When the end of the day arrived, Darcy had nothing. In fact he had less than nothing because he had spent all of his remaining classes daydreaming about Luca. Like a damn fool.

With his soul-mate’s scent floating around him, it was difficult to think of anything else.

“Take my scent for a test drive.”

As if his underwear hadn’t been damp enough. As if he wasn’t self-conscious enough as Luca’s bullying victim, now he was paranoid of eyes on him for a different reason. Could others smell him on Darcy’s body? What would they think?

His friends confirmed they could absolutely smell it, and it repelled them. They were already scared to get too close when he was following him around like a hungry dog. Now, they were doubly afraid - god forbid they accidentally get the beta stink on them too. They gave him sympathetic looks from afar and kept up conversation by text, but Darcy missed their hugs.

He didn’t feel too lonely, though. Luca kept sliding back into his head.

“I’ll pick you up from your last class and walk you to the bus.”

Picking him up sounded different than simply stalking his on his way to his pack bus. But this was still Luca, so there was a very real chance that he was toying with him. That this was all a long-game prank to humiliate him. His guard had slipped earlier, but he needed to hoist it back up again - couldn’t be letting some boy make a fool of him. A beta boy. And a bully to top it off. Absolutely not.

Darcy’s final lesson for the day was dismissed and he made his way to the exit with the horde of his classmates. Luca was stood in the corridor outside his last class, just as he’d promised. All long legs, pointed teeth and glowing golden-brown hair. His eyes were trained on the door, a hunter waiting for its meal to wander into the cross-hair.

Darcy stumbled halfway over the threshold of the classroom in indecision, half-turning to make a run for it. Luca could not be trusted. No matter how gorgeous he was.

The beta was at his side in an instant, giving him no further time to consider his options. A hand tucked itself around his waist, yanking him from the small herd of his classmates. Darcy’s skin suddenly felt too tight, too many people were looking. He bowed his head and allowed himself to be dragged at Luca’s side, his feet skittering on the floor. It didn’t slow them.

The moment they were clear of the crowd, Luca released him and floated back to place himself behind Darcy’s smaller frame. A hand on the small of Darcy’s back pressed him onwards.

“You show all of your thoughts on your face like it’s a billboard for your brain.” He spoke directly into the crown of Darcy’s head and continued to lead him away. Darcy huffed indignantly but said nothing, he was still on his toes, awaiting the crack in Luca’s sweet facade. “You looked right at me and I knew you were trying to work out if you should run. You always look at me like that.”

“You always give me reason to run,” Darcy mumbled.

“What did you say, puppy?”

Puppy is a slang word for omega. It is not a compliment. Darcy shrugged it off, Luca had called him worse.

“Nothing.”

He laughed sharply, with little humour. “Just tell me,” he demanded. His voice was tight, his fake friendliness was already slipping it seemed.

“Uh, I said I like running. Good exercise.”

His smile was twisted, as though Darcy were an amusing little creature that he was looking forward to tormenting. “I don’t believe you. You’re not good at running.”

“I’m not a good singer either, but it doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy shower concerts.” Apparently Darcy’s courage came in sudden supernovas. Disappearing in a colourful explosion as soon as he managed to speak his mind.

“Who is giving you shower concerts?” Luca teased. His cheeky charm was glowing from his cheeks again and it almost entranced Darcy’s weak heart. There was still that glint in his eyes, though, an edge to everything he said and did.

And yet, Darcy’s mind instantly filled with steam, and Luca was at the centre. Sprinkling water running over his light brown skin, his golden curls dripping. Perhaps less a Beyonce concert and more Magic Mike, but Darcy could appreciate all art forms. Especially when they included a naked Luca.

“Your eyes have gone even darker, I didn’t think that was possible,” the honey voice in his ear jolted his a step. Luca was leaning round to stare at his face, arms caging him from the back. Darcy looked away, hurrying forward as fast as he could power-walk, leaving Luca at his side, a step back. His eyes were completely black, there was no way Luca had seen them darken. He was teasing him, he didn’t know Darcy was having a dirty shower fantasy. He repeated that reassurance in his head like a mantra, desperately trying to cool himself.

Once they were free of any and all onlookers, heading through the back corridor of the building, Luca’s teeth grazed his ear on another question. “How was the test drive?”

Darcy flushed all the way to the tips of his ears. He shrugged lopsidedly. “Fine,” he mumbled.

“Just fine?” Luca’s voice full of mirth. “So you don’t want more of it?”

He did, desperately. It sated something deep inside of Darcy that he didn’t think was appropriate to talk about in polite company. But the plan was to break free of his bully soul-mate, to live his happy, quiet, post-graduation life in his pack. He searched for a comment to make that wasn’t a lie. “People… could smell it when they got close.”

“You liked the attention?”

“No.”

“Then don’t let anyone else get close.” There was a snarling undertone to Luca’s voice. It didn’t stop the fluttering between Darcy’s legs. His underwear was threatening to get uncomfortably tight again. He was a hopeless fool. Some cruel beta with a flirtatious streak shows a little jealousy and his first instinct is to want his underwear off.

It probably wasn’t even jealousy. It was another way for Luca to isolate him. He had already driven Darcy’s friends to the outskirts in fear of his presence.

“They’re scared of you.” He didn’t know why he bothered to say it.

“Good.”

Luca’s hand grazed his lower back through his shirt again. Darcy shivered.

The air was cool when they made it to the long line of buses and Darcy let out a quiet sigh, his skin needed the help. His body was one big blush, overheated from nerves, embarrassment, and a little arousal.

“Even my friends,” he said quietly. Part of him begging to stop talking, that it would only irritate him. He knew better. He knew Luca. “You scare them away too.”

Luca hummed before asking, “Which ones are your friends?”

He probably thought Darcy was lying about even having any.

“Melody and Reece.”

“What kind of name is Melody?”

Darcy did not answer but gave him a frustrated look.

“What packs are they from?”

He nodded to the pack bus third in line. “Ashen Fur.” Just as the words left his mouth, they passed the still-closed door of the bus. In the queue were his friends, watching his with wide, round eyes.

The curve of knuckles dug into his lower back, dissuading any stops as they passed. Chit chat was not to be had on his time, apparently. But he also nodded to them, expression blank. They turned away hurriedly. Darcy supposed that was his idea of making an effort. Dear Lord was the bar low, it actually made him happy to see his mate try.

Luca waited with him in the queue until the doors opened, although he removed his hand and made no effort to touch or speak to Darcy again. He maintained his guard until Darcy had climbed aboard the bus to leave.

Once again, Darcy entered battle plan mode. By the end of the night, however, he had only the intention of not allowing his heart to sink any further into its embarrassing attachment to Luca. He was and always would be a bully. Darcy would not allow himself to be treated badly for the sake of… whatever Luca had to offer. The frozen kiss fluttered back into his mind. He shoved his face into his backpack and groaned, he needed a transfusion of willpower. For now, he would attempt to remain neutral, let him play his games and just hope he only got hurt physically.

When Darcy returned to school the next day, he refused to acknowledge Luca skulking around the front entrance, waiting for him. He breezed past him so well he almost did a little self-congratulatory fist pump. Luca’s shadow merged with his instantly. He said nothing. Darcy did his best to go about his day. This was his new beginning.