The quiz was already in session as Emma, Derek, and Maya stepped into the large classroom.

  Their entrance—which seemed to enthrall several of the students present, heads lifting and pens pausing mid-air—did not faze the lecturer. He was already irritated, his mood soured by the sight of students arriving late for his quiz.

  “Why are you late?” he asked curtly, his attention settling squarely on Derek and Emma. “And who is she?” he added, diverting his gaze from the duo to Maya, whom he correctly assumed was a new face.

  “I—” Emma was about to speak when Derek rushed in with his own explanation, cutting her off smoothly.

  “Our car broke down on the way; we had to wait for a mechanic to fix it,” he said, his expression perfectly neutral.

  “Oh. Okay. And she?” the history professor asked, bobbing his head in Maya’s direction.

  “She’s my cousin. She’s a new student too.”

  “I see,” the professor said, peering at the trio through the glasses resting loosely on his nose. “Get a seat then. The quiz is already in session. You can ask your course mates the question.” He dismissed them with a flick of his left hand.

  “Okay, sir. Thank you,” Derek replied, to Maya’s surprise. She was far more accustomed to his pride and bluntness than his politeness. A lot has really changed.

  She walked a few steps behind Emma and Derek as they made their way toward the back section of the class, doing her best to ignore the lingering stares—especially from the human males who seemed far too interested.

  “Here, sit here,” Emma whispered.

  Maya nodded, taking the seat. Her cousin was already seated, and his mate slipped into the space between them.

  “The question…?” She asked, pulling a sheet from her bag.

  “Derek is getting it,” Emma turned sideways to jab Derek lightly. She stretched her neck—much to Maya’s amusement—trying to peek at whatever her boyfriend was scribbling on his paper.

  “Wait… are you writing this quiz?” Emma asked Maya when the realization hit her.

  “Yeah, I am,” Maya replied with a small shrug.

  “But you’re just coming today…”

  “Yes, I know. But Derek already filled me in on the course.” She stared ahead at her cousin, who looked up at the sound of his name.

  “Here’s the question,” he finally said, angling the sheet toward them.

  Emma found it surprisingly simple.

  Maya studied it and decided she could give it a try. What could go wrong?

  “Ten minutes more!”

  The professor’s voice boomed across the classroom moments later, prompting a flurry of movement as students sped up their writing amid murmurs and muttered complaints. Emma was already reviewing her work, a satisfied smile settling on her lips.

  “Are you done already?” Maya asked, surprise coloring her features as she took in the calm confidence on Emma’s beautiful face.

  “Yeah. It wasn’t really difficult,” Emma said lightly, careful not to sound boastful.

  “Wow, that’s nice.”

  “Oh... thank you.” Emma tried to hide the smile tugging at her lips as the compliment registered.

  “Are you both done?” Derek asked, cutting into their exchange as he glanced over their sheets. He felt he’d done his best on the tactical, brainy questions himself.

  “Yeah.”

  “Almost,” Maya said, biting her lip tentatively as she returned to her paper. Others were still writing, and she felt she should be too.

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  “Well, get to it then,” Derek said. “You don’t have to submit it, though. You can meet him after class and maybe book another quiz day, when you’re more prepared.”

  He leaned back and studied his little witch, who was doing a fine job ignoring him.

  How am I going to apologize?

  His gaze dropped to Emma’s slender fingers resting loosely on her thigh. It seemed like the right moment—to take her hand, to apologize without words.

  He wished, fleetingly, that he could mind-link her. It would have been easier.

  Taking a breath, Derek reached out just as the professor’s voice thundered through the hall once more.

  “Time’s up! Pass your sheets to the person in front of you.”

  Derek cursed under his breath as the moment slipped away. Emma immediately lifted her hand, gathering her own sheet along with Maya’s to pass them forward.

  He cursed again when he caught Maya trying—and failing—to suppress her laughter, shooting him amused glances. She had known exactly what he’d been about to do.

  With a sigh, Derek passed his paper to the human male in front of him and leaned back in his seat, resignation settling in his chest.

  —

  Maya held in her bouts of laughter, pressing her lips together to avoid a query from the lecturer—and the inevitable weird looks from her fellow students—as she replayed what had just happened between her cousin and his mate.

