Chapter Seven

Theron jogged a bit to get to a door. The smells of succulent meats and roasted vegetables reached my nose when he opened it. When I passed through, he winked at me while Grim and Bodhi led the way to the line where we picked up trays.

Grim had some silent communication with the woman at the end of the line by the checkout and, while I couldn't see what face he was making, it made her blush. A woman in her sixties. Maybe he dug cougars.

Bodhi leaned down to speak to me. "No need for snarling, Minx. He's just paying for our lunch." I opened my mouth to protest. This wasn't a date. "Nope. Consider this a welcome to the Werewolf Academy."

Wait, I could snarl?

"You three are very welcoming." Gods, I was flirting with them. Flirting.

The guys paid for Stevie's dinner as well, and the five of us sat down at a table. "We're going to talk about all of this," my new friend said.

"I thought they were the welcoming committee or something, but this?" I asked.

"Exactly why we need to talk. One day here, and things are getting interesting. Nice job." She offered me a fist bump. There was a first time for everything, including fist bumps.

I looked up, intending to get a lay of the land. Instead, my skin tingled with goose bumps. All around us, the other students, especially the females, had stopped eating or talking. They stared right at me and at our table.

"Don't pay attention to them." Grim nailed me with a stare.

"Kind of hard not to. They've never seen a new student before?" I asked, focusing on my food instead of the hundreds of pairs of eyes on me.

"Something like that." Theron shrugged it off. I could see why these three were used to people staring. I'd only met them a few hours ago and I did it, too. They carried a bit of confidence about them. An underlying power that wafted around us and sizzled in the air. Theron was tall and commanding. Grim had a brooding, hesitant manner. Bodhi came off as nice and caring, but I sensed another layer. A bad boy down deep.

I pressed my fingers to my cheeks. Again with the blushing.

I read tons of romance novels, and here I was right in the middle of a blurb for one of them and I reddened at every turn.

We ate for a while in amicable silence until a teacher, or professor, came to the table and cleared her throat. "Miss Day. You're needed in the office."

Stevie's shoulders slumped. "Now? I'm eating."

The woman cocked her head. "The headmistress stressed how urgent it was. You may return to the dining hall once the discussion is over."

How weird. They needed to talk to her about something so important they would pull her from her meal?

"It'll be okay." I patted Stevie's back. Though we'd only just met, I knew the sinking feeling of being called into the principal's office. They rarely called anyone in for a congratulations or an aced test.

Despite telling me not to pay attention to the whispers, along with the roller coaster of roaring conversation around us, Theron's jaw was tight. Most of his face was concealed by his hanging hair. I wanted to go over there and pull it back, put my hands on his face, and make him focus on me and not anyone else.

This instant magnetism was jarring. It also felt like home.

"Is there anything else to see on campus? I could use some fresh air. I bet the night is beautiful." I posed the question before thinking. Did I sound too forward? Too desperate?

The three of them looked up at once and smiled. "You're done eating?" Bodhi asked, nodding to my plate.

"I am. Unless you guys have something else to do? I'm doing a lot of presuming here."

Presuming they didn't have a pack of girlfriends. That they wanted to spend time with me. That they intended to even speak to me once this meal was over.

Gods, maybe it was a pity meal and welcome for the pitiful wolfless shifter.

"We would love to show you around, Minx. Let me get that for you." Bodhi took my tray, his, and Stevie's and deposited them into an opening in the wall with a conveyor belt.

Theron, Grim, and I waited for Bodhi to join us before we walked outside. The night had grown cool and the wind whipped my red hair around my face.

"What would you like to see first?" Bodhi asked. "The gym? The library? Pickleball court? Training grounds?"

"Pickleball? Never played but that sounds like a good time. Lead the way."