Jaeden was full of questions about her life in isolation with Irini, and Caia tried to answer as many as possible, but the girl was like a questionnaire machine gun. Before she knew it, they were pulling into a parking lot behind a large, modern school building. There were lots of kids already buzzing around, the air filled with the scent of teenage pheromones.
Caia held her breath. Although Lucien had come up with an excuse, no doubt the school thought it incredibly inconvenient her transferring one semester away from graduation. It wasn’t going to interfere with her schoolwork, but she had a 3.8 GPA and had scored a 1250 on her SATs last year, which meant she would have to go another round of explaining to teachers why she hadn’t applied to any colleges. Irini told her she couldn’t because they didn’t know when the pack would call them home, and since she didn’t know where home was going to be, she couldn’t even apply to a college nearby. Dimitri had told her there was a community college here, however.
She felt the twinge of disappointment again that she wouldn’t be able to go off and enjoy the thrill of college life elsewhere. And if she couldn’t do that, then she just wanted her academic career over and her adult life to begin.
“Here we are.” Jaeden’s eyes filled with sympathy when she took in Caia’s expression. “You’ll be fine. I promise. And if people think it’s weird that you’re transferring at such … well, a weird and pointless time in your high school education, then we’ll do what we usually do. Ignore their existence.”
Caia smiled, grateful to the girl. Her acceptance of her into the pack was going to get Caia through what she sensed would be a rough first year. She took a deep breath, her nostrils filling with those icky pheromones and a hint of damp earth mixed with individual fragrances she would soon come to identify with the other pack members her age.
They were close.
“I hope you’re right.” She released her breath and got out of the car.
“I’m always right,” Jaeden teased. “Come on, the guys will be waiting.”
Jaeden led her across the parking lot toward a group of teenagers standing around an SUV.
“Jaeden?” she asked as her eyes wandered over the group. She recognized, due to his immense height and build for a sixteen-year-old, Malek. He was standing in the center with five other teenagers crowded around him.
“Yeah?”
“Do you know why Lucien pulled me out of school and back to the pack now? Doesn’t it seem like a stupid time? Couldn’t he have waited until after graduation?”
Jaeden’s answering smirk was sneaky. “I heard my dad talking about this with mom.”
“You were eavesdropping?”
She grinned cheekily. “Well … I heard him say that Lucien wanted you to connect as much as possible with the pack. He thought a semester at school with lykans your own age would do that.”
“I guess that makes sense.” She wasn’t convinced but just then, Mal looked up as they approached and any overhanging anxiety she had over Lucien’s reasoning disappeared. She felt Mal’s black eyes burn through her from head to toe. He murmured something to the others, and they all turned their bodies toward her. Caia was struck by disbelief that humans could think these “kids” were just like them. They moved with a grace that bordered on predatory.
“He’s doing it again,” Jaeden grumbled.
“Huh?”
“Looking at you like you’re a snack.”
Caia was confused. Who? What? “I’m sorry?”
“Didn’t you see the way Mal was looking at you last night? You’re fresh meat, baby.”
Caia winced at the thought. From what Irini had told her about pack wolves when they turned sixteen, they were fully mature (somehow she doubted that) and were more than welcome to start sniffing around other wolves to find a possible mate. Caia had no intention of becoming involved in that part of the lykan life cycle.
No mating for her.
No. Uh-uh, Haaades no.
“Hey, guys,” Jaeden greeted the pack, standing as close to Caia as possible. Caia was comforted by this small gesture of protection. “You all remember Cy, right?”
“Jae.” A tall blond stepped forward, smiling widely, his eyes twinkling. “Hey, Caia, I’m Sebastian.”
Caia was transfixed by him; he had a feral quality to his movement, and of all the lykans she had met thus far, he was quite simply the most beautiful—if it was possible to describe someone so masculine as such. The contrast between the smooth, aristocratic sculpture of his face and the sinewy wildness of his physique was intimidating. In fact, he bordered on downright scary, except for the gentle light that played in his eyes.
Finally, Caia managed to nod back with a smile in acknowledgment and was quickly introduced to them all. Finlay was the smallest, being only fifteen, as well as the shiest of the lykans surrounding her. The redheaded Daniel was as friendly as Sebastian, whereas his twin was practically spitting, her eyes flicking between Caia and Malek in outrage.