Angry, Oblivious, Alpha

17 Heat

15 years old, Clarisia

I threw the gym bag over my shoulder and left the girls' locker room.
A deep sigh lifted my chest and I hoped that Lorelie would have recovered from her flu tomorrow and could come back to school. A quiet noise made me flinch.
The high-pitched giggle died down, but I squinted my eyes and peered down the unlit corridor that led to the cleaning room. My gaze fell on Mariah's curly hair, which poured down her back like a black torrent.

Strong hands wrapped around her waist and I knew immediately who those hands belonged to. I watched, frozen, as Damien bent down to the girl, his eyes softening. His hair shone wet from the shower, the gray sweater stretched over his shoulders. They kissed and I had the feeling that this was not their first kiss. Damien's hand wandered up into her thick hair and he pulled her head back.

Their lips moved rhythmically against each other, Mariah's panting breath sounded loud in the otherwise silence.
A hot blush of shame rose to my cheeks and I swallowed hard.Before they could see me, I quickly moved and left the kissing couple in the hallway.

Damien

In the middle of a boring history class, the smell hit me like a slap in the face. My head throbbed as if it was about to burst at any moment and a blazing sensation shot through my lower back.
Cass came into her heat.
"Oh no," I groaned in horror.

Jayce turned to me with an amused grin and raised his eyebrows questioningly.
I shook my head and stared out the window. I could only pray that I could keep my beast under control.

Clarisia

During class, I was overcome by heat. The burning sensation spread in waves from my lower body to my stomach and radiated down to my thighs.
My body stiffened, and I lowered my head in embarrassment. Luckily, my friends didn't seem to notice.
Lorelie gaped at Miss Perkins' hair and Derik scribbled eagerly on his notepad. As I knew, he didn't write down dates, but drew abstract pictures.
After a while, I dared to look over my shoulder. Damien sat as stiff as a statue in the back row and looked out the window the entire class.

During lunch break, I followed Derik and Lorelie through the cafeteria, the full tray balanced on his hands.
"Hey, Derik!" I heard Jayce's voice. "Come sit with us."
My eyes shot up and my stomach clenched. Before I could stop them, my friends were already heading for the table. Jayce pushed his tray aside and made room for Derik.
Brian greeted us with a grin, half of the food on his plate already finished.
Damien glared down at the potato casserole, his hands crossed in his lap.

"Where's Ann?" Lorelie asked as she sat down, craning her neck.
"Over at Jessy's," Brian answered with his mouth full. "She says she'll get lice if I keep hanging on her skirts."
He winked at Lorelie, who giggled loudly. I sat down in silence on the chair furthest from Damien.
I glanced at him hesitantly, but as was normal for him, he ignored me.
He pushed his food away from himself, I could hear him swallowing.

By the afternoon I could tell that the other male wolves could smell my heat, or at least subconsciously sense it.
Derik winked at me with a snarky grin and I nudged him on the shoulder with a roll of my eyes.
Even the human boys seemed to react to my heat. Never before had so many boys smiled at me or held the door open for me.

The next day Lorelie noticed it too.
She looked at me with a strange expression on her face.
"Cass," she whispered mysteriously. "Are you in your heat?"
My caught look betrayed me and my friend gasped.
"You've imprinted! Who is it?" She grabbed my hands and let out an excited squeak.
"Listen," I hissed before she could draw the attention of our classmates. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But it's complicated."
I sighed at her disappointed expression. "As soon as I have clarity myself, I'll tell you everything." I briefly squeezed her slender fingers. "Promised."