Chapter 3

　　Patricia

　　School is over, and I'm about to join my pack for a late hunt. I'm still hurt by the events that unfolded in the cafeteria, including my run-in with Dior, yet I'm trying to stay positive and focus on nature.

　　I fold my clothes behind some bushes. The weather is brisk, and autumn has brought in blazing colors such as red and yellow, making it seem like the ground is burning.

　　Smiling at the cold, I sharpen my ears at the sound of voices. Gloria and Riley are both giggling at me and gossiping like usual.

　　Riley, the pretty girl with doe-eyes, is currently dating Dior.

　　And for some stupid reason, she hates me. I think she has mistranslated my hatred for her boyfriend as me interested in him, which is laughable.

　　I'm certain Dior will be mated to Riley—they deserve each other.

　　"Hey, Patty," Riley walks up to me, her arms folded underneath her firm, tiny breasts. The fact that I have bigger ones gives me sick satisfaction. I'm curvy, whereas Riley is all skinny perfection. "Are you sure that you want to go hunting with the rest of the pack tonight? Your plus-size legs will only slow us down."

　　Gloria snickers at her friend's cruel words, and I shudder at the idea of Riley possibly turning into my future luna. The girl deserves to be called the b-word.

　　Sighing, I open my mouth to speak. "Shouldn't you be more worried about your boyfriend tonight instead of harassing me? I heard Dior is turning eighteen later this week."

　　Riley sticks her nose into the air. Her eyelashes are fanning in the wind, and her heels are so high she can barely stand.

　　"Dior's birthday is none of your business, fatty—it's not like the moon goddess would pick you as his mate either way. Everyone knows I was born to become his luna! We are meant to be!"

　　I snort. "I could think of no crueler fate than becoming mates with your boyfriend—Dior was born with venom instead of blood in his veins. And I bet he eats children for lunch. He is truly evil."

　　Riley gasps. "How dare you say that about your alpha!"

　　Ignoring Riley, I burst into my wolf form. As a wolf, I might be smaller than everyone else, but I'm more than ready to get some freedom in my legs.

　　"How dare you ignore me?!" Riley screams. "Don't you shape-shift on me, you slut!"

　　Again, I ignore Riley.

　　With building anticipation, I dig my claws into the ground, freezing when a pair of massive paws stops in front of mine. They are white like snow, and I silently peer up, folding my ears back at the view of Dior observing me in his wolf form.

　　The wind is behind him, blowing colorful leaves along with his long fur to the side. Like always, those penetrating blue eyes aren't giving me a break. If doom had a face, it would look like Dior.

　　'If it isn't plus-size, herself,' His teeth are showing, and I remark his pink gums. His face is twisted in disgust as if I'm a pest in his house. 'Did you roll your way here tonight?'

　　I grit my teeth at the white wolf, not afraid to challenge my alpha. I'm set on leaving this pack anyway and snarl without a sense of fear, shocking Dior to the point he stands there blinking.

　　I mimic his tone, bitter and cold. 'Well, well, if it isn't stone heart himself. Broken any hearts tonight? Or perhaps you caught another STD to add to your book? I've heard my alpha changes girl faster than he does his underwear.'

　　Those blue eyes widen to the size of saucers. Disapproval is radiant on Dior's face like he can't believe his omega ridiculed him. Seconds pass, and eventually, I huff at the giant wolf, self-confident, until Dior turns to the others.

　　'We aren't hunting for small pray tonight,' Dior announces in a voice cut off from human emotion and turns to me with a feral glint in his eye. 'Our omega needs to be taught a lesson—whoever catches her will be rewarded.'

　　Our pack members howl in excitement like oversized huskies while anxiety wrecks in my brain. My heart is beating a mile per minute as I'm trying to understand what is going on.

　　'My pack will chase me like a rabbit?' I ask.

　　'Yes, you will get a five-minute lead, so you better run.'

　　After Dior has spoken, I waste no second. I dash out into the forest, aware of the entertained howls behind me. Fierce determination is pumping through my skull, and I lift my nose to the stars, seeking guidance.

　　Try to think of a plan, Patricia!

　　I'm not fast on my feet, and I probably can't outrun my pack members, but I have a brain while the only other person in my pack with a glimmer of intelligence is Dior.

　　I can outsmart the rest.

　　With my head working on overdrive, I take a right turn, following the canopies until I reach a cliff. With brimming hesitation, I stare down into the pothole, grimacing at my inner voice telling me this is my only chance of winning this game of cat and mouse.

　　'Where did she go?'

　　'I think I caught her scent!'

　　Adrenaline is coursing through my veins as I shape-shift into a human, aware of my nearby pack members. My hair falls over my shoulders, and I shudder at the cold biting my naked skin.

　　"You can do this!"

　　With my arms crossed over my chest to hide my hardened nipples, I approach the cliff and climb down to the sound of running wolves.

　　There is a cave right below the cliff, and as I stand at the opening, I throw wet mud over my skin, hoping it will hide my scent. I rub some into my hair, not afraid of getting myself dirty.

　　When I'm all set, I venture into the cave. I doubt my pack members will find me, and I sit down on the first rock I see. The cold stings my bare ass, and I swear under my breath.

　　"So cold!"

　　It's Dior's fault that I have to hide—what is his problem?

　　The guy has hated me since kindergarten. We both fell in love with the same spade and bucket and ended up wrestling on the ground. Since I'm older than him, I won, and little Dior cried his eyes out. I stuck out my tongue, and that marked us as enemies.

