All Chapters of The Wolf Prince's Fated Mate : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Lucas was already on the bench when I got to school.He didn't look like he'd slept. His hair was messier than usual, dark strands falling across his forehead in uneven waves, and there were shadows under his gray eyes that hadn't been there yesterday.His jaw was tight, the muscles working like he was grinding his teeth, and there was a tension in his shoulders that made him look like he was bracing for impact. He was wearing the same jacket from yesterday, the leather creased and worn, and there was a coffee cup in his hands that he hadn't touched.The morning air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of frost and damp earth. The campus was still mostly empty, just a few early risers hurrying toward the main building with their heads down against the cold. I'd barely slept either—every time I closed my eyes, I saw my father's letter, the words debt of blood burning into my memory like a brand."Sit down." Lucas's voice was rough, scraped raw. Like he'd been rehearsing this conversati

"Julian."The name sat on my tongue like something foreign. I tested its weight, turned it over, tried to fit it into the shape of a person I'd never met. It sounded elegant. Sharp. The kind of name that belonged to someone who knew exactly who they were and didn't apologize for it.And if Lucas' recent behavior is anything to go by, I wasn't far from the truth. Which begs the question:"Who is she to you?"We were walking again. Lucas walked beside me, his pace steady, his face unreadable. He hadn't looked at me since he'd said her name. His gaze was fixed somewhere in the middle distance, as if he was seeing something I couldn't.For a few seconds, I wondered if he was going to answer at all.The silence was almost worse than whatever explanation he had waiting.I'd learned enough about Lucas to know that his silences weren't empty. They were guarded. Deliberate. He kept things locked behind those walls of his, and whenever I thought I'd gotten close enough to see through them, anot

I was by the entrance when the new girl walked in.I knew immediately—even before I saw Lucas's expression across the hallway—that this was not a regular transfer student.There was something about the way the girl carried herself that made people notice her. She walked with an effortless confidence that seemed to fill the hallway, and before she had taken more than a few steps, conversations around her began to fade.Students turned to look.Some whispered behind their hands while others simply stared without bothering to hide it. The new girl didn't seem to notice any of it. Or perhaps she noticed and simply didn't care.The girl was striking. She was tall, with platinum blonde hair that fell past her shoulders and eyes so blue they looked almost unnatural. I watched two students step out of the girl's path.Neither of them had been blocking her.They moved anyway.The girl stopped at the office receptionist's desk and smiled as she said something I couldn't hear. The receptionist i

Julian was waiting next to my car.She looked like she belonged there. Leaning against the driver's side door, arms crossed, platinum hair catching the afternoon light. She used to wait for me like this. Not too long ago. Before everything.I stopped a few feet away. Close enough to talk. Far enough to leave."I noticed you gave something to Emma."She smiled. That same smile. Warm on the surface, cold underneath. "A note. Friendly advice.""Stay away from her.""Or what?" She tilted her head. "Is that an alpha order or a boyfriend request? Because you're neither of those things to her yet.""Julian.""Lucas."She said my name calmly, almost playfully, but I knew her well enough to recognize the challenge underneath it."You don't get to walk back into my life and start interfering with people around me.""I didn't interfere.""You left her a warning.""Exactly. I warned her.""About what?"Julian pushed herself away from my car and stood straight."You really want me to say it here?"

I knew where Emma was the second I stepped through the front doors.I always did. It was a thing the bond did—pulled my attention toward her like a compass needle finding north. Most days, I let it. Most days, I found excuses to walk past her locker, to sit where I could see her in the cafeteria, to time my exits so we'd end up in the same hallway.Today, I walked the other way.I took the long route to first period. Circled the science wing. Avoided the main staircase where I knew she'd be. I kept my eyes forward and my hands in my pockets and my mind carefully empty.It didn't work.The bond still pulled.Every time I turned a corner, I had a strange feeling that she was nearby. I could almost picture where she was without looking. It was annoying, distracting, and impossible to shut off.I tried anyway.I focused on class. On the teacher's voice. On the notes appearing on the board.None of it helped.My eyes kept drifting toward the door whenever someone walked past.By the time t