Chapter 43: Chapter 43

Once again, I wake up without Gray by my side. I remain silent, gathering my senses before attempting to start my morning routine. I exhale a long breath, remembering what we did last night, which immediately prompts me to touch my slightly swollen and warm lips with my fingertips.

Even now, in my bed, I can still sense Gray's lingering scent. I exhale my frustration, not knowing what possessed me last night to almost force Gray to attack me like that. I push back the covers, realizing I can't keep daydreaming like this. I need to get ready for school, or Rex will start complaining and whining about my habitual lateness.

My bike has been in the repair shop for the past two days, and I have to be picked up by Rex again, which is annoying. For some reason, I'm more comfortable riding my bike without having to hear Rex's morning chatter. I start taking off my clothes one by one and head into the bathroom. The water hitting my body triggers memories of Gray's warm touches all over me. Just the thought makes my stomach tickle with a pleasant sensation.

I shake my head, berating myself for thinking about the dirty things we did last night early in the morning. I need to quickly finish my shower routine. However, my steps come to a halt as I stand in front of the large mirror. My eyes widen as I see two distinct red marks around my neck and behind my ear.

I quickly cover myself, pondering how to hide this. I rush over to the wardrobe, searching for some adhesive bandages to cover up these red marks. I'm not sure how people will react when they see them. They'll definitely think the worst, and I can't deny that I almost did something indecent with Gray last night. If something had happened to him...

I touch the kiss mark gently, feeling the warmth and intensity of the memory. Ah, damn it, come on, Aurel, stop these dirty thoughts. Better get ready before Rex starts pounding on your door, I remind myself, getting dressed and preparing my school bag. I leave my room, heading downstairs to find Rex enjoying his breakfast.

"You're faster than I expected," Rex comments, and I just shrug, brushing it off. I ignore the breakfast he's prepared on the table and head to the fridge, grabbing a juice box and taking a sip.

"You'll get a stomachache if you drink juice on an empty stomach," Rex warns, aware of my habits.

"I just want something refreshing," I reply, using it to clear my mind from the dirty thoughts that are currently dominating my head.

"Then I'll pack some food for you," Rex offers, but before he can get up from his seat, I stop him.

"No need, I'll choose something at the cafeteria later, so it's better if we just leave now," I say, walking past Rex confidently. I'm sure he's watching my back with a perplexed expression, not used to being treated like this. I step into the car and take a seat in the back, Rex goes silent when he opens the car door.

"What are you doing back there?" Rex asks, looking at me in confusion.

"Why? I just want to sit comfortably in the back," I reply, playing with my phone. I attempt to send a message to Gray, even though I'm pretty sure he's not holding his phone right now, and it might not even be activated. I decide to send a simple good morning message just for the sake of it. Let's see if the message gets sent, but wait, not only is it not delivered, it's not even sent. That means he hasn't activated his phone.

"Do you think I'm your chauffeur? Get out and sit in the front," Rex says, making me sigh.

"No, can you just let me sit in the back for today?" I request.

"No, Aurel, move to the front, or I'll walk to school," Rex warns.

"In that case, I'll just take public transportation," I retort, getting out of the car. However, as I turn away, Rex quickly grabs my arm. I didn't notice him approach.

"What's wrong with you today? You seem off," Rex questions, making me shake my head. I can only respond with a wary glance from the corner of my eye.

"Is there something you're hiding from me?" he asks again, and I shake my head once more.

"Fine, sit next to me then, or I'll threaten you another way," he says, making me exhale heavily.

"Alright, alright, you win," I say, walking back to the car and sitting next to him. I just don't want Rex to scrutinize me more closely, and he'd definitely notice the marks I'm hiding. I hope during this drive he won't look at me too seriously or inspect my appearance.

I'm focused on the road ahead, but suddenly my phone vibrates. I glance at it and see a response from Gray. I can't help but widen my smile. I thought he wouldn't mention the message.

"Did you sleep well last night?" his reply comes in, and I start typing my response.

"Yeah, pretty well. And as usual, you left without saying goodbye," I reply.

"Oh God, his mood shifted so suddenly with just one thing. He changed so quickly just by reading one message," Rex comments, making me glance at him from the corner of my eye. I ignore him, not wanting to engage in a conversation because it would likely turn into a lengthy argument. I'll ignore him all day today; I don't want Rex probing into my life today.

"Is that from Gray?" Rex asks again.

"Yeah," I reply shortly.

"Is he going to school today?" Rex inquires, knowing about Gray's condition that prevents him from attending school anytime soon.

"Not yet. It seems he still has to confine himself in the neutral dimension," I explain, making Rex sigh in annoyance.

"Confine himself? Until the early hours of this morning, I could still smell his scent in your room," Rex suddenly remarks, making my heart race. He truly knows what's going on in my mind. I glance at him warily.

"Why do you think I wouldn't know the scent of my own Alpha? I knew when he was lurking around the house hours before entering your room discreetly. I just didn't want to create a scene at night and wake everyone up about us. That's why I let it be," Rex explains, causing me to finally put my phone down and adjust myself.

"What else do you know?" I inquire, hoping that Rex doesn't possess any kind of psychic abilities to know what we did last night. He couldn't possibly have observed what his Alpha did, I think to myself.

"What else should I know? Even that damn Alpha put protective barriers around your room so I wouldn't know what you guys were doing," Rex says, then glancing at the bandage on my neck, seemingly realizing it.

"Hah," Rex exhales triumphantly.

"I didn't do anything. Besides, Gray said last night that he's holding back. Even if I begged him with all my might or by any means, he'd still stick to his decision not to hurt me," I answer nonchalantly, causing Rex to look at me with disbelief.

"Wait, did I mishear that? You were the one tempting him, and you were the one coaxing him?" Rex asks, making me nod. I don't want to lie, and I'm fine with being honest about it.

"Yeah, I told him he didn't have to hold back, but for some reason, he insisted that he didn't want to hurt me," I reply, making Rex shake his head, almost as if he can't believe the stance I took.

"Are you implying that Gray was really going to attack me without my consent? Relax, turns out he's quite an old-fashioned Wolf," I retort, making Rex not comment any further. He just refocuses on the road ahead, seemingly a bit surprised by my behavior.

Rex eventually stops the car right in front of the school. As usual, I'll always scan the parking lot where Gray's friends used to gather. Although there are still some of them there, it feels different without Gray. I then walk into the school building for my morning class.

Oh, and I forgot something—I haven't seen Jeni. I asked the school staff, and they mentioned that she transferred to another school. Even when I reached out to her, she didn't reply. I'm not sure what's wrong with her. Our last encounter was at the party I attended with her. She's the only friend I have in this school, someone closer than Maudy, and also a fellow club member.

I put down my bag. The classroom is still relatively empty since it's early in the morning. I decide to check my phone, and there's a response from Gray.

"I just didn't want to disturb your sleep. Are you at school? " his message reads, making me smile.

"Yes, I just arrived at school. Rex drove me because my bike is at the repair shop. Are you in the Neutral Dimension or at home?" I ask. However, after waiting for a few minutes, he doesn't reply. I decide to open the book I brought, trying to read a few pages of it. It's a good distraction until someone's voice stops me. I look up and see a familiar figure.