Six

Gavin POV

I was a storm trapped in a man’s skin. Leaving Trisha in that office had been the hardest thing I’d done in a century. Every instinct screamed at me to stay, to stand guard, to wrap myself around her until she was safe and whole in my arms.

*‘We should have stayed,’* Eon whined, a pathetic, grumbling sound I’d never heard from him before. He was pacing relentlessly in my mind, his agitation a constant, abrasive friction against my own.

*‘We couldn’t,’* I shot back, my mental voice sharp as a blade. *‘She needed space. Our presence was the poison.’*

I sat in the back of the art classroom, my body coiled tight with a need so profound it was painful. My cock was a constant, throbbing ache against my thigh, a testament to the effect she had on me even from across the school. The teacher’s voice droned on about light and shadow, but my mind was already descending into a darkness of its own making.

Another fantasy, vivid and depraved, bloomed behind my eyes, unbidden and irresistible. *I was no longer in a classroom. I was in the nurse’s office, the door locked. Trisha was on that small, sterile bed, but she wasn’t sleeping. Her eyes, those stormy silver pools, were wide with a mixture of fear and lust as I stood over her, slowly unbuttoning my pants. Her breath hitched, her chest rising and falling rapidly. I knelt, my knees hitting the cold linoleum floor, and hooked my fingers into the waistband of her thin gym shorts. I peeled them down her long, toned legs, revealing the simple cotton panties darkened with her slick arousal. The scent of her hit me like a drug, and I groaned, my control shattering. I didn’t wait. I buried my face between her thighs, my tongue delving into her wet heat, tasting her sweetness, feeling her buck against my mouth as I fucked her with my tongue. Her hands fisted in my hair, her moans music to my ears as I brought her to the edge again and again, until she was a sobbing, begging mess, pleading for me to claim her, to fill her…*

“Your Highness?”

The teacher’s voice, sharp and questioning, sliced through the fantasy like a knife. I blinked, my vision refocusing on the concerned face of the Lycan at the front of the room. Several students were staring. I realized I was gripping the edge of my desk so hard my knuckles were white and a low growl was rumbling in my chest. I forced my hands to release, my jaw to unclench. I gave a curt, dismissive nod, and he quickly turned back to his lecture, wisely choosing not to push it.

My mind was a battlefield. On one side was the strategist who knew I needed a plan. On the other was the man, and the wolf, who wanted only to tear down every wall between us and bury myself so deep inside her that we’d never be parted. The thought of her with that vampire, Erik, made my vision haze with red. He was too close. He touched her too freely. The memory of her grabbing his hand and running was like a hot poker in my gut.

*‘He will die if he touches her again,’* Eon’s voice was a low, dangerous growl.

*‘He is her friend,’* I reasoned, though the words tasted like ash. *‘To attack him would be to declare war on her. We must be smarter.’*

‘Smarter is weak. He wants her. I can smell it on him. He sees her as his.’ The possessiveness was a tidal wave, threatening to drown my logic. I was losing control. I, who had rejected the weight of a crown, was now being utterly undone by a slip of a human girl who had no idea she held my very soul in her hands. I had to learn more about her. The nature of Daisy’s relationship with her. It was the only way I could learn how to win her faster.

‘Meet me in the library at the lunch bell. We need to talk.’ I linked abruptly.

‘Yes, Alpha,’ came her instant reply. I could feel her apprehension. Good. She should simmer in it for not telling me she had become part of Trisha’s inner circle.

The dismissal bell for lunch rang, a piercing shriek that broke the tension. I knew she wouldn’t stay in the nurse’s office; she would run. I waited until the classroom had cleared before moving to her desk. I saw her portfolio, her binder, her art kit. I gathered them efficiently, my movements precise. I then wrote down the teacher’s assignment instructions from the white board, my handwriting sharp and clear, and slid it inside. I slung the bag over my shoulder, her scent faintly clinging to the fabric, a constant torment. Now I had to meet with my Gamma.

