I ponder a moment if it's worth it. I mean, he clearly understood that his misogynistic, neanderthal ways won't work with me because I'm not a desperate-Lycan-housewife. He thinks it is because I'm a human, but if I show him that we're not a match in either Lycan nor human worlds, then he'll finally let me go. Right?
"So you're asking me on a date?" I casually say and I see his eyes blinking with hope as I speak. Maybe I did a big mistake saying that, but there ain't no chickening out now. "Pick me up at 8."
I turn on my heels and turn away from him, walking towards the hospital. After a few metres, I turn around to see that Asher disappeared. I let out a sigh and make a plan in my mind. I need to find my brothers and pressure them into telling me if they know anything about this stupid curse. But they are currently in a meeting with our parents, which gives me enough time to do something I didn't in a while.
I chose the same way as the last time I was here, with Asher. The car park right next to the hospital was quiet and no one saw me climbing the fence of the interior garden. The second I entered the white-painted walls and saw the buzz inside its hallways, I knew it wouldn't be so easy to avoid all the hunters wandering around here. So I chose the most cliché way of dealing with the matter, breaking into a supply room and stealing some theatre blues. I hid my red locks inside a hairnet and ditch my boots for some minging white crocs that were standing on the top shelf of the closet. I hid my stuff inside a laundry trolley and made my way to Will's room.
Fortunately, I didn't stumble upon anyone who could blow my cover. I've seen a few nurses that could've recognised me from the many visits I've paid to this place, but they were too busy with a group of normal children throwing a wobbly in front of the ER. I managed to stop myself from laughing when the parents of said children tagged along in this hilarious fight. I've heard one of the fathers threatening the nurses that he'll bring his lawyers because they dared to keep his child waiting, while they've admitted a teenager a few seconds after his arriving. Little did this man know that the person who was admitted before his noisy little monster must have been a hunter. Nurses don't usually give an explanation on why some people are given special treatment, but suggest the waiting people to seek another care unit if they're dissatisfied here.
At least they're not wondering why Sir Arthur's got such a bad reputation in town.
"One of my colleagues will come to help you change into the clothes your parents have brought." I see a nurse talking to an awaken Will through the little window in the door.
"Where's the release form?" He asks, obviously impatient to leave this place already.
"Your parents signed them for you. You're free to go, Mr Sappington."
As the blonde nurse leaves Will's room, I let her disappear from my view, before I start moving again. I draw a quick breath before I enter my friend's room. At first, he didn't acknowledge my presence, staying on the edge of the bed and gazing out the window.
"Leave the clothes on the bed, I don't need help to dress." He says blatantly and I abstain from letting a giggle escape my mouth.
"Are you sure? You seem a little bruised, pal," I ask him and the moment he hears my voice, he turns around. He growls at the quick movement that must've made his sides hurt, but he stubbornly ignores the pain and manages to get up from the bed.
"The bloody hell are you doing here, Aline? Are you insane?" He whispers like he was afraid that someone might be lurking in the hallways and listening to our conversation.
"Why? Can't a girl visit her best mate in the hospital?" I answer with a smile, throwing my hairnet aside and abandoning the ugly shoes at the foot of the bed. I jump on Will's hospital bed, playing with the remote on the nightstand.
"Not when you're a wanted person, you idiot!" He silently shouts at me, which makes me realise that he's been up to date with the recent events.
"No one will know I was even here..."
"Mr Sappington, may I enter?" A woman's voice sounds from behind the door and I quickly jump to my feet. I want to make a run to the bathroom, but the doorknob was already turning so I made a jump into the nearest hideaway: the laundry trolley.
"Bloody idiot," I hear Will mumbling, throwing a pillow on top of the trolley.
I hear him ushering the nurse out of the door the second she left him his clothes. She must've tried to ask about the laundry trolley in Will's room, but he raised his voice just enough to scare the girl out of his sight. After I hear the door closing, I gather the courage to get up from the trolley.
"Have you always been as big of an idiot and I didn't see it?" Asks Will and I roll my eyes.
"Look who's talking," I say, managing to get back on the floor. "The idiot who ended up in the hospital because of his ego."
"Don't go there, Aline. I don't want to remember because of whom I'm here." He says, and I know he's implying that I'm the cause.
"The darn fairy," I answer, finally making him laugh with my stupid response.
"I missed you, idiot." He says with a small grin and I smile back.
"If that's the case, what do you say if we leave this place and go somewhere where I'm not a wanted person?"
"Where? The Moon?" He laughs when I threaten him with one of my minging shoes.
"I'll go change," I say as I enter the bathroom after I get my stuff from the trolley.
Luckily, the nurses also returned Will's weapons from Halloween and bike keys. I have no idea where his motorcycle is, but it'd have been helpful right now. We leave his room and he gets ahead to check the surroundings. It got us a little longer than expected to leave the hospital, but when we finally got outside a rush of adrenaline made my insides to tingle.
"God, I didn't expect to miss hunting so much," I sadly admit. We decide to walk to the dorms and check the cafeteria. Usually, it serves better food when a Yeti-sponsored event is approaching.
"It's not so funny to be on the other side of the hunt, huh?" He mocks me and I roll my eyes yet again.
"Stop it, I mean it. You know this is not the case," I draw him an angered look as I speak.
"Wow, since when are you so defensive? I didn't say anything that outrageous, I've just been informed by my parents of everything that happened while I was out."
"Oh, so you know?" I ask and he nods. "What exactly did they tell you?"
"That you've betrayed your family and decided to ally with the Lycan who nearly killed me," says Will simply, like he was telling me how'll the weather be tomorrow. "And I may add, it was a very Aline move of you."
