Taming the Beast
Chapter 49 (Caroline)

After dropping Preston off at Mrs. Piggens, Aiden and I drove to school. We grabbed Aiden a schedule from the main office before we went to replace our lockers. His was right beside mine. I still don't know how Keegan managed to convince the office to let him attend with no papers or anything. Walking through the main hallway was really awkward. It was like Aiden and I both had a giant neon side above our heads that screamed 'look at us!' while rotated with flashing. Girls were eyeing Aiden like he was a chocolate bar and they were on their period. The guys were looking at him like he'd just landed from Mars and they didn't know how to feel about it yet.

Aiden seemed uncomfortable under their stares. His cheeks had a light pink tint to them as he subconsciously moved closer to me. We finally reached our lockers. I opened mine before I finally took a good look at his schedule. It mirrored mine exactly. Somehow, I knew Keegan was behind that. He was trying to keep me protected. I know he wouldn't say so, but the stranger who tried to kill me in the woods put him on his toes. I chuckled and shook my head before I handed the schedule back to a nervous-looking Aiden.

"We have all the same classes," I informed him. He seemed to relax tremendously.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" he practically whispered, leaning closer to me. I chuckled and shrugged, pulling out my necessary books.

"Because you're hot," I laughed quietly. His eyes bugged at that which only made me laugh harder. "Aiden, you're practically man-candy to girls here," I shrugged. He looked at me curiously.

"But not you?" he asked. My lips pursued together in a tight indifferent smile.

"I don't see you in that way. I see you as a friend. I'm in love with Keegan. He's my mate," I said. He nodded and smiled.

"At least I can count on that," he said, bumping my shoulder lightly. I laughed and shook my head at him. He filled his locker and stuffed his bag in there too. He leaned against the lockers and smiled at me. "You're refreshing," he said. Before I could ask what he meant by that, I felt someone push me back before standing in front of me. I was now staring at dark brown curls and sandy blonde hair up in a ponytail. "Hi," one of the girls said seductively. I moved around them to see Aiden send a quick glare to the floor before he looked at me. I shook my head and mouthed 'no'. He understood immediately and looked at the girls indifferently.

"Hi," he greeted back. They smiled and I went to stand beside Aiden. They completely ignored me... which was reasonable. They were here to hit on Aiden after all.

"I'm Carly and this is my friend. Amber," the girl with the sandy blonde hair said. Aiden gave them a polite smile.

"I'm Aiden," he said back. Their smiles widened.

"You must be new. We haven't seen you around before. Where are you from?" they asked. That was a good question. I looked at Aiden expectantly. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye before he smirked at my curiosity.

"West Virginia," he answered.

"Well, welcome to Belford High School, and South Carolina. Here's my number if you ever need any help with where to go," she said, handing him a slip of paper. Her eyes flickered to me. "Or who to hang out with," she added. The comment was clearly meant for me and I knew it, but I couldn't bring myself to react. I just stared at them. I felt Aiden's hand slip around my waist as he pulled me in front of him so his chest was against my back. He rested his chin against my shoulder and smiled.

"Will do," he said knowingly. He wasn't going to call them. They both glared at me.

"You got the last new kid!" the brunette named Amber said. I only shrugged as I found myself smiling. They muttered something under their breath before they spun on their heels and walked away. I laughed as Aiden let go of me. I turned to look at him to see him smiling smugly. I sobered up a little and looped my arm with his. I was still smiling like an idiot as I started dragging Aiden in the direction of our first class. "This is great! It's like having a gay best friend," I said. I was extra giddy today. Aiden scrunched up his nose as he looked at me.

"I'm not gay, he pointed out calmly. I laughed and shrugged.

"I know, but you're not interested in hooking up with girls or replaceing a mate, so I don't have to worry about bitches being personally mad that we're friends," I tried to explain. He chuckled.

"It looks like they'll still be mad," he said, referring to Carly and Amber. My smile widened as I added a little bounce I my step.

"Yes, but you're on my side," I countered as we reached the classroom. He laughed but didn't argue. He knew I was right.

The day was going great. I had Aiden in every single one of my classes and I loved it. We joked around, laughed, got in trouble a few times, and I got to know more about Aiden. I dragged him to the lunch table after our fourth period ended. Keegan and the guys were already sitting there with John, Stacy, and Mariana. My friends eyes Aiden in shock. I forgot they didn't know. It'd been a while since we've hung out outside of school and volleyball. I sat next to Keegan and Aiden sat on my other side. I smiled and leaned over to peck him lightly. He pulled me closer and made the kiss longer than I intended. I pulled away laughing. Keegan sat sideways, straddling the bench. He slung an arm around my waist and slid a container in front of me.

"My mom packed you a lunch," he explained. My eyes lit up as I opened the container eagerly to replace smoked salmon, spring rolls, and broccoli. I picked up a fork and dug in, going for the salmon first. "How did your morning go?" he asked. I smiled and swallowed the bite.

"Interesting," was all I said, not taking my eyes off of my delicious food. I took another bite and chewed before I swallowed. "Apparently, there's only one new guy per person," I chuckled. Keegan raised an eyebrow in amusement with a light smile playing on his lips.

"And apparently you have two?" Gregg chuckled. I shrugged. I set my fork down and turned to pinch Aiden's cheek.

"Poor Aiden got hit on by so many girls today. He had to use me as a defense," I said in a baby voice. He pulled my hand off of his face and laughed.

"Stop that," he laughed. I heard Stacy clear her throat. She looked at me expectantly. I smiled and rolled my eyes.

"Stacy, Mariana, John, this is Aiden. Aiden, these are my beyond normal friends," I said jokingly.

"Beyond normal best friends," Stacy clarified. I laughed and leaned back into Keegan's chest. His arm went over my shoulders as he kissed my cheek.

"You guys are so cute!" Mariana blurted with a huge grin on her face. Stacy took a closer look at me. I smiled and shrugged.

"Wait a minute..." Stacy said while squinting her eyes. I watched her slightly amused by her serious demeanor. "That drunkenly happy look, the glow... ohmygoshyouguystotallyhadsex!" She screeched. My cheeks reddened and I stared at the table as everyone else laughed.

"Okay, Stacy, what's your point?" I asked, slightly embarrassed. Keegan's hand brushed over my side where his mark was. I shuddered involuntarily and my eyes closed to slits as I let out a sigh. Keegan chuckled in my ear, making my snap my eyes open and lean away from him.

"I hate you," I scowled at him. He only smiled at me smugly.

"You love me," he grinned. I smirked at him.

Two could play this game.

I leaned closer to him and ran my hand up his thigh. His breathing hitched as his eyes flickered to me. I raised an eyebrow at him as I inched my hand closer to his hip slowly. As soon as my hand lightly squeezed the bulge in his pants, I nipped at his ear, making him groan loudly as his eyes closed. I laughed and sat up straight again. His eyes flickered to me and I saw that they were bright gold. I knew what that meant by now. He scowled at me. Everyone laughed before everyone engaged in conversations again.☐☐