Trisha POV

I woke to the feeling of my skull being crushed in a slow, torturous vise. A dull, throbbing ache pulsed behind my eyes, and every beat of my heart sent a fresh wave of nausea roiling through my stomach. I groaned, the sound scraping my throat raw as I forced myself into a sitting position. The world swam before slowly sharpening into focus.

The nurse’s office. Right. Gavin. The memory of him slammed into me, followed by the image of the simpering girls who’d flocked around him. A sharp, unfamiliar pang seized my chest, a bitter, acidic burn. Jealousy? The word was a foreign taste in my mind. Gavin wasn’t mine. He was nobody. So why did the thought of him with them feel like a physical blow? I shoved the feeling down, deep and hard.

The school nurse, a fae with shaggy black hair and gentle blue eyes, looked up from his paperback. “Ah, about time you woke up. How are you feeling?”

“Better,” I croaked. “Confused. What happened?”

“You had a severe vasovagal response,” he said, his tone clinical. “A combination of stress and over-exertion. Your blood pressure dropped suddenly. I’ve given you something to help stabilize it. You can go now, but take it easy.”

A vasovagal response. It sounded so simple, so sterile. But…it didn’t explain the way my body had throbbed with a needy, humiliating ache. It didn’t explain the electricity that had arced through me at his touch, a feeling so intense and intimate it made me feel violated in a way Preston’s clumsy grab never had. I just nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I wanted out of this room.

I hurried out into the bustling hallway. A glance at the clock confirmed my fears: I’d slept through *all* of art. I started back toward the art room, but the thought of facing Gavin stopped me cold. My portfolio, my binder… they could wait. I’d grab them after lunch. Anything to avoid him. I veered toward the cafeteria. The air inside was thick with the smell of baked cheese and disinfectant. I joined the lasagna line, grabbing a tray and piling it high. I retreated to my usual corner table, a small island of solitude.

It wasn’t long before Erik slid onto the bench opposite me. “What happened? And why weren’t you in art class? I was worried,” he asked.

I sighed. “I’m not sure. I was just feeling sick. The nurse told me it was a vasovagal response. Stress, I guess.” But was it? The sickness was always there, a low-grade hum beneath my skin, but it only roared to life when Gavin was near.

Erik’s face broke into a wide, toothy grin. “Well, I’m glad you’re ok. But man oh man, you should’ve seen Gavin after you bolted! It was like he took off his shirt just for you and—”

I choked. A piece of lasagna lodged in my throat. I gasped, coughing violently as I fumbled for my water bottle, chugging it until the burning subsided. He took his shirt off… for me?

“Breathe, Trish, breathe,” Erik soothed, rubbing circles on my back. When I could finally breathe, I looked at him, my eyes watering. “What do you mean he took his shirt off just for me?”

Erik laughed. “He was looking directly at you when he did it. The second you left, his whole mood soured. He put his shirt back on and completely ignored all the other girls.”

My mouth fell open. Gavin liked… me? No. Impossible. He had to be gay. He was probably trying to impress Erik. “Are you sure he wasn’t trying to impress some guy? Like… you?”

Erik gave me a look of pity and annoyance. “I’m a guy, Trish. If I pull shit like that, it’s because there’s a single girl I have my eye on. He’s only got eyes for you.” He leaned forward and flicked me lightly on the forehead. “Honestly, you cannot be that dense.”

My eyes crossed for a second at the sting. Jerk. I was not dense. I was… cautious. There was a difference. I swatted his hand away, shoving his shoulder playfully. “Oh, shut up. But, I’ll take your word for it, Erik. Anyway, how was band and chemistry?”

At the mention of chemistry, Erik’s face fell. He slumped forward, thunking his forehead on the table. “Daisy is going to be the end of me! Can I trade—”

He broke off as Daisy herself, and to my utter horror, Gavin, approached our table.

“Hey Trish, mind if I have our friend join us?” Daisy asked, her expression hopeful.

