Chapter Three: Home

Amanda's P.O.V

My hands were still shaking as I walked toward my car.

The whole incident with Sage at school replayed over and over in my mind.

The janitor's closet.

His strange behavior.

The way he'd looked at me.

The way he'd growled.

The way he'd suddenly walked away as if nothing had happened.

It was terrifying.

Confusing.

And if I were being completely honest with myself...There had been another feeling mixed in there, too.

That was what scared me most.

I hated admitting it.

I hated even thinking it.

But when he'd been standing close to me, I had noticed his scent.

Fresh pine.

Forest air.

The smell of the woods after rain.

It was the exact kind of scent I loved.

And now I couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Get a grip, Amanda," I muttered.

The last thing I needed was to develop even more feelings for Sage Stone.

The guy had spent years making my life miserable.

Yet somehow my stupid heart refused to listen to reason.

The school parking lot was nearly empty.

Actually, it was more than empty.

It felt abandoned.

I looked around carefully as I made my way toward the bank parking lot where my car was parked.

Nobody.

No students.

No teachers.

No Fab4.

Nothing.

It felt strange.

Then I remembered.

Tonight was Sage's nineteenth birthday party.

The biggest event of the year for the local wolves.

I rolled my eyes.

Of course.

Every available she-wolf in town would be there.

It was the age when many wolves supposedly found their mates.

Humans weren't invited.

Not that anyone would invite me anyway.

As I continued walking, another memory surfaced.

The first day of school.

Just one week ago.

The day Sage had handed out invitations.

I could still picture him strutting through the hallway like he owned the place.

Which, honestly, he practically did.

Girls had followed him everywhere.

Laughing.

Flirting.

Competing for his attention.

And for one brief second, I had thought he was looking at me.

Really looking at me.

Like I was the only person in the hallway.

My heart had actually skipped a beat.

I had been stupid enough to think he might hand me an invitation.

Then he'd walked right past me.

Straight to Vanessa.

I should have known better.

Vanessa Stone-in-training.

His perfect girlfriend.

The future Luna.

They had been together for years.

At least according to Vanessa.

She never missed an opportunity to remind everyone that Sage belonged to her.

As if anyone could forget.

I remembered standing at my locker while Sage leaned casually against the one beside mine.

For a second, his eyes had locked onto mine.

Then his expression had hardened.

"Remember," he'd said coldly, "nobody wants you here."

Just like always.

The familiar sting settled in my chest.

I shook the memory away.

There was no point in dwelling on it.

The truth was simple.

Sage hated me.

He always had.

So why was he suddenly acting so strange?

Why had he cornered me in that closet?

Why had he looked at me like that?

None of it made sense.

I sighed and adjusted my backpack.

Thankfully, I was almost at my car.

My stomach growled.

Mom was probably already making dinner.

Please let it be shredded chicken tacos.

Those were my favorites.

I smiled slightly at the thought.

The bank parking lot came into view.

Thank goodness.

My uncle was the president of the local bank, which was the only reason I was allowed to leave my car parked there when the school lot filled up.

I pulled my keys from my pocket.

Dad's voice echoed in my head.

Always be prepared.

You never know what could happen.

I slid the keys between my fingers as he'd taught me.

Just in case.

The sun was beginning to set.

Long shadows stretched across the pavement.

I reached my car and was about to unlock it when movement caught my eye.

Near the tree line.

My stomach dropped.

Someone was standing there.

Watching me.

The figure wore a dark hoodie and a hat pulled low over their face.

I couldn't make out any details.

Only that it was definitely a man.

My pulse sped up.

The figure took a step closer.

Then another.

Panic flooded my system.

I dropped my backpack onto the hood of my car and began frantically searching for my pepper spray.

Where was it?

Why couldn't I find it?

My fingers fumbled through notebooks and pens.

I looked up again.

The figure was gone.

Completely gone.

My breath caught.

What?

I spun around.

Nothing.

No one.

The parking lot was empty.

Every instinct screamed at me to get inside my car.

Now.

Then a hand covered my mouth.

I gasped.

Another arm wrapped around my waist.

Fear exploded through me.

I was spun around before I could react.

And suddenly I was staring into a pair of blue-grey eyes.

Sage.

Relief and anger crashed together inside me.

"What is wrong with you?" I snapped the second he released me.

My heart felt like it was trying to escape my chest.

"You're freaking me out!"

His eyes never left mine.

They seemed darker than usual.

More intense.

He inhaled deeply.

Like he was trying to memorize my scent.

The action made my skin crawl.

"What about last week?" I demanded.

"And today? What is going on with you?"

No answer.

Not a single word.

He just stared.

His jaw clenched.

His gaze searched my face.

Like he was trying to solve a puzzle.

The silence made everything worse.

I took a step back.

Then another.

Sage followed.

The expression in his eyes sent a chill down my spine.

There was anger there.

Confusion.

Something else I couldn't identify.

Something that made me nervous.

"Amanda," he said quietly.

The sound of my name on his lips startled me.

He never called me Amanda.

Only Humi.

For a brief moment, neither of us moved.

Then reality crashed back.

Whatever strange thing was happening with Sage Stone, I wanted no part of it.

I reached for my car door.

My fingers wrapped around the handle.

Sage's eyes widened slightly.

Almost like he wanted to stop me.

But he didn't.

I yanked the door open and climbed inside.

The locks clicked immediately.

Safe.

At least safer.

My hands trembled as I started the engine.

Through the window, I saw him standing exactly where I'd left him.

Watching.

Not moving.

Not speaking.

Just watching.

I didn't wait around to figure out why.

I drove home.

Fast.

By the time I pulled into the driveway, my nerves were completely shot.

I rushed inside, barely managing a greeting to my parents before running upstairs.

My bedroom door slammed shut.

Then the lock clicked.

Next came the windows.

Checked twice.

Maybe three times.

Only when I was sure everything was secure did I crawl onto my bed.

I pulled my blanket around myself and curled into a ball.

The tears came before I could stop them.

Nothing made sense anymore.

Why was Sage acting like this?

Why was he suddenly everywhere?

Why couldn't he just leave me alone?

And the question that scared me most of all—

Did Sage Stone have feelings for me?

Because if he did...

Then everything was about to get a whole lot more complicated.