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“Bestie rules say you never leave your friends. Besides, you look like trouble tonight.”

My heart squeezes. She’s seriously such a good friend. She’ll be an amazing alpha of a pack one day. “I pinky promise to stay out of trouble.”

“It’s not you I’m worried about,” she mutters, eyeing a group of guys who’ve been staring at us.

I set my drink on the table and gently push her toward Bree and Eli. “Go dance. I’ll be okay.”

“One song,” she says, relenting after another nudge from me.

“Take four,” I tell her with an eye roll.

She walks backward, pointing at me. “Don’t leave without saying bye.”

“Who said I was leaving?” I lift an eyebrow and grab my drink.

A group of people rush by us, screeching about the song the DJ is playing. When they’re done passing, Ever shakes her head. “You decided to leave before we even left the foyer.”

I hide my guilty look behind a drink. I had planned to leave as soon as possible.

“I mean it, say bye.”

“Okay, okay,” I tell her.

With that, she nods and rushes to join Bree and Eli. I watch them dance, how their bodies undulate and how they laugh, but I also notice how another woman dances and a guy comes up behind her, his hand finding her stomach and tugging her against his body. She isn’t even bothered; in fact, she flushes from head to toe and gives him a sultry look, but my heart hammers in my chest, as if he were pressing up against me.

Nope. There is no-fucking-way I’m leaving myself open like that. I don’t even know how people do it without freaking out.

“You don’t fit in with them, you know.”

My eyes flutter closed at the familiar, cutting tone. “Drake. Lovely to see you, as always.” I don’t bother looking at him. I can sense him, though. The dark energy of his aura twines around me, threatening to suffocate, and my skin tingles with awareness.

“Your friends actually want to be here. You should probably do them a favor and leave.”

I finish my drink, setting the glass on the table a little harder than I mean to, and pin him with a look. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“I thought I made that pretty clear.” His tone is even, controlled. “We both know you’re a Feral with no power.” He looks striking in his black button-up shirt, the material clinging to his muscled chest, the full sleeves rolled up to expose his corded forearms. It’s tragic how handsome he is because his personality is vile. Too bad Vaeloria wasted so much energy on him.

It’s also annoying how he seems to know my deepest fear. “Here’s a thought, have you considered not thinking about me?”

“How could I, when you’re everywhere I go?” he asks, face rippling with annoyance.

My eyebrows slam into my hairline. “We literally only see each other in Practical Casting.” Well, also tutoring, but my point still stands. We’re rarely in the same place. Maybe he’s the one who needs to leave.

He steps closer. “Look at your friends, Raina.”

I don’t know what his second affinity is, but I don’t think he’s using mindcraft. Even still, there’s something about his words that compel me all the same.

My gaze skips across the room. Eli, Bree, and Ever are having a blast. Bree shakes her ass, and Eli and Ever laugh before Eli tries to do the same, much less gracefully. They twirl and move and vibe together. The three of them are encapsulated in their own little world.

I fiddle with my butterfly necklace.

“They’ve already forgotten about you,” Drake whispers, chest pressing against my arm as he speaks low in my ear. “You could die tomorrow and they’d carry on.”

As he says the words, I see flashes of them together, walking across campus, laughing and seemingly happy without me, just as he said. The image flits away as quickly as it engulfed my mind.

A lump forms in my throat, but I refuse to let him fuck with me. Normally I’d push him away, but he’d enjoy that reaction too much. “And what about you, Drake? Where are your friends? Or do they only talk to you because of the bond?” Turning, I search his face, which is only inches away. There’s so much vitriol in his expression, it almost steals my breath. I don’t really understand why he hates me. I should be wary of him, but I’m not. He can’t break what’s already broken.

Stepping into his space, I walk my fingers up his chest, taking control of the situation. “You think you’re special, Drake, but the truth is, you and your little friends haven’t found your tether because something isn’t right.” I grasp his collar and drag him closer.