8

"Come in," I told Rafael, my body only covered by a blanket he had given me.

"Are you sure? I don't think it's a good idea," he responded, unsure.

I looked at him.

"We need to talk," I muttered. "Kayler will take a while to get here. And if he comes, well, screw him."

Rafael chuckled a bit at my words, but he stepped into the dorm room and closed the door behind him.

"I'll get dressed, I'll be with you in a moment," I said, walking towards the bedroom. Once there, I searched for some clothes. I chose black leggings, a short, tight white dress, and black heeled boots. I brushed my hair and left it loose. I went out to look for Rafael, who was sitting on the sofa with his phone. I sat in front of him.

"Okay, now will you tell me how you know what we are?"

He looked up, putting his phone into his front pants pocket.

"It's simple," he replied. "Because I am one too."

I was surprised, of course, Rafael was a werewolf, and we hadn't realized it. It was as if he hid it very well.

"That's... incredible," I murmured.

"It's not for me," he said. "I never asked to be this, Carolina, so I do my best to be a normal person, to act like one."

I nodded, understanding. It was just how I felt. Rafael and I had many things in common, and now I realized that.

"I understand," I smiled. He smiled back slightly.

"Really? I thought maybe you liked being what you are, being the Alpha's girlfriend, who wouldn't?" he commented.

I looked down, smiling as if my life were simple. Not long ago, I killed a guy without realizing it, and now I discovered my boyfriend was spying on another girl's window. Or maybe it was just a lie Perla told to annoy me. But what if it wasn't?

"Are you calmer now? You seemed a bit angry," he wanted to know. I wasn't entirely okay, but I had calmed down a bit.

"Yes, I'm..." I was about to answer, but the dorm door opened, revealing Kayler. He was looking at the floor, but when he raised his gaze and saw Rafael, his expression hardened.

"What is he doing here?" he spat, approaching him with determined steps. I stood up immediately and put myself between the two.

"Kayler, please don't start," I reprimanded, placing my hand on his chest.

"Don't worry, I was just leaving," Rafael said, walking around us towards the main door. I sighed.

"Thanks for everything, Rafael," I said to his back. "We'll talk later."

He just turned to give me a farewell smile, opened the door, and closed it behind him. Now I had to face the beast. I looked at him angrily. Kayler had just stood there looking at me, his eyes darker than usual.

"Talk later?" he wanted to know. "Explain it to me." He clenched and unclenched his fists. I rubbed my temples, stepping away from him.

"Is there something wrong with that? Are you the only one who can make friends with others and I can't?" I retorted.

He narrowed his eyes, not understanding.

"Where did you go last night?" I crossed my arms. Yes, I was acting like a jealous wife, but no one makes a fool out of me. If Perla was telling the truth and he went to her dorm, well... I wouldn't know what to do.

"To do something," he replied.

"Yes, in front of Perla's window, right?"

"It's Darla, Caro..." "Yes or no?"

He closed his eyes for a second, a sign that confirmed it was true, and that I had figured it out. I laughed without humor. I couldn't believe he had done that.

"Great."

"I had to do something," he approached, so I stepped back. "Carolina, you know perfectly well that I can't be with anyone else but you. Do you really think I could be with that girl?"

"I don't know, you see, Anne and Apollo were mates, but then Thomas appeared, and everything changed," I recalled. Just thinking that Kayler could be in love with someone else overwhelmed me. My blood started to boil.

Control yourself. He laughed.

"That won't happen, Carolina. In that case, you'd be the one to fall in love with someone else. We only have one mate, and it's for life," he explained. Though thinking about it, he was right. Damn him for always being right.

"Will you explain why you went to her house?" I changed the subject to avoid looking like an idiot.

"It's complicated," was his answer.

"Kayler..."

"Carolina..."

I sighed, giving up. It was obvious I wasn't going to win this war; he always had something convincing to say. I sat on the couch, burying my face in my hands. I was tired; it was still daytime, and I hadn't even gone to class.

"Carolina, I have to tell you something else," he murmured, sitting next to me. "We're going to move."

I looked at him quickly.

"Why?"

"It's safer to be away from all this. Don't worry; you'll still go to the university."

"Do you think I'm a danger to society?" I squinted at him.

"You know that's not it," he stood up, rubbing his face. "Our place is elsewhere, in the forest with our own," he added, looking at me.

I snorted.

"Sure, we always have to be in the dark forest," I stood up. Kayler and I were starting to fight constantly. I didn't know what to do in a situation like this; it was awful to argue with him. I just wanted us to be okay, but... there's nothing more to do; things were starting to get worse.

"Whatever, I'll pack my suitcase," I announced grumpily.

