Sailing on two boats

Astrid’s Point of View

The first half of the class was finished. Alexander waited for me outside of the room and invited me to have lunch with him. I snaked my arms around his neck. Alex was grinning from ear to ear. Based on his expression, I knew he was glad to see me.

"How’s my baby doing so far?" he asked, rubbing my back with his thumb and tracing small circles with it.

"Everything was fine, Alex. Except for the fact that there are people who come after me because of your father’s business," I responded and offered him a thin smile.

His forehead immediately creased, and I could tell by how fast his expression changed that he did not like what he had learned.

"Are they bugging you?"

"No." I shook my head. "I don’t consider it like that. They just wanted my help to persuade you to talk to your father. I mean, some of them are indebted to your father."

"I apologize, Astrid. They should not bother you that way. I will tell my father about this incident, and he can do something with those lazy snouts."

"They probably think I can pull some strings because we’re mates," I said and exhaled.

"They should work hard to pay their debts, not waste their time bothering you, my love," he responded.

I nodded, agreeing with his response. Alexander was not that dumb to figure out that I was a bit irritated with those people coming after me because they thought I could help them. It was a good thing that I told him. I could expect to be able to move normally at school without being chased by someone who wanted my help.

"Don’t worry, I will make sure they will stop coming after you," he assured me while caressing my cheek.

"Thank you so much, baby!" I said and tiptoed to kiss his lips.

He grinned at me. "Come on, let’s go. I must feed my mate."

I giggled and nodded, then I clung my arms to his. As we walked our way, most of the students were moving away, giving us a special space to walk onto with their attention drawn on us.

The fact that I became popular after learning that Alexander was my mate gave me a feeling of being on cloud nine. I smirked inwardly as I raised my chin.

We then went to the cafeteria at school. Alexander was so energetic in sharing a lot of things regarding the plans of his father to help Alpha Samuel advance the agricultural projects for our land. He was seemingly happy as he told me about those things, and I struggled to insert the topic of finding someone who we could frame as the ‘cursed werewolf’ into our conversation.

He knew that the person we would set up to play that vital role would be the key to making my masterplan a success. I thought that he would discuss it after telling me about their family’s plan to help the Alpha. However, he only brought up topics related to his sculptures, paintings, and his otherwise mundane life.

"That’s cool. You can be a great painter, Alex," I said, giving him a typical reply to validate his feelings of wanting to become a painter in the future.

I hardly fought the urge to bring up a question about his progress regarding finding someone we could frame up as the ‘cursed werewolf’ of the Silver Moon Pack.

"I’d be so delighted if that happened." He smiled at me.

I didn’t get the chance to bring up the topic with him even during our meal. I was able to finish my plate without saying or throwing a hint about it.

Could it be that he didn’t want to talk about that sensitive matter in the crowded cafeteria? Given that most of the students here had already reached the right age, I was aware that even the tiniest whispers from our mouths could be heard by most of them due to the enhanced hearing abilities werewolves had.

After talking for a while, Alexander gazed around the place, and then picked something from his pocket. It was a piece of paper that he placed on the table, sliding it in front of me.

"You can open it once you get home," he said, grinning a bit.

I pouted as I took the paper and stuffed it into my bag.

"Sure, baby," I said, giving him a seductive wink.

We both stood up and were ready to go when someone suddenly stood in front of me. It was Leo. He looked at me with his eyes radiating urgency.

"Can we talk after your class? This has something to do with your twin sister," he started before he glanced at Alexander, who was already standing behind me.

My eyes narrowed for a bit. Was it really hard for them to forget Atasha? I was so tired of people coming up to me and asking me about her. What was so difficult about forgetting someone after her disappearance?

Or was Leo only putting on an act so he could talk to me privately?

I turned around to meet Alexander’s eyes.

"Will it be alright, Alex?" I asked him. Of course, I would have to ask for his approval since he was my mate.

Alexander’s jaw clenched, and I could see the glimpse of jealousy in his eyes. However, when I touched his hand, he became at ease. I smiled at him.

He finally nodded and inhaled. "Sure, Astrid. You can talk to Leo. However, only after your class."

I turned my gaze back to Leo and offered him a shy smile. "You heard my mate, Leo. Yes, we can talk about my twin sister after class. Let’s make it quick though, because I must go home early."

"No problem, Astrid. Thank you." He then looked at Alexander and nodded at him, as if it was a form of brotherly respect. "Thanks, man."

When Leo left, I turned to Alexander and smiled at him. Wrapping my hands around his arm, I said, "Do you really mean it, Alex?"

He rolled his eyes and pinched my cheek. "Of course. You are my mate. We have a strong bond, and I am confident that no one can take you away from me."

I bit my lower lip and nodded in response. "That’s why I love you so much!"

"I love you too, baby."

I was all too aware that many students were watching us. From my direction, I could hear them whispering good comments about me being with Alex. I could really enjoy this popularity for a while. It was fun...

On the other hand, I wanted Leo to be jealous of Alexander, too. I wanted him to think that I was not over with him yet and to crash his heart into pieces eventually. It was so stupid of me to be in love with him before. Compared to Alexander, he was only bronze, and my mate was nothing but pure gold. Leo could never reach Alex’s level.

