Chapter 160

Please tell me that we did the right thing by telling Arthur the truth about Aaron and his plan for Liam.

Ever since Liam and I chose to speak to Arthur about what’s been going on with their father, I’ve been sort of looking for a sign that would prove to me that we made the right decision. I had yet to receive anything.

Granted, it wasn’t as though Arthur had done anything to disprove or contradict our decision to trust him. However, I was kind of hoping that Arthur would somehow subdue the worries and doubts that were trying to creep in.

Of course, I also had to take into consideration that there really wasn’t any way for Arthur to prove this unsaid loyalty to Liam and me when he had no idea of my concerns. But from what I could recall from our meeting with him, Arthur seemed fully committed to aligning his priorities with ours.

I think the moment Liam brought up the fact that Aaron had intentionally brought me into the conversation, Arthur’s disposition grew dark. He looked as though he were seconds away from grabbing his keys, heading back to the manor and confronting Aaron head-on.

I remembered the way he tightened his hold on my hand, sending ongoing shivers down my spine.

“He cannot know that Ella is a wolf.”

I understood the need to keep a low profile and all, but what was so dire about Aaron not knowing the truth, I wondered. Again, it felt like I was being purposely kept in the dark on a matter that absolutely involved me.

I wanted to ask why it was so imperative to keep my identity concealed from him. What would it matter to Aaron if I was a real werewolf?

He certainly never paid too much attention to me back when Liam and I had gone to speak to him in the past. I couldn’t imagine that was going to change all because the concept of me being human turned out to be false.

Better still, something didn’t seem right.

I’m going to confront both Liam and Arthur as soon as I get out of here.

Yep. I was back in the library, patiently waiting for Ben to show up so the two of us could finally finish our project.

To say I was less than thrilled by the situation was a complete understatement. I really didn’t want to have to face Ben again, after that last time.

But I wasn’t going to let my grade suffer—nor was I going to give Mrs. Shields any more reason to pick on me because I wasn’t capable of working with him.

As I waited for Ben, I carefully went over my portion of the project once more, to ensure that there were no careless errors.

“Ella?”

I lifted my eyes from my work to see Ben with a sheepish look spread across his face. He seemed to be having a hard time looking at me which only made the awkwardness between us grow stronger.

“Ben.”

I waited for him to sit down and unpack his bag before handing him my papers to look over. As a means to break up some of the unsettling tension between us, I tried to make basic conversation with him.

“So, as you can see from those papers, I mainly did the beginning portion and most of the middle. I got about six pages there. We only need about four pages or so left. So, if you could just work your portion into what you’re looking at then we should be in decent enough shape.”

“Ella...”

Oh, boy.

I did not like the tone of his voice when he spoke my name just then. I waited patiently for him to just come out and say whatever it was that he needed to say to me. All I knew was that, whatever it was, I needed to keep a level head and do my best not to storm out like I had last time.

“Ella? I would like to apologize for the other day,” he said.

Oh? My brows raised in question.

“About what?” I asked pointedly.

It’s one thing to apologize, but I needed to make sure that he knew exactly what he was apologizing for.

“I shouldn’t have thrown all those questions out at you like that,” he elaborated.

I sat back in my seat and crossed my arms. “Why did you then?” I questioned him further.

“I guess, I’m just so curious about you.”

I felt myself blush. “Me? But—”

“You showed up as if out of nowhere,” he beamed. “You’re incredibly fluent in your classes and you carry a confidence that not even the most popular students couldn’t dream of.”

Was he being serious? His guy was making me sound far more interesting than I truly was. I wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or embarrassed.

“Ben...I can easily assure you that I do not have half the confidence as you believe. A lot of that comes from ignoring people. I’ve been gawked at and picked on for a large portion of my life because of my being human.”

He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. “But you’re not human.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head. “It’s complicated. Anyway, I forgive you for all the questions. But, can I ask what prompted you to get so personal about them?”

Again, I was met with a shy look. Ben’s cheeks were slightly flushed.

“I, umm...I was mainly wondering about the severity of your relationship with Liam and Arthur. If they weren’t actually serious, I was looking to see if you’d be interested in going out with me sometime.”

My lips parted in shock. “Oh, Ben. I’m sorry—”

“You don’t need to apologize. I should have known that there was something serious going on between the two of you. I guess I just got confused when I saw you with Arthur.”

I let out a long breath. “Like I said, it’s complicated.”

...

After Ben and I squared away the remaining details of our project, I began making my way back toward my dorm. It was getting rather dark out and many of the other students had already turned in for the night.

As soon as I slipped through the doors, I was hit with a familiar scent. Leather and that same citrusy perfume from before.

Every instinct inside of me was burning to follow the scent the same I had the first time around. I knew I should have just gone back to the dorm but I wasn’t going to waste another chance.

I have to find the source.

Without another moment’s thought, I took off in the direction of the smell. I followed it through the main part of the campus and was half expecting it to lead to one of the dormitories. But no.

I reached a point where the source of this scent was carrying me beyond the school grounds. In fact, it was guiding me toward the direction of the woods.

I suddenly stopped.

Something about this felt horribly wrong. There wasn’t a single person in sight and yet I was drawn to this exact spot where I was facing the ominous-looking woods. The only light I had was from a weak flickering lantern above my head.

Of all the shadows that were being cast from the light, only one of them caught my attention. Standing at the very edge of the woods was that dark hooded figure. I was almost certain that it was just my imagination playing tricks on me.

However, any doubts I may have had instantly crumbled when the figure began racing toward me.