Chapter 131

Lucas and I’s training yesterday had left me sore all over, but the feeling was welcome. As I walked around school all day, the thought of our kisses replayed in my mind.

I had won a total of six kisses and had to run eighteen laps. After I had successfully earned that first kiss, Lucas was much harder on me the rest of the time.

I think he was just embarrassed that I had called him out on his excitement.

Thinking about it again brought a smile to my face as the final school bell rang, signaling the beginning of the weekend.

I met Lucas at our usual spot near the hockey locker rooms.

The school day had been relatively uneventful, apart from a few lingering stares and whispers from curious classmates who seemed endlessly fascinated by our relationship.

Lucas had told me that he thought the drama would subside by now, and although there was much less attention, it was still a lot.

Lucas was standing in the middle of the hallway, and he seemed preoccupied.

His brow furrowed as he stared down at his phone.

Immediately my mind went to Kendrick. Was Kendrick trying to reach out to him? Why else would he look so concerned?

Regardless of who it was, I could tell something was on his mind.

"What's going on, Lucas?" I asked, trying to get his attention away from his phone.

He looked up, his blue eyes meeting mine. He let out a heavy sigh. "It's Professor Black. I think he's figured some things out and he wants to meet us soon."

My heart skipped a beat. "Already? Wow. That was fast."

Lucas nodded. "He mentioned he's made some progress in his research about wolfless."

"Progress?" I tilted my head, slightly puzzled. "But there's hardly any information out there about wolfless. How could he have found something so quickly? It should've taken weeks of research."

"Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe he's found something new we can work with." Lucas ran a hand through his hair, his expression conveying mixed emotions. "It's a bit strange. But then again, there isn't much out there about the white wolf either."

I nodded in agreement.

The legend of the white wolf was just as mysterious as the history of the wolfless, if not more so. It had always been hidden in the shadows of childhood stories and myths.

"Okay so, what do we do?" I asked, my curiosity suddenly getting the better of me.

I was excited to hear what Professor Black could have discovered.

Lucas contemplated my question for a moment before deciding, "Let's go meet him after school... But there's one problem."

I raised an eyebrow. Problem? "What's that?"

Lucas looked around the hallway as if he was searching for something. "I have hockey practice before our championship game tomorrow."

I could see the conflict in his eyes. Lucas was fiercely dedicated to his team, and skipping practice was a big deal, especially the day before the championship game they've been working weeks towards.

A captain couldn't abandon their team when they needed him most right now. I couldn't make him go see Professor Black knowing he would miss that.

"That's fine," I said. "I could go see Professor Black alone. You need to be here for your team."

Lucas's response was swift and unwavering. "Absolutely not."

I couldn't help but be taken aback by the intensity in his voice. "What? Why not?"

"I'm not letting you go see Professor Black by yourself, we'll go together."

There was a hint of defensiveness in his tone and I couldn't help but wonder why he sounded so on edge. Was he jealous? Or did he really just not want me to go alone?

"Lucas, do you not trust Professor Black?"

"It's not that, Shana." His gaze was fixed on mine, his expression unreadable. "I just... I want to be there with you. I want to learn everything he knows. That way, I'll know what we can do. I'll know how I can help you."

His protectiveness took me by surprise, and my earlier thought about him being jealous struck me again. His words were firm and demanding.

Was he worried about Professor Black getting too close to me? I wasn't sure why he would feel that way...

Or was there something more to his concern? Possibly my safety?

"So, you don't trust him?" I probed gently, trying to see if he could reveal how he was really feeling.

Lucas hesitated before answering, "I don't know him well enough to trust him completely. I've only been in communication with him a few times... But I trust you, Shana, and I want to make sure you're safe. I don't want him to take advantage of you."

"I don't think that will happen, Lucas," I tried to reassure him.

"Take advantage of who you are," he clarified, resting a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Think about it Shana, he's studied people like you. In his eyes you're fascinating to him. He'll want to know everything about you."

"What's he going to do?" I quirked an eyebrow. "Tie me to a test table and run experiments on me?"

Lucas didn't laugh at my attempt at a joke. "This isn't funny. I'm being serious. I don't want him prying into who you are or your life. I want to be there with you."

I was touched by his words. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was deathly serious. He just wanted to protect me and seemed adamant about it.

I don't even know why I was surprised to see this side of Lucas. I guess I just hadn't thought that he would care too much.

But if Professor Black was able to give us some kind of answers, then I would want Lucas there with me. Not just for moral support, but because the two of us were in this together now.

Lucas knew me better than anyone else at this point. I also wanted him to know anything that Professor Black uncovered about wolfless.

I went up on my tiptoes to give Lucas a soft peck on the lips. When I pulled away, I offered him a reassuring smile. "Okay, Lucas, we'll go together then. I want you to be there, too."

"Great." Lucas smiled back at me. He quickly pulled out his phone and sent a text message to James, explaining that he needed to miss practice for a personal matter and that James was now in charge of the team.

James's reply was fast.

James: You trust me to lead the team? I never thought this day would come.

I snickered as Lucas showed me the text with an eye roll.

"He's been asking to coach a practice all year," Lucas explained.

"Looks like his wish finally came true," I replied teasingly.

I could see a hint of guilt in Lucas's eyes as he looked down at the messages on his phone.

He turned to me, his expression filled with regret as he bit his bottom lip. "I hate lying to James, especially before such an important game. It doesn't feel right."

"I know, but we promised to keep this a secret." I placed a comforting hand on his arm. "I don't like lying to him either. But the sooner we figure out what's going on, then the sooner we can figure out how to handle it. James will understand when the time is right."

Lucas nodded, the weight of our secret still resting heavily on his shoulders.

I hated that we had to be so secretive about this, but there was no other choice.

Until Professor Black was able to give us the answers we were searching for, we would have to continue to lie.

I just hoped that he had found something that could help me.