Karros
I had made up my mind. I was done hiding. Zuri needed to know the truth about me. But for the past week she had avoided me so much that it almost felt personal. Every time she noticed me walking toward her she turned around like she had somewhere urgent to be. If I got close she suddenly found the most interesting thing in the world on her phone. Or a paragraph in a textbook that apparently needed her soul.
She was avoiding me without shame and it was driving me insane.
After football practice, while the guys were packing up and heading back to their dorms or apartments, I pulled Bron aside. I had been battling with this decision all week and I needed someone to talk me out of my own head, or into it.
"She will not even look at me," I said, shaking sweat from my face. "I have to tell her. I cannot keep hiding what I am."
Bron's response was immediate. "It's too early. Telling her you are a werewolf is you putting her in serious danger. You do not know how she will react. What if she exposes us?"
I dragged in a breath but it did nothing to steady me. The frustration in me felt like a storm trying to rip out of my chest. "I am tired of being in bondage. I hate my life. She is my fated mate. There is already something between us. We both know it. It feels tangible even if I cannot see it. I do not just want her. I need her. And I can tell she needs me too. If I leave her confused I might lose her."
Bron placed a hand on my shoulder. "If you truly believe she is your matebond then relax. She is not going anywhere. Just take it slow. Keep your meetings private. Let her ease into you."
"That will only make things worse. She already thinks I don't want to be seen with her in public."
"Karros focus. I know the mate bond makes you irrational but you seem to be forgetting that right now Zuri is supposed to be dead. According to the Secret Clause you should have killed her already. You need to choose wisely. Everyone and everything is at stake. Not just you."
"I hear you. But you said it yourself. If she is my matebond she will do everything she can to protect me. I will tell her. Or show her. I know it is a risk but I trust her. I trust what we have."
Bron sighed but nodded. "Whatever you choose, I am standing ten toes behind you. You know that."
"Thank you," I said quietly. "I mean it."
When I walked home, panic started creeping in. How do you even start a conversation like that. Hey Zuri, I am supernatural, please do not scream. The plan sounded stupid in my head but the thought of losing her scared me more than telling her the truth.
So I did the only thing I could think of. I needed her to stop running. The next day I waited for the exact moment she set her bag down in class and slipped a note into her black DKNY tote. Then I walked off before she turned around.
Then I waited.
Zuri
I was digging in my bag for my lip gloss when my fingers touched a piece of folded paper. I froze for a second, then pulled it out. The handwriting was messy. Rushed.
Karros.
My chest tightened. I did not want this feeling. I did not want anything that felt like this.
I opened the paper.
"I know you hate me right now but please let me explain everything."
Of course it was him. I had ignored his texts, muted his calls and practically disappeared. Not because I hated him, but because everything with him felt too intense. Too fast. Too much. I met him at the worst possible time. And now my whole emotional world felt hijacked.
And I was not about to let another boy play with me again. Not me.
I folded the note and shoved it back into my pocket like it could not affect me. I told myself I was not going. I was not replying. He could deal with silence.
But deep down I already knew I was going. I was tired of wondering if he had a girlfriend. That question had been eating at my brain like a parasite. I needed the truth.
I pulled out my phone and typed.
"When and where are we meeting."
His reply was instant. Too instant.
"Meet me at the spot. 8pm."
"Alright," I typed back before I could change my mind.
I shut my phone and headed to the library where Amara was waiting. We spent hours studying but by seven thirty I could not focus on a single word. So I just popped my AirPods in and waited for 7:50.
Ten minutes to eight I started walking toward the river. The same one he had taken me to. The path was straight but rocky and a little dim. I walked for twenty minutes.
And then I saw him.
Karros stood by the water, cigarette between his fingers. Shorts. Sleeveless shirt. Muscles everywhere. He was unbelievably fine and he knew it.
"What a slut." I thought to myself. An involuntary smile playing on my lips.
He caught it. "Why are you smiling? Are you not supposed to be mad at me?"
"Interesting outfit,"I said. "Are you not cold? I am freezing and I am properly dressed."
