My room was a small heaven, but rather depressing. After about two hours of unpacking, bathing, and settling in, I decided to step out.

Taking a deep breath—relieved to finally be rid of Sara, for now—I changed into something casual: baggy blue jeans and a pink sweater, with my hair tied into a ponytail.

I knew exactly where to go and what was to follow.

The cafeteria.

My heart was beating erratically when I got there. I just sat, waiting. I didn’t know how exactly it was going to happen since some things had changed from the past timelines. For example, I was never supposed to have a room to myself in this school. But now I did, courtesy of my deepened connection with Courtney.

Tampering with the future was a chain reaction. I knew this, but couldn’t help it. I just kept wondering what else I had altered by my actions or inactions.

“A smoothie, please?” I said to a girl walking up to me with a tray in her hand. I could tell she was a junior on duty.

“Alright.” She stepped away with no joy.

I picked up a magazine on the table and perused it to calm my nerves. Just then, someone sat next to me.

A male.

His scent was familiar. Powerful. It caressed my nostrils, sending triggering sensations to my core. I looked up and our orbs collided.

Amber eyes!

My heart leapt.

I looked away instantly, but couldn’t keep my eyes off him for too long. His face and body were carved like a Greek god, and his eyes—my goodness!

His brown curly hair was a killer. He had barbered it into an afro which outlined the solid contours of his chin and square jaw.

I just needed to take another look. I had to!

He was too good-looking to be real. Our eyes locked again. This time, he smiled at me.

My insides melted like wax.

“Hey there…” he began.

I shrank. “Hi.”

“What are you reading?”

“Nothing.”

He looked at the magazine, then back at me. “The Different Variations of Wolverine...”

I turned the cover. “Oh… yeah.”

In truth, I hadn’t noticed what I was reading until then.

“You don’t quite strike me as a nerd.” His shoulders squared as he sank into his seat.

“Well, you never know—”

“You are beautiful.” He said it out of nowhere, and I froze for a millisecond.

For as long as I could remember, all the attention had been on Sara. No one cared to notice me much since I was always with her. Hence, his compliment was so close to my heart.

“Thank you,” I smiled.

“You are not in Tertiary?”

“Not yet. I just got here. I’m in my finals, I think.”

“Oh, I see. So, you haven’t turned yet.”

“Turned?”

“Yeah, under the moonlight.”

“Uh… nope.”

He nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing.

“Now I get why you’re reading that. You wish to know what class of wolves you will turn out to be.”

I scoffed. If only he knew.

“Funny thing is, everyone prays to be an Alpha, or at least a mate to one. But in truth, it was never my wish.”

“So, you’re an Alpha?” My brows creased.

“My father is.”

“How come you’re not?”

“I don’t know,” he exhaled. “I guess the Moon Goddess had other plans.”

“So, what are you?”

Our gazes stayed entwined for about a minute before he sat upright, leaning closer. “You look like a smart girl. So, I’m going to tell you the types I find interesting so you can guess which one I am.”

“Alright, let’s hear it.”

“The Gamma, third-in-command or captain of the guard. He is the most trusted by the Alpha, and the one who enforces the laws and disciplines the pack. Loyal to the core…”

I shook my head. “Nah. You don’t look it.”

“Loyal?” He giggled.

“A player, at best.”

“I get that a lot.”

“Not surprised,” I smiled, and he stilled for a bit, as if caught in awe of something.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing.” He shook his head.

“Okay, so…”

“Second option, Delta wolves—fierce warriors, but not decision makers.”

“You? Fierce warrior?” I chuckled.

“I don’t look mean like a fighter?”

“No!”

“Come on!”

We shared hearty laughter, which slowly faded as our gazes caressed sensually for the umpteenth time.

Just then, the young waiter came with two cups of lemonade instead of one.

“Here is your order, Jayden,” she said to the beautiful man, smiling shyly.

She knew his name! Jealousy coiled in my guts.

“Hey, I ordered just one cup,” I protested.

“Relax,” Jayden intoned. “I saw you from a distance and decided this would be our first date. That’s why I doubled the order.”

“Oh.” I turned red.

“So, this is my distant cousin, Kate.”

I looked at the girl—her freckles, brown hair, oval face, and amber eyes.

“My apologies,” I extended a hand for a handshake.

She took it, scowling at me. “If you break his heart, I will kill you. Understood?”

Peals of laughter escaped me…

“I mean it,” she insisted, in a harmless yet aggressive way.

“Nice to meet you, Kate,” I said.

“Same here.”

“I’m Zoe.”

“Zoe,” her face brightened. “Beautiful name.”

“Thank you.”

She turned to Jayden. “You caught a good fish this time.”

“I know,” he smiled. “Zoe.”

The way he said my name was just…

“Zoe Auckland,” I added, shaking off the sweet sensation in my belly.

“So, uh… I gotta run before they extend my duty. I hate this part of school,” Kate complained, stepping away.

“Be good!” Jayden hollered, but she responded with the middle finger.

We giggled, then focused on each other again.

“She is the best, I promise. Street-smart and all,” Jayden commented.

“I still wonder how you made her do this… date thing.”

“It is called having connections,” he smiled.

“You know, Tertiary students are not allowed in this particular cafeteria. It is for the junior classes.”

“So, how are you here?”

“I came to see her. But look what I found—a gem.”

My cheeks turned red again. I felt like sinking into the ground.

“Back to what we were saying.” I took a sip of the lemonade.

“Yeah, so, there is Sigma also—the lone wolf. Dangerous and powerful. Everyone avoids this type because they’re a menace when triggered. They mostly end up as gangsters, criminals, and so on, and don’t ever belong to a pack unless forced to.”

“Are you a menace?” I asked.

“Maybe, sometimes…” he laughed. “I guess everyone is, to a degree. But my father’s pack is the Shadow Pack. So, I guess I belong somewhere. An Alpha usually gives birth to an Alpha though, so…”

“Mmm,” I hummed, refusing to say more than I knew.

“The last I can remember is the Theta. They are seers, wolves with strange abilities. Extremely rare and said to be mythically connected to the Moon Goddess. You must avoid them by all means. These ones are an anathema…”

“An ana—what?”

“Abomination.”

“Oh.”

“They are killed on sight, immediately they are discovered. Mostly during the turning.”

“But why though?”

“Dark magic. It is believed that their abilities breed all things evil.”

My chest grew ice-cold.

“Well, next month is the full moon. So I guess we will find out what you are either way. I just hope you won’t be the latter. Evil witch…”

I let out a fake peal of laughter, but deep down, my stomach crawled. I knew what I was, and that meant I couldn’t reveal it.

Ever.

Because I knew firsthand that the consequences were real.

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