Chapter 198
[ 1,517 words ]
Impressive Resume.
He leaned back, completely at ease, tapping his per against the desk as Mr Graves started droning on about territorial treaties and ancient alliances. I feel Dean’s attention shift away from the lesson and right back to me.
“So,” he murmured, low enough that only I could hear, “you’re going to tell me your name, or do I have to keep guessing p>
1 kept my eyes on the board. “Pretty sure the teacher said it when he took roll p>
He smiled like I’d just proved his point. “Yeah, but I’d rather hear it from you p>
Gods, he was persistent. And that voice did something to my pulse I didn’t appreciate.
“It’s Macey,” I said finally, keeping my tone flat.
“Macey,” he repeated, like he was testing the shape of it. “Pretty name p>
“Thanks,” I muttered, scribbling half-hearted notes just to have something to do with my hands.
He leaned closer, elbows on his desk. “So, Macey, you from around here p>
I shot him a sidelong glance. “Born and raised p>
“Lucky me,” he said, grin tugging wider. “I get the local guide p>
“Guide to what p>
He shrugged. “Whatever you want to show me. Coffee shops. Secret spots. The parts of this place that don’t make it into the brochure p>
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You think Red Moon has a brochure p>
“Maybe not. But if it did, I’d bet you’d be the cover photo p>
I groaned softly, shaking my head. “You’ve really got a line for everything, don’t you p>
He tilted his head. “Only when I mean it p>
Before I could come up with a response, Mr Graves cleared his throat pointedly from the front of the room. “Mr Blackmore, perhaps you could pay attention for the remainder of class before you attempt to charm my students p>
A few snickers rippled through the room. Dean raised his hands in mock surrender. “Yes, sir, Paying attention.
But as soon as Mr Graves turned back to the board, Dean leaned in again, whispering, “So… what’s your next class p>
I bit back a smile despite myself. “You’re relentless p>
“Only when it’s worth it p>
I tried to roll my eyes, but the corners of my mouth betrayed me. Maybe it was the way he said it, like he wasn’t just being cocks, but genuinely curicarn. Di perliage it was just mice, for ance, to have summeune look at me without stready knowing my whole life story
1/3
10:06 am
Impressive Resume.
Still, Lept my tone light. “History. And maybe detention if you don’t shut up p>
He grinned, eyes glinting. “Good thing I’m new, then. I don’t mind breaking a few rules to make friends p>
By the time lunch rolled around, I was more than ready for a break, and maybe a nap. Between Tessa’s commentary, Dean’s relentless charm, and my brai refusing to stop replaying you can’t tell me how to feel, I was running purely on caffeine and willpower. Tessa and I claimed our usual spot under the big Gak tree at the edge of the courtyard, away from most of the noise. She set her tray down with a dramatic sigh and leaned arross the table, eyes sparkling
“Okay, spill p>
I blinked. “Spill what p>
Her grin widened. “Don’t play dumb. The new guy. Dean Blackmore. Dark hair, bad-boy vibe, smile that could melt titanium. That guy p>
I groaned, stabbing at my salad. “He’s just a transfer student p>
Tessa’s jaw dropped. “Just a transfer student? He’s practically a main character, Mace. Did you see the way every girl in that classroom forgot how to breat when he walked in p>
“Yeah, well, I didn’t,” I muttered, even though the heat creeping up my neck said otherwise.
Tessa leaned back, smirking. “Uh-huh. Sure, you didn’t p>
Before I could come up with a decent comeback, a shadow fell over the table.
“Is this seat taken p>
That voice. Smooth. Confident. Just a hint of mischief. Tessa’s eyes went wide, and I didn’t even have to look up to know who it was. Dean.
He slid onto the bench beside me like he’d been invited, tray in hand, grin firmly in place. “Didn’t realise the cafeteria was a war zone. Needed a safe place
to eat p>
Tessa recovered faster than I did. “Oh, you’re safe here,” she said sweetly. “Unless you count Macey’s death glare p>
Dean chuckled, flashing her a charming smile. “Good to know who runs the place p>
“She tries,” Tessa said with a wink. “I’m Tessa, by the way. The best friend, social-butterfly, and occasional bad influence p>
“Dean,” he replied, shaking her hand. “The new guy, possible bad influence, and-” he turned toward me, eyes glifting “-hoping to be upgraded from stranger to friend p>
Amy practically vibrated with glee. “Well, isn’t that adorable p>
I rolled my eyes, trying not to smile. You two are getting along disturbingly well p>
Dean leaned his elbow on the table, chin resting on his hand. “What can I say? I make friends sazity*
Tessa mylged me under the table “Mace, you should show him around. He said he wanted a tour, right p>
I shot her a warning look, but she just grinned wider.
