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He turns to Ezra. “You look well, son.”

Ezra shifts on his feet and glances at me. My scent warms, and I get real interested in the far wall. “How about that fish?” I blurt.

He keeps me tucked against his side as we walk in. The cafeteria is empty under the shifter banners except for Angie and Josiah at a table near the kitchen. They’re playing some kind of magic game where the cards hover between them and leave trails of colored light when they swap places. Angie gets up when she spots us, but everything keeps floating without her.

Josiah points at the deck. “You are a cheater, Angie.”

“Sue me.” Angie comes around the table. Behind her, their game drops out of the air and scatters across the floor. “Hey!” she calls to us. Then she sees Ezra and quits smiling.

He tenses against my side. Not today. Please not today. Sirena steps in front of him without taking her eyes off Angie. I clamp down on a growl when my wolf rises.

I paste on a smile. “We’re just giving Sirena a tour. She said she loves the fish you serve.”

Angie lets out a breath. “It’s almost lunch hour, and it’s not on the menu, but for our special guest I’m sure I can whip it up.”

“I love the fish,” Sirena says. “I do not love the witch.”

Angie scowls at Sirena, who doesn’t back down.

Josiah catches up and claps his hands together. “When two vixens lock eyes across the battlefield, the wisest path is to step aside and let nature determine the victor.” He flashes his fangs at us. “Chapter twelve of my upcoming book.”

Angie elbows him. “Not now, Jo.” She waves us toward the tables. “Come in and have a seat. I’ll get started on the fish.”

“I’ll get a pitcher of water,” Josiah adds.

Angie and Josiah disappear through the kitchen doors. Ezra steers us to a table by the window and doesn’t let go of my waist until I’m down beside him. Sirena sits stiff and too straight next to us with her fingers spread flat on the wood. I don’t think they have chairs in the lake.

Claude and Tyrion slide into the seats across from us. Sirena looks from Tyrion to Ezra. “Two Stormscales in one day. It is unheard of.”

The lunch crowd streams through the doors, and the line at the counter gets loud fast. Tyrion leans in. “Tell me about your queen. Is she⁠—”

Sirena freezes with her eyes on the entrance. I twist around in my seat to see what she sees.

Charity and her friends stroll into the cafeteria. They don’t even eat in here anymore. Every muscle in my back locks up. My wolf goes on alert.

I shove my chair back with a scrape and push up from the table. “I’ll be right back.”

Ezra catches my wrist in his big hand. My pulse jumps under his thumb. “Aya, please don’t start.”

“I swear I’ll be right back. Bathroom run.” I hate how easily I lie to him. He searches my face and doesn’t buy it for a minute. My scent is a snitch. Claude narrows her eyes at me too.

If Ezra sees that Charity is still bullying me, we’re going to have a world of trouble. He groans and drops my wrist. “Hurry up.”

I walk across the cafeteria and cut past Charity close enough to brush her sleeve. The mate bond strains with every step I put between me and Ezra. At the double doors, I check behind me and catch her whispering to her friends. Of course they follow me out.

My wolf won’t quit pacing. I need to get them off my back before Ezra sets this campus on fire again.

I cross the hallway and push into the women’s restroom. My footsteps echo on my way to the sink, where I study myself in the mirror. His claim mark stands out against my skin. I trace the raised crescent of his teeth until my wolf quiets down.

Charity bangs the door open and struts in with her friends. I turn to face them and keep my hands loose at my sides. “What is this, Charity?” I ask. “I don’t bother you.”

She cocks her hip. “Just checking in. It’s about time you tamed that dragon. You’ve finally found a use for yourself—being a leash for a monster.”

“I’m tired of this, Charity,” I tell her. “End it, because I’m not going to keep doing this.”

Charity turns to her friends, who cackle. I fight my wolf down when she shoves at me to shift. I want to bite Charity’s hand off to send a message, but I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that. “You’re pathetic,” I shoot back.

“Not as pathetic as your pack,” she replies. “Your father was so weak he gave up his alpha position.” She pauses. “It’s bad enough your selfish mother named you Aya.”