She headed downstairs, the ring filling her with confidence. “Rors, I’m not going to uni. It’s not the right fit for me right now. Maybe one day, it will be-” The alpha shook her head: “No need to try and soften the blow. I trust your decisions about yourself, Ade. We’ll support you either way.”

The next day, she found the documents she’d stolen from Kristopher on her desk, at home. Next to them, a post-it note with the words ‘𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. on it. And a ring. That looked strangely like the bracelet Vikram had been wearing every day and every night. Somehow, it fit perfectly.

“Take care of yourself.” He whispered as a goodbye. Then headed back to his accommodation. And the void that followed his departure was deeper, stronger than the one she’d felt a while earlier, after saying goodbye to Jacob. Of course it was. She’d been the only one blind to it.

She let go of him, her voice cracking as she whispered: “Okay…” But maybe he wasn’t ready to let her go just yet. Because he didn’t drop the hand that held her face until after he had laid a kiss on her cheek. Full of some kind of fondness. A promise, indeed.

She felt her fingers tighten on the seam of his shirt. Her body lean into his touch. She couldn’t tell when, but his right hand had reached for her left, offering support once more, his thumb caressing her skin in a calming pattern. “We’ll meet again, okay?”

“I promise you we will see each other again. I don’t yet know how, when or where. But I won’t live my whole life away from you, Adelyn. The things you felt, I felt them too.” His expression was so genuine. He was telling the truth. Her whole being threatened to explode at the thought.

He raised a hand to her cheek, cupping it gently. Guided her eyes back to his so she could see the truth in what he was about to say. “You’ll never be forgotten. And although I won’t push for us to stay in contact because I think it might cause us more heartache than anything else, I will say this-”

“You suffered the consequences of my fear to own up to my real feelings.” She paused, feeling tears creep up once more. Damn, would she ever stop crying? He waited. Patient. Letting her finish. “I know you’re leaving in two days. I won’t bother you again. You go back to your life, forget about me.”

A hand reaching for him landed on his chest, her finger tracing the holes for the button in his shirt as she inhaled the courage to say what needed to be heard: “I’m really sorry Rami.” His eyes softened at the nickname and she felt her heart ache. “I was horrible. I didn’t think anything through.”

“This isn’t me feeling bad, Wolfie. I’m just worried about you being alone right now…” “Oh.” She looked away, embarrassed. His grip on her forearm loosened and he stepped back, giving her space. She almost started crying again at the distance between them. Why had she made such a mess of this?

“It’s been a long time coming, I swear it has nothing to do with you. Or us… I don’t want you to-” She blurted out, trying to justify her brashness. “You don’t owe me any sympathy or anything. Nat’s probably waiting-” She was cut off when he pulled her into a grounding hug.

𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐢. 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘕𝘺𝘭𝘦, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦. She begged her wolf. 𝐍𝐨. 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝. Ade turned around to find the one person she hadn’t wanted to leave behind. He reached for her, his voice soft: “You okay? That was…” “I’m sorry you had to hear that!” She apologised.

She didn’t run, not wanting to look dramatic in front of her friends, but she did walk as fast as she could. Away from her, now, ex-boyfriend. Away from Nat, the girl she envied, petite and cute, who’d gotten the boy in the end. And away from 𝘩𝘪𝘮. She tried her best to hold the tears at bay.

She pushed Jake away. Finally voiced the things she’d been holding back for so long. “Stop! We’re over. You don’t actually care about me. And I’m not going to university to stay close to you.” She didn’t give him time to answer. Just turned on her heels and left, skin tingling from the boldness.

Gaze locked to his, unable to look away this time, Ade felt the volcano threaten to overflow. 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞. Maybe the order was directed at Jacob, who’s contact now made her skin crawl. Or at Vikram, still holding Nat in his arms. But Ade took it for herself. And let go of her control. "Stop."

A low rumble started inside her. Like a volcano about to erupt. It must have manifested out loud, too, because Jacob smiled on her skin and started nuzzling her collarbone, maybe mistaking it for a purr. Vikram might have heard it to, because his eyes opened, landing on her without hesitation.

And it completely dropped when the other girl ended her giggle with her lips on Vikram’s. Jake said something that sounded like an apology, leaning forward to kiss her neck. Yet she couldn’t tear her eyes from the scene right in front of her. Her breathing inexistant. Brain raging.

𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐦. Nyle pushed. So Ade did. “I just thought you’d dance with me more than with Theo tonight, that’s all.” The rest of their friends kept having fun. But Ade’s heart had shifted. From caring about Jacob to only giving a damn about Natalja’s cute laugh, targeted at Vikram.

Everyone else looked unbothered, playing along together. And yet, Jake was waiting. So she decided to be honest with him. “No, I wasn’t, sorry. What did you say?” “I asked what was going on with you tonight…” He repeated himself, tone annoyed. “Nothing!” That wasn’t true, but she couldn’t tell him.

“Sorry, what?” Vikram sounded confused. Ade heard his heart jump as she let her eyes drift away. No, Nat wasn’t lying. 𝐀𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐲𝐧. 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩? She wondered why Nyle was interrupting the eavesdropping she’d started herself. “You’re not listening to me, are you?” Jacob muttered. Oh… What'd he asked?

And instead of focusing on something else, like the beast usually did to avoid overhearing a conversation, Nyle honed in on Nat’s voice and Vikram’s quick heartrate. “I thought you liked her, but she said I was free to ask you if maybe there’s a chance for you and me?” His eyes caught Ade’s briefly.

They reached a playground, Tatsuo and Zhaf daring each other and climbing up on the wooden ship. Ollie, Nyon and Theo followed. Adelyn thought about it, but something pulled her back… Natalja had taken Vikram aside to talk. 𝘞𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯, she ordered her wolf. A growl answered.

“The floor is smooth, too!” Tatsuo was screaming laughing with her. “How did you manage to fall on NOTHING?!” Ollie and Vikram, more worried about her being hurt, helped her up and said what everyone was thinking out loud: “Time to head out everyone!” Ade and Zhaf were already standing.

Another hour later, after one more drink each, Nat sounded and looked slightly too drunk to keep appreciating the club. Falling ass first on the ground after trying to catch herself on Tatsuo’s bare torso, she looked up, shocked. Before bursting out laughing. So loud, everyone got the memo.

After dancing, talking and laughing with Theo for over an hour, ignoring her completely, Jacob decided it was time for him to hit the bathroom. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞? 𝘐… 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘐 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘣 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦… 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞! That was true. Jake had never been enough.

After a lot of dancing and sweating, the group headed downstairs, where the bar was busy. But not busy enough for the barmaid to let them order anything too strong. Half of them were already eighteen though, so the woman didn’t argue too hard at their mild cocktail orders.

It did. They danced for a long time. Enjoying the music, even though Vikram paused at each transition from the DJ, maybe silently judging. Ollie was to scared to do a keg stand with one of the boys but accepted some help from Natalja. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐬. 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺, 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳! Ade chuckled to herself.

Her eyes fell on her boyfriend, upside down on a keg, nodding along as a shirtless Tatsuo gave him encouragements. Looking away, she hesitated between feeling shame and excitement. And her bestie read her thoughts: “If he can help the boy loosen up a bit, I approve!”

They climbed up some stairs, Ade knowing she’d find Jacob on the floor above. The dancefloor opened in front of them, music loud, drowning Ade’s thoughts already. Zhaf put a hand on her shoulder, whisper-yelling: “I think you’re right, if he’s the guy holding Jake up, I already like him indeed!”

𝐀𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. Nyle commented. The beast part of Adelyn had been quieter lately. More subdued. As if she was worried of taking too much space. Of influencing her too much. “Yep! And you’ll see, Tatsuo and the others are super nice! You’ll get along with them great, I have no doubt!”

“So, let me get this straight” Zhafira said as they walked into the nightclub. “One of your new friends heard of a ‘college party’ and we’re meeting up with him and Jake at a club?” “Not just him and Jake, all the other guys too!” Ade smiled, so happy to have her best friend back. “Theo & Nat too?"

“I might have a crush on Vikram. But I think he likes you.” Ade glanced at Theo, asleep. This was unfair. “You can have him. I think I’m done with dating…” “Are you sure?” Nat asked, surprised. Adelyn just nodded. 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵. She said to Nyle as she slipped under the covers. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠.

After reassuring Theo for a while, all four girls headed to their sleeping bag. But something was bothering Adelyn. And as Zhaf and Theo fell asleep first, she got an opportunity to ask: “Nat?” “Yeah?” “Who were you talking about when you said they might like another girl?” “Oh… I…”

“It’s not always that easy, sometimes boys can be uninterested, or… like someone else or something.” Natalja whispered. Theo melted on her bean bag: “Oh no, what if Nyon likes someone else! I’ll die of embarrassment. What did Jacob say?!” “He just asked who Nyon liked best and the boy said no one!”