  Although she understood that he had been trying to placate his mate’s anger toward him, she still found the move painfully lame—and undeniably funny.

  What she found even funnier was the aloof, slightly stubborn look etched on the human girl’s face.

  Maya knew, without doubt, that the human had understood exactly what was going on, and that was why she had deliberately used her left hand—the one that had been resting on her thigh—to submit her script.

  She had observed the human closely as she wrote, and she knew for a surety that the redhead wasn’t left-handed. Using her left hand had been intentional—a subtle, quiet rebellion meant to thwart her mate’s advances.

  “So I hope you all did well in the quiz, as I will be adding the scores to your assessment by next month…”

  The professor was speaking now, his voice pulling Maya’s attention back to the front of the class.

  “But I would still love to solve the quiz here—” the bald-headed professor continued, before a sudden scuffle at the front desks cut him off mid-sentence.

  Two girls were arguing loudly about party wear.

  Maya could hear every word clearly thanks to her wolf hearing. In fact, she had been picking up murmurings about the anonymous party since she stepped into the classroom.

  “You two, stand up!” the professor shouted, pointing his age-stricken index finger at the duo seated at the front, who instantly froze like water-drenched rats.

  “Why are you interrupting and causing a nuisance in my class? Do you want to score a zero in the quiz?” he demanded, annoyance clothing his facial features distinctly.

  Maya thought he looked like a reddish potato now—his face flushed, his pot-bellied stomach straining against his clothes. His ancient dress sense didn’t help matters either: oversized slacks, a faded brown crossing belt, and a white shirt that had clearly seen better days.

  “We are sorry, sir.” “It won’t happen again.”

  “It better not,” the professor hissed. “Now, back to what I was saying before I was rudely interrupted—the answer to the quiz. Who has an idea?” he asked, resting his hands on the first desk in Maya’s row.

  Maya scanned the class. Not a single hand was raised.

  She almost laughed at the eerie silence that followed. Didn’t everyone write the quiz?

  She turned sideways to look at her cousin and his mate. Her cousin was still reclined against the wall, his face carefully blank. Maya could tell his thoughts were nowhere near the quiz—he was still focused on how to appease his mate.

  She shifted her gaze to the human girl. Emma was tapping her fingers rhythmically on the desk, a small but telling sign. She looked nervous.

  “You know the answer, right?” Maya whispered.

  “Yeah. But I’m a bit nervous. You know… standing up to talk and all that,” Emma replied, biting her lip. She didn’t quite understand how she had become like this—timid, hesitant, rattled by fear.

  Maybe it’s because it’s college. Still, she knew she would have to get over it eventually.

  “Oh, yeah. I understand.” Maya murmured. Even as an Alpha’s daughter, she had to admit that standing up in such a large hall made her nervous.

  “Hey, you two talking over there—”

  Maya balked as the professor’s loud voice sliced through the room. His finger was already stretched in their direction.

  “Oh God… what now?” she muttered as she felt dozens of eyes zero in on her and Emma, who looked just as awestruck.

  “Stand up, you two. It seems you’re going to be the first to answer my question,” the professor continued, his eyes narrowing into slits behind his glasses.

  Maya stood slowly, her mind spinning in different directions. She wasn’t completely sure of what she had written, and the last thing she wanted was to be scoffed at on her very first day.

  She glanced sideways and saw that Emma was already standing, biting her lip again. Her cousin—no longer reclined—now sat upright, his attention fully captured by the unfolding scene.

  Maya silently prayed for a miracle. Anything at all to divert this uncomfortable moment. She could already hear faint, unpleasant mutterings rippling through the class.

  Then the opening and closing of the classroom door snapped her attention toward the entrance.

  A blonde stepped in. Maya immediately thought that although the newcomer was undeniably beautiful, she carried a haughty air—chin lifted high in mock confidence, steps measured and prideful as she approached the professor.

  She also looked strangely familiar, though Maya couldn’t quite place where they might have met. Her memory refused to cooperate.

  “Oh no…”

  Emma’s mutter made Maya snap her head toward her.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked—just as she noticed her cousin had worry lines creasing his forehead.

  “Emma…?” Maya called when she realized Emma’s entire focus was fixed on the newcomer—who, Maya could swear, was smirking directly at them.