"Nah I am alright," he said and chuckled.
Before I could complain some more he grabbed my arm and pulled me close until I was standing right in front of him and wrapped his arms around me. His body was not warm, it was unnaturally hot, and for a few seconds I forgot how to breathe. His hard, toned chest pressed against me. I could feel his abs. I wished I could trail my hands over them. He put is head in my neck, savoring the moment. His scent wrapped around my head and I just melted into him. His groin was firm against my lower back; damn he was big.
If I had the chance I would fuck him right here.
The thought shocked me back into my senses.
I pulled away. My cheeks burned. "Karros tell me the truth. Do you have a girlfriend. Because how you act with me alone is different from how you act in public."
"I am betrothed to someone," he blurted out.
I felt like I had just been hit by a truck. My hand went to my chest instinctively almost like I was trying to protect my heart.
"And you did not think to tell me? So you would have continued playing with me if I did not ask? What is wrong with you? You're so sick."
"Zuri please. I can explain. Just listen."
He started walking toward me, slow like he was approaching a scared animal, but before he could get a full word out we heard a menacing growl behind us.
Karros held his ground instantly. His posture shifted and his muscles tensed.
"Stay close and run when I say so," he muttered.
Another growl echoed. Louder. Closer. And then a pair of glowing green eyes fixed directly on me. A low rumble rolled from its chest, like it was savoring the thought of eating me.
"Me," I whispered. "Why is it looking straight at me?"
The creature stepped into the moonlight. And I screamed. I did not plan to scream but the sound that came out of my mouth ripped out of my throat like a thunderclap. The thing was tall, almost seven feet, its bones stretching and cracking. Its claws were longer than knives. Hair sprouted violently from patches of skin. Saliva dripped from its open jaws.
I turned to run but Karros gripped my wrist sharply.
"Not yet," he responded.
"Not yet?" I questioned hysterically. As I turned to look at him, I expected him to be trembling like I was but when I looked at him I didn't see fear. What I saw was more shocking.
What was standing beside me wasn't Karros.
His face had shifted. Fangs. Claws. Muscles bulging beneath his skin. His eyes were wild and bright gold, a controlled inferno that burned with focus. He looked like the monster in front of us, but while the creature before him seemed rabid and hungry; Karros was more controlled. Like a weapon, sharp and ready.
"Zuri run now," his voice thundered, deep and guttural.
The creatures collided before I could blink. The force of their crash shook the ground under my feet.
I ran behind a thick tree and pressed my hands to my mouth.
Karros
The moment the Feyl lunged at us I let my wolf take over. The shift ripped through my bones. Pain and fire but also clarity. Before he reached Zuri I slammed into him with the full weight of my body.
My claws sliced across his chest. Flesh tore. Blood spilled. He roared and slashed back, catching my ribs. Pain shot through me but I pushed harder.
Zuri was watching. I had to win.
He was stronger than he looked. Too strong. What was a Feyl doing here? I thought they were extinct. But I had no time to question anything. My reaction was slower than usual, no thanks to the Wolfsbane.
His claws dug into my stomach and the force knocked me to the ground. He pinned me with his massive hand. His growl vibrated in my ears. He lowered his head like he wanted to rip through my throat.
But then it was suddenly disinterested in me and turned towards Zuri.
She was crouched behind a tree, eyes wide, whispering my name. Begging me to get up, to fight.
My mate.
She was calling me back.
Heat exploded through my body. My limbs tightened with new strength. My vision sharpened. Everything in me surged with one purpose.
Protect her.
I pushed to my feet. The Feyl spun around in shock. His eyes narrowed and he charged.
He never reached me.
With a burst of speed that surprised even me, I dodged his strike and caught him by the neck. His claws barely grazed my shoulder before I drove my arm forward and tore through flesh.
His head came clean off and hit the ground with a dull thud.
His body collapsed a second later.
Silence rolled over the forest.
My breath came in harsh, uneven pulls. Blood dripped from my claws and chest. My heart hammered like a drum. And when I turned, Zuri stood frozen, staring at me like she did not know whether to run from me or fall into my arms.