Marked

RORY

~Oh, Goddess…~

~This is not good.~

I rack my brain for something to say that could explain the gnarly red mark on the side of my neck.

She has completely exposed my mating mark, and if anyone else walks into the bathroom, they’ll see it too.

“Give my scarf back to me, Freya,” I say. “And then I’ll explain everything.”

“I won’t give it back until you tell me what he did to you,” she says.

“Okay, fine,” I say, my mind working overtime, searching for something to say that might sound believable.

Part of me wants to tell the whole truth, from the beginning. But I know that telling Freya my little werewolf secret will only escalate my issues with Everett right now.

So I have to lie again. There’s no other choice.

Before I even have a chance to fully formulate my thoughts, words start to tumble out of my mouth.

“Everett did this to me, okay? You’re right,” I say. “But I let him. I wanted it.”

“Why would you want him to do ~that~?” she asks me, her tone incredulous.

“It’s—it’s—it’s a kinky thing!” I suddenly exclaim. “He did it while we were having sex.”

Freya throws her hands over her mouth, sending my scarf falling to the floor.

I quickly pick it up and wrap it around my neck again.

“You guys had KINKY SEX?!” she asks again.

“Shhhhhhh,” I say, my face turning beet-red. “I don’t need the whole school to know, okay?”

“Why didn’t you tell me??” she asks. “I totally thought you were still a member of the V-club.”

“I wanted to tell you,” I say. “I just never found the right time.”

“So…” I can see her mind reeling with questions. “You’re like…into biting?”

“I guess you could say that.”

“And what about the other stuff?” she asks me. “Is he good in bed?”

“Amazing,” I say honestly.

“Does he have a big—”

“Okay, Freya,” I say. “That’s enough sex-related questions for eight in the morning.”

“Fine,” she says, wrapping her arm around mine as we walk out of the bathroom together.

“I understand why you’ve been ghosting me,” she says. “You’re just a little nympho. You’re too busy having sex to text me back.”

~I wish that was the case.~

The only dirty thing Everett and I are doing these days is fighting.

“Well, now I’m even more curious to get to know him better,” she says. “Oliver’s parents are out of town and he’s having some people over tonight. It’s a totally casual thing. You gotta come and bring the boy!”

I’ve actually never been to a high school party before. And I can’t deny that the idea excites me!

But my heart sinks, knowing how Everett will react if I bring it up.

“Everett doesn’t really like hanging out with high schoolers,” I say.

“~You’re~ a high schooler,” she says. “And he ~clearly~ enjoys hanging out with you. Besides, you totally owe me for missing out on our celebration after the debate tournament.”

“I’ll try my best to convince him,” I say. But in my heart I know it’s hopeless. There’s no way he’d ever let me go to a high school party, let alone come to one.

“Just sing him the words of the prophet,” Freya says. “‘If you wanna be my ~kinky~ lover, you gotta get with my friends.’”

With that, she twirls and runs off to class.

I really don’t think Everett would understand or appreciate a Spice Girls reference. But I’m not just going to sit at home while he ignores me for another long, painful night.

I’m going to go to Oliver’s party and let loose, whether he likes it or not!

EVERETT

I sit at the end of our bed, waiting for Aurora to come back from school.

I’ve been desperate for her to come home all day, but I’ve received constant updates from Ace, so at least I know she’s safe.

~“She’s walking through the packhouse door,”~ Ace announces to me through mindlink.

And sure enough, moments later, I hear her footsteps walking down the hall toward our bedroom.

I need to do everything in my power to keep my cool so that we don’t have another explosive fight like last time.

When the door creaks open and she steps inside, she looks totally surprised to see me.

But instead of saying “hi” to me, she just drops her backpack and makes a beeline for the closet.

She emerges moments later and I’m shocked by what I see.

Instead of the usual comfy clothes that she wears when she studies, Aurora is strapped into a tight, short dress in a deep red color.

I haven’t seen her in that dress before, and Goddess…she looks incredible.

“Woah…,” I say as she walks across the room again and takes a seat at the vanity. “Where are you going in ~that?~”

She doesn’t respond to me. Instead, she just starts applying a slick of red lipstick.

“What?” I say. “You’re not going to respond?”

“I’m just giving you a taste of your own medicine,” she says. “Not fun to be ignored, is it?”

“No,” I say. “I guess not.”

She rolls her eyes and continues to apply her makeup.

“I’m sorry about this morning,” I say, placing a hand on her exposed shoulder. “I shouldn’t have talked to you like that. I don’t ever want you to feel like a prisoner here.”

“Well, if that’s the case, then you won’t mind ~we’re~ going to a party tonight.”

“Where?” I ask her.

“Oliver’s house,” she says. “You’re invited, but I know better than to ask. I’m sure I’ll get an earful about all the reasons that you can’t come.”

A high school party doesn’t exactly sound like my ideal night. But I’m sure that Ace will want the night off after spending the whole day tracking her every move. So I’m not sure that I really have any other choice.

“Actually,” I say, “I was hoping to have a little fun tonight. I’d love to come to the party.”

Aurora looks up at me, so shocked by my words that she fumbles with the tube of lipstick and it smudges on her chin.

“Really?” she asks, staring at me in disbelief. “You ~actually~ want to come with me? To a high school party?”

~Well, no.~

~But I want to make up with her ~and~ keep her safe. So I’ll do whatever it takes.~

RORY

~I can’t believe that actually worked!~

Everett has never expressed any interest in hanging out with my friends...and now he really wants to come to this party?

I’m having trouble believing that he’s actually serious.

But sure enough, he disappears into the closet to get dressed and ready for the night.

When he emerges, my jaw nearly drops to the floor. Everett is wearing an oversized muscle tee that is cut low at the armpits, a pair of baggy jeans, and high-top sneakers.

“What the hell are you wearing?” I say, unable to stifle a laugh. “Where did you even get those clothes?!”

“I was a teenager once too,” he says. “And I was fucking cool.”

I eye him up and down.

“What?” he says. “Are you checking me out?”

I don’t know what’s gotten into him...but I’ll happily take ~this~ Everett over the one who was completely ignoring me.

“I guess I am,” I say to him.

“Good,” he says. And without another word, he takes my hand and leads me out of the bedroom.

***

When we arrive on Oliver’s street, I can already hear the music blaring loudly from inside the house.

Freya told me that this was just going to be a small get-together, but there is a trail of cars lining the block and it’s not easy to find a place to park.

“Jeez. This is bigger than I expected,” I say to Everett. “Are you sure that you want to do this?”

“We’ve made it this far…,” he says.

After a few minutes, we finally find a spot and get out of the car, walking arm in arm toward the door.

There are students gathered in throngs on the front lawn, drinking out of red solo cups and scream-singing at the top of their lungs.

“I can’t believe this is what a party looks like on a ~Monday night~,” Everett says. “What are they celebrating exactly?”

“Parents going out of town is just about the only thing worth celebrating in high school,” I say.

We move our way around the crowd and through a gate that leads to the backyard, where we find even more people drinking, dancing, and swimming in Oliver’s enormous pool.

Suddenly, I hear the sound of someone screaming: “COWABUNGA!”

I turn to see Oliver jumping off his own roof, doing a flip in midair, and landing with a loud belly flop in the pool.

“I may be a wolf,” Everett says under his breath, “but these people are ~animals~.”

This night’s just getting started, and I already know that it’s going to be one to remember.