Free Web NovelChapter 35: Elliot Ashford!
WILLA
"What?" I stuttered, my throat drying instantly.
Shit, Willa.
How the hell could you be reckless enough to approach someone like him?
"I asked who the fuck you are," he repeated, his voice dropping dangerously low.
"I..." I started, then stopped myself, scrambling for the right response.
What exactly was I supposed to say? Of course I was Elyse.
Who else could I possibly be?
"Before you think about lying to me," he continued, "I know exactly how she’s supposed to smell."
A nervous scoff escaped me.
I lifted a hand between us and pushed lightly against his chest, trying to create distance.
"I am Elyse," I shot back. "Who else would I be?"
He didn’t look convinced. Not even slightly.
His hand lifted suddenly, gathering a section of my hair between his fingers. The touch sent heat prickling across my scalp.
Before I could react, he brought the strands closer and inhaled deeply. I stopped breathing.
Something dark crossed his face instantly. His jaw locked so tightly veins stood out beneath his skin.
Then he dropped my hair and stepped backward like touching me had physically hurt him.
"Do you usually go around smelling random girls?" I asked lightly, trying to cover my nerves with teasing.
"Not you," he bit out through clenched teeth. "Not someone like you."
Heat flooded my cheeks. The words bruised my pride far more than they should have.
I knew he meant Elyse. Still, it stung.
"You’re not her," he said again, almost like he was trying harder to convince himself than me.
My stomach turned. He had noticed.
Out of everyone in this academy, he was the only one who had sensed something was wrong.
Not even Elyse’s parents had.
I had drowned in every product Elyse owned, hoping it would be enough to fool their heightened senses.
And it worked. Until now.
He kept studying me in that unnervingly intense way that made my skin crawl.
On any normal day, I would’ve turned around and walked away already. But right now, the last thing I needed was more suspicion directed at me.
"Women smell different sometimes," I pointed out lightly. "Especially during their periods. Just because you recognize one scent doesn’t mean it can’t change."
One of his brows lifted slightly. Then his nose tilted subtly upward again.
He was trying to scent me again. Thankfully, my period had actually started earlier today.
"So?" I pressed, trying to sound casual. "Did you pick up blood or something?"
A faint flush crept across his cheeks instantly. He glared at me before shoving both hands into his pockets and stepping closer.
I instinctively pressed my back against the wall. He stopped only inches away.
"I’m watching you," he said quietly. Then he turned and walked away.
Watching me?
"Hey!" I called after him. "You’re supposed to apologize for being rude!"
He ignored me completely and kept walking.
Around us, students had started staring like I was out of my mind. For a moment, I considered chasing after him and demanding a proper apology.
Then I decided against it. I turned toward my next class and walked straight into someone’s chest. freewёbnoνel.com
I lurched backward, but a hand shot out and caught mine before I could stumble. Heat surged through me.
My eyes lifted slowly. Dark green eyes stared back at me.
"Kol," I whispered.
I hadn’t seen him in class today, not Eric or Lance either. I was certain all three of them were supposed to be there.
Candace’s words echoed through my mind again. Did something happen to him?
I searched Kol’s face for any sign of injury or punishment, but his expression revealed nothing.
His gaze shifted briefly past me, watching something behind my shoulder. He was still holding my hand.
Honestly, I didn’t think this level of closeness was a good idea.
Headmaster Alaric had ordered them to stay at least ten meters away from me. Sure, they had protested against it.
But that didn’t mean they wouldn’t still get punished for ignoring the rule.
The last thing I wanted was to become the reason Kol got into trouble too. I tugged lightly on my hand, trying to pull free.
His grip only tightened.
"What were you discussing with him?" Kol asked.
"Who?" I blurted before realizing who he meant.
"Oh... him?" I glanced over my shoulder. Mr. Ashford was still walking away from us.
When I looked back at Kol, I answered honestly. "We were just talking about the play we had in class today."
"What play?" he grunted.
"Romeo and Juliet."
"Romeo and Juliet," Kol repeated slowly, the corner of his mouth tightening slightly.
Something flashed through his eyes then. Anger. He wasn’t looking behind me anymore. His full attention had shifted back onto me.
"And you enjoyed every second of it," he said in a sharp voice, like my happiness personally offended him. "You always do."
He released my hand. But he still didn’t step away.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, my brows knitting together in confusion.
"You know exactly what I’m talking about," he bit out.
I shook my head slowly. "If you don’t explain—"
"Stop looking cluelessly at me, Elyse," he snapped.
Instinctively, I glanced around us.
Thankfully, only a handful of students were outside, and most of them were too distracted with their own conversations to pay attention to us.
"Are you begging him to take you back?" Kol demanded.
"I genuinely don’t—"
"Is it the sex?" he said, stunning me. "Is it so good with him that you can’t let him go?"
I stared at him in shock. Eric was supposed to be the hotheaded one. Not Kol.
But right now, the anger radiating from him felt far more dangerous than anything Eric had thrown at me.
"Answer me!"
I flinched slightly, my heartbeat jumping painfully.
"You can’t answer because you’re guilty," he said bitterly. "You’re already thinking about fucking with him again."
Heat flooded my cheeks instantly.
"I’ve never even thought about doing that," I blurted.
I barely even knew who he was, let alone wanted anything to do with him. Kol dragged a hand roughly through his hair.
He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something else, then he stopped himself.
For several long seconds, he simply stared at me. Hard. Unreadable.
Without another word, he turned and walked away. I blinked after him, confusion twisting tighter in my chest.
What the hell was that about?
I was so distracted I didn’t notice Verah approaching until she was directly in front of me.
"Are you insane, Elyse?" she hissed, grabbing my wrist.
Before I could react, she dragged me away from the classroom building toward the indoor ice rink.
"What?" I muttered.
Verah released me with an aggravated huff.
"Headmaster Alaric literally said ten feet apart. Are you trying to get yourself killed? Do you even know the punishment those boys are already facing because of this bond?"
"Punishment?" I repeated, genuinely curious.
Verah groaned dramatically and pinched the bridge of her nose before glancing toward the ceiling like she was begging the moon goddess for patience.
She looked back at me.
"I don’t even care about Kol right now," she said. "What the hell was that with Elliot?"
"Elliot?" I frowned.
"In class today!" she exclaimed.
My confusion deepened. "Ashford?"
"Yes!" Verah nearly shouted. "Elliot Ashford. Your ex-boyfriend. The same guy you swore to your parents you’d stay away from for the rest of your life!"