　　I play with my feet, bending my neck when I hear a sound coming from deeper inside the cave. It picks my interest, and I suppress a scream when a giant bear enters my field of vision.

　　The bear isn't a normal one—it looks like it's been raised from the dead! Its eyes are blazing red, and there are scars and visible bones on its body. A putrid stink of rotten flesh follows the creature, and I hold my breath, wondering if I'm hallucinating.

　　I blink once to try that concept, shrieking when the creature lunges for me. With panic flaring in my chest, I avoid the enormous claws coming for me. The bear growls, and I run for the entrance, stopping once I spot a white wolf.

　　Fear slashes through me, and I wonder where to turn. Dior glares at me before lifting his head to observe the bear. Surprise seems to flash in his eyes, and then he jumps—I cover, but the wolf rushes past me. My eyes instinctively open to the sound of another growl, and I gasp at the scene of Dior battling the enormous bear.

　　'What the hell is this creature?' Dior's voice rings inside my mind. 'It doesn't look normal!'

　　'I don't know!'

　　'Shit!' Dior growls, turning his head. His wolf is monstrous, but the bear is even more prominent. 'Get out of the cave, Patricia! Find the others! Our pack is too far away for me to reach them through the mind-link!'

　　I stare at Dior, jumping when the bear attacks him. Huge claws slash through his hind leg, and there are loud whimpers before Dior snaps at the bear. Dior is powerful, but I'm not blind—right now, he is outmatched.

　　Dior is halting forward, trying to bite the bear, but it's futile. The enormous creature smacks him into the cave wall, roaring in triumph. I'm confident Dior broke a few bones, and I witness blood drip out of his mouth while his blue eyes are locked on the bear.

　　I have to help him!

　　Without thinking things through, I shape-shift and throw myself at the bear, biting into its backside. A fury I can't recognize burns my senses, and I crunch so hard that I can feel my teeth. The bear cries in torture, and Dior joins the party, biting the bear until, suddenly, the creature blows up in smoke.

　　I'm panting, eyeing Dior as he shape-shifts. White fur gets replaced by skin, and I glare at the annoyingly handsome guy. Even bruised, the guy is hot, although it pains me to admit it.

　　"My leg is broken..." Dior grimaces at the bone sticking out. He tries moving it, only to grit his teeth at the pain. "Fuck—heal already!"

　　I tilt my head, trying hard to ignore that the guy is sitting there buck naked. He is tall with his chest looking like lined up cobblestones.

　　'Swearing won't speed up the recovery process.'

　　"No shit, Sherlock!" Dior is inhaling through his gritted teeth. "But I should be healing already! Alphas have much faster recovery time!"

　　'Something might have been up with that bear. It carried this smell of unnatural sources.'

　　"Yes, it reeked of magic!" Dior is in agony, and that's when I determine I might dislike the guy but can't let him die.

　　Sighing, I turn into a human and walk over to Dior with my eyes strictly glued to his wound. I have to be extra careful around him and empty all my thoughts. It would kill me if he knew I found him incredibly attractive—I would rather die than see his satisfaction.

　　Because while Dior might have been blessed with broad shoulders, tallness, and the genes of an angel, his personality is devilish. Kindness rarely shows on his face, and those blue eyes are colder than my mean grandma Sally's soul.

　　"Make no mistake—I still hate your guts, but you're still a person," I briefly meet Dior's bewildered eyes, then lift a rock to uncover a first-aid kit hiding behind it.

　　Dior narrows his eyes. "You come here often?"

　　"This cave used to be my hideout." I'm stopping the bleeding on Dior's wound with a compress. "But now that you know about this place, I will no longer come back here."

　　Dior's shoulder stiffens, and an icy wave of dread slips over me like a blanket when he turns his head. His neck is slightly bent, and the regular frost in his gaze is there, mocking me from under his mop of stupid, sweaty black hair. He is gorgeous, eye-candy for most, but the way he looks at me got the skin peeling off my bones.

　　I clench my jaw, locking my gaze with the forging natural disaster that is Dior Lavigne. And like always, I know I will come out a little exhausted and bruised from the silent war waging between us.

　　Dior's lips part. "I find you extremely annoying."

　　"What a nice thing to say to someone loyal enough to stay by your side!"

　　"True. That is rather surprising coming from you, and in return, I will tell the rest of the pack to keep the bullying at a minimum."

　　I snort. "That's not enough."

　　"What do you mean?"

　　"I don't deserve to be treated like shit within my pack, and therefore, I'm leaving." My heart clenches with the longing for freedom. "I, Patricia Goldheart, no longer have faith in my alpha and will abandon the Winterbite pack."

　　Dior stares at me. "You can't do that!"

　　He grabs my arm as if to keep me from leaving, but I scratch at his fingers. My impending glare narrows on his face, and bitterness comes out through my mouth.

　　"For an entire year, I've put up with you calling me names, and honestly, I think I liked the non-popular Dior more than I do the present one. Your pretty face has made you forget what it's like being on the bottom of the food chain, and I'm sick and tired of you calling me 'big Patty' whenever I serve myself a second portion of food in the cafeteria."

　　With my nose in the air and my heart leading me forward, I approach the cave entrance. Dior's eyes are like a weight on my shoulder, and I turn around, not bothered by my nakedness.

　　"This is me." My smile is hiding the hurt curling inside of me. "And I make no apology for it."

　　Dior looks me up and down, his face mirroring emotions I can't understand. His eyelashes are thick, touching his cheeks every time he blinks. Dior's lips part, but there isn't a sound coming out, and I sigh, disappointed he doesn't know how to give me an apology.

　　"Goodbye, Dior."