Chapter 5 THE CONCEALMENT GLITCH

CHLOE'S POV

I clicked the door shut, locking it with a sharp turn of the deadbolt.

“Very rude, wolf boy,” I muttered, rolling my eyes at the dark wood. “He didn’t even say thank you.”

Sienna was already mid-rant, pacing the length of our small rug. “...I’m just saying, the way he carries himself on the ice is insane. Did you see that check in the second period? He completely demolished that warlock!”

She froze mid-step, her dark eyes snapping toward me. “Hold on. Wait a second.”

I walked over to my desk and picked up my lip gloss. “What now, Si?”

“How did he find you?” she asked, her brow pulling together.

I popped the wand out and swept a coat over my bottom lip. “With his wolf nose, duh. He’s an Alpha.”

“Yeah, but that should be impossible,” Sienna said, her voice dropping into a serious register.

“Wolves can literally scent anything,” I scoffed, turning around to face her. “It’s not impossible. It’s what they do.”

“No, Chloe, listen to me,” Sienna insisted, pointing a finger at me. “I used a scent-concealing spell before you did the spirit summoning. So technically…no, magically, he isn't supposed to scent anything coming out of this room.”

I let out a soft sigh, tossing my gloss back onto the desk. “It’s his own glove, Si. It probably had his scent all over it. If a whole Alpha wolf can’t even scent his own dirty gear, isn’t he just completely useless?”

“You’re not listening to me, Chlo!” Sienna stomped her foot softly on the rug. “Even my mom says my scent-concealing magic is formidable! I used to use it all the time at home when I didn’t want her to find me. It works every single time. It should be totally impossible for him to scent anything in this room, not to talk of finding you or his glove!”

I crossed my arms, tilting my head. “Well, your mom isn’t an Alpha, is she? And she’s definitely not a wolf, so...makes sense. Why are you concerned about that? I still haven't sorted out my assessment. I summoned a wisdom spirit and a giant wolf boy appeared instead."

Sienna went completely silent. She stood in the middle of the room, staring blankly at the floorboards like her brain was working through a massive math equation.

Then her eyes went wide.

“Oh my god, Chloe!” she breathed out.

I groaned, throwing my head back. “What now…?”

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A loud, heavy, almost frantic knock slammed against our door, making the frame rattle violently.

I jumped, my heart dropping straight into my throat. “Who the fuck is that?!”

I stomped over to the door, pulling the latch back and throwing it open, fully ready to cuss out whoever was trying to break our door down.

Standing in the hallway was Ethan Silver.

He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling beneath his black top. He wasn't looking cool or stoic anymore. His dark eyes were wide, flashing gold at the edges, and he was staring daggers straight into my soul.

Why is he staring at me like that? I thought nervously, taking a subtle step back. Did I spoil his stupid glove or something? It's just a damn glove why does he look like he wants to rip me apart?

Ethan leaned forward, his massive frame completely blocking out the hallway light. His voice was low, harsh, and raspy.

“What did you do to me?”

I scoffed, forcing my unbothered attitude right back up. “Oh…please don't flatter yourself. Why would I do anything to you? I literally just gave you your trash back!”

Sienna slowly walked up behind me, her eyes wide with caution as she looked at Ethan’s panicked, dominant aura.

“Ethan...” Sienna asked carefully, keeping her voice soft. “How did you find your glove?”

Ethan didn't take his eyes off me. “I trailed my scent.”

“Did you smell anything else, anything at all?” Sienna asked, leaning closer to the doorframe.

Ethan’s jaw clenched tight. He glared harder at me. “Yeah. Her.”

Sienna swallowed hard. “Did you scent any other thing? I was in the room with her the entire time. Did you scent me?”

Gosh, Sienna is such a…ughh!

“No!” Ethan growled out, his voice vibrating through the floor. “Only her. And my gear. You pulled some kind of fucked-up spell on me, witch.”

“Like I’d waste any spell on you! I am already regretting setting my eyes on you today. Please don't make it worse.” I shot back, placing my hands on my hips.

Behind me, Sienna gasped sharply.

“Guys... oh my god,” Sienna whispered, her voice trembling.

She raised a shaky hand, pointing her finger back and forth between Ethan’s chest and mine.

“I think... I think you guys are mates.”