Chapter 06
I turned back, looking at the owner of those eyes. They belonged to a girl—she must be new. Her face was unfamiliar, and her pale skin contrasted beautifully with her bright, obsidian eyes that seemed to draw you in, and her fiery red hair. The contrasting colors only made her more striking.
"Who's that?" I asked, turning to Lara.
"She's Elena Grey."
"Grey?" I echoed, glancing back at her.
"Yeah, *that* Grey," Lara confirmed.
"Luna Nyx's daughter," I murmured, still looking at her. She was the one.
Luna Nyx, I thought. She was part of the academy in the early years after its founding. Her brief stay was nothing short of thrilling—she was a living legend. Even her husband, though her brilliance often overshadowed his glory. But he was anything but weak. Lucas Grey, the demon wolf—that's what they called him. His temper was as hot as flame. I chuckled as those memories flashed through my mind. I was asleep during their glorious days and woke to find it all . If only I had been awake… What a shame. Well, their daughter shouldn't be boring, I thought as I made my way to their table with Lara in tow.
"Fuck!" She had to go and draw his attention. Why can't she just keep her curiosity to herself for once? Now he's walking towards our table with those bright eyes, as if he's found something interesting. *Oh no,* don't tell me he's figured out that Elena is a hybrid—a witch and a werewolf. Please, don't let it be that, Sia thought, shaking.
Maybe it was fate that Dave had cultivated the habit of using his abilities as little as possible. Perhaps if he had used them more, he would have gotten a clue about what he'd been searching for all this time. Or he would have realized that it was right in front of him at this very moment. But he missed it.
"Ohh," why is she shaking with that scared look in her eyes? Well, I do get this type of response from almost everyone—people tend to fear the unknown. Only a select few don't. I don't know if they're fearless or just ignorant, I thought as I ignored her. It was nothing new.
I reached their table, looking at the empty seat next to a werewolf. I knew who he was—Aiden Ravenhood. Lara had mentioned him during her search for potential Student Council members.
"Can I sit?" I asked, looking at them.
"No—sorry, I mean yes. Thanks," Anastasia stammered as I took my seat. The fear might have really gotten to her, I thought. She looked surprised when I mentioned her name, then realized a few minutes later that I might have gotten their information somehow. She was right, in a way—I owned this place, and getting their names was like picking candy from a baby. Lara had given me the details I needed.
"I'm Dave Atlas," I said, looking at them. Then my eyes stopped on Elena, who hadn't stopped looking at me since I arrived. I wondered what she was thinking. My eyes grew darker as I used my abilities for the first time, trying to read her mind. That's when I hit a brick wall. What a strong spell. It turns out she's protecting her daughter after all. Tearing down that wall would be easy, but it's not worth the risk. Whatever—I'll just leave it at that.
"I'm Anastasia Frostbite."
"I'm Aiden Ravenhood, and this is my mate, Elena Grey."
I couldn't look away since he walked through that door. I felt a burning curiosity to know more about the mystery that was Dave Atlas. The flame of curiosity burned so brightly that I could hardly look away. I was just searching for anything that would give me a clue about what he was. That was when I felt his stare, and my mind jolted. "Did he just try to read my mind?" That thought immediately snapped me back to my senses. I'm lucky he didn't succeed—that was close. It would have been embarrassing, I thought, blushing a little. It's more than curiosity that kept me looking at him for that long. He was just breathtaking. I heard him introduce himself, even if it was just a formality—we all knew his name at least. After Sia said her name, I was about to officially introduce myself when Aiden did it, in a not-so-pleasant way. I knew he was trying to protect me, but I had a sinking suspicion it was much more than that. And that just pissed me off. One thing I hated the most was confinement—not being given the chance to make decisions for myself. I hated that feeling.
"Oh, she's your mate," I said, looking at Aiden.
"Yeah, got any problem?"
"What is that arrogant punk doing?" Is he trying to piss him off or something?. I better stay clear from him to avoid any misunderstanding. Jack thought, looking at Sebastian.
Both of them had been here when Elena and her friends walked in. They had been observing everything silently. Elena and Sia saw them too, but it was perfectly normal to come to the Atlas restaurant, so they just minded their business. And they also did the same. It was as if there was a spoken rule not to disturb each other. But even the two didn't expect things to get this heated. Sebastian watched silently, his thoughts known only to him.
"Here, look at this," Aiden said as he raised his shirt to show a flame-like wolf head that looked like a tattoo on the right side of his stomach.
As if he was afraid I wouldn't believe him, "I think there's a misunderstanding," I said, my voice flat, all my interest gone. "I'm here because I have a business proposal for her mother. You know she's very hard to find. It was an opportunity seeing you guys here."
"But I will take my leave if that makes you uncomfortable. You are her mate, after all. I don't think there's any bond that goes deeper than that, and I can always find her another time. Ohh, I realized something," I said, looking at Sia. She's pretty close to her. If the information is to be trusted, and I can see that they are very close.
Which means she also has access to Luna Nyx. "Can I have your contact, Anastasia?" I asked, looking at her.
"No, I mean—no." Her speech was broken. I had to cut her off, even if it was a little rude. "Please, Anastasia, I can't leave empty-handed, can I?" I asked, looking at Aiden, whose face suddenly turned gloomy. Wait—why is the temperature suddenly increasing? I felt heat coming off Elena. Is she thinking I'm going after her friend? I thought. What a mess.
"Lara, please take the contact from Anastasia. Elara will relay further information about the proposal to you if I hadn't gotten to her myself," I said, standing. "Let's go, Elara," I said, moving towards the elevator.
"But Dave…"
"Just forget it, Elara," I said, looking at Aiden. I knew what she was going to say. I don't have time for such meaningless things—I have a lot on my plate already.
She gave Aiden one last look and walked off, following behind me.
"What an idiot—who does that? How can he be so rude? That's why I don't like werewolves," a vampire said. "They're too hot-blooded, always thinking with the thing between their legs. Lustful idiot. He just had to go and piss him off."
"Yeah, even that dumb girl. What was she trying to do? Embarrass him more? Dumb witches, I guess—they use their brains studying spells, and they're left with nothing to think properly," another vampire girl added, looking in Dave's direction with stars in her eyes.
Trying to embarrass my idol—you will pay for it,she thought, looking at all three.
Anastasia suddenly went pale, her face drained, as Elena stood up and left without saying a word. She felt that heat too, and she knew Elena was pissed off.