I clenched my jaw. Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Him again. Was he following me? Was I cursed? It felt like I couldn’t turn a corner without running into those intense green eyes, and my already frayed nerves couldn’t take another encounter. Why couldn’t I just get away from him?

My brain finally caught up with my frustration, blinking as I realized another anomaly. In the rigid social caste system of ‘factions’ in our school, this was unheard of. Gavin was a Faction Leader, one of the untouchables at the top of the food chain. Daisy was a mid-tier at best, a follower. I’d never even seen them acknowledge each other in the halls, let alone socialize. For him to approach my table… it was a violation of every unspoken rule that kept our school’s ecosystem from collapsing. It was a target on my back.

Every protective instinct I had was yelling at me to grab my tray and leave. But this was Daisy. My friend who was looking at me with such hopeful, pleading eyes. And what was my real problem with Gavin, anyway?

He was annoying, sure. Overwhelming. But he hadn’t actually harmed me. Maybe I was being unreasonable. Maybe this was just what being a normal teenager was like. Fine. I could endure this for a few minutes. For Daisy.

I narrowed my eyes at Gavin, but forced a pleasant smile for Daisy. “Sure,” I said.

They sat down, and Gavin scooted way closer than was necessary. The heat from his thigh seeped through my jeans, a brand that made my breath catch. If I shifted any further away, I’d shove Erik right off the bench. I was trapped, his proximity a suffocating, intoxicating cloud. My body betrayed me, responding with an immediate, humiliating throb of need low in my belly, but not as bad as before. An image, sharp and shockingly detailed, ripped through my mind: this same bench, but in a darkened room, his hand sliding up my inner thigh instead of just sitting there, his long, skilled fingers parting me, stroking me until I was begging for more… No!

I violently shoved the thought away, my face burning. What was wrong with me? Why was I having so many absurd fantasies? It wasn’t normal! Erik had gone strangely silent. I glanced at Daisy and noticed she was twisting the hem of her shirt, her eyes darting between Gavin and me with a nervous energy that was palpable. She was practically vibrating with whatever she was trying to hold in.

I raised an eyebrow at her. “Okay, what’s with you? Spill it. Is this about your crush? Because if so—”

Suddenly Daisy launched herself across the table, clamping a hand over my mouth. “Shhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!”

I laughed, peeling her fingers away. “Then out with it! You look like you’ll explode if you don’t say whatever’s got you all jittery.”

She grinned. “So… Gavin is kinda my brother.”

Both Erik and I stared, our jaws on the floor. “What!?” I exclaimed.

Gavin laughed, a deep, warm sound that vibrated right through me. “Surprise!”

I looked from her to him and back again. No way. They looked nothing alike!

Gavin just chuckled, a low, confident sound that made my skin hum. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, and his entire focus locked onto me. He shot Daisy a quick, playful look. “Yeah, this is my long-lost sister, Daisy. Our parents shipped me off to some fancy boarding school in Switzerland for the last few years.”

He rolled his eyes in a way that was surprisingly brotherly. “Just got back. She’s been writing me letters, telling me all about her amazing new friend.” His green eyes held mine, and a slow, devastating smile spread across his face. “That would be you, Trisha. So yeah, I was already curious about you.”

He held out his hand across the table, palm up. An invitation. A challenge. “Guess we can start over for real, huh? Sorry for being a mystery.”

Behind me, I heard Erik let out a soft, disbelieving scoff. My own mouth was opening and closing like a fish. My mind was racing, trying to connect the dots. Daisy… and Gavin? Siblings? It explained why he hadn’t been shocked by my behavior, but it opened up a thousand new questions. And that last part… he was curious about me? Why? What had Daisy said that made a guy like him curious about a mess like me? My gaze dropped to his outstretched hand, resting on the scarred cafeteria table. It was a big hand, strong and capable, the same one that had sent lightning through my body. Taking it felt like a mistake, like stepping off a cliff. But refusing it felt rude, especially after his perfectly reasonable explanation.

I took a shaky breath, the war in my chest settling into a fragile truce. Fine. I could play along. For Daisy.

