"I’m glad to hear I haven’t grown completely decrepit in the eyes of the younger generation," he rumbled in a deep, velvet voice laced with a subtle raspy edge. He helped her straighten up, his broad hands lingering on her waist just a second longer than necessary—a heavy, deliberate touch that carried the distinct aura of a high-ranking wolf.
"Are you kidding? You’re in your prime!" Annie blurted out. I squeezed my eyes shut in sheer embarrassment, feeling my own cheeks burn hot. "Men are like fine wine, you know? They only get more exquisite with age!"
She snapped her mouth shut, biting her lower lip so hard it left a stark white indent in her skin.
"Ah, so you’re a connoisseur, young lady," the Principal murmured. There was an underlying note to his voice—a dangerous, predatory hum that sent a sudden ripple of alert through my instincts.
One thing was crystal clear: I needed to save Annie from herself immediately.
"Well, not really, but you truly are very..." Annie rambled on, completely unable to filter her thoughts.
I stepped in and grabbed my friend firmly by the elbow, clutching the fabric of her sweatshirt. Keeping my eyes lowered to avoid the Principal’s piercing gaze, I squeaked out, "We’re so sorry! We’re running late for class! Please forgive her—she’s just extremely flustered!"
A low, amused chuckle echoed from the man’s chest. Taking advantage of the beat, I practically dragged Annie toward the gymnasium, pulling her down the hallway like dead weight.
She stumbled along beside me in a daze, her feet moving mechanically as if her brain had stopped sending signals to her limbs. Then, as we burst into the gym’s entryway—thick with the heavy scent of rubber mats and stale sweat—she suddenly leaped into the air.
Clutching my arm in a vise-like grip, she whispered straight into my ear in a hushed, hysterical shriek: "He is so ridiculously hot! Jane, oh my God... He is magnificent! Did you see his eyes? His hands? The way he caught me? I almost died!"
Before I could even process her outburst, the door to the entry hall flew open with a deafening slam against the wall.
"What the hell?!" a voice shrilled. "Have you completely lost your minds?!"
Lina stormed into the room like an infuriated harpy, her face twisted in rage. She gestured wildly, the metal whistle around her neck bouncing violently against her chest. "Class started fifteen minutes ago and you’re nowhere to be found! Are you trying to get me in trouble with the professor?! You think I’m going to take the heat for your laziness?!"
"We’re sorry, Lina, we got held up," I said softly, dropping my gaze to the floor as my stomach sank. We really should have ditched, I thought bitterly. Now we’re just going to be her punching bags...
Lina scorched me with a look of pure, unadulterated venom—so sharp it made me want to swallow myself whole. With a sharp jerk of her hand, she straightened her whistle and growled through gritted teeth:
"Get dressed. Now! You’re running two extra laps around the gym for being late. I want you on that floor in one minute!"
Annie and I exchanged a quick glance, then lowered our heads and scurried into the locker room. The space smelled of cheap deodorant and worn sneakers, but beneath it lingered a heavy, musk-laden air—as if a pack of unbonded wolves had just finished a high-stakes workout in the small room.
Lina’s erratic temper was legendary across campus. Ever since the start of the academic year, students had whispered her nickname behind her back: The Mad Omega.
Interestingly enough, it wasn’t the same omegas who dubbed her that, but the higher wolves. She had earned a vile reputation for her volatile outbursts, her screaming fits, and the vicious rumors that during her heat, she’d lose all restraint and practically throw herself at any male within scent distance. No one had ever produced actual proof, but her toxic aura was undeniable.
I whipped my sweater over my head, messing up my hair as the cool air of the locker room hit my flushed skin. Suddenly, an ear-piercing shriek from Annie shattered the silence, echoing loudly off the tiled walls.
"Whoa, Jane! Is that a hickey?!" Annie’s eyes were practically bulging out of her head as she stared wide-eyed at my neck.
"Where?!" I sprinted toward the mirror in just my bra, my bare feet slapping against the freezing tiles.
I looked into the glass, and my stomach plummeted.
There it was—a huge, dark crimson mark resting just above my collarbone. It was so vivid, so unmistakably bold, that a furious, burning blush instantly flooded my face and neck.
Goddess above. How on earth had I missed this in the mirror this morning? Panic surged through me as I scrambled for a way to hide it, but my gym kit only had a loose, wide-collared t-shirt.
A sudden tide of memories from last night rushed over me. After the park, Magnus and I had spent over an hour kissing in the car, utterly unable to pull apart. Even back at the apartment, he hadn’t let me go, keeping me locked against his body. He had peppered kisses down my throat, my shoulders, and my collarbones long into the night. We had barely slept a couple of hours because every time I turned, his possessive instincts kicked in and he pulled me back toward him.
His hands had been everywhere—his warm, heavy palms sliding under my shirt, tracing my waist and pulling my back flush against his chest. Yet, he hadn’t pushed past my boundaries. He knew I wasn’t ready for more, and for all his dominant Alpha presence, he had shown remarkable restraint, keeping our intimacy grounded in fierce, lingering kisses.
And those kisses had been absolute wildfire. Deep, scorching, and completely consuming. I never imagined an Alpha as dangerous as Magnus Rainn could be so gentle, so patient, and so intensely protective.
"Jane, spill! Right now!" Annie bounded over, seizing my shoulders and spinning me around. "Who were you playing with?!"
"Nobody!" I squeaked, trying to twist away and grab my sweater to cover the damnable mark.
"Liar!" Annie raised her hands into the air, wriggling her fingers threateningly. "Spill, or I will tickle you into unconsciousness! No—I will tickle you to death!"
"Annie, stop!" I backed away, but she advanced on me with a predator’s grin.
"Yes, Jane, do tell," a cold, razor-sharp voice sliced through the air from behind Annie.
I froze.
Lina stood in the doorway of the locker room, her arms crossed tight over her chest. The sheer malice dripping from her eyes made an icy shiver trail all the way down my spine.
"Tell us all what a little bitch you are," she spat, stepping onto the tile with a heavy thud of her sneakers. "Tell us how you’ve been fucking Magnus Rain. You cheap, desperate, gold-digging whore—ready to spread your legs for a few measly dollar bills."
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