Pursuit of the Whole

XX. More Bottles

"Why would you say that?" I ask.

"Well, look at him." We all look at Mark. He stood there and pretended not to notice how all the girls were drooling over him and his crew. "A werewolf who hasn't found his soulmate won't look as calm as him."

Well, I'll be damned. I didn't think about that.

"Good morning." His voice is somehow deeper in the morning.

I turned around and stepped to the side when I saw Marcelo's face. Beside him were Jenny, Dylan, and a few other ones. All eyes were on us.

"Morning Mark," Brenda says.

"How's your Thanksgiving?"

With that single question, everyone dives straight into their Thanksgivings. Somehow, Marcelo manages to get close to my three best friends without my knowledge.

They all laugh. "I remember. That boy you're talking about-" Brian told Marcelo some story about his cousins, "he's the one in the blue shirt in the family picture, right?"

They're exchanging pictures?

"Yeah."

After the stories died down, Marcelo looked at me with what seemed to be a mocking smile. "Julia, right?" I give him credit. He's a good actor.

"You know me?" Well, he's not the only actor around here.

"A little bit," he responds. "Hopefully, I don't sound creepy saying that."

I smile, "A little bit."

He places out a hand, "I'm Marcelo, but you can call me Mark. We talked a bit on the phone."

I shake his hand, "Werewolf?" I'm trying my best to make the conversation as casual as possible.

"Yes. Hunter?"

"Yes."

"Oh? It seems like we're mortal enemies," he casually jokes.

"Yeah." I laugh at his pathetic joke.

He leans his head, "You're cuter than you sound."

Stop it. "You're pretty good-looking too."

I know what Jenny and the rest are thinking when they look at us. I'm not the one.

"Have you found your mate?" Brian asks.

"Yeah," he responds, wiping the smile off of my face.

"Oh? Who is she?"

"She asked me not to put her in the spotlight, and I respect that. I mean, I understand it's hard, you know. To be together with someone like me."

I cannot believe they're all falling for it.

Marcelo was unnecessarily close to me while he talked to everyone. Eventually, Jenny and everyone else headed into the building, but we were all still outside. More students arrive at school, and it only gets busier. People came and went, and steadily Marcelo got close to everyone. Even with people he doesn't know, he somehow manages to charm them.

If I weren't stressed out by being his soulmate, I would be charmed by him too.

Somehow, unlike other alphas, he makes it easier to breathe.

More people appeared, and I was forced onto the cold stoned wall.

Everyone laughs about something Marcelo says.

The sun made its appearance from the grey clouds, and I squinted my eyes. I want to go inside the building, but I can't find my way out of the crowd. I look at my phone and notice there are more than a few minutes until the bell rings.