Chapter 32
At 5 pm sharp, I dragged my tired ass over to Melody”s room, my stomach eager for some grub.
”Hey, Mel!” I called out as I knocked on her door, tapping my foot impatiently. ”You ready for some grub or what?”
The door creaked open, revealing Melody with her beautiful blonde hair around her shoulders. She grinned at me, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. ”Yep,” she chirped, ”let”s go stuff our faces.”
”Harper, do you know what you”re going to try tonight?” Melody said, her voice full of questions. I couldn”t help but smile at her, letting it wash away the exhaustion that clung to my bones.
”There was a chicken Caesar wrap I was eyeing off,” I replied, feeling a surge of excitement.
As we reached the dining hall, the aroma of roasting meat and simmering spices enveloped us. My stomach rumbled like a goddamn freight train, and I couldn”t wait to dive into that wrap,
”Hey,” Melody nudged me, her eyes dancing with curiosity, ”how was your last lesson with Dante?”
”Girl, it was wild,” I exclaimed, my voice filled with pride. ”I actually had fun for once, and get this—I managed to transport myself on purpose!”
Melody”s jaw dropped as she laughed, the sound like music to my ears. ”No way! I wish I had transportation! I”d love to be able to go back and see my parents whenever I wanted.”
”Wait, you mean I can do that?” I gasped, my mind racing with the possibilities. ”Like, just pop back home and then come back here?”
”Of course!” Melody said, chuckling at my excitement. ”I mean, I wouldn”t try it just yet since you only just learned, but yeah, they let us go home to see our families whenever we want.”
”Really?” I exclaimed, my mind suddenly consumed by thoughts of my mother. Was she even still alive? How the hell was she going to pay the rent now that I was gone?
”Hey,” Melody said gently, snapping me out of my sudden panic. ”You can always go see Mr. Greyson again, you know.”
”Yeah, I should,” I agreed with a sigh. ”I”ll do that tomorrow just to make sure she isn”t dead or something.” I couldn”t believe that this was the first time I”d thought about Mom”s well-being since arriving at Oakland Harbour. It used to be on my mind constantly back home, but now... nada. Zilch.
”Harper, it”s okay to feel overwhelmed,” Melody reassured me, placing a hand on my arm. ”There”s so much new stuff happening here, it”s only natural that you”d lose track of things.”
”Maybe,” I muttered, but guilt gnawed at my insides like a hungry damn beast. Shouldn”t a daughter worry about her mom? Maybe I had looked after her for so long that now that I was free, I”d let go. I wasn”t sure, but I knew I needed to talk to Mr. Greyson, just to know if she was alive or not.
”Look,” Melody said, determination in her eyes. ”Tomorrow, we”ll go see Mr. Greyson together, okay? We”ll figure this shit out.”
”Thanks, Mel,” I whispered, feeling a little less like my world was crumbling around me.
”Hey, what are friends for?” She gave me a crooked grin and nudged me playfully. As I looked forward and saw the reason for my recent distraction. Three of the most incredibly sexy men I had ever seen.
”Girl, look at your face,” Melody said, her eyes dancing as they flicked toward the far end of the hall. ”They”ve already hooked you!” She punctuated her statement with a playful nudge.
”Shhhh, no, they haven”t,” I retorted, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. ”Well... maybe just a little.” We both laughed before making our way through the crowded room. The three boys sat at a table, waiting for us. Dante”s magnetic presence drew me in, his smile pulling me closer like a damn moth to a flame.
”Hey, Harper!” Orlando greeted, his green eyes sparkling with warmth. I slid into my seat across from Dante, trying to ignore the way my skin tingled under his gaze.
”Good evening,” I mumbled, my heart racing.
”Evening, Harper,” Dante replied, his voice smooth as silk.
As we all settled in, I caught the tail end of a conversation between Dante and Orlando about going for a run. My curiosity piqued, I leaned in and asked Dante, ”Do you run daily?”
”Normally every morning,” he answered, his brown eyes meeting mine. ”But I won”t be running in the mornings for a while.”
”Really? I run every day too,” I admitted.
”So did I,” Dante smiled, but there was a sadness in his eyes as he continued. ”But if my wolf scents you when I”m changed, I can”t stop him from marking you. So, I”ll be running at night for now.”
”Marking?” My heart thudded in my chest. I”d heard the word before and wanted to know what it meant.
”Trust me, you don”t want to know,” Melody chimed in, her face serious. ”It”s... intense.”
Orlando leaned forward, his face lit up with excitement. ”I have a whole textbook on mating, bonding, and marking in my room that I checked out of the library. Did you want to borrow it?” My ears perked up at this offer - I certainly wanted that book. “Yes, please! Can you drop it off in my room after dinner?” I asked eagerly.
”Y-yes, of course,” Orlando stuttered, a hint of pink creeping onto his cheeks.
”Thank you,” I beamed, feeling grateful for his kindness.
Dante leaned in closer, his curiosity piqued. ”So what are we ordering for dinner?”
I couldn”t help but laugh at him. ”If you”re only going to order what I”m getting, I think you might end up a little disappointed.”
Dante”s response was quick and sincere. ”I don”t think anything you could ever do would disappoint me.” This caused the entire table to erupt into laughter as Griffin playfully clapped Dante on the back and remarked, ”Real smooth Romeo.”
Amidst the laughter and banter, I finally announced my order: ”I”m having the chicken Caesar wrap.” This prompted a sceptical response from Dante, who wrinkled his nose and quipped, ”So a salad in a wrap?”
I couldn”t help but chuckle at his teasing tone. ”Yep,” I confirmed with a tap of my menu. Watching, the menu transforms into a delicious-looking wrap and a bottle of water.
Griffin couldn”t resist taunting Dante further. ”Well go on mate, order that salad wrap.”