Relaxing his stance, he says again, “Yeah sorry about that,” rubbing the back of his neck like he might be embarrassed. His friend is still looking at me funny, so I relax and try to play it off as if I was just caught off guard. Smiling, I chuckle, hoping they can’t tell how fake it is.

“So, Sophia, are you on vacation?” His eyes sparkle as he ogles me from top to toe.

“Yeah... ahh, I mean no. I’m starting classes at Hope on Monday. You guys on vacation?” I question, pointing between the two of them. Michael still hasn’t looked away from my face. His brow is drawn like he’s thinking very hard.

Sniffer or Casper responds, “No, we’re local boys,” with a smirk that I’m sure he’s seen lots of action from. He’s not hard to look at, but I haven’t found one man appealing in five years. Tough break, my mate rejected me, and I’m still stuck on stupid, anyway.

Michael finally speaks. “How’d you move so fast?”

I shrug my shoulders and answer honestly, “No idea. Fear, I guess.”

“Have I seen you before? Something about you seems familiar,” Michael asks.

“I don’t think so. To be honest, I haven’t met many of our kind.” The last part of the sentence comes out barely a whisper.

Both men look at me with shocked expressions. Sniffer can’t seem to form a word. His mouth just keeps opening and closing. Finally he inquires, “What? You mean as in our kind from our pack?” He points to himself and his friend.

Darn, I should have kept my mouth closed. Well shit, no use in lying now. “No, I mean... I guess other than my parents, I really haven’t met many other shifters.”

Crickets, that’s what I get, not a sound from either of them. “Wow Sophia, how is that even possible?” Casper, who I will forever call Sniffer, finally asks, shaking his head.

“It just is,” I reply. Not wanting this awkward encounter to continue, I start to clean up my stuff quickly. “Look guys, I’m real sorry. I don’t really know the rules. Do I need to go? Find another school?” Please say no, I silently plead.

“What? Of course not. Normally, you just have to petition the Alpha when you enter a new territory. He’s within his rights to deny you if he so chooses, but no worries, the Alpha happens to be my brother.” He smiles smugly. “I can help you through the whole thing,” he adds sweetly while biting his bottom lip.

“Where are your parents, Sophia? What are you, like seventeen?” Michael asks.

I quickly run through my options but settle on the truth. “No, I’m nineteen, today actually, and they’re dead,” I say, looking at him right in the eyes. This feels important. I can’t let them see how broken and alone I am.

He sucks a breath through his teeth while a soft growl comes from Sniffer. Stepping back, I look for my escape routes. Why is that bad? Can I not be here without them? If I run will they come after me?