EIGHT | COLD

"Hey, beautiful, how's it going?" Yuri corners me when I get out of my car the next morning, grinning like an idiot. Not far behind him, the other four Azure's climb out of a sleek silver car. Figures that it'd be silver. I tuck a stray curl from my pony tail behind my ear. I've opted for a black long-sleeved turtleneck today to go with simple black pants. The outfit covers most of my scars, so I put my hair up today.

"Fine." I mutter, keeping my eyes on the biggest Azure. I'm too embarrassed to even look Zane in the eye right now. Especially after the poker-face comment he made. After last night's hunt, I feel closer to the Azures, not skittish enough to shy away as they move towards us. I note Zane getting out of the driver's side out of the corner of my eye, unable to stop myself to watching him slowly uncurl and pull his bag from the vehicle. The way his dark hair catches and practically traps the light in those thick locks. The way the fabric of his shirt stretches across his torso as he puts on his backpack and ushers the others-

"You're spacing-" Yuri smirks, pulling on my ponytail lightly to draw my attention back to him. I swat his hand away with a grimace as the hackles on my wolf rise. Neither of us like the familiarity he's using - not with Zane in the immediate area. He's the one I want to be close to right now, not Yuri.

"Hey, be nice to Z's girlfriend, Ri-ri!" One of the Azure's says, suddenly standing beside me. She's younger than Yuri and Zane, but not as young as the other two. Her raven hair is straight, hanging down to her elbows in a cascade of silken midnight; her eyes dark like Yuri's but it's not *so* dark. There's a little bit of light in those ashen depths. "Hi, I'm Misha, Yuri's sister. It's nice to finally meet you, Scarlett! We've heard a lot about you from Yuri and Zane." She says cheerily, clutching my arm tightly, as if we've been friends for years. She's certainly an energetic one... I feel myself relax a little. She reminds me of Paris.

"She's not my girlfriend, Misha." Zane's voice comes from behind me. He's smirking at his cousin, and leaning against my car casually. I relax a little when I note how close he is - then start to wonder if he feels this too? The urge to be near each other... Soon we're joined by the other two Azure's. Both are most likely freshman if their youthful appearance is anything to go by.

"Aw, but she's so pretty! C'mon, Z, lay the moves already before someone else claims her!" Misha bounces a little in place, leaning against me in an almost Wolven way and nuzzling my shoulder. "You two would have the most beautiful babies!" I almost choke over the gasp I let out at that. *Oh how I just want to go crawl into bed and die right now*.

"Mish, shut up. You're embarrassing her." The other guy Azure, one of the freshmen, scolds as my face becomes unbearably hot. "Pay no attention to Misha, Ms. Scarlett, she couldn't keep her mouth shut even if her life depended on it." He says, offering me an apologetic smile before prying Misha from me and giving her a scathing look. His circular, thick rimmed glasses compliment his big, innocent slate-grey eyes. But much like Zane's hair, this kid's black locks are long enough to shield his eyes, but not long enough to cover his ears.

"Cole, how many times do I have to tell you to stop picking on Misha?" Yuri sighs, rolling his eyes. I note the protectiveness in his otherwise playful voice. Cole rolls his eyes, but doesn't say anything to his older cousin.

"Guys, we should get to class. We're going to be late." The last Azure speaks up, her multi colored eyes remind me of Zane's. But her hair's not as dark as his, in fact, it's almost a soft brown, very curly and short, like Annie.

"Caly has a point, let's move this conversation inside." Zane's hand's suddenly on my shoulder, pulling me into his very warm, and hard side. My heart skitters over itself, kicking up the pace just a little as my stomach decides to do a series of summersaults. "And you haven't explained what all that was about yesterday." He whispers in my ear, his voice warmer and gentler than the one he used earlier. I fight the urge to close my eyes and listen to that tone he's using. *Stop. Stop it right now!* I feel the heat rising in my face again, from his closeness or the embarrassment of what I know we are, I'm not sure.

"Geez, man, keep it in your pants. You really gonna pull that crap in front of your sister?" Yuri feigns disgust, moving to cover Caly's eyes jokingly. His words are an ice bucket over the heat inside me and my insatiable curiosity has me looking over the younger girl, Caly, with a more appraising gaze. I can definitely see the relation in her sharp features, but there's a softer line to her jaw and fullness in her lips. I wonder what their parents look like. What the entire Azure Pack look like to produce such beautiful children. I blink, wondering how I suddenly turned into my mother.

