Forever Mine

EIGHT

Roxy nodded with a smile. 'Sounds good.'

It took a few lost walks and wrong turns until she found the library. The librarian who wore glasses with a beaded chain around her neck smiled at her warmly as she stepped in. Immediately, Roxy's eyes were drawn to the ceiling where a magnificent mural was displayed. A wolf's face was looking down from above, jagged shards of green making its eyes almost lifelike. Students tapped away at computers in the corner of the room while others lounged around on couches and beanbags with their noses in books.

'After anything in particular?' The soft voice of the librarian asked from the counter.

'Just some peace and quiet,' replied Roxy with a smile.

The librarian chuckled. 'Well, you've come to the right place.'

Roxy thanked her and continued through the room, her head rolling around to gaze at the rows of bookshelves. There were even sliding ladders so the ones at the very top could be reached. She let her fingertips run along the smooth wood of the shelves, noticing they looked centuries old. How long had this place been here? Her feet led her towards the back of the building, noticing the spines of the books were slightly dustier than the others. She marvelled at the leather spines and yellowed pages. They were super old. Her hand reached towards a thick book, coughing as she brushed some of the dust from its cover.

'The Kingdom of...' Roxy gasped as she read the gold title stamped into the cover. 'Rogues.'

Curiosity got the best of her and she opened the book, the glue which held it together crackling. It smelt like it hadn't been opened for years as she turned the thick pages, squinting to read the small writing. Her eyes fell to a sketch of a rogue running away with the leg of a wolf in its mouth, leaving the injured wolf in a puddle of its blood.

'I wouldn't read that if I were you.'

Roxy jumped at a male voice behind her, causing the book to drop to the ground with a thud. A blush dusted her cheeks when she stooped to pick it up, her eyes resting on the owner of the voice. A boy wearing grey pants with his white shirt untucked stood before her. A mop of brown curls coiled down to his eyes which were a light green. Unlike Isaac's, they didn't make her heart race with a single glance.

'Sorry to startle you.' The boy extended a hand, a leather bracelet with a crystal tied into it on his wrist. Unusual. Slightly cautious, Roxy pushed the book onto the shelf before taking it. Her wolf remained dormant, detecting no threat. 'I'm Levi.'

'Roxy.' She smiled back at him.

'Roxy Thorn, right? You're the Alpha's soulmate?' His bushy eyebrows shot up to his hairline, disappearing behind the curls. She wondered how he knew who she was since she was sure he wasn't part of Moonlight Ridge. Then again everyone in the school already knew who she was. 'Some gig you landed.'

She couldn't help but laugh. 'It's definitely... life changing.'

Levi winced. 'I bet it's rough having everyone's eyes on you like you've got horns coming out of your head.' He gave a lop-sided grin before nodding his head to the book she'd had. 'So why are you reading up on rogues?'

Roxy became flustered and gave a nervous laugh. 'Oh I wasn't intending to. The book just called to me I guess.' Levi looked at her strangely. 'Great now you're looking at me like I've grown horns.'

He gave an easy grin. 'No way.' They lapsed into silence before he spoke again. 'Look, I know how much it sucks to be the new kid. There's a place in town who does the best ice creams. It can fix even the worst of days. Wanna come with me after school?'

Roxy hesitated. Isaac would kill her if he came to pick her up and she wasn't here. Especially due to running off with a boy she barely knew. A flare of rebellion ignited in her. Maybe it was just what she needed to do to prove to him she was more than capable of watching out for herself. To show him she wasn't going to allow him to push her around.