Make Me Beg - BOOK 1 OF THE MATES & MARKS TRILOGY

Chapter 18

Karliah raced into her chemistry class, managing to squeeze her way past the students still milling around the entrance deciding on their seats, and leap onto the tall stool beside Cassie. Usually, her friend with the long eyelashes and always-immaculate complexion sat next to her, but today, Karliah was determined to weasel her way into Cassie's friend group. She started pulling her books out hurriedly as Cassie began to protest,

"W-Wait, Aminali sits there..." Her voice trailed off, along with her confidence, as Karliah had already emptied out most of her bag onto the desk. She watched the sub give her friend a hopeless look which was replied to with a shrug and a small smile of understanding. Karliah pretended not to see it... She wished there was even a little bit of happiness or excitement on her mate's small round face, some kind of reflection that she could feel the pull of their wolves' connection. Cassie just let out an almost silent sigh and pulled her long, drooping, chestnut coils into a messy bun on the top of her head, stray curls poking out here and there and small wisps framing her face. Karliah tried to hide her gulp, She's stunning.

"Right!" All the students sat up a touch straighter at the sound of their teacher's voice as she strutted into the room, "Let's get started." She began to write on the board in black marker, noting down her instructions as she gave them, "Open your books to page 49 where you will find some questions on electrons - If you did your homework you should be able to answer them quite easily but raise your hand if you need some help, I'd rather you asked than guessed - Any questions? No? Then go ahead" She left the task written on the board to let the class get on with and sat at her desk to continue marking books from her previous lesson.

Cassie dropped her head down and picked up her pen to begin her work quietly and with the intention of generating as little attention as possible. Karliah opened her book, picked up her pen with one hand, and used the other to swiftly pinch her mate's backside. Cassie jolted but managed to stay silent, letting out a slow breath with her eyes closed for a few seconds. While she usually liked being touched by Karliah, she didn't want to be making a scene in the middle of class... and... Where she pinched her there was still a large, lingering, green bruise at the junction of her bottom and thigh. She shifted her chair slightly further away from the alpha and tried to focus on her work. The class chatter began to rise but Cassie stayed silent. The teacher didn't mind them talking as long as they got their work done, and the noise level stayed low enough that she could focus on her marking, so usually Cassie took the opportunity to gossip with Aminali. Today she stayed quiet, trying to ignore the shining silver eyes burning a hole into the side of her head.

Karliah watched her, openly staring at her full force until she managed to gain control of both her brain and mouth,

"So, why were you away this week?" She asked, trying to seem casual. But it didn't matter how she phrased it - Cassie already knew that Karliah had spoken to Sam and instantly felt her defences rising - She's trying to catch me out.

"You already know." Replied Cassie. Not interested in incriminating herself. She kept writing in her workbook, sometimes nonsense because she couldn't keep her thoughts steady and away from the alpha beside her. She hoped that as long as she looked like she was focuses on something that Karliah would take the hint.

"Your omega friend told you about that?" Clearly this strategy wasn't working.

"He has a name." Cassie's sharp and short tone caught Karliah off guard. The subs hand had stopped trying to write and clenched down on her pen instead, she hated the way dominants treated Sam. It was like he wasn't a living being to these people sometimes. Her round cheeks burned red with pent up anger, she was never strong enough to defend him as much as she'd like.

"I apologise," Karliah spoke sincerely, meeting eyes with Cassie and staring deeply into them. "he never told me his name, what is it?"

"Sam." Cassie spoke softly, unsure now of what the alpha's intentions were. Her heart was racing in her chest almost painfully.