"I'm just *talking* to her, Yuri." Zane rolls his eyes before looking down at me. His eyes begin losing their darkness when they turn on me, the silvery color is almost warming. "We'll talk about this later, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." I mumble quietly, again, surprised his face is so close to mine. He smiles a little, just a little, and I'm filled with a strange fluttering feeling, it's even like something in my chest is being reformed. "We're going to be late." I mumble stiffly, before shrugging out of his embrace and heading for the doors of the school. *Keep your distance, Scarlett*. I warn myself, making sure to put some distance between me and the Azures as we head inside.



I stop my by locker, loosing Zane and Yuri in the crowd of meandering humans. My body feels cold the second I can't sense Zane anymore. I shake my head, trying to clear the swirling thoughts from my mind. Once I've switched out my books for the morning classes material, I make my way up the stairs. Somewhere on the fourth floor, the bell rings, but I keep my pace slow. Maybe it's a bit chicken of me, but I really don't want to talk to Zane about the vision. Or the hunt. The less he knows the better. The easier it'll be to leave when I've outworn my welcome.

"Okay, everyone, settle down," Ms. Lewis is just bringing the class to order when I walk in. She doesn't comment as I take my seat, instead she begins passing out little booklets to the fronts of each row. Students begin taking a copy and passing them back to others. When I reach the seat I sat in yesterday, Zane and Yuri are already seated, leafing through the packet of paper. "This weeks' newsletter is featuring details of the school's clubs, remember, the deadline to join certain groups is coming up soon." Ms. Lewis picks up her own copy and begins going through the booklet, talking briefly about culinary, sports, and art clubs.

"We do need to talk." Zane mutters under his breath while Ms. Lewis continues. He's looking through the newsletter, pretending to go along with the information, his lips barely moving. My skin prickles with awareness - awareness of how far away he is from me. A good foot separates our chairs. "About the...fall and last night."

"Hm." I mutter noncommittally, opening my own copy of the newsletter and flipping through. Again, I see an ad for the upcoming Halloween dance. I've never been one for dancing, or any social event, really.

"I'm serious. Lunch. We'll talk." Zane grumbles, fidgeting a bit in his seat, his chair edging ever so slightly closer to mine. A bit of the discomfort eases under my skin. I swear I hear him breathe a little sigh of relief. "You...feel that, right?" His question is hesitant, like he doesn't know if he wants to know the answer.

"Feel what?" I keep my eyes trained on the page before me before turning it. *Don't respond*. I tell myself when I feel him shift away - and the almost painful ache starts up just under my skin.

"Shit poker-face." He shakes his head, and I look up at him, catching his eyes for a second. I find myself chewing on the inside of my cheek, anxiety has flooded back into my system. Anxiety and the smallest flame of hope. I shut them both down, burry them as deep as I can. Even then, I can feel the residue of their turmoil in me. "Red," He says it so softly I almost miss it.

My heart skips a little at the nickname, kicking into an unsteady rhythm. His eyes are serious again, calm and silvery with just the barest hints of grey to darken them. I note a slight shadows under his eyes, the only sign the events of yesterday have been troubling him as much as it has me. He reaches across the table and brushes the tip of his index finger against the back of my hand. Instantly, the itchiness beneath my skin is gone, replaced by a slight warmth. The jumpiness of my heart settles, and peace fills me. I feel...*whole*. And it feels great - *too* good.

Fear shoots through me. *I can't trust him. I barely even know him!* If I let him in and he turns out to be as responsible as most Wolven I've met are, he'll have no choice but to tell the Reiniers where I am. Mom would come, she'd try to help, but in the end, I know we'd both be slaughtered. Shoving the hope and happiness down, I grit my teeth.

I withdraw my hand quickly, looking away from him and closing the newsletter. When the bell rings I practically jump out of my seat to get my stuff and leave before Zane can follow, my heart beating wildly all the way to Physics.



I keep as much distance as I can between me and Zane throughout the classes we have together, Mr. Hale's class is easy enough to avoid him in - physically. But as the class slowly drags on, I begin to think about lunch and PE. By the end of American Lit, I've devised a plan for the rest of the day - and if it works - the rest of the week.

Zane tries to step into my path on the way out of the class, his expression carefully guarded, but eyes showing a slight confusion. I stop, my eyes widening slightly, like a deer caught in the headlights. *I lied to him, I'm a liar*. The thought hurts more than it should, guilt burning a whole in my stomach. I shrink away when he reaches out to take my hand, taking an entire step back.

"Mr. Azure, a word please." Mr. Hale calls - saving me. Zane grits his teeth and grimaces before turning to face our teacher. Mr. Hale smirks, jade eyes alight with mischief. *Thank you!* I silently toss the thought at Mr. Hale before making my escape. It's not like he can hear me - we're not in the same Pack, but it's the thought that counts, right?

