Looking back, I should've let him. Maybe it would have given me some definite answers, or at least clues, regarding the whole mate thing. But I chickened out, and we were left walking beside each other without touching.

Finally, we broke free of the haunted house and Everlee and Andrew gave a shout of victory, as if we just won the greatest battle in history. Nevertheless, I smiled with them. Only Xavier and Jacob remained mostly expressionless. Jacob was a different story, but I knew Xavier was feeling rejected and I kind of felt bad. I wasn't sure what to do to fix it.

Back at the truck, we waved goodbye to Jacob, Taylor, Nora, and Ray before climbing in. Everlee and Andrew relayed their favorite bits of the experience to us on the drive home. Xavier didn't add anything, and the most I could do was smile.

"What did you really think, Freckles?"

I twisted in my seat to look at Andrew. "It was okay. Not my favorite thing, but I'm glad I went with you guys!"

Everlee squealed. Obviously that was enough of a victory for her.

Getting back to the school, Xavier parked next to the only other car on campus: mine. Well, the car I was constantly borrowing from River.

He stepped out of his truck with me, leaving the gammas in the backseat. He opened my car's door for me, and I stood in the opening.

Feeling confident, I said, "Sorry. For earlier. You kind of scared me." For once, that wasn't a lie.

That little hint of a smirk appeared, and I knew he understood. He must have felt confident himself, because then he asked, "What if I picked you up for school tomorrow?"

I scrunched my face without thinking. "Um. Okay. From the Williams'?"

He shrugged. "If that's where you wanna meet, then sure." He didn't seem fazed by the fact that I had never directly stated where I really lived. I was grateful.

I took a deep breath. "Okay. Tomorrow."

He waved me off with a smile.

The next morning, right on time, I opened the front door to see Xavier walking up the porch steps. I closed the door and met him halfway, anxiously gripping the straps of my backpack.

"You really didn't have to drive me." I stammered.

He shrugged, leading me to his truck.

"Really," I insisted. "This is probably way out of your way." I didn't know where his pack was located, but it couldn't be that close to the Williams', as most packs were spread a decent distance apart to allow for spacious territory and to promote a decrease in border strifes.

"April." He chuckled when we both sat down inside the vehicle. Before driving off, he made a point to look me in my eyes sincerely. "Relax. I wanted to, okay?"

I tried to relax, but it was hard when he looked at me like that. "Okay," I mumbled. "Thank you."

After about a mile down the road in silence, he glanced at me again. "Is everything okay at home?"

I hesitated, but only because I was confused where this was going. "Yes. Why?"

His hands were gripping the steering wheel tighter than I thought was necessary. "You just don't talk about home much, and we always seem to find you at the Williams'."

Sweat beaded in my hairline. I was not prepared to be interrogated about my lies this morning. I was about to snap out another lie to make him stop when it hit me. He grew up around here, and now rules a pack here. Eirenae's story was probably a common conversation at the dinner table. He was concerned my home was not safe.

I melted. Softening all the blows I was preparing to dish out, I finally relaxed into my seat. Making sure he could see my eyes, I said, "I'm okay, I promise."

He relaxed, too, but not as dramatically as I'd hoped. I wondered if he didn't fully believe me. "Do you know the rest of their household?"

That was a strange question, but he also thought I was human interacting with-unbeknownst to me-a house of werewolves.

"Not really." At least I wasn't lying. "I mostly talk to Emerald and her kids, but Eirenae and Kota have been there sometimes, too."

"Hmm." He said.

Maybe idiotically, I continued. "I know a lot of people live there, though."

"Yeah?" We were getting close to the school now. "What do you think about them?"

"Okay, where are you going with this?" I sighed, putting a stop to whatever he was doing. If I answered these questions, it would just be lies leading to more lies. That was dangerous. If he, or any of my friends, needed to know the truth, our relationships would be built and based off of lies piled on top of lies.

Thankfully, he turned into the parking lot near the science building. He didn't say anything more until we were parked and standing on the pavement.

"April." He said before I could walk off.

I turned to face him.

"I like you." He swallowed. "I just wanted you to know that. I didn't mean to press today, I'm just trying to figure you out."

