Chapter 5 I remember your taste

A lonely bitterness took root in me. Of course he hadn't meant it. I knew it wasn't true, of course, but last night, the thought that someone at least believed he needed me...

But with daylight, his senses had returned. He knew.

"I'm not the one who saved you nine years ago," I said.

And too late, I realized my mistake.

(When did I tell her about that? Did Peelle say something to her?)

Oh, no. That was right. He'd only mentioned it being nine years -- he had never said anything aloud about being saved. I hurried to cover my tracks.

"You were talking in your sleep about it," I continued. "And if that's who you think I am..."

But he only smiled. "I don't normally sleep-talk. I must really have slept well last night."

I remained silent, but he pushed the conversation forward.

"Did you leave Dark Moon nine years ago?" he asked.

"No. I've been with them all my life."

"I mean did you leave the territory. You've been in the forest on the edge of it."

I was about to deny it when I suddenly recalled getting lost in the forest long ago. So yes, I'd been there, but nothing had happened. I'd returned home and that was that.

But Evan misunderstood my expression. "You remembered."

"No -- I've been there before. But I've never seen you."

"It's been a long time. You've forgotten."

(I remember your taste. So sweet.)

I couldn't help but blush.

I'd always thought being able to hear others' thoughts meant I was always in control of my reactions. I knew everything they tried to hide, after all, so even if they concealed their true nature from me, I was always ready when they revealed their intentions.

But I froze. The way I handled everything else, I couldn't do that with Alpha Evan. The intense way he stared at me was one thing, but even when listening to his thoughts, I couldn't figure out what he wanted from me.

Faint memories echoed across his mind. Those felt different from active thoughts; he was recalling something that had happened a long time ago.

Pain. Fear. The past memory of him calling out for help. I couldn't make much sense out of it, but the memory must have been intense for me to hear even those traces of it.

But then -- relief. The sensation of someone touching him. A small voice, so light I could barely hear it:

(Are you okay?)

A young Evan's voice:

(Who are you?)

But the voice never identified itself.

As Evan continued to stare at me, I knew. That unknown voice, he thought it was me. But that was only more proof it wasn't. It had been someone else in that memory, not me.

And maybe I'd wished it was, because when I realized the truth, disappointment flooded through me.

I needed to get away from this, from him.

"I'll go wash up," I said, and slid out of the bed.

***

He took me to breakfast. The private dining room last night looked and felt so different with company even though he was the only one who ate with me or maybe it was because his presence was so significant it felt that way. Especially since he gestured for me to sit next to him.

I glanced at the doors where outside, the staff were waiting to clean up after we finished eating. An uneasy tightness squirmed in my stomach.

"Should I be acquainting myself with the rest of the staff?" I asked. "I thought I would be doing that last night, but..."

"No. You don't need to acquaint yourself with them any more than I do."

I paused with my fork halfway to my mouth. "Am... I not a maid?"

"You're not staff like they are. You'll always be with me. But you are still my little maid, yes."

I blushed again, unable to hide the confusion and self-consciousness his smile stirred up in me.

Was he joking? It didn't seem like it. Just amused. His little maid, he said, but far from cleaning up after him, we were sleeping in the same bed and sharing meals. What did he really want?

***

After breakfast, Evan summoned Peelle to take me to Scarlet University. What a peculiar change in personality. Yesterday in front of Dark Moon, Peelle had been so stern, a soldier to the core. But as we left Evan's company, he was smiling, so laid-back and easygoing both in outer demeanor and in his thoughts. Gone was the strict fighter completely.

"The Alpha said he wants you registering at the university today, so we need to get a move on," he explained as he escorted me to the front doors. "Do you have your ID and driver's license with you?"

"Dark Moon doesn't allow non-werewolves to get driver's licenses."

He shot me an exasperated glance. "That's so backward. What benefit is there in that?"

I was almost certain his annoyance was directed at Dark Moon, but just in case: "I do know how to drive, I just couldn't get a license. There were times when I had no choice but to drive somewhere, and... I took Elly's, em, I mean my sister's car a few times."

"Huh. All right, that's good. We'll just have to get you a car so you won't be reliant on a chauffeur to get around."

A car?

For me?

I didn't know what to say. If I'd ever dared to ask for a car in my own pack... I didn't even want to think about they would have done to me.

But I didn't question. No need to chase away my inexplicably good luck with questions.

When Peelle pulled up to the university grounds, I could do nothing but stare out the window of the car he had driven us in. That... that building at the front alone was bigger than my entire high school. I'd heard of Scarlet University before since its establishment predated so many of the packs in the region, an old and venerated institution with tens of thousands of students, but I'd never known it could be so enormous.

"You'll even get to sit in on the classes right away since the semester's already begun," Peelle said as we headed up the grand walkway. "Enrollment technically closed a few days ago, but you know how it is. What the Alpha wants, the Alpha gets. And you have credits on your card to eat here on campus, too."

"Um... Peelle?"

"What's up?"

"Do you have to stay with me all day?"

He blinked. "I guess not, but... it's a bit overwhelming to be on your own, isn't it?"

My heart leaped. So my hunch was correct. He wasn't my chaperone or a thinly-disguised keeper meant to keep me on a leash after all. I wasn't a prisoner!

But I restrained my excitement and kept a level expression. "Actually, I could even register by myself, too. I have my high school ID if that's enough for any paperwork."

"No worries. Any missing paperwork, we can handle. It's mostly a formality since no one is going to say no to the Alpha of the local pack." He scratched the back of his head. "Gotta be honest, I wasn't expecting this."

"Sorry, I'm just used to handling things on my own."

"No, it's all good, for sure." He scratched his chin this time, still bewildered and now looking a mite embarrassed. "Well... I'll be hanging around. If you need my help, just let any of the employees know, and they'll come get me."

"Thank you, Peelle."

"Sure, sure."

***

As soon as they had the necessary paperwork from me, someone on the administrative staff ushered me into her office to sort out my schedule for today. I'd thought I would be doing an exploratory routine to sample the courses, but she was already recommending majors scarcely before I'd sat down.

(So this is the future Luna of the Scarlet pack) ,she mused as she scribbled on the margins of her papers. Not what I expected!

I swallowed down my sigh. That wasn't the first time I'd heard the staff speculating on my relationship with Evan and his pack. But from what I could tell, mates were at the top of the list of gossip material.

"I like the Herbology track," I told her after she presented me with the options. "But do all of the courses have seating available to add me?"

"Not to worry! We'll make room even if we don't have it. But are you certain? It's a rather...niche discipline. Anthropology and linguistics are popular lately."

Niche discipline. What she really meant was that Herbology required a lot of manual labor, so no one went into it unless they were committed. But I wasn't the newly privileged, high-class newcomer she thought I was. I didn't want a decorative major, something to make me look more educated and sophisticated. I wanted something I was skilled at and enjoyed. My time in Dark Moon had given me at least that, an interest in all sorts of plant life.

And if I was going to take advantage of my new life and luck, I was going to start right here.

"Yes, I'm sure."