The next morning, Claire woke up later than usual.
The moment she checked the time, panic immediately set in.
"Oh no…"
She hurried out of bed and rushed through her morning routine as quickly as possible. In her haste, she completely forgot to check whether her mother had returned home the previous night.
By the time she left the house, she hadn't even eaten breakfast.
When Claire finally arrived at school, she went straight to class, avoiding eye contact with everyone around her.
The last thing she wanted that morning was more staring.
More whispering.
More judgment.
Surprisingly, the first few classes passed peacefully.
Cleo was nowhere to be found, so Claire quietly sat alone at her desk and focused on her lessons.
Or at least, she tried to.
Unfortunately, skipping breakfast eventually caught up with her.
By lunchtime, her stomach growled painfully.
Claire sighed.
She hated the cafeteria.
It was always crowded, noisy, and filled with students who either mocked her openly or stared at her like she was some strange creature.
Still, she had no choice.
Carefully, she grabbed a tray and began serving herself food while trying to ignore the people around her.
"Hi."
Claire frowned slightly at the sudden voice behind her.
She turned reluctantly—
And nearly regretted it immediately.
Alexander.
Of course it was him.
The mysterious new student who had completely ruined her peace of mind yesterday.
Just seeing him again reminded her of how abruptly he had left the classroom after she sat beside him.
The memory still irritated her more than she wanted to admit.
"Hi," she replied shortly before turning back to her food.
She expected him to leave afterward.
But strangely, he stayed.
Claire could practically feel the intense stares of nearby girls burning holes into her back.
Wonderful.
Exactly what she needed.
Trying to ignore both Alexander and the murderous glares surrounding her, Claire quietly carried her tray toward the emptiest table she could find and sat down alone.
Or at least—
She tried to sit alone.
A second later, someone pulled out the chair across from her and sat down.
Claire slowly looked up.
Alexander smiled awkwardly at her.
She rolled her eyes internally and continued eating.
Alex knew he had messed up yesterday.
The moment he lost control in chemistry class and rushed out, he knew Claire must have misunderstood him completely.
Unfortunately, explaining the truth was impossible.
'Sorry I almost lost control because your scent is driving my inner wolf insane' was definitely not a normal conversation starter.
Still, he couldn't stop thinking about her.
The girl with the green eyes.
The same girl who somehow made his dead heart race like a nervous teenager falling in love for the first time.
As Alex walked through the cafeteria, ignoring the excited whispers around him, his eyes found Claire almost instantly.
She sat alone at a corner table, shoulders slightly slumped as she quietly ate her lunch.
For some reason, seeing her alone bothered him.
He wanted to walk over and tell her she didn't have to be lonely anymore.
That he would stay beside her.
Protect her.
But first, he needed to fix yesterday's misunderstanding.
Taking a deep breath, Alex approached her carefully.
"Hi," he greeted softly.
The moment Claire turned toward him, Alex held his breath unconsciously.
Even annoyed, she looked beautiful.
Unfortunately, the small frown on her face made it obvious she still hadn't forgiven him.
Honestly?
He didn't blame her.
"Hi," she replied flatly before returning to her food.
Alex blinked in surprise.
At least she answered him.
That was progress.
Quietly, he followed her to the table and sat down across from her.
Claire didn't even look at him again.
Alex nearly laughed.
She was trying so hard to ignore him.
"I'm Alexander," he introduced with a small smile.
Claire glanced at him briefly before continuing to eat.
The skeptical look she gave him hurt a little more than he expected.
Ouch.
Still, he deserved it.
"I don't like talking while eating," Claire said bluntly.
Her tone wasn't exactly friendly.
But Alex found it strangely adorable.
Claire immediately focused on her food again, internally convincing herself she wasn't being rude.
After all, it was true.
She genuinely didn't like talking while eating.
And besides—
He had been rude first.
The memory of him practically running away from her yesterday still annoyed her deeply.
Meanwhile, Alex could practically read every emotion written across her face.
She was unbelievably expressive.
And cute.
Very cute.
"I just want to be friends with you," Alex said gently.
Claire paused slightly.
Truthfully, she wanted to reject him immediately.
'I don't want to be friends with you.'
The words nearly left her mouth.
But for some strange reason, she couldn't bring herself to say them.
Which irritated her even more.
"Claire," she finally muttered instead.
Alex smiled softly.
He already knew her name, of course.
Everyone in school did.
Still, hearing it directly from her felt different.
Special.
Claire narrowed her eyes suspiciously when she noticed him smiling again.
"What's so funny?" she asked internally.
Then suddenly—
"You look cute when you're angry."
Silence.
Alex froze.
Shit.
He hadn't meant to say that out loud.
Claire nearly choked on her food.
Her cheeks instantly turned bright red as she stared at him in complete disbelief.
Meanwhile, Alex mentally cursed himself.
Wonderful.
Now he probably looked insane.