I walked down the hall to the bedroom. I felt footsteps behind me, and then hands wrapped around my waist, making me stop. Kayler rested his chin on my shoulder.

"I don't like us fighting," he whispered. "It's awful being mad at you; you know I can't be. But it upsets me that you're so close to that idiot and that you can't have peace. I do this so we can be okay; we'll get through all the problems together, okay? You just have to trust me."

I didn't respond, just focused on thinking. Maybe he was right, maybe I was a bit paranoid about everything that was happening to me, getting angrier and not controlling myself.

"Okay, Kayler," I raised my hand and stroked his hair. "You know how I am," I reminded him. He laughed a little, removing his hands and standing in front of me.

"What would I be without Carolina Lane?" he caressed my cheek.

"Obviously nothing, silly. Even if you have to put up with my curiosity and my anger," I patted his cheek.

"I wouldn't change anything about you," he leaned in to kiss me. The kiss was urgent, needy. I ran my hands through his hair, pulling gently. We headed to the bedroom without breaking the kiss.

***

"This is the last one," I announced, handing Kayler the last suitcase. I had agreed to move to that house he bought. I had gotten used to the apartment, but well, he knew what he was doing. And maybe it was for my own good.

It was getting dark; some students were leaving classes. I felt bad because I had been skipping classes often, which would bring me problems. I might fail a subject, and I wouldn't like that.

"Alright," he closed the trunk, coming closer and wrapping his arms around my waist.

"You'll see, everything will be fine," he whispered confidently. "If you're always with me, everything will be fine," he corrected, somewhat arrogantly.

I rolled my eyes.

"Always acting tough and arrogant at the same time," I put my hands behind his neck, smiling a bit. "You're so insufferable, Kayler Brown."

He pretended to be offended.

"Insufferable? Then if I'm insufferable, you are..." he pretended to think of an insult for me.

"Don't even think about it," I hit him on the arm.

He laughed.

"You're... the love of my life," he completed the sentence, giving me a quick kiss on the lips.

I pulled away from him; I'm not very affectionate.

"Let's go, let's not delay this any longer," I walked around the car, getting into the passenger seat.

Kayler got into the driver's seat, buckling his seatbelt. I did the same; gray clouds started to cover the sky, threatening to rain.

"You'll love the new house," he said, starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot.

"If I'm with you, nothing else matters," I looked at him, smiling a bit. I've become somewhat cheesy these past few months.

He looked at me, stopping the car.

"See? I had to stop the car to process what you're saying to me. I'm not used to you saying these things," he mocked.

I glared at him.

"See? That's why I don't say anything to you, you always make fun," I crossed my arms, pouting a bit.

Kayler laughed heartily, but he started the car and drove towards the new house.

The drive was quick; we entered a dirt road, surrounded by forests and fog. It was already dark. The Moon wasn't visible due to the gray clouds, and there wasn't another house within five kilometers, but that was the point, right?

When we arrived in front of an enormous house, I was left speechless. It was huge. I’d even say it was too beautiful.

"Kayler, this is... enormous," I said, looking at him while unbuckling my seatbelt and opening the door.

"Nah, it’s small, just for passing the time," he replied, getting out of the car.

I got out too. As I walked towards the entrance, I noticed the walls had vines clinging to them, giving it a rustic and charming appearance. The mansion was two stories tall. Kayler walked to the front door with keys in hand. I followed him. He inserted the key and the door opened. Inside, everything was luxurious. I had never seen such luxury in my life.

From where we stood, I could see the stairs leading to the second floor. The living room was visible with two large sofas and a big television in front of them. Once inside, Kayler closed the door behind us.

"How did you pay for this?" I asked, looking at him. The surprise and astonishment were evident in my voice.

He scratched his neck.

"Let’s say I rented it, yeah, let's leave it at that. It wasn’t much, really," he downplayed it. "This will be our new home. For now."

I narrowed my eyes at him but said nothing, just nodded. "I’ll bring in the luggage," he announced, heading back outside.

I turned my attention back to the house. My cell phone started ringing. I took it out and saw it was an unknown number.

I answered, "Hello?" My voice was barely audible.

First, I heard heavy breathing, which made my skin crawl. It sounded eerie.

"Hello?" I repeated, trembling.

"Carolina..." the voice responded, panting. "...We have a date today, remember?"

The voice was deep and hoarse, clearly a man’s. I remembered the note along with my shredded clothes. It was him. And the date was Friday, which meant today.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"Just make sure you arrive," he said, then hung up.

I stood there, phone in hand, wondering who that man could be. Do I know him? Does Kayler know him or something? No, I highly doubt it. But today was the date, and even though I was terrified, I had to go. That way, I would find out once and for all what this man wanted. I just hoped I wouldn’t regret it.

Moments later, the front door opened again.