213
10:06 am
Impressive Resume.
Trean’s age lingered on mine, steady and warm. “I’d take you up on that, actually. If you’re not too busy p>
I hesitated, my pulse jumping for no good reason. “We’ll see p>
“‘We’ll see,” he repeated, amused. That sounds like yes with extra steps p>
Tessa snorted into her drink. “He’s got you pegged already
I shoved a fry at her fac
food, traitor p>
Dean laughed softly
Tessa was still
unfold live
of chaos
cond, I let myself laugh too. Maybe it was harmless. Maybe it was exactly the distraction I needed.
laughter, a hand clamped over her mouth while she side-eyed me like she was watching the world’s best soap oper bsolutely no shame. He leaned back casually, tray untouched, like he had all the time in the world and no idea what
“So
tingly relaxed. “Tell me about this place. I heard the Red Moon Pack practically runs half the region p>
You heard right. Macey’s dads are Alpha’s, her mum’s Luna, obviously and well, complicated, and everyone else in her family the world if they felt like it p>
she ignored me.
ws, clearly intrigued. “Impressive résumé. So you’re basically royalty p>
ered, stabbing my fork into a piece of lettuce. “I’m just trying to survive senior year without anyone blowing something up in class p>
he said with a slight grin. “Low expectations, easy victories p>
tout laughing. “You have no idea how low the bar is here. Last week, the chem lab caught fire, again p>
Dean asked, amused.
dded. “Felix, my little brother, tried to turn silver into wolfsbane-resistant alloy. It… didn’t go great p>
Sean chuckled, shaking his head. “And here I was worried about fitting in p>
Comments
RVisitor
is the best friend Tessa or Amy?
7 days agn
1 Comments > 07 01 3.3 10:07 am Goddess Of The Underworld Initiating. The bell rang. Chairs scraped, bags zipped, and the usual lunchtime chaos swept through the courtyard. Tessa gave me a knowing smirk, whispering, “Have fun,” before she vanished into the crowd, abandoning me with the walking complication that was Deah Blackmore. Dean stood, swinging his bag over one shoulder. “Come on,” he said, easy as anything. “I’ll walk you to class p> I hesitated. “You don’t even know where my class is p> He grinned. “That’s why I need you to show me p> Smart-mouthed and confident. Of course. I rolled my eyes but didn’t protest when he fell into step beside me. The hallway was loud, students flooding between classes, but somehow he made it feel quieter, his voice cutting through the noise, smooth and warm. “So,” he started, “since we’ve already established that you’re basically local royalty, what do you actually do for fun around here p> I glanced at him sideways. “Fun p> “Yeah,” he said, smiling. “You know, something other than surviving history class and dodging your best friend’s matchmaking attempts p> That earned a small laugh out of me. “I ride,” I said. “Bikes p> His brows lifted. “Motorbikes p> “Mm-hmm p> The grin that spread across his face was genuine this time, less teasing, more impressed. “Now that’s not something I expected. You ride often p> “Whenever I can,” I admitted. “It helps clear my head p> He nodded like he understood exactly what I meant. “Sounds better than what I usually do for stress relief p> “Which is p> “Get into trouble.” He said it so casually that I wasn’t sure if he was joking. I smirked. “Good to know what I’m dealing with p> He laughed quietly. “And after school? You do the bike thing the too p> “Not today,” I said, carefully skirting the truth. “I’ve got pack duties p> His head tilted. “Pack duties p> *Yeah Just… stuff I help with. Errands, meetings, training runs.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. Surely, I could find something to do for the pack to make it true Dean chuckled, hands sliding into his pockets. “Busy girl. Guess I’ll just have to catch you another time p> I gave him a bell smile. “Guess so p> 173 10:07 am Juliet Zvayi If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.