I take the most direct route to the cafeteria to get my lunch and find a good place to hide. I need to stay as far away from Zane and the other Azures as much as possible. Honestly, though, just being near him is hard enough. The air feels cooler than it should, and I know it has something to do with the fact I'm physically separated from Zane. I really wish I'd payed more attention when I was younger. Paris and Ryker probably mentioned this kind of stuff to me, even if Grandmother told them not to. We never had secrets back then.

I chew my lower lip as I go through the line in the cafeteria, watching the staff manning the assembly line spoon on spaghetti and meat sauce. Then the bread roll, a juice carton, and cup of green gelatin. I nod to them in thanks when I reach the end of the line and take my tray quickly.

It's clear I can't go to the library, that site's already been compromised. So I head to the theater department, avoiding the main area of the school by going outside. Luckily, there are some humans chatting and eating in the massive auditorium while the production team pain the set of an upcoming show. I sit in the back, setting my back pack on the empty seat beside me, I begin eating.

Zane probably knows something about visions or mates, definitely more than I do since I was never formally taught. I'm at a severe disadvantage when it comes to information here. My stomach still feels hollow after I've finished my food, and despite being around other people, it's like I'm all alone. I shift uncomfortably in my seat, frowning at the odd sensations. It's not like I've never felt like I was alone, but because of the Pack bond, no matter how far away I was from Mom, I never felt completely alone.

This is...bottomless. Cold. Aching. Almost itching. I'm suddenly yearning to be around other Wolven. Any Wolven. I close my eyes, trying to block out the emptiness but it only get worse. Nausea washes over me and my lunch threatens to come back up. I spring out of my seat, grabbing my back pack and fleeing from the auditorium as quickly as I can. The air feels suffocating outside, icy against my face. I wrap my arms around myself, stopping just outside the door leading back into the school.

"Scarlett?" I sense the Wolven before their voice reaches my ears. I whirl around to see Calypso Azure jogging over to me. Her brown hair is pulled up in a loose pony tail and she's wearing the school's uniform gym clothes. "You okay?" She stops a few feet away, casting a quick glance over her shoulder before turning back to me. Her silvery-grey eyes scan over me slowly, her face as guarded as her brother's.

"I'm fine." I lie. She takes a hesitant step towards me, keeping her eyes on mine. The unbearable hole in me suddenly shrinks as her eyes become more silvery than grey. I feel my breathing even out, the coldness warming a few degrees. *Weird*...

"We're not meant to be alone." She says after a minute and looks back over her shoulder again. "The period's going to be over soon." She adds and pulls the hair tie from her hair. Her curls spring back into place around her face and she starts combing her fingers through them. "You know," She starts carefully, looking back to me. Her eyes are back to normal now. "I'm turning sixteen next week. My dad's hosting a small party, even though I told him not to." She shakes her head, her stiff face softening a little. "You should come."

"I don't know-" I begin, wondering why she's asking me to come when we barely know each other.

"I don't know many people outside the Pack. Mom says it's cause I don't trust easily," She glances back over her shoulder again before continuing. "I really think you should come by. You won't need to bring anything, but it would be nice if I had the chance to get to know you a bit." She tugs at the hem of her sweatshirt. "Considering..." She gives me a shy smile, and just like her brother's her smile brightens her whole face. I can't help but smile back.

"I-I'll think about it." I finally say. Her smile widens and she bounces a little on the balls of her feet.

"Okay. I'll have Yuri or Zane give you the details later." Caly's serious tone brightens. "Thanks!" She turns on her heels and dashes off towards the wooded area where the trail is. I relax a little as I watch the young girl go, a little stunned at the conversation we just had. She's an interesting one, that's for sure. I wonder how she found me. From here, I can't see the trail in the forest and I can't sense any Wolven nearby either. The fact that I could only sense Cay when she was only a few feet away is a little startling too. Then another one of my cousins comes to mind.

Craven was like that. A black hole when he wanted to be, not even Ryker could find him if Craven didn't want to be found. I feel a new wave of nausea hit me when I think about my older cousin. Craven. Mad-dog Craven was a Sensor. Leader of the Reinier's elite kill-squad, enforcers that hunted our enemies. Absolutely insane and the cruelest man I've ever has the displeasure of knowing.

He was terrifying on his best day. Without even trying. He knew what you were feeling, sometimes before you even knew what it was yourself. He used that however he wanted, normally for his own psychotic reasons. I shudder as my mind starts to compare Craven to Caly. In a way they're similar, but in others so very different. I find myself wondering if Craven used to be like Caly when he was her age. I shake my head to clear the thought away.

*It's none of your business, Scarlett*. I scold myself internally and turn to go into the school. Yet, my mind continues to work and the curiosity slowly begins to grow as I make my way to Latin.