CHAPTER 42: A MEETING AT BECCA’S PLACE

Andria’s POV

"The princess grew tired of waiting, and she decided to leave. She just came, she has got things to unpack or some other clearances." Becca defended the princess’s absence as if she had known her for a long time.

Becca is a loving person, and I fear she could be easily used; her openness and friendly nature bewilder me.

"So spill...What did he call you aside for? Miss four," Arlo paused as if he was calculating something, "Or was it five mates?"

I rolled my eyes at his teasing words. "Well, you look gorgeous. If I were a male wolf, I would be begging the moon goddess to pair me up with you," Becca added, and we all burst out laughing.

The cafeteria was getting empty, and we were almost the only ones left when Becca suggested, "Aria, would you like to see my dorm?" She hesitated and then continued, "I would love for both of you to see where I live since we are now not just friends but reading partners also."

There was a gleeful expression and a cute face she made as she spoke, making it impossible for me to decline.

"Ok, fine," I said, waving my hands downwards in a way that told her ’enough of the cute face’

"You know, when you make such faces, it’s almost impossible for me to decline your request," Arlo added, mirroring my thoughts.

We stood from the table, leaving the trays and empty plates for the cafeteria cleaners to tidy, which has become my routine, instead of picking up the tray of empty dishes and returning it to the serving counter.

The faint scrape of chair legs echoed in the now mostly empty cafeteria. The earlier buzz of chatter had dwindled into a lazy hum as the last few students trickled out.

"Come on, before you two change your minds," Becca urged, her brown eyes sparkling with excitement. Her energy was almost infectious, the kind you couldn’t smother even if you tried.

"You act like we’re going on a secret mission," Arlo teased, slinging his bag over his shoulder and stepping out in his usual elegant but dramatic way.

"Well, my dorm is special, and having my friends over is more special", Becca squealed proudly, leading the way out into the crisp afternoon air.

"Don’t tell me, Becca, that you have never had friends before us in this academy, and if you had, do you take all of them to your dorm?... I’m just asking," Arlo remarked.

"Oh, please, don’t be such a killjoy." I defended Becca.

Talking about friends, I felt a lot freer with this bunch than with many others I’ve known over the years, maybe because there is no Lena to spoil it.

Ashwood’s campus stretched before us as we moved silently towards Becca’s dorm apartment, except for the occasional teasing and laughing between Becca and Arlo.

We followed Becca past two housing blocks until we stopped in front of her dorm, neat, ivy climbing up one corner of the brick wall.

Her dormitory was just a block opposite mine.

From the entrance, I could see my block just across the courtyard, its windows glinting in the light.

"Oh, so you’re practically my neighbor," I whispered in her ear while signaling her to keep calm.

Becca grinned. "Guess you can’t escape me now," she whispered back into my ears.

"What are you two gossiping about?" Arlo asked, looking and feeling left out.

"It’s she-wolf affairs, nothing for you to busy your head about," Becca answered with a smile gracing her lips, more like a cunny smile.

Arlo brushed it away with a wave of his hands.

Inside, her room was tidy but lived-in, with a soft vanilla scent lingering in the air. I noticed right away the tall shelves filled with books, rows upon rows of neatly arranged books, she seems like a reading type. I like her so much already.

"Wow," I murmured, stepping closer. "You’ve read all these?"

"Most of them," she said with a shrug, "but some I keep for the covers. They make me look more studious than I am."

"You’re not fooling anyone," Arlo chimed in, plopping himself on the edge of her bed. "We already know you’re the bookworm of this trio."

We all settled on the bed, a comfortable triangle, and the conversation drifted easily, like old friends who had done this a hundred times.

We talked about love, or at least, what passed for it before our first transformations. Becca told us about a human boy from her pack who swore he would wait for her, but after her change, she never saw him again.

"Typical normie," Arlo said, rolling his eyes. "They can’t handle the shift."

I didn’t add my own before-and-after love story. There wasn’t much to tell anyway, just fragments of feelings and broken promises that were better left buried.

Then came the transformation stories. Arlo’s was chaotic; he said he had been halfway through a plate of meat pies when the pain hit him. Becca’s was quieter, hers happening late at night when she was alone in the woods, the moon pulling her forward until the change took over her.

"And you?" Becca asked me.

"Mine was loud," I said simply, though flashes of the night clawed at my mind, snarls, shadows, the rush of heat and pain. "Let’s just say my first transformation made an entrance."

"Is it only me who feels that Aria is withholding information from us?" Arlo noted, sizing me up in a friendly manner.

"Oh no, Arlo, she’s usually like that," Becca said in my defense, making Arlo roll his eyes.

From there, we spiraled into books, and what we liked to read, the stories that stuck with us. Becca loved old romances and war epics, Arlo leaned toward thrillers with messy betrayals, and I admitted to a weakness for mystery novels.

Naturally, that led us to our strengths in class. "I’m best at Strategy," I said, "though History isn’t far behind."

Arlo smirked. "Figures. No wonder you are a mystery. You strike me as someone who always has a plan."

Becca grinned. "I’m more of an Herbal Sciences girl. I like knowing what plants can heal and which ones can make you wish you were dead."

We talked and laughed until the dusk started to settle. Becca glanced at the window. "It’s getting late. You guys should head back before curfew."

Reluctantly, we stood, stretching limbs stiff from sitting so long.

The walk back wasn’t quiet, not with Arlo around. He kept talking about everything from a duel he wanted to watch tomorrow to the strange way the academy cooks prepared chicken.

I smiled faintly, half-listening, my thoughts elsewhere.

Then he stopped mid-step, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the path I was taking. "Wait... this isn’t your dorm building, is it?"

I raised an eyebrow. "And how would you know that?"

"That’s the royalty dorm area," he said slowly, as if the words were heavy. "Are you some type of secret royalty that we don’t know about?"

I kept walking, my steps steady. "Humph, as if," I replied to him.

"As if?" He caught up quickly, walking backwards so he could face me. "Because if you are, that would explain the multiple bonding. And from what I know, it’s only she-wolves with rare abilities, bloodline, or status that usually get multiple mates." His eyes narrowed further. "So... which are you?"

"None of the above," I said lightly, though my pulse quickened.

"Uh-huh. And I’m supposed to believe that?" he retorted.