-Corrine-After uttering those dreadful words, they discussed some other things that I didn’t understand. However, I could deduce that these people were not part of Andrew’s pack, if he had one. They were on equal footing. Several times, mentions of Lycans came up, and it reminded me of my encounter with a Lycan. How its hand pierced Rodd’s chest and pulled his heart.My knees instantly weakened, and my hands trembled as I re-buttoned my blouse.“Corrine?”I jolted and held my breath. My fear-filled mind made me unaware of Andrew’s presence.“You okay? What happened?”He walked closer and extended his hand, but I pushed it away.A glimpse of his eyes showed he knew what was going on. He knew I eavesdropped on their conversation, hearing things I shouldn’t have heard.My heart pounded. Was he going to kill me?“We should go back,” I said, trying to sound composed. “Eva must be looking for me.”“She will understand.”“But today is her birthday. I can’t just leave her.” Then I patted the
-Corrine-My heart raced faster. Initially, I thought it was because I was afraid of Andrew or the answer he might give, but then something within me surged, and I realized something was wrong. Then I heard a voice in my head. Soft growls and purrs. My wolf.My eyes widened, remembering that my birthday was approaching. My wolf could emerge at any time now. There were cases where human-wolf shifters appeared a few days before their birthday.I had to call Trevor. And when he came, he must not see me with Andrew.“I have to go,” I said, no longer caring about Andrew’s response.Andrew frowned and grabbed my hand as I tried to walk away. “I’ll take you back.”I jerked my hand, asking him to let go. “No. I can go back on my own.”Before he could hold me again, I ran as fast as I could. I felt relieved and a bit sad when he didn’t chase after me.*The next day, I woke up with a slight headache and an aching body. Last night, I called Trevor, and he asked me to update him every five minut
-Corrine-I waited for the right opportunity to go to the library because I didn’t want Eva to follow me and find out that I was investigating her family. Maybe I could ask her directly, but I felt she knew no more about her father and stepbrother than I did, except for the fact that they were super wealthy.I zipped up my jacket to the neck and slid my hands into the jacket pockets to ward off the cold air. My breath steamed in front of my face. How quickly time passed, and so far, my college life had been fine, except for my encounters with the Lycan.Thinking about Lycan made me glance around. Many students were still passing by on this cold evening. But the sun was about to set, and this hustle and bustle would gradually disappear. I needed to go back soon before I got trapped in darkness and silence like that time. I wasn’t sure what would happen if I ran into the Lycan again. I doubted he would let me escape once more.But... what if... what if the Lycan turned out to be—“Ouch.
-Corrine-I stared and tried to scream, but no sound came out of my throat. Amid the growing pain, I forced both of my legs to move, and I ran away from the Lycan. But this time, he didn’t let me escape. He chased me. I could hear the sound of his footsteps on the leaves and fallen branches.I kept running until I didn’t know where I was anymore. All I knew was that I was getting farther from the university and deeper into the forest. Then I heard my wolf howling in my head, urging me to stop. Her will was so strong that I couldn’t resist, and I stopped abruptly, turning around.The Lycan was still with me, stopping far enough to attack me, but I could still see him. My feet felt like they were stuck to the ground, and my eyes couldn’t blink. Lightning flashed above my head again, and the Lycan walked closer. His figure became clearer, and memories of that night, when I first saw him, flashed through my mind.In my heart, I was sure I knew him. Not because I had met him before, but be
-Corrine-I was grateful to the Moon Goddess because the rain had continued to pour heavily as I assisted Trevor into the car. How he found me, I still did not know. Perhaps my wolf had called out to him. Now that I had officially become a full-fledged werewolf, I could contact any of the pack members through the mind link, including Trevor.I settled Trevor in the passenger seat, then I went to the car’s trunk to get the spare t-shirt that Trevor usually put there. I took the T-shirt into the car. After sitting in the driver’s seat, I put it on.Fortunately, Trevor had taught me how to drive, so then I could take him home to Wesgrove.Midway through the journey, Trevor regained consciousness. But his voice still sounded weak as he inquired about my condition.“Are you okay?” he asked, reaching out to touch my arm.“It wasn’t me you should worry about, Trevor. But yourself,” I replied. My eyes remained fixed on the road.There was a sense of concern that the Lycan might be chasing us.
-Corrine-What the hell?“I don’t think—““I agree,” Dad interjected. “Someone has to protect Corrine while she’s in Golden Valley.” Then Dad turned to me. “If you want to continue your studies, you have to accept this decision, Corrine. It’s the best path we can offer you.”“What if I refuse?” I asked.“Then there will be no more studies. You have to leave Golden Valley and come back here.”“Training to be a warrior isn’t a bad idea,” Mom added. “You have talent, dear. Like Trevor.”My jaw clenched, and my eyes shot a sharp look at Jerome. How dare he smile at me after the suggestion he made? He knew I hated him, so he did it deliberately.You cannot run from me, Corrine.I jerked at the sound of Jerome’s voice in my head. Then I remembered our minds were connected after my wolf appeared. He could invade my thoughts and say things I didn’t want to hear.I have to learn to block his voice.“Well then,” Jerome said, redirecting his gaze away from me. “We will patrol. Be on the lookout
-Corrine-My breath caught. My whole body tensed. Yet, I didn’t feel afraid.Instead, I felt a strong pull to approach him, to touch him. Even though I tried to resist that urge, my wolf howled with anguish in my head. Then I felt my muscles stretching and my spine cracking.My wolf forced her way out to take over my body so she could reach her mate.I threw the blanket aside, intending to confront the Lycan. But when the blanket obstructed my view, the Lycan disappeared.I sat at the edge of the bed, blinked my eyes, and then looked around, searching for the presence of the Lycan. He was nowhere to be found.Had I just dreamed it?Then, as if answering my question, my bedroom window swung gently. Raindrops entered and soaked a patch of the bedroom floor.I walked towards the window and opened it, peering out, but found nothing out there except trees and a row of houses.*“I’ll be staying near the campus. Just a ten-minute walk. The location is right across the university complex.” T
“Okay. Could you repeat our plan?” I said to Eva after she finished getting ready.Eva combed the ends of her wavy hair with her fingers while looking up at the ceiling, perhaps recalling the plan we had laid out yesterday. Then she opened her mouth, took a breath, and said, “Are you sure about this, Corrine?” squinting her eyes and smiling hesitantly.I sighed, reaching out my hands to hold hers. “You like him, don’t you? I could see it in your eyes, and I’m sure Trevor is into you, too!”Eva shook her head. “That’s not what I mean.” She grinned. “Thanks, though.”“I’m just going to visit Andrew’s house for a moment. There’s something important I need to confirm to him. Your job is just to keep an eye on Trevor for me. Make sure you two spend some time together until I get back to the dorms.”While planning this, I just found out that Andrew