Wolf Girl (Wolf Girl #1) - Leia Stone Page 0,32

at me, gave me a wan smile and looked away, back to his conversation with Priya and Meredith.

My heart pinched as I came to the realization that things between Sawyer and I were probably over before they began. I had too much baggage for him, and if I was being honest, I wasn’t a fan of this whole dating game. I didn’t want to share him, I didn’t want to feel second best, or third or fiftieth. I wanted to punch all these bitches in the face and then straddle him right in this cafeteria and kiss him in front of everyone.

Sigh.

Brandon and Walsh walked up, fully outfitted for war, knifes, stakes, and guns strapped over their black canvas jumpsuits. Every eye in the cafeteria tracked their movements.

Don’t come over here, don’t come over here.

They stopped at our table. “Demi, we will be accompanying you to your classes today,” Brandon told me.

Great.

I chugged my OJ and grabbed my stuff. “I’ll see you at lunch,” I told Sage, and stood, following them out of the cafeteria. I risked a glance behind me, just in time to see Sawyer look up at me and then turn away quickly.

My first two classes were agony. All I could think about was what I would say to Sawyer in my third period class. I wanted to apologize for any inconvenience this whole vampire attack thing caused him, because clearly it was my fault. I wanted to tell him I was still down to play Call of Duty anytime he wanted. I wanted shit to feel normal between us because we’d started something fresh and real and exciting, and I didn’t want to lose it. By the time the bell rang for third period, I was already in my desk, eyeing the door and waiting for him to walk through.

But he never did…

The seconds stretched to minutes, which turned into the full hour, and my heart sank.

He’d dropped the class.

He was so freaked about last night that he didn’t want to pursue me anymore.

Could I blame him?

I’d nearly gotten him killed. I was some human-wolf split shifter. I caught bullets, and I made him lie to his dad.

Future wife material.

By the time it was lunch hour, I felt sick to my stomach. I missed my best friend Raven and my parents. I actually sort of missed Delphi at this point. At least things there were predictable. I didn’t want to go to the cafeteria and see all of the women fawn all over Sawyer, so I decided to linger in the park for a bit. Walsh and Brandon were following me at a twenty-foot distance, but I could feel them just staring at me, waiting for a vampire to jump out and attack me or something.

With a sigh, I texted Sage.

Me: Want to eat outside today?

Sage: Yep, I’ll bring you carb loaded fattening high calorie food?

I grinned.

Me: Yes please. Meet you at the park.

I was about to put my phone away when it binged. The Sterling Hill app I had downloaded had a notification. I opened it and my heart leapt into my throat.

Dear Mating selection candidate,

Starting tomorrow, Sawyer will be picking two dates per day, one for lunch and one for dinner. He will do this each day of the week for the next month until he has had time to personally meet with each one of you one on one. At the end of the month, you will be informed if he has invited you to continue with the mating selection process and move into the top twenty chosen. Please be ready each day for a date in case you are chosen as these things can be last minute.

Have a wonderful day,

Mrs. Hudson

Fuck that. Be ready every single day for a month in case he chose me? This whole thing was starting to make me sick and pissed off. I growled and stomped into the park. I would be a lot more frustrated if this damn garden wasn’t so beautiful. A stunning pink bougainvillea had caught my eye. The way it curved over the stone arch entryway of the park and how the light filtered through it was enchanting. I had to get a picture. Pulling out my phone, I stood under the hulking lush flowers and tipped my head up to snap a photo. Only afterward did I realize I now had a fancy camera.

Slipping my phone into my back pocket, I pulled out the camera Sawyer had bought me, messing with the