My gaze darts up to find a brown-skinned wolf shifter watching me from the doorway. “Hey,” I say then continue my smooth stirs of the paralysis potion.
“Don’t let me stop you from enjoying your revenge fantasies.” Thompson approaches and leans casually against the counter across from the actively bubbling cauldron.
I glance up at the clock. It’s one o’clock, just at the end of lunch period. “Don’t you have a class to get to?”
“Actually, no. I don’t.”
I frown. “No?”
He shakes his head and puts his hands in his pockets. “I talked with Mrs. Bhatt an hour ago, and I’ve already said my goodbyes to the rest of the group during lunch hour.”
My hand freezes, mid-stir. “What?”
He smiles, but there’s a sadness to it. My stomach twists.
“No,” I whisper. “You’re not leaving.”
He sighs. “I am. I have to.”
I drop the ladle and rush around the counter to face him. “There has to be a way to help you.”
He stands up straight and puts both hands on my upper arms. “You’ve tried. I’ve tried. Unfortunately, that’s not always enough. I need to do what’s right by my pack.”
“You asked Auren?”
He releases my arms and nods. He shuffles his feet. “She wasn’t mean about it or anything, but there isn’t anything I can offer. She’s not into being the alpha female of a tiny pack like mine, apparently.” He chuckles, but there’s bitterness to it.
“Her loss,” I mutter.
When he smiles this time, there’s a small light in his eyes. “My pack needs me home. If things change in the Orizian war, please feel free to send a few troops my way. But until then, we’ve just got to survive a while longer.”
“I really don’t want you to go,” I say, crossing my arms. Thompson has become a true friend, at least to my naïve human mentality.
“We’ll see each other again; I know it. And if you ever really need help, I’ll be here. I can’t leave the pack for long, but I can take a few trips once in a while, especially if there are portals involved.”
I sigh. I wish I’d been able to convince Manuela to help him. But it’s not my place to tell her how to feel about that sort of thing. It’s way beyond my understanding.
“It makes me feel helpless,” I whisper. “I don’t like that.”
He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. Then, he pulls me into his arms. “I know. Me neither.”
“I’ll find a way to help you,” I murmur into his chest, but even I don’t know if I can trust my words. I want to. I really, really want to help him. But some wars just aren’t yours to fight. Some battles have to be put on the back burner, no matter how much you hope for a good outcome.
“We’re both going to come out on top, princess. You’ll see.”
I cling to those words. For days, or weeks, or months, however long it takes, I’ll cling to that hope.
We’ll find a way. We’ll both make it out on top.
25
I’m In
A few hours after Thompson left Shadow Hills Academy for good, my heart is still aching, but my determination remains strong. I enter the sunroom before sunset and find exactly who I’m looking for.
I slide into the chair beside Manuela, who’s sitting across from Stassi.
Manuela’s eyes swing to me and then back to the wolf shifter chattering on and on about some beautiful witch he saw earlier today. “She’s almost as beautiful as Candice over here!” he says with a wide grin.