"What was a very Aline move?"
"You know what I mean, don't make me say it." He tells me harshly and I nod. I do know, but I wanted him to say it. But I guess we may not be able to reconcile after such a discussion. I know how conservatives his views on monsters are, and I've fought with his prejudices long before we ever become friends.
We enter the cafeteria and get in line. I try to ignore all the hunters giving me harsh looks, as we get our food and choose a table. I'm not even hungry anymore, as the lack of rest and overall stress messed up my appetite. But I try to look as cool as possible, because I don't want anyone to know how messed up I am because of what they are putting me through. All of them: the hunting community that I've known my whole life, my mother who gave me life and is hellbent on stripping me off of any trace of it, and above anyone else, myself. It's in vain putting all the blame on everyone else and denying the part I'm playing in creating my misery.
"Hi, Adeline," says a cheery voice as I try to take a bite of my tuna sandwich. I try not to cough when the food stucks in my throat as I recognise the voice. "May I sit with you?"
I numbly nod to Haven and she kindly smiles at me and introduces herself to Will. I try not to look too much at her, suddenly preoccupied with the food in my plate. Fortunately, she doesn't start any conversation, eating her spaghetti and scrolling through her Instagram feed. I see my phone screen lighting up and I happily grab the much-needed distraction. But I grumble on the inside when I see that the message was from Will who, as expected, is unhappy by the werewolf girl's presence.
> Isn't she that werewolf gal?
> The one who helped you pass a class last year?
She is, so?
✔✔
> Nothing but...
> I didn't know you two are friends.
> Didn't you tell me that she dropped out?
Obviously, she didn't.
✔✔
My dump messages did the trick and Will stopped questioning me. He gathered his empty plates and walked to the bin, which gave Haven the perfect opportunity to start another conversation I didn't want to have. I swear my social anxiety spiked in the last weeks and I find hard enough to stay in a room so full of people, but to discuss matters I don't feel comfortable about. Which exactly what the people around me are interested in talking about.
"Everyone missed you after you left the pack," says Haven and I draw a short laugh.
"I've barely even stayed there. And I only annoyed the hell out of everyone the whole time, so why would they miss me?"
"Are you kidding me? After that stunt, you pulled at the dinner? Your food fight is only behind Kale's flaming feast in the pack's most memorable Ancestors' Days. Everyone had a good time and it was all thanks to you, Aline."
I have a hard time believing Haven's words, simply because I'm not sure that destroying a dinner makes it memorable, and neither spikes someone's popularity in the best way.
"Why are you here, Haven? I know you're not attending the university anymore..."
"Oh, but I am. I'm not having any classes with you this year, because I've changed my major. I'm studying Law and Criminal Defense."
"Did any recent event influenced your switch?" I say after a few moments. I had to ask, the question was buzzing me ever since she mentioned her new major.
"No, but I admit it comes in handy regarding the recent events. I'm going to help you and Asher any way I can, Aline."
"Help him, I'm fine."
"If you ask me, Lady Thrussell is out for your blood, not your mate's. She knows he is untouchable as an Heir and Prince of Lycans, but she keeps forcing the trial to happen. It seems a dumb move but is brilliant if you think of what she might do to you. Unless..." she stops when Will comes back, but he doesn't stick around, telling me that he needs to meet with his parents. Of course, I know that the only reason he's leaving is Haven, but I don't mind it right now.
"Unless what?" I say when Will is far enough to not be able to hear our conversation.
"Unless you and Asher hurry up the mating a little, and you can be proclaimed Princess Consort and have the same immunity as other mates of Lycan royalty." Her voice sings the word 'mating' like it's a lyric from her favourite song, but to me, it sounds like the bloody buzzing of my 6 a.m. alarm.
"That's not a possibility, as Asher and I are not together," I respond and she seems puzzled by my words.
"But you're soul mates."
"You don't know that."
"Everyone knows that."
"Asher told you that and you believed him, why can't you believe me when I say that we're not?" I state exasperated.
"Asher didn't tell us, Kale did."
Bloody witch.
"I have to go, Haven," I say as I read my phone's clock. It was ten to six so it means that I had plenty of time to get ready for my date with Asher. I'm still going to use it as my excuse for making my way out of this conversation. "Otherwise I'll be so late for my date."
"Your date? With whom?"
"Asher, of course," I answer without thinking and I'm struck by what I said. How could I've said that like it's the most obvious thing in the world? I'm only going to prove Haven's point now, which is the last thing I wanted to do. "I mean..."
"I know what you meant." She interrupts me, a school-girl smile playing on her lips. "Go, already, you've already kept your mate waiting for too long."
I roll my eyes and she burst into laughter. I quickly grab my things and wave her goodbye. I'm hurrying out of that crowded place, only to exit to a buzzing campus, like the whole student body decided to parade around the university like noisy, irritating bees.
I hate you, I mumble under my breath as I bypass a slow-walker.
I hate you too, I want to shout to some sorority girls who stopped on the alley to gossip, blocking my way.
I keep myself from saying any of these things loud enough for them to hear me, which was demanding. I was doing a good job until the most despicable person came in front of me.
"Hello, Adeline."
"I hate you, go away."
I say, avoiding his gaze and heading towards the entrance to the halls. Of course, he grabbed my arm and kept me from leaving. I didn't even try to resist, I just brushed his hand off of me and turned to face him.
"I missed you too, baby." He says and I roll my eyes.
Of course, because only he was missing from the big shit-show my life turned into. Let the drama begin...