I quirked an eyebrow, trying my best to suppress a smile. "As am I, Xavier. Thanks for the ride!"

This time, he gave me a real grin. "I'll see you in math."

I don't think I let myself breathe until I was safely sitting in my seat in my biology classroom. Thankfully, Everlee wasn't there yet to throw more questions at me.

That whole thing had to mean something. Xavier wanting to drive me to school, asking me about my life choices, and then ending it all with a confession that he liked me. I wasn't sure if I should be giddy or terrified, more than I already was.

But how did I come to know for sure? How could I see a sign as clear as a starry night sky that spelled out XAVIER IS YOUR MATE?

I just hoped River was able to talk to him soon, that way it was set in stone one way or the other.

School dragged by that day. My thoughts were consumed with anxieties about what I should do about Xavier. As terrified as I was to find out whether he was my mate or not, I was even more terrified if he was. That would spiral into a whole new situation I wouldn't know how to navigate.

Math came around, and I did my best not to focus on him sitting across from me. Though, every time my eyes did stray, his were on me. My skin was itching with self-consciousness by the time the professor released us. Xavier walked out to the courtyard with me.

"Well," I said. "I guess I need you to drive me home, too."

He stopped walking, so I stopped. "Do you want to go for a walk first?" He asked, jabbing his thumb to the right. "There's an ice cream shop down the road."

"Is it open?" I laughed, "It's November." As if Mother Nature was agreeing with me, breeze blew past, bringing a handful of crispy brown leaves flying through the air. I gestured to them, trying to make a point.

He didn't give up. "Well there's a coffee shop over there too. They have tea, coffee, and hot chocolate." When I still didn't move, he offered his hand out. "I'll buy."

My face cracked to reveal the smallest of smiles, and I started walking down the sidewalk with him. I didn't grab his hand, but he didn't seem too bothered.

The walk wasn't too long, and the crisp air was actually really nice. I silently patted myself on the back for wearing a sweater and boots.

"Is fall your favorite season?" He asked me.

I shrugged. "I like each season for different reasons. But fall is particularly nice, yeah."

"Summer is my favorite." He didn't give a reason, but I could guess. Most wolves preferred summer because the thick foliage made it much easier and safer to run in wolf form. As a fox, autumn actually helped me blend in more than summer did, when the world shifted from green to browns and reds. So, I guess I could say fall was my favorite.

In the shop, he ordered a coffee for himself and, after asking me, a hot chocolate for me. His choice of drink was surprising to me, but I tried not to let it show.

Caffeine and alcohol didn't affect shifters the same way it did humans. It was rare to find a wolf drinking alcohol, because without the effects, we were left with just the harsh and bitter flavors. Most didn't seek that out. Coffee was hit or miss. I'd seen Emerald drink it, and other pack members growing up. I had personally never tried alcohol or coffee, it never appealed to me. But with Kota's proposition the other night, I was tempted to just for research purposes.

Xavier gestured to a quaint wooden bench just outside the shop. Nestled between the sidewalk and a small yard to the west of the shop's building. It was perfect for people watching.

We sat there for a bit, sipping our beverages and observing the leaves fluttering by down the sidewalk and road. Not many others were out and about, given the overcast skies that were rapidly approaching sunset.

Eventually my eyes drifted to my date. He was quiet, seeming to think hard about something. His dark eyebrows were tucked together, but there was a hint of smile lingering in his lips. That's when I noticed the scar.

It was subtle, and I don't think I would've seen it had I not been studying him. The jagged white line crawled from his hairline down to the tragus of his ear. A sudden impulse to touch it washed over me.

"How'd you get the scar?" I took a sip of my cocoa, trying to stay casual.

"It's a long story."

"Bullshit."

That shocked him. "Fine. That's a story for another time."

"Oh, come on." I teased. "It's cool! I'm just curious."

He tilted his drink towards me. "You're nosy."

I shrugged. "Call it what you want, I guess. I've never noticed it before."

He sighed, and I could tell he was giving in. "Alright."

I grinned, happy to win.

"It was five or six years ago." His piercing blue eyes stayed fixed on the street in front of us. "I was protecting my family."