 Hesitantly, I placed my hand in his. The moment our skin touched, an electric current shot up my arm. It wasn’t a painful static shock. It was a wave of pure, unadulterated pleasure, a tingling heat that spread through my entire body, pooling low in my belly. I saw it then. *His hand holding mine, but we were naked, his body covering mine, our fingers intertwined as he moved inside me…* I barely managed to swallow a gasp. So it was him. He was doing this to me. I snatched my hand back as if I’d been burned.

“Nice to meet you… officially. Again,” I mumbled, my voice tight as I turned back to Daisy, desperate for an anchor in this sudden storm. I needed a normal conversation, anything to break the tension humming between me and her brother. “Anyway, why were you late for lunch? You’re usually the first one here, grabbing a table before the rush.”

“I had to rescue this nincompoop from the library before he disappeared into the stacks,” Daisy replied, jerking a thumb at Gavin.

A flicker of surprise went through me. He likes the library? For some reason, I never would have pinned him for the type. I pictured him more on a football field or in a crowd of people, not tucked away with a book. A tiny, stupid spark of intrigue tried to light in my chest, and I immediately stamped it out. It didn’t matter what he liked.

Just then, Erik seemed to shake himself out of his funk. He’d been quiet ever since Gavin sat down, just watching, processing. I could practically see the gears turning in his head. His eyes flicked from my face to Gavin’s relaxed, confident posture, and a slow, mischievous grin spread across his face. Oh no. I knew that look. He was going to “help.” He elbowed me playfully in the side, hard enough to shove me against Gavin.

Our bodies pressed together, shoulder to thigh, and that same electric jolt, that sizzling pleasure, sparked to life at every point of contact. The sensation was so overwhelming, so intimate, that another unwanted fantasy ripped through me. *I was being pressed against him like this, but on a bed, his hands roaming freely, his mouth claiming mine.*

I felt a shift, a subtle lean from him as he turned his head toward me. The heat of his body intensified, his presence crowding my senses. I froze, trapped.

“You like the library?” Gavin asked, his voice a low rumble near his ear.

The sound vibrated through my entire body, a deep, resonant hum that seemed to echo in the suddenly hollow space between my thighs. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. Every muscle in my body locked down, a desperate, useless attempt to stop the humiliating flush of heat that spread from my chest up to my hairline. My heart hammered against my ribs. I did, but not for the reasons he was thinking. I enjoyed my… more mature novels.

“Well… yes, but…” I stammered, my voice a pathetic squeak. I had to look away, had to break the spell of his nearness, but my head felt heavy, my neck refusing to move. I trailed off, my cheeks burning with a shame so intense it felt like a brand.

Daisy laughed, and Erik, my traitorous best friend, decided to open his big mouth. “Ah, I forgot. She only likes the library when she can be left alone to read those erotica werewolf novels she loves so much.”

Then Erik and Daisy howled with laughter.

My eyes widened in sheer horror. I risked a glance at Gavin. He wasn’t laughing. He was just watching me, a slow, intrigued smirk spreading across his face. It was the look of a predator who had just been handed the keys to the kingdom. A predator who now knew exactly what my deepest, darkest fantasies were. Oh god. The thought hit me like a physical blow. He knows. He knows what I think about late at night when I’m alone in my bed. He knows the kind of things that make my body ache, the things I’ve only ever read about in books. And now he knew that I, the girl who practically flinches from a handshake, was secretly fantasizing about… well, about things like him. The shame was a tidal wave, drowning me. He wasn’t just some boy anymore. He knew too much, and I had no idea if he’d honor my secret.

This wasn’t happening. They hadn’t just blabbed my most secret, most embarrassing pleasure to the one person on the planet who already made me feel like I was vibrating out of my skin. I quickly buried my face in my hands, curling in on myself until my forehead was nearly touching my knees, trying to physically shrink away from his knowing gaze.

“Erik…!” I whisper-squealed, my voice muffled by my hands.