Oliver's life turns upside down when he learns that werewolves exist and one of them is his mate, but things get dangerous when he starts to learn more about himself.
*****
"It's a gift...
At one point during lunch break it was really getting on my nerves, and I almost confronted him, but just when he was about to cross paths with me, I turned around and hid behind a corner. My heart was racing, and my breathing grew shorter when his scent got so strong. I had to close my eyes, so I wouldn't peer around the corner to take a look at him. He stopped for a moment. I could hear his heart beating faster for some reason. I wanted to keep walking, but I was frozen on my spot. Then, he finally moved along, and it became easier for me to breathe.
"Hmmh..." I heard Tilly letting out a breath, and I looked at her. She was looking behind the corner for a moment, before she looked at me. "What?" she asked.
"Piss off," I snapped and started walking, but Arch stopped me by stepping in front of me.
"Do you really want to start with that?" he asked harshly, and pushed me back.
What I really wanted to do and say at that moment would've caused a small fight between us, so I bit my tongue and shook my head with a sigh. "I'm just..."
"Whatever it is, don't take it out on us," Arch said, turning his back on me, and started walking.
I stuck my tongue out at him when he didn't see me, but I knew he had the right to put me in my place. They were not happy with me – that fact was getting more and more obvious to me – but what could I have said? There was nothing to say! I only had one little weird moment last Friday that meant nothing to me and had no effect on my life whatsoever.
"I'm fine," I said, faking a smile and straightening my posture. "I'm perfectly fine now."
"Yeah, sure," Tilly chuckled with a low voice, and looked away when I turned to glare at her.
I didn't say a word to either of them until the end of next period. I was still supposed to be mad at them, but when we stepped out of the class, I felt... something. Something that made me anxious.
"What?" Tilly asked, when I stopped to sniff around.
"I don't know," I muttered, and stepped away from the door. "It's not good."
I had no idea how to explain myself better than that. Not good. Something was happening, and it was not good.
"A warning?" Arch asked quietly. Whenever he got a bad feeling, he called them warnings.
"Maybe. Probably," I muttered. I could feel the two getting ready to fight, but this was odd. I didn't get warnings. I wasn't so tuned in with my surroundings like Arch was. If I got a warning, it usually happened when I already was face-to-face with danger.
"I don't feel anything," Arch said. "Anything besides the usual."
What he meant by "the usual" was the constant presence of the Black Thorns. But if he couldn't sense anything out of the ordinary, it was probable that whatever I was feeling, it wasn't a warning. That thought didn't give me any peace of mind. On the contrary, it was getting worse.
"I'm getting angry," I muttered. "Why am I getting angry?"
"Don't," Tilly spoke, grabbed my hand and started dragging me away from people – anger could easily trigger our transform. "For goodness sake, your wolf is showing!" she whispered.
There was fur coming out of my hands, and my senses were getting sharper. I hardly noticed Arch throwing his jacket on me while they led me towards the exit. I did my best to contain the transformation, but I was quite powerless against my inner instincts.
Once we were outside, my friends continued dragging me behind the school, where people didn't go in this weather because there was too much snow, and no one had the energy to clear it out. Once we were alone, standing knee-deep in the snow, Tilly forced me to look at her.
"Snap out of it!" she hissed at me, but it was easier said than done. I was still ready to fight, but I had no idea why.
"You really can't do that out in the public," Arch said, like I didn't know that already.
"I can't... help it!" I gasped, doing everything I could to stop the transformation.
They just stared at me for a moment, while I struggled. I kind of wished they would knock me out cold, because if I got out of hand now, it would mean trouble for our entire pack. If someone saw me turning into a wolf, it would be only a matter of time until this whole village would be swarmed with werewolf hunters.
And then, suddenly, the feeling started to subside. It was still there, but I was finally getting myself back in line.
"What the hell was that all about...?" I breathed out in exhaustion.
Tilly let out a frustrated groan. "It was bad enough to affect us as well."
"What? Really?" I asked, and looked at them both closely. Arch's hands were shaking, and I saw a glimpse of his claws before he managed to cancel his transformation, and for a moment, Tilly's hands were hairier than usual. "What the hell is going on?"
Tilly let out a humorless chuckle, and rubbed her temples. "Idiot. You're such an idiot," she said, sounding angry and... sad?
Then she just left, leaving us two behind.
"What the hell is her problem?" I muttered, looking at Arch.
He didn't seem too pleased with me for some reason. "You do know this beta-alpha thing isn't just children's play, right?" he asked almost harshly. "Those are not just words to throw around."
"I know," I said, keeping my annoyance out of my voice. "But what does that have to do with anything?"
"Use your brains," Arch said and started walking after Tilly. "And when you're ready to talk to us, let us know."
"What? Wait! Arch!" I yelled after him, but he didn't stop. "Where are you going?"
"I have a job to do," he just replied, leaving me alone with my confusion.
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