Chapter Two

AURORA'S POV:

   Jon doesn’t move. He just stands there, looking at me like I’m supposed to understand what he just said.

I don’t.

"You’re… what?" I ask, glancing at Cali for some kind of sanity check.

She looks just as stunned. "Did he just say mate? Like… soulmate? Or like… kangaroo mate?"

   Jon ignores her, his green eyes locked on mine. "I know this sounds crazy, but you’re my mate. My-"

   "Nope." I cut him off and take a step back. "I don’t know what you think is happening here, but I’m not your anything."

    Something flickers in his expression, something almost hurt but he schools his face quickly. "You don’t understand yet."

"You’re right. I don’t."

And I don’t plan to.

     I turn on my heel and walk away, ignoring the stares, the whispers. Jon Drago can take his weird Australian nonsense and keep it far, far away from me.

   I have enough drama in my life to come and start adding boys to it. 

    The first half of the day goes by pretty quickly thankfully because I'm already sick of everyone talking about Jon.

   Soon enough, it's lunch break and Cali and I head over to the cafeteria.

   Jon hasn’t tried to talk to me again, but I catch him watching me from across the cafeteria. Cali is having the time of her life with this.

     "So, let’s review," she says, poking at her fries. "New guy shows up, calls you his mate, and now he’s been staring at you like a lovesick puppy for the past twenty minutes. You should go talk to him."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because that’s how horror movies start."

Cali snickers. "Or romance novels."

I groan, pushing my tray away. "I need air."

    She wiggles her eyebrows. "Try not to get kidnapped by your mysterious new admirer."

    I roll my eyes and step outside, into the quieter part of campus. The air is crisp, autumn sneaking into the breeze. I close my eyes for a second, breathing it in-

And then I crash into someone.

Hard.

     I stumble back, expecting some annoyed senior to cuss me out. But when I look up, my words freeze.

White hair. Piercing blue eyes. Pale, flawless skin.

    I don’t know his name, but I’ve seen him before, always sitting alone, always watching people like they’re beneath him.

    He transferred here late last year and was the talk of the entire school for the rest of my freshman year. It got annoying real quick. Like, girls, I know this man is fine and all, but y'all should calm the fuck down. Now, Jon has taken his place.

    I don’t think I’ve ever heard him speak, but right now, he’s staring at me like I’ve just done something impossible.

His cold blue eyes narrow. "You…"

"Uh… sorry?" I say awkwardly. "Didn’t mean to run into you."

    He doesn’t respond. Instead, he takes a slow step forward, his head tilting slightly, like he’s studying something invisible. His expression shifts from confusion to disbelief, then something darker.

    "No," he mutters, almost to himself. "That’s not possible."

My skin prickles. "What’s not possible?"

He doesn’t answer.

Instead, his hand snaps out, faster than I can react, gripping my wrist. Not hard, but firm. His touch is ice cold.

And then, in a low, tense voice, he says,

"Mate."

You have got to be kidding me.

I yank my hand away, my pulse hammering.

   "What the hell is wrong with you people?"

    I take a step back, half-expecting him to lunge at me or something. He doesn’t. He just stands there, staring like I’ve grown a second head.

   "Who even are you?" I demand, rubbing my wrist where his fingers had been. It still feels cold, like his touch left an imprint.

    His gaze flickers to something behind me, and I follow it, only to see Jon standing a few feet away, watching us.

Oh, fantastic.

Jon's jaw tightens. He takes a slow step forward.

"Step away from her," he says, voice low and dangerous.

The white-haired guy doesn’t move. Doesn’t even blink. Instead, his lips curl into something between a smirk and a sneer. "How interesting," he murmurs.

Jon’s shoulders tense. "This isn’t your concern, Arc."

Arc. So that’s his name.

   But if memory serves me right, Jon just joined the school today and Arc has been here for more than a month. What in the-

    Arc shifts his gaze back to me, something calculating in his stare. Then, slowly, too slowly, he takes a step back. "As you wish."

    He gives me one last unreadable look before turning and disappearing around the corner, silent as a shadow.

I exhale sharply. "What the actual fuck?"

   Jon steps closer, his expression still tense. "Are you okay?"

   I take another step back. "No, I’m not okay! First, you call me your mate out of nowhere, and now he does too? What is this? Some kind of prank?"

   Jon runs a hand through his hair, exhaling. "It’s not a prank, Aurora."

"Then what is it?"

Jon hesitates. Like he’s debating how much to tell me.

   I fold my arms. "Spit it out, Drago, or I’m walking."

   He sighs. "You’re… different. Special. You don’t know it yet, but Arc and I, our kind, we can sense it. And when we do… we don’t get a choice."

  I narrow my eyes. "A choice in what?"

Jon looks at me, green eyes burning. "In who we belong to."

The words send a shiver down my spine.

Because the way he says it... it doesn’t sound like a confession.

It sounds like a warning but I'm definitely just loosing my mind right?