As the movie ended, a conversation about boys kicked off. “I just don’t know WHAT!” “Text whatever you want, the point is to start talking, not to have the best opening line in the universe!” Zhaf was encouraging Theo. “She’s not wrong” Ade pointed out. Throwing her head in her hands, she whined.

“That’s horrible!” Theo exclaimed. Zhaf shrugged “Yeah. But we always had each other’s backs! And now, high school’s over, so who cares!” The cookies ready, they headed to the balcony where a small projector had been set up and watched a movie together. This was healing in a way Ade hadn’t expected.

Soon, the hot tub got old and they headed to the kitchen to bake some cookies. “So, what else have you been called then?” Nat prompted, tone curious. “Definitely nothing else by me!”Theo pointed out. “Oh, you know, the usual. Boyfriend stealer. Bitch. Wallet thief…” “That one was mine!” Ade smirked.

Soon, the girls were enjoying the warmth of the water. And Natalja breathed: “Can’t believe Theo thought you were mean girls, you and Zhaf are actually the nicest?” Theo’s jaw dropped. “NAT! What the hell!” The blond dropped under the water and Ade chuckled: “It’s okay, we’ve been called worse!”

The sleepover was a good idea, Ade had to admit it. As soon as Theo and Nat had arrived, everything felt a little bit lighter. And, Zhaf was just back in town, so she was invited too. The hot tub had just been installed, the day before, and it was a great ice breaker activity.

“Oh, it is. Reminds me of how much I wanted to play with it, even then” Rory lowered her voice, but not enough not to be heard by wolf ears. “I can still hear you, you know?!” Ade hollered from the stairs. “Go to your room and we’ll go to ours!” The alpha promised, voice amused, carrying Isi inside.

“Yes. Don’t ask.” Ade disappeared inside the house. “Am I allowed to ask why you’re wearing the same shirt you were on our very first date? Is this a test? Cause I don’t think I’ll pass it.” Isi chuckled. “I just found it in the box I was putting away this morning, thought it’d be a nice reminder.”

Rory chuckled, looking to the sky as if to ask how she’d ended up here. But quickly, Isi had her hands on the alpha’s hips, their foreheads close. “Everything alright?” Rory asked, letting Adelyn walk past them without a look. “Good, I’ll explain later. Ade might need to talk to you first.” “Oh?”

Their alpha appeared on the doorstep, not even a second later. “Yes, hellcat?” Isi announced: “Ade needs a girls night. Tell the 𝘵𝘸𝘰 packs the house if off-limits tonight.” “Oh, really?” “Absolutely. And we’re going on a date, you and I! We’ll be back super late. Got a problem with that?”

Already, she was up. Adelyn caught up and Isi put an arm around her shoulders. “Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t care 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 about the fate thing. But, when you talk to your human friends, take their opinions to heart. They aren’t biased by any wolf BS.” Then she called out “RORY?”

Ade thought about it. “I don’t think so. But if I do, I’ll ask.” “Good.” Isi nodded, as if something had been settled. “Now, I would love to talk boys, but I feel like it would be better if you had girls your own age to discuss what to do about Jake. Want us to throw you a pyjama party?”

“So… You’re saying you’re not going to university. Otherwise, it’ll make your life miserable.” Isi’s conclusion sounded so final. Like everything had been all thought out. “I-”Ade didn’t have any opposing arguments. “I guess, that’s what I’m saying?” “Okay. Want my help to break the news to anyone?”

“And you can’t pick something else as your major?” Isi asked, keeping up the questions. “No, I’m not good enough at anything else. I’m like a Jack of all trades but master of none! I’m in summer classes for my last summer of high school, that’s proof enough…”

“Because that is what you were planning on studying at university if you had gone, right? Fine art?” “Yes. Even though all I want is to keep painting every surface I can.” Ade nodded. “I talked to Vikram about it. I want to be able to keep creativity as a hobby, not have to monetise it!”

“No. It is not. Tell me this: in a world without Fated Mates, what would you be doing next year?” Ade let her eyes wander as she answered, honestly: “I’d stay home with you and Rory. Help Lou at the clinic. Find something to do that has nothing to do with my art.”

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭. Nyle affirmed. But Ade hesitated. 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭… Then, out loud, she answered Isi’s question. “I don’t think it’s just my wolf, but that definitely plays a part in it. Who am I to go against what nature wants for me? And if Jake wants it, then isn’t it my duty to give it to him? To do my part?”