I counted back the years. He would have only been fourteen or fifteen when Natalia overthrew her mother and claimed the throne. I didn't think he was referring to that battle.

"What happened?"

Those blue eyes shifted to me, serious. "April, are you afraid of wolves?"

I almost snorted, but I caught myself. "No." He thinks I'm human. He doesn't want his stories of fighting wolves to scare a human away. I had to be his mate. There was starting to be no other explanation. A player just trying to seduce a girl he liked didn't take the time and patience, or show the compassion Xavier had been showing me. He was slow, slower than he probably wanted to be with me, taking his time to get to know me before jerking a "human" into the chaotic world of werewolves and pack life.

So why couldn't I feel the pull?

Suddenly the urge to touch him hit me like a tidal wave. Was that the answer? Physical contact? I mentally rolled my eyes at the irony. Make the girl who hates physical touch immune to the mate bond, except for physical touch.

My heart thudded in my chest on our walk back to campus. Did I reach for his hand? Was he going to offer it again? I'd rejected it twice now already, so I wasn't sure he'd even try again at this point.

My toe caught on a chip in the concrete and I stumbled forward, too lost in my thoughts to be paying close enough attention. Xavier stopped walking, checking to make sure I was okay.

Embarrassed, I ran my hands down my clothes, smoothing invisible wrinkles.

"April." He said quietly, and I met his eyes. Reaching a hand out, he moved a strand of hair from my face that had fallen out of place. A shimmer of a buzz heated my cheek, and my heart skipped. Holy crap. Was I right? Was touch all it took?

His hand brushed my cheek and I instinctively pulled away. His eyes darkened, and I could see him fighting with the animal side of himself.

"When you said you weren't afraid of wolves," he whispered, "did you mean it?"

The war raged inside my mind. If I let him, I confirmed everything, and that meant getting into a bigger mess. Confirming a fear just brought more fears. But wasn't that better than staying in the dark. The buzz I felt couldn't have been coincidence, but there was only one way to find out.

"I did."

I barely registered the thought that I never got the story behind his scar out of him before his hand reached for my face again. This time, I didn't back away. His fingertips curled into my hair and he pulled my head towards him, meeting my lips with his own.

The small buzz of electricity from his hand on my face was nothing compared to the explosion that occurred when our lips touched. His were warm, soft but determined, and I was drawn in by the flutters that erupted in my stomach because of it. When he stopped, I felt like an addict, drunk on the feeling and wanting more. I found myself with my hands gripping his arms to hold myself upright.

"Woah." Was all I could say.

He was smirking, his face still dangerously close to my own. I wanted him to lean back in.

Then it hit me like a train.

The physical sparks flying at the simply touch, and then the fireworks in the kiss. It was talked about by every mated pair. Even my mom could feel the electricity despite the fact that she was human.

I was horrified with myself for not trusting my gut sooner. I should have taken the leap weeks ago, ignored the risk. I mean, c'mon the signs were all there! I wasn't even blind to it, I just over analyzed it all and missed it because all I had to do was give him the smallest of touches. If I had let him hold my hand, if I had tapped his shoulder for something even once, I would have felt it. But I had been relying on eye contact and the invisible pull and that led to a manure heap of lies for eight weeks!

I felt like I had been playing him.

Jerking back, I forced myself to break the moment. It took a lot in my not to touch my lips with my fingers. I had to forcefully shove away the memory of the kiss that kept trying to creep to the front of my mind.

He held my hand on the walk back to his truck, and I let him because it would seem like I was rejecting him after the kiss if I hadn't. I didn't want to reject him, that wasn't what I was doing. But I needed to figure out how to tell him I knew everything about the world he kept hidden from a human before I could do anything more.

I waved him goodbye from the porch step when he dropped me at the Williams', after he once again asked why I wouldn't let him come to my house. I knew he wanted me to kiss him again, but I couldn't bring myself to do it; not yet. Not until my mind cleared and I had a plan.

Closing the door softly behind me, I slid down to the wooden floors, my back pressed to the door. My head fell to my hands and I curled my knees to my chest. The war inside my mind was stronger than ever, raging fire and trying to burst free. Except I didn't know how to let it loose. I didn't know what to do. Why did I think knowing the truth was going to make it all better?