Hanna looked over at Aiden’s table, just like she did every day. And every day she wondered if she’d be able to get up the courage to go over there and kiss him. So what if Conner tattled on her and she got grounded for life? Wouldn’t it be worth it?
Only today she wasn’t looking at Aiden. She was looking at Dylan. Aiden was sweet and he stood up for her, protected her. But Dylan fought for her. He’d taken on Conner’s pack, practically smiling while he did it. She’d been terrified and her memory was blurry, but she clearly remembered the look on his face and the pack’s scent of fear. Conner wasn’t afraid of anyone except his parents… and Dylan.
Everyone was afraid of Dylan. He was practically the alpha of the whole school. Hanna looked down, poking at her bloody steak.
“If you really want to sit with Aiden, you should go do it,” Maggie said.
Hanna’s face warmed with guilt. “I can’t.”
“Normally I think we should listen to our parents, but sometimes, well… Parents can be wrong. Aiden is one of the sweetest guys I’ve ever met, and he really likes you.”
That just made it worse. “I know.” She shouldn’t be thinking about his friend when Aiden was the one she’d been dating. But if Aiden really wanted her, wouldn’t he have tried harder? He hadn’t even suggested sneaking around. He accepted their breakup so easily. Dylan wouldn’t have…
Hanna bit her lip.
“And he’s brave enough to be friends with Dylan and sit with the mysterious new kid,” Stacy, one of Maggie’s friends, said.
Brave in some ways, yes. But he often smelled of fear too. She admired that he did things despite that fear, but she wondered if it was enough. Dylan didn’t seem to be afraid of anything. Hanna had gone out with Conner because he was dominant. Despite only being a sophomore, he was alpha of the only true werewolf pack in school. Too bad he was also an asshole who hit her.
Would Dylan be different? He seemed to love violence, but she’d never seen him pick on anyone weaker. Conner liked to assert his dominance by constantly reminding everyone he was top dog. Dylan had claimed a table in the lunchroom simply by sitting at it.
“Yeah, what’s with that?” Jasmin, another member of the usual lunch group, asked. “Two new kids in one year?”
“What’s he like?” Stacy asked Maggie. “Has Aiden said anything to you?”
Maggie shrugged as she finished a bite of salad. “All he’ll say is that he’s helping Tiago adjust. I know he knows more, but he’s not sharing and I don’t want to pry.”
Hanna realized her steak was getting cold and forced herself to take a bite. Yes, the new kid. Aiden was spending a lot of time with him. She glanced over at the table where the three boys were chatting. The new boy, Tiago, didn’t seem afraid of Dylan, but he was new and Aiden had taken him under his wing.
Hanna had benefited from the same protection only a month ago. That should be her sitting there next to Aiden. She sighed. She’d done this to herself because she was a weak coward. A submissive wolf only fit to cringe at the feet of stronger ones.
* * *
Dylan laughed as his character landed another kick and sent Aiden’s avatar flying across the screen. Aiden swore and desperately mashed buttons, but it was too late. Dylan entered a combo that unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, knocking out Aiden’s character.
Aiden sighed and set down the control. “I’m so bad at this.”
“You’ll get better.” Dylan considered going easier on him. Now that they couldn’t have matches in gym class or even practice out at the pit, this was as close as he got to sparring with Aiden.
“I like the ones where we’re on the same team better. Can we play one of those?”
“Sure.” Dylan got up to check through his games.
“So, um, I want to ask you a favor.”
“What?” He scanned titles, looking for something that had fairly simple controls so it wouldn’t be too hard for Aiden to pick up.
“Could I use the pit next week?”
A little flicker of hope went through him. “You want to practice?”
“Not with you,” Aiden said quickly. He must have realized how that sounded because he added, “Sorry. I mean, I’m not ready for that yet.”
Dylan turned. “I could just watch, you know. What if I promise to sit there and not move?” God, was he really so desperate to spend time with Aiden? He’d been fine on his own before.
Aiden made a face. “Um… I’m not… I… I asked Tiago to help me.”
“Tiago?” Aiden kept bringing him to their table, spent a lot of time with him at school, had called off one of their game nights to tutor him, and now he was practicing magic with this kid? “He’s just a were. If you let loose on him, you’ll turn him into paste.”
Aiden’s jaw tightened. “I’m not going to use my full power on him. Just some things a little stronger than what I’m doing with Phoebe. And he says he can dodge.”
Dylan snorted. “I hope for his sake he’s really good at it.” Going to the pit with someone else. The thought made him ache, like a hand pushing hard against his chest.
Aiden looked at the floor. “I’m sorry, Dylan. I want to practice with you. I want things to be the way they were, but I just can’t.”
Uh-oh. Dylan could see where this was going. Any second Aiden was going to start crying, and he couldn’t let that happen. “Don’t worry about it. Any day you want the pit, just say so and I’ll stay away.” It felt like Aiden was slipping away from him, bit by bit.
“Really? Thanks.”
“No problem.” Dylan turned back to the games, but he couldn’t focus on the titles. It ate at him and after a minute he faced Aiden again. “It’s all my fault. What I did to you…”
“Hey, don’t be like that. Don’t beat yourself up over it. We’ve been over this. I forgave you.” A gentle little smile on his face, like nothing was wrong. But Aiden was having panic attacks in gym, had to go see a counselor, couldn’t stand to go to the pit with Dylan.
The ache inside him grew to a burn. “But I don’t forgive myself. I hurt you. I could have killed you.” Dylan ran a hand through his hair. “I… I broke you. You’re even more afraid of magic than when you first got here.”
Quietly, Aiden said, “I hate it too. I hate being afraid all the time. But knowing you blame yourself for it just makes me feel worse.”
Dylan clenched his fists, using all his control to keep every drop of magic inside him. “I blame myself because it’s my fault.” It would be better if Aiden was mad at him, if he’d stormed off that night and told Dylan he never wanted to talk to him again.
Aiden got up and put a hand on Dylan’s arm. “I’m working through this. When I’m ready, I’ll ask for your help. Then we’ll get past this together, okay?”
Dylan took a deep breath and tried to calm down. All he was doing was upsetting himself and Aiden. “Okay.”
“And Dylan?”
“Yeah?”
Aiden smiled. “You’re worth saving.” The same thing he’d said at the pit a few months ago, after the thing with Morgan had gone down.
Somehow it made Dylan feel better and worse at the same time. “And you’re worth fixing.”
The smile widened. “Good, then we’re on the same page.”
Dylan really wanted to believe that.