458: FOURTEEN YEARS OLD (9)

FOURTEEN YEARS OLD (9)

"What are you talking about?" Ian whispered back to her. "What? Do you have some rare disease or what?"1

Hope didn't hear him, as she was busy covering her face while whining a in low voice. 

After a couple of attempts to make Hope reveal what she was talking about and got no response, Ian gave up and waited for another fifteen minutes before the bell rang. 

Hope looked lethargic when she put back her things inside her backpack and followed Ian out of the classroom to meet with his other two siblings.

"Hey, are you all right? You look terrible." Rossie commented when she noticed Hope's unsightly expression. 

"I feel terrible." Hope nodded at the younger sibling as they walked out of the school building. 

Usually, Lana's car would be waiting for Hope at the entrance gates and she would part ways with the siblings before she reached the spot, because Hope didn't want Lana to know about the three of them.

Knowing Serefina and Kace, Hope was pretty sure, they wouldn't agree if she befriended with other creatures. Though Lana and Kace were basically rogues as well, yet the identity as a rogue wasn't a good term in their world, apparently.

However, Hope was preoccupied with her own shameful memories and didn't realize that instead of Lana, it was Kace who came to pick her up and now he was already walking in her direction. 

Hope didn't realize something was off until she heard a low guttural sound, like a snarl, from Ethan. However, in the next second his snarl turned into a whimper. 

Hope whipped her head around to see what was going on with Ethan, only to see him, Ian and Rossie having this dreadful expression etched on their faces, as if they were plagued with their deadliest nightmare in this broad daylight. 

"What happened?" Hope blinked her eyes in confusion when Rossie moved away from her and hid behind Ethan's back. "What are you afraid of?"

Hope caught Ian's eyes and he signaled her to look ahead and so she did. Her line of sight ended on the figure of Kace, who was walking closer toward them. 

As werewolves, the three siblings could sense when a greater predator was nearby, that was why they acted that way the moment their eyes fell on Kace. 

Not to mention Kace's strong presence gave them the feeling of a beggar meeting a king. Helpless and being at lost. They were forced to submit before him. After all, they were just pups. 

"What are you doing here?" Hope snapped at Kace irritably. "Where is Lana?"

Rossie whimpered when she heard Hope talking to the man in such a disrespectful way. She was afraid for her.

Last night when Kace asked her from whom she learned about the word mate, Hope couldn't lie to Kace as he could very easily say when she did so. 

Who would have thought he would come to her school to meet with the siblings?

"She is out with Serefina." Kace answered without even sparing Hope a glance as his ocean blue eyes were fixed on the three pups in front of him. "So, these are your friends?"

Hope's body turned stiff. She stepped in front of Ian and Ethan who were shielding their little sister from Kace's eyes. 

"What? What do you want to do with my friends?" Hope became defensive. She still remembered how Serefina had wiped out all the memories of her friends about her. 

Did they really expect her to live as a loner? Avoiding all social interactions? Not making any friends? Hope would breakdown if that was what they wanted from her. 

Kace shifted his eyes from the siblings to his agitated little mate as he knew what was running inside her pretty little head. 

"I will do nothing." Kace extended his hand and tousled her hair. "Relax."

All of the students, teachers and every single person around them had now set their eyes on the tall man who walked with such strong aura around him. 

Their attention was captivated by him as he was a sight to behold. Kace's ocean blue eyes made them feel drawn to his charm. 

Since Hope was used to Kace's presence, of course, she didn't know the kind of effect Kace had on other people.

"So, why are you here?" Hope brushed aside his hand from her head as she fixed her messy hair, thanks to Kace. 

"Picking you up of course." Kace shrugged his shoulders innocently, yet Hope knew this man was not genuine with his intentions.

"Let's go home then." Hope grabbed his arm and was about to drag him away, but he didn't budge. 

"These are your friends, right?" Kace smiled at Ian and Ethan who had turned stiff by now as if they were some thieves who were caught red handed with evidence. "Why don't we invite them to our house? We can order pizza and watch a movie."

Hope stopped struggling to drag Kace away from there and, instead, looked at the man with a curious gaze. 

"What do you say?" Kace smiled harmlessly, but it didn't stop them from shivering. "Hm?"

"Mm… we…" Ian stole a glance or two at Kace. 

"Hm?" Kace raised an eyebrow. "I don't take a rejection very well."

"Kace!" Hope glared at him as she pinched the big bad wolf on his waist. She remembered that she used to call him wolf when she was a child. "Don't threaten my friends!"

The pinch on his waist had no affect on him, but then Kace widened his eyes innocently. "I didn't." He turned his attention back to the siblings. "Did I threaten you?"

"No." Ian and Ethan answered in unison, even before their mind could process it. 

"See?" Kace spoke nonchalantly. "Let's go then."

Kace wrapped his arms around Hope's shoulders as he took his little mate away, and toward their car, which was parked right in front of the entrance gates.

"What do you want?" Hope hissed at Kace and watched the three following them helplessly. 

"Nothing." Kace grinned. "I just want to know your friends."

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