Not that she doesn’t care about me too, but it’s humbling how much she loves my cousin. “Um, did Dakota tell you?” I asked once her arms loosened enough for me to breathe. Marissa tilted her head to the side curiously, and I smiled because of how much she reminded me of a puppy. “He and I are cousins through marriage, according to a letter we found from Jax. There might be more to the story considering how similar I look to Jaxy, but we’re cousins either way.”
Marissa smiled brightly, understanding what that meant to Dakota. And I couldn’t breathe again. Oh, dear. I signed myself up for being watched even more by her now too. Ah well. I like Marissa, and I hope I can help Dakota be happier, which will make her happy too. “I’m glad he has a cousin again. Or two, because of Matty. Your little brother will send Dakota over the moon once he gets to know him. Having someone to mentor will make Dakota feel closer to Jax,” Marissa chuckled before her eyes fell upon Arctic. A low growl escaped her throat, and it surprised me when Arc looked pleased.
“I haven’t dealt with many wolf enforcers, but I understand Ryker’s hesitance to piss them off,” Arctic chuckled. “You are good for Angel, too, since you embody safety for the pack. What do you know of empathy healers?” I stared at Arc in shock while Marissa’s brow furrowed.
“Only that they are rare, and sought by those with nefarious intentions,” Marissa answered after a few moments.
“I’ll give you three guesses who’s one, and the first two don’t count,” Arctic replied with a broad smile while he nodded toward me. Her answering growl before her arms tightened made me sigh and glance at Arctic from under my lashes. “Good. Angel will need as many friends watching her back as she can manage. Marcus doesn’t know yet, but I thought you should. Hell, I doubt Dakota knows. In our defense, it was early when we met up with him.” Nodding, Marissa kissed my forehead before escorting me to my desk, then she sat behind me. Arctic took the one beside me with a smile while Zach sat at the desk to my left with a grin.
Mrs. Decker walked in seconds later, smiling when she saw me. “Welcome back, Angel. Zach and Marissa will help you if you don’t understand what we covered during your absence. The principal declared that you need not worry about any missed work, and I agree. Poor thing, kidnapped in the middle of a thunderstorm,” she tutted, and my cheeks heated while I stared at my desk. Once Arctic introduced himself, she asked him a few questions I couldn’t hear, albeit she appeared pleased with his answers. Damn werewolves and shifters. Sure, let’s talk too soft for the human to hear. Bastards.
Chemistry passed with little incident. They almost caught up to what I learned in my previous school, which was exciting. Soon I shall learn something new! Walking into art, I threw myself in Dakota’s embrace, which he returned with fervor. Arctic stood behind my chair while Dakota excitedly filled me in on all I missed. He promised to help me practice perspective with his heartthrob grin I adore.
“You smile like that too,” Arctic whispered once Mr. Lynch told us to sketch the person sitting next to us. So, while I sketched Dakota, he drew me, which was fun. I looked at Arctic, who smiled while waggling his eyebrows. “I know you don’t believe me, but there’s mischief in your eyes when you’re happy. Another thing you have in common with Jax and Dakota.” My hand faltered, and I bit my lip while wondering how devastated my world might be tonight. Was that the reason Ryker wanted to be there? To help me pick up the pieces?
Dakota picked up on my anxiety returning, or I projected it again. Still, the concern in his eyes reminded me to hold myself together. I admitted my fear of devastation, and he promised to help me figure out whatever we learned tonight. I hope he doesn’t hate me for whatever it is. I mean, I know he won’t, but I still fear his rejection.
Arctic walked with me to gym, laughing when he learned why I watched this period instead of retreating to the library to do my homework. Waving at Coach Hauser, I headed to the bleachers with Arc, who sat next to me with a curious expression. Kyler stared at us when the class came outside, his eyes narrowed into a glare, and I scoffed under my breath. Arctic eyed me with a quirked brow when I glanced at him, the scowl I gave Kyler still on my lips. So far, I avoided him, but in my next class, I got the joy of sitting between him and Riff. Goody.
Riff and Kyler kept tackling each other instead of playing. Rolling my eyes, I descended the bleachers to stand on the sidelines with my hands on my hips. Riff knocked Kyler to the ground, pinning him a few feet from where I stood. With another scowl, I let disappointment and irritation fill me while I eyed the wrestling boys. After a scant few seconds, Riff stopped with a wince before glancing at me with a guilty expression, and I quirked my brow. “Are we done rutting like dogs in heat?” I asked sardonically, and Arctic howled his laughter while the rest of the class chuckled under their breath. I suppose they wanted to avoid antagonizing Kyler, who turned bright red while looking away from Riff. He shoved Riff’s chest. But the adorable idiot I love stared me down with a smirk and a wink.
“You’re just jealous,” he declared haughtily, then added, “so I’ll
