Chapter 3: The Fire They Didn't Start

I sit in the passenger seat, staring through the window as Trojan drives through the gates, and something uncomfortable settles inside my stomach. I’ve spent the entire morning trying to convince myself that coming here will prove I’m right, but now that I’m actually here, I’m not so sure I want the proof.

“Are you alright?” Trojan asks, glancing at me.

“Yes.” I keep my eyes on the buildings. “I need to see it.”

He parks near the main building, and I sit there for another few seconds before opening the door.

The moment my feet touch the ground, the smell hits me.

Dirty fish water dripping from my hair and soaking through my uniform while Marcus sits on top of my desk with his legs crossed, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

Our classmates are laughing.

“I thought we should get you some scent since your little wolf doesn’t have any,” Marcus mutters, sitting on top of my desk with his legs crossed.

Our classmates burst out laughing again.

He isn’t lying. My wolf doesn’t have a natural scent, which is why I resort to perfume. It has been the butt of their jokes for as long as I can remember.

“Who would even want that as a mate?” Marcus’s best friend, Macy, adds.

“Maybe a vampire,” someone calls from the back.

That earns another round of laughter.

I keep my eyes down, hoping they will get bored if I don’t react. That is the mistake I have learned not to make with Marcus. He can smell embarrassment better than any wolf in the room, and the moment he senses it, he pushes harder.

“Aww, Billie.” Marcus leans toward me, pretending to study my face. “Don’t look so sad. It’s just a joke.”

I wipe a drop of dirty water from my cheek with the back of my hand. “It’s not funny.”

I never should have said anything. All I have to do is endure for three more years until I finish college. Then I won’t be Alpha Trojan’s ward anymore. I won’t be related to Marcus in any way. I will be free to make my own decisions and leave.

“The attitude,” Marcus says. “I was beginning to think the fish water killed it.”

The memory is so vivid that I almost think I’m still there, in that moment, the day that I remember so clearly even though Trojan insists that it didn’t happen.

He steps out of the car after me and follows behind, but I barely pay him any mind. I’m much more interested in proving to myself that I’m not crazy. There was a fire and I somehow woke up in this mess.

I remember Marcus and his friends throwing food at me. Cartons of milk. Sandwiches. Yoghurt. Really anything they could get their hands on. Someone even threw a stapler at my head before I ran out of there like I was in a marathon, crashing straight into Professor Whitmore.

He gives me a disgusted look, scrunching up his nose. “What happened to you?”

I open my mouth to speak but he cuts me off.

“Go clean that shit off,” he mutters, stepping away from the door.

I rush out, laughter following me until I am in the hallway. And that’s when the tears come.

I keep walking with my head down, wiping my cheeks with my sticky hands. I can hear people whispering as they pass me, and I know some of them already saw the video or pictures from the classroom. It won’t take long before the whole academy knows what has happened.

I am not going to the bathroom. I don’t want to stand in front of a mirror and look at myself, and I definitely don’t want to risk running into Marcus or any of his friends.

I have another place in mind.

My favorite hiding spot is at the far end of the school grounds, inside the old science building. It is technically off-limits, although students rarely go there anymore. The school closed that section years ago after a damaged underground gas line was discovered beneath the building. The area has been fenced off, and there are warning signs everywhere telling students to stay away.

I’ve been ignoring those signs for years.

It is the safest place on campus for me because nobody wants to go near it. I found it when I was fifteen, shortly after moving into Alpha Trojan’s house, and it quickly became my place whenever I needed to get away from everyone.

I never told anyone about it.

I turn the corner toward the science building, hoping I can get there before anyone else sees me, but I stop when I spot Marlon coming from the opposite direction.

Of all people.

He is Marcus’s boyfriend and an alpha heir, but that isn’t the worst part. He is also my mate.