When the end of the day arrived, Darcy had nothing. In fact she had less than nothing because she had spent all of her remaining classes daydreaming about Luca. Like a damn fool.

With his scent floating around her, it was difficult to think of anything else.

“Take my scent for a test drive.”

As if her underwear hadn’t been drenched enough. As if she wasn’t self-conscious enough as his bullying victim, now she was paranoid of eyes on her for a different reason. Could others smell him on her? What would they think?

Her friends confirmed they could absolutely smell it, and it repelled them. They were already scared to get too close when he was following her around like a hungry dog. Now, they were doubly afraid - god forbid they accidentally get the beta stink on them too. They gave her sympathetic looks from afar and kept up conversation by text, but she missed their hugs.

She didn’t feel too lonely, though. Luca kept sliding back into her head.

“I’ll pick you up from your last class and walk you to the bus.”

Picking her up sounded different than simply stalking her on her way to her pack bus. But this was still Luca, so there was a very real chance that he was toying with her. That this was all a long-game prank to humiliate her. Her guard had slipped earlier, but she needed to hoist it back up again - couldn’t be letting some boy make a fool of her. A beta boy. And a bully to top it off. Absolutely not.

Her final lesson for the day was dismissed and she made her way to the exit with the horde of her classmates. He was stood in the corridor outside her last class, just as he’d promised. All long legs, pointed teeth and glowing golden-brown hair. His eyes were trained on the door, a hunter waiting for its meal to wander into the cross-hair.

Darcy stumbled halfway over the threshold in indecision, half-turning to make a run for it. He could not be trusted. No matter how gorgeous he was.

He was at her side in an instant, giving her no further time to consider her options. A hand tucked itself around her waist, yanking her from the small herd of her classmates. Darcy’s skin suddenly felt too tight, too many people were looking. She bowed her head and allowed herself to be dragged at his side, her feet skittering on the floor. It didn’t slow him.

The moment they were clear of the crowd, he released her and floated back to place himself behind her fluidly. A hand on the small of her back pressed her onwards.

“You show all of your thoughts on your face like it’s a billboard for your brain.” He spoke directly into the crown of her head and continued to lead her away. Darcy huffed indignantly but said nothing, she was still on her toes, awaiting the crack in his sweet facade. “You looked right at me and I knew you were trying to work out if you should run. You always look at me like that.”

“You always give me reason to run,” Darcy mumbled.

“What did you say, puppy?”

Puppy is a slang word for omega. It is not a compliment. Darcy shrugged it off, Luca had called her worse.

“Nothing.”

He laughed sharply, with little humour. “Just tell me,” he demanded. His voice was tight, his fake friendliness was already slipping it seemed.

“Uh, I said I like running. Good exercise.”

His smile was twisted, as though she were an amusing little creature that he was looking forward to tormenting. “I don’t believe you. You’re not good at running.”

“I’m not a good singer either, but it doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy shower concerts.” Apparently her courage came in sudden supernovas. Disappearing in a colourful explosion as soon as she managed to speak her mind.

“Who is giving you shower concerts?” he teased. His cheeky charm was glowing from his cheeks again and it almost entranced Darcy’s weak heart. There was still that glint in his eyes, though, an edge to everything he said and did.

And yet, her mind instantly filled with steam, and he was at the centre. Sprinkling water running over his light brown skin, his golden curls dripping. Perhaps less a Beyonce concert and more Magic Mike, but Darcy could appreciate all art forms. Especially when they included a naked Luca.

“Your eyes have gone even darker, I didn’t think that was possible,” his honey voice in her ear jolted her a step. He was leaning round to stare at her face, arms caging her from the back. She looked away, hurrying forward as fast as she could power-walk, leaving him at her side, a step back. Her eyes were completely black, there was no way he had seen them darken. He was teasing her, he didn’t know she was having a dirty shower fantasy. She repeated that reassurance in her head like a mantra, desperately trying to cool herself.

Once they were free of any and all onlookers, heading through the back corridor of the building, his teeth grazed her ear on another question. “How was the test drive?”

Darcy flushed all the way to the tips of her ears. She shrugged lopsidedly. “Fine,” she mumbled.

“Just fine?” His voice full of mirth. “So you don’t want more of it?”

She did, desperately. It sated something deep inside of her that she didn’t think was appropriate to talk about in polite company. But the plan was to break free of him, to live her happy, quiet, post-graduation life in her pack. She searched for a comment to make that wasn’t a lie. “People… could smell it when they got close.”

“You liked the attention?”

“No.”

“Then don’t let anyone else get close.” There was a snarling undertone to his voice. It didn’t stop the fluttering between Darcy’s legs. She was a hopeless fool. Some cruel beta with a flirtatious streak shows a little jealousy and her first instinct is to want her underwear off.

It probably wasn’t even jealousy. It was another way for him to isolate her. He had already driven her friends to the outskirts in fear of his presence.

“They’re scared of you.” She didn’t know why she bothered to say it.

“Good.”

His hand grazed her lower back through her shirt again. Darcy shivered.

The air was cool when they made it to the long line of buses and Darcy let out a quiet sigh, her skin needed the help. Her body was one big blush, overheated from nerves, embarrassment, and a little arousal.

“Even my friends,” she said quietly. Part of her begging to stop talking, that it would only irritate him. She knew better. She knew him. “You scare them away too.”

Luca hummed before asking, “Which ones are your friends?”

He probably thought she was lying about even having any.

“Melody and Reece.”

“What kind of name is Melody?”

She did not answer but gave him a frustrated look.

“What packs are they from?”

She nodded to the pack bus third in line. “Ashen Fur.” Just as the words left her mouth, they passed the still-closed door of the bus. In the queue were her friends, watching her with wide, round eyes.

The curve of knuckles dug into her lower back, dissuading any stops as they passed. Chit chat was not to be had on his time, apparently. But he also nodded to them, expression blank. They turned away hurriedly. Darcy supposed that was his idea of making an effort. Dear Lord was the bar low, it actually made her happy to see him try.

Luca waited with her in the queue until the doors opened, although he removed his hand and made no effort to touch or speak to her again. He maintained his guard until she had climbed aboard the bus to leave.

Once again, Darcy entered battle plan mode. By the end of the night, however, she had only the intention of not allowing her heart to sink any further into its embarrassing attachment to Luca. He was and always would be a bully. She would not allow herself to be treated badly for the sake of… whatever he had to offer. The frozen kiss fluttered back into her mind. She shoved her face into her backpack and groaned, she needed a transfusion of willpower. For now, she would attempt to remain neutral, let him play his games and just hope she only got hurt physically.

When Darcy returned to school the next day, she refused to acknowledge him skulking around the front entrance, waiting for her. She breezed past him so well she almost did a little self-congratulatory fist pump. His shadow merged with hers instantly. He said nothing. Darcy did her best to go about her day. This was her new beginning.