All Chapters of Fake Dating The Lycan's Heir: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

Vanessa's POV"Don't you think you should wear something that accentuates your curves?" Lillian asked as she lay sprawled across my bed, staring at the ceiling."You are supposed to be helping me, remember?" I muttered, tossing another outfit back into my wardrobe.I had been searching for something gorgeous to wear to the bonfire for almost an hour, but every single thing I picked up looked awful on me.The dresses were fitted, and the tops showed too much. Anything that clung to my stomach went straight back into the wardrobe before I could spend more than five seconds looking at myself in it.Lillian sat up and shook her head. "Why don't you just wear a normal dress? You don't have to wear something oversized to cover your body. Vanessa, your figure is beautiful. I wish I were half as curvy as you are.""You're just saying that to be nice.""Why would I lie about something like that?""Because you're my best friend, and that's what best friends do. They make us feel better."She pl

Vanessa' POVI sat in front of the mirror while Mom gathered my hair into a messy bun."I know you don't want to go back," she said quietly, "but changing schools this late would cost money we don't have. Moving would cost even more.""I know, Mom."We both knew the numbers. We both knew my parents had already spent more than they could afford trying to hold Nathan accountable, but knowing didn't make Monday easier.Mom loosened a few curls around my face."There. You look beautiful."She rested her chin briefly against my shoulder. Her smile was there, but I knew my mother well enough to notice how carefully she was holding it together."Your dad is waiting downstairs."At the door, she turned. "You don't owe anybody shame for what somebody else did.""Dr. Rose has been talking to you.""Maybe.""Traitor."She smiled properly this time. After she left, I looked at myself again."You've got this," I whispered.I said it twice more. I didn't entirely believe it, but belief seemed less

Vanessa's POV The moment Cole and I stepped into the hallway together, people noticed. Whispers followed us from the entrance. Phones appeared in hands. A girl I had known since middle school nearly walked into someone because she was too busy staring at our joined hands. Yesterday, those looks would have made me want to disappear. Today, they were confused. I could live with confused. At his locker, Cole turned toward me and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. He leaned closer. "You're forgetting to breathe again." Anyone watching probably thought he had whispered something romantic. "Stop enjoying this." "I'm not." "Liar." "I have class." "So do I." He glanced at the students, pretending not to watch us. "Can I kiss you?" My stomach tightened. It was supposed to be part of the act, that was all. Still, he waited. Nathan had taught me what it felt like when somebody decided my consent was optional. Cole standing there and actually waiting for an answer sh

Vanessa's POV "No."I stepped around him, but Nathan moved with me, blocking my path again."I'm talking to Vanessa," he told Cole.Cole's voice remained almost pleasant. "And Vanessa said no."Nathan ignored him.He had always been good at pretending the words he didn't like had never been spoken."Vanessa, seriously. Two minutes.""You've had a month.""I've been trying to reach you.""I blocked you.""Exactly."I almost laughed. "You cannot possibly be confused about why.""I'm not confused." He lowered his voice. "I just think you should hear what I have to say.""I've heard enough from you.""Not about what actually happened."My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag.I had imagined seeing Nathan again more times than I wanted to admit.During the first week after the bonfire, I imagined screaming at him. By the second week, I had graduated to slapping him. There had been one particularly satisfying version where I broke his nose and somehow managed to avoid getting arres