The silence that followed Mia's venomous speech was brief but heavy. Marcos didn't seem to notice the discomfort that filled the room, but Owen did. He glanced meaningfully at Marcos, raising an eyebrow with a half-smile, as if to say, “I told you so.”But instead of continuing the complicit exchange of glances with his old friend, Owen turned his attention to Mia, eyeing her with genuine curiosity.“You can also help with the newcomers, Mia. I hear you know them. Only the father is wolf... the rest of the family is human.”Mia frowned in surprise.“Do I?” she repeated, more to herself than to him.She mentally ran through the people she had met before moving there. But wolves? That seemed impossible. Until recently, for her, wolves and vampires were book characters, creatures from stories and movies. She never thought her life would take such an absurd turn as to become involved with a wolf - and now to hear that someone from her past life was also part of that world?Marcos noticed
Mia took a step to follow him, but before she could cross the threshold, she felt a firm hand grasp her arm.She turned abruptly, surprised and already with her heart racing.It was Nolan.His eyes, which until then had studiously avoided hers, finally met hers. There was no coldness there now. There was intensity. A flash of something restrained, trapped, desperate to escape.Mia froze. Her skin burned under the touch of his hand, even though it was only a light touch on her forearm. The world seemed to fall silent for a moment, as if everything around her ceased to exist.Nolan kept his hand on Mia's arm, feeling the tension rise between them like a storm about to break. He moved closer, lowering his head slightly, and in a low voice, almost a whisper so that his father and Owen couldn't hear, he said:"Look, Mia... what happened earlier was a mistake.”The words came out dry, sharp, and had barely left his mouth when Nolan saw the devastating effect they had. It was like watching a
Nolan and Mia were increasingly consumed by the desire that was growing between them like an uncontrollable fire. The heat emanating from their bodies, their closeness, their touches, their glances—everything conspired to make them forget the world around them.The tension was palpable. Mia's parted lips could still taste the kiss they had shared minutes ago. Nolan's hands, now steady and determined, slid reverently down the sides of her body, as if molding the memory of that moment.Suddenly, they heard a voice outside the room, coming from downstairs:“Honey, I'm home! I'm going to take a shower. I bought a pizza and Marcos went to pick up Nolan, his son, so we can have dinner together. Can you set the table?"It was as if time had stopped.Nolan blinked, as if waking from a trance. Reality hit him hard. What he was about to do there with Mia was much more serious than a simple impulse. There were consequences. And they would be serious. He moved away a little, panting, and carefull
Mia was still leaning against the bedroom door, her heart racing, her hands trembling, her eyes fixed on Nolan as if he were something between a threat and a promise. And maybe he was just that.He moved a little closer, invading her personal space once and for all, until there was no longer any distance between them. He placed both hands flat on the door, one on either side of her head, trapping Mia between his strong arms and the jamb. The gesture was instinctive, possessive, almost predatory. And at the same time, strangely protective. She could feel the heat emanating from his body like a fire on a cold night.Nolan's eyes were intense, but there was something else there - something Mia couldn't name, a mixture of restrained anger, desire and... pain?He tilted his head, slowly, so slowly that Mia felt her breathing stop. For a second, she thought he was going to kiss her. And part of her wanted to - wanted to so badly that it hurt. But instead, Nolan leaned his face into her neck
Mia kept her hand firmly on the door handle, but found an unexpected strength in herself. She took a deep breath, keeping her gaze fixed on Nolan's intense eyes.“My father isn't here,” she said, her voice sounding firmer than she had expected.As soon as the words were out, she tried to close the door, but failed. Nolan's foot placed itself between the frame and the wood, preventing movement. Mia huffed angrily.“I know,” he replied calmly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “He's with my father.”Mia rolled her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to see Nolan, let alone have him stand there in her driveway, after everything he had said in the cafeteria. She felt like a walking battlefield - confused, hurt, ashamed.“We're not friends, Nolan. Then you'd better leave.”“No, Mia, we're not friends,” he agreed, his voice as deep as restrained thunder. “And I don't want to be your friend either.”Mia raised an eyebrow, surprised by his cruel frankness. Before she could t
As soon as Nolan left the cafeteria, Mia felt as if he had taken all her dignity with him. The gazes that had previously been on her with curiosity now weighed like a chain around her neck. Some looked at her with pity, others with the expression of someone observing a disaster foretold, and, to her discomfort, there were also those who laughed discreetly, finding amusement in the vexation of others.Mia's chest burned. Her eyes filled with water, but she pressed her lips together, dug her nails into her palms and repeated to herself like a mantra:“I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to give that self-centered son of a bitch a taste.”But telling herself this wasn't enough to erase the feeling of humiliation that burned in her skin. Anger boiled up, a bitter mixture of disappointment with Nolan and frustration with herself. Because, deep down, his words made sense. Showing her cell phone, with video and sound, in a school where at any moment a wolf could turn or leak something import