Chapter 10

Tori's POV:

I stared at the outstretched hand in front of me, momentarily frozen. After four years of isolation and the cold shoulder treatment, genuine kindness felt foreign, almost suspicious.

But something about her easy demeanor broke through my hesitation. I reached out and shook her hand.

"Tori Sullivan," I said quietly. "Thank you for your help."

"No biggie." Morgan plopped down in the seat beside mine.

I stared at her in confusion. "You... asked to sit here?"

Morgan grinned. "Yep! You looked way more interesting than my last deskmate. "

"Why would you want to sit next to me?" I asked bluntly. "You know what everyone says about me."

Morgan shrugged. "People say lots of things. Most of it's garbage." She began arranging colorful pens and notebooks on her desk. "Besides, my mom always says you should make your own judgments about people instead of listening to rumors."

She glanced at my half-completed worksheet and her eyes widened dramatically. "Whoa, you're actually good at these lunar calculations! Like, really good!"

"I'm completely hopeless at this stuff," Morgan admitted, gesturing to her blank paper. "Like, seriously, the moon phases might as well be written in ancient wolf runes for all I understand them."

She looked between my paper and her blank one with newfound hope. "Oh, thank the Moon Goddess, I might actually survive this class now. You're my salvation, Tori Sullivan!"

"You don't have to sit here," I said carefully. "They will start treating you differently... isolating you."

Morgan waved her hand dismissively, seemingly unbothered by the prospect.

"Are you kidding? That's like an added bonus!" she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "Please. The only advantage I care about is being able to take my naps in peace without anyone poking me awake. Trust me, I've thought this through."

Before I could respond, Mrs. Blake entered the classroom, calling everyone to order. As I turned my attention to the front, I couldn't help but feel slightly disoriented by this unexpected turn of events.

A deskmate. A possibly friendly deskmate. I wasn't sure whether to be grateful or suspicious.

Be careful, Tracy warned in the back of my mind. No one is this nice without a reason.

And she was right. I'd learned that lesson the hard way. Four years ago, Fiona had been just as friendly—sharing secrets, braiding my hair during sleepovers, promising we'd be friends forever. I'd believed her completely, opened my heart to her. Then she'd orchestrated my downfall when I became an obstacle to her being with Ethan.

That betrayal had taught me an expensive lesson: every smile could hide sharp teeth, every kind gesture might be setting a trap.

I glanced at Morgan's cheerful face as she organized her colorful pens. She seemed genuine, which made me feel guilty for my suspicion, but then again, so had Fiona.

True to her word, Morgan lasted approximately fifteen minutes into the lecture before her head started nodding.

By the time Mrs. Blake was explaining the influence of lunar phases on wolf transformation energies, Morgan was fast asleep, her head cradled on her folded arms.

I tried to focus on taking notes, but found myself occasionally glancing at my sleeping desk mate. A thin line of drool had escaped the corner of her mouth, creating a small dark spot on her sleeve.

She's like a puppy who fell asleep mid-play, Tracy commented in my mind, her tone amused.

Maybe we've misjudged her, she continued in my mind, her tone thoughtful. She seems genuinely nice.

When Mrs. Blake announced the end of class, Morgan jolted upright with such force that she nearly toppled out of her chair.

"Wha-? Did I miss something?" she mumbled, wiping the corner of her mouth with her sleeve.

"Just the entire class," I replied, unable to keep a small smile from forming.

Morgan groaned, scratching her head awkwardly. "I just didn't sleep well last night."

I nodded understandingly.

Mrs. Blake assigned us to work on calculations related to the moon's phases and their effects on different wolf classifications.

I found the exercise straightforward, quickly working through the formulas for Alpha, Beta, and Omega energy fluctuations during different lunar phases.

I finished the worksheet in record time, but when I looked up, I was surprised to find Morgan surrounded by at least five girls from our class.

Rather than being isolated as I'd feared, Morgan was at the center of attention. The girls huddled around her desk, whispering excitedly and giggling.

I caught fragments of their conversation—all centered around Lucas Grayson.

"Is it true his eyes glow silver-blue when he's angry?"

"Do you know what kind of Luna he's looking for?"

"Has he really turned down every arranged mating the council has suggested?"

"Have you ever seen him without a shirt on?"

Morgan seemed increasingly irritated by the barrage of questions, her earlier sleepiness replaced by visible frustration.

"For Moon's sake, I don't spy on him! I'm not some creepy stalker," she finally exclaimed, throwing up her hands. "Now scram before I tell everyone about that time you got rejected at the pack run, Heather."

The girls scattered quickly, some looking disappointed, others embarrassed. Morgan turned to me with an apologetic grimace.

"Sorry about that. Did they disturb you?"

I shook my head. "No, I was finished anyway."

"Being 'popular' isn't all it's cracked up to be," she sighed, making air quotes around the word. "Just because my mom works at the Grayson estate, everyone thinks I have insider gossip about Lucas."

I hesitated, curiosity getting the better of me. "So...you know Alpha Lucas?"

For a split second, something flashed in Morgan's eyes—nervousness?—but it disappeared so quickly I might have imagined it.

"I guess? Sort of?" Morgan shrugged, her tone deliberately casual.

"My family has lived in the staff quarters at Grayson territory since before I was born. My dad helped save one of the Grayson elders during a territory dispute years ago, so they've always been good to us. I've seen Lucas around occasionally."

She paused, studying me with sudden curiosity. "What about you? Do you know him?"

The question caught me off guard. Flashes of our few encounters raced through my mind. The fact that we'd barely exchanged two sentences.

"No," I said, shaking my head.

Morgan's expression shifted—first confusion, then unmistakable relief washing over her features.

"Oh. Okay," she said, her shoulders visibly relaxing. "He's basically the most eligible bachelor in all of Moonhaven, you know. Every unmated female from here to the northern territories probably dreams about him."

I couldn't help but think of Lucas's striking features—those intense silver-blue eyes, his commanding presence, the rare white wolf form. Combined with his position as First Alpha and his business empire, he was undeniably the catch of the century.

"He certainly has the... qualifications," I admitted.

Noticing the dreamy look that had crept into Morgan's eyes, I couldn't resist teasing her a little.

"Including you in that admiring crowd, I take it?"