughts of what Jason just said

“He is human, is he not? I asked

“Daman is not human he is a wolf, and a powerful Alpha at that”

“Wolf??? Are wolves even real?” I asked puzzled Jason dropped the knife and stared at me with a smile.

“Are you being serious, wolves are real”

“For instance some of the students at school are wolves, some are humans, and a few are vampires.” Jason explained. I stared at Jason. He stared up at me and said.

“Okay watch me let me show you” Jason said. I turned off the cooker and watched Jason. Like a flash Jason’s eyes changed its colors to something like golden. I was freaked. Instantly he shifted to an animal. A wolf. I flinched very hard. My breath ceased for a while. My heart sank. I shivered as I held the cooking handle firmly to stop myself from running. My heart was beating so fast. I was damn so scared. The guy I have been speaking with is not even human. He is an animal. Unbelievable. I heard my breathe as I watched the wolf in the kitchen growling at me, it had golden colored eyes. It has fluffy brown fur, the brown tail wagging. I gulped hard fighting the strong urge to run away. Then it shifted back to Jason again. I heaved a signed. I was suddenly scared of having him in my kitchen. What on earth is he??? Jason laughed, a playful laughter and stared at me.

“You are a wolf” I manage to say to break the sudden silence. Gush! How do I explain to this guy that I am scared of having him around already? Jason picked the knife again and continued slicing the carrot.

“I am a wolf, but I don't belong to a pack.” Jason stopped and dropped the knife staring at nothing in particular.

“When I was a child, I lived with my family in a peaceful pack. Then something happened. My father never had a plan of marking my mum as his mate. He was in love with someone else, my mum's cousin who happened to be the lycan’s daughter.

According to him, his wolf chose her not him. He maltreated her. After some time the Alpha died during a battle and all the candidates were competing for that position, including my mum’s fated mate. Then he left her and marked the Lycan’s daughter because marking her could make him the future Alpha. The Lycan can single handedly appoint any one as the new Alpha. He rejected my mum in a very shameful way. My mum is an Omega and most Omegas don't survive it if their fated mate rejects them. Fortunately my mum did survive it.” I remained calm and listened to Jason.

“She was so broken watching the guy she had shared things with, built life together by, just waking up and abandoning her. She felt so heart broken. She eloped from the pack and discovered she was pregnant for her mate. She got housed by a human couple who assisted her with the pregnancy. She gave birth to twins, my sister and I. We are three all together, my elder sister, my twin and I. The human couple adopted my elder sister and my twin. For me, I lived in a different home with different people. My adopted parents sent me here to Rowan because they want to give a good life in every way they can” Jason stopped and continued almost instantly.

My mum left us behind and started a new life for herself. I don't know where she is neither do I know a thing about my sisters. My adopted parents sent me here to Rowan because they want to give me a good life in every way they can.” I was calm. I felt sorry for Jason.

“That’s a lot,” I muttered as he laughed, his usual playful laugh. And added “Are you still coming for the basketball game with my team tomorrow?”

Now this is one thing about him. He is always happy and sporty, no one would ever imagine he has a pain in his heart. I shrugged and said “Yeah, I will do all of that for you”. I dished the egg into plates. Soon Jason and I were arguing over a TV show.

****

The gym was alive with energy—bright lights glaring down on the polished wooden court, sneakers squeaking, and the sharp sound of the referee’s whistle cutting through the roar of the crowd.

The school’s best players were on fire, the scoreboard flashing close numbers that kept everyone on edge. Cheers and chants echoed from the stands as students waved banners and clapped to the beat of the drumline.

“Defense! Defense!” The chant boomed, but the tension was electric.

On the court, the ball flew from one set of skilled hands to another—swift passes, precise dribbles, every move sharp and practiced.

Miguel —tall, quick, determined—made a clean steal. He charged toward the hoop, the ball dribbling perfectly under his control. The crowd went wild, half on their feet.

But my team the defenders weren’t giving up. Two players in white jerseys sprinted after him, one tall and broad, the other lean but quick.

“Pass it!” someone screamed from the benches.

Instead, he launched the ball high, aiming for a teammate near the hoop.

Both Miguel and I leapt—high, muscles straining, hands stretching for the spinning orange ball that gleamed under the court lights.

The moment slowed—just a heartbeat of

suspended motion.

Two bodies in midair.

The ball brushing fingertips.

We crashed into each other mid-jump, the force throwing us off balance. Gasps erupted from the bleachers as we both tumbled hard to the court floor. My head banging, I was laying on him. His breath flushed over my face. My chest brushing against his, for a moment he stared at me squarely in the face, our eyes boring into each other. Our lips slightly apart. Almost touching. The ball bounced away, forgotten, as the referee’s whistle shrieked through the stunned silence.

“Time out!” the coach yelled, sprinting onto the court.

Students in the stands leaned forward, murmurs spreading like wildfire. I stood up, dressing my sports clothes. Miguel got up clutching his shoulder.

The ball rolled lazily to the sideline, as if waiting for the game to resume. And slowly, the noise rose again—the chants, the clapping, the unstoppable excitement of a perfect game still’s breath turning bright.