Based on how he eyed Alex, I bet he was already damn jealous of him. I had a hunch that he was only making an excuse that he’d like to talk to me because of Atasha, but he would try to win me in reality. That was just so silly of him.

Alexander walked me to my next class. Before I went inside, he engulfed me in a hug and kissed me roughly on the lips.

"Calm down, baby. We are here at school. People might think that we’re making out in broad daylight," I commented, catching my breath after that long kiss.

He grinned widely. "They can think whatever it is they want to think about us."

I slightly hit his chest and pursed my lips to suppress my smile. But as my gaze turned to the left, I saw Leo. My brow furrowed immediately. Was he watching us?

His expression was grim... And my gut feeling told me that he might have seen what we just did because he looked so mad as hell. I smirked and glanced back at Alexander, tiptoeing and devouring his soft lips again.

"I love you so much, Alexander. I am glad that you’re my mate…" I said it softly but loud enough for Leo’s enhanced hearing ability to hear.

"You’re so sweet, Astrid…"

"Of course, I can be the sweetest girl for you!"

He chuckled and embraced me once more before he left.

I gazed in Leo’s direction, but he had already left too.

I crossed my arms against my chest. Shaking my head, I said, "It is so hard to be this popular... All the boys kept staring at me, and I bet they wanted to have a taste of me in their private dreams." I said to myself, flipped my cascaded hair and went inside the classroom with a grin on my face.

Minutes after the last class I had to attend for today, I rushed into the restroom first to retouch my makeup before meeting Leo. Being the most popular female werewolf at school, I could not let myself look less beautiful. I wanted men to crave me... and to think that I was far better than their mates.

"You look so stunning as always, Astrid Greene," said by a soft voice of a woman who also went inside the restroom to retouch.

I offered her a sweet smile and continued putting a gloss on my soft pinkish lips.

One more final check of my reflection in the mirror and I was done. I could not help but feel more beautiful now that Atasha was not around to overshadow my existence.

I did not waste any more of my time and went straight to the main gate of the school, where I saw Leo waiting for me, looking so hot with his uniform unbuttoned, which made his inner shift visible. Even if his brows were furrowed and seemed to be problematic, I couldn’t deny that he could still snag women’s attention without putting in so much effort.

"Hi there, Leo!" I greeted him when I approached him.

He looked at me and offered me a thin smile. "Thank you, Astrid, for your willingness to have a conversation with me. I know that you are busy."

"Please, don’t mention it. We’ve become friends after all," I responded, chuckling like a prim woman.

"I guess you are right." He scratched his head a little.

I noticed that he became so muscular as he flexed his biceps. I could not help but think that he purposely raised his arm for me to see how great his body has become over the past years.

Damn it, Leo.

"Let’s make it quick because I must go home early." I acted as if I was concerned about the time and checked on my wrist. "What is it that you want to talk about?"

He then cleared his throat. "It has something to do with Atasha, Astrid. I don’t understand why she’s not going to school anymore. She’s supposed to be enrolled in this semester. I promised her that we will—"

"Leo, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but let me tell you that she’s sick and tired of you. She told me a lot of horrible things about you, which made her decide not to enroll in this school anymore." I sighed out loud and acted as if I was sad to tell him those things. "Atasha didn’t care about you. For your sake, it would be best if you moved on from her."

I couldn’t hide my irritation. How dare he try to bring Atasha up in our conversation? I just wanted him to admit that he was jealous of Alexander because he became my mate, not him!

For a late bloomer like he was, it was really stupid to pursue a cursed werewolf!

"I’m done talking. See you around," I said and walked past him.

However, I felt him gripping my arm tightly.

"Leo, let me go," I said, a little bit panicked as his grip grew tighter and tighter.

Giving me a stern look, he asked, "Are you telling the truth, Astrid?"

"I said, let me go!" I yelled and yanked my arm away from him.

He was about to grab me again, but Alexander appeared out of nowhere and punched Leo in the face. I gasped when I saw Leo fall to the ground, holding the side of his face where Alexander hit him.

"Alex!" I called Alexander, as he was about to swing his fist for another punch to throw at Leo. "No, please! Stop it!"

I immediately grabbed his hand and pulled him away from Leo.

His chest was moving up and down. His breathing was ragged as his jaw clenched while looking at Leo.

"Don’t ever touch my girlfriend like that, Leo. You know, we’re best friends, and you don’t have the slightest right to touch her that way!" Alexander shouted, no, it was more like a growl. Then he glanced at me. "Go home, Astrid. I don’t want you to talk to this guy ever again. Do you get it?"

I nodded out of fear. I walked away from them and saw Alexander going inside the school. It was a relief that he had already decided not to beat Leo.

I was about to look away and just go home, but there was something pushing me to watch Leo. He stood up, brushed the blood on the side of his lips, and walked to the nearby clinic.

I inhaled heavily and checked the main gate. Alexander was no longer around. I didn’t hesitate to follow Leo. When he became aware of my presence, he only gave me a confused look.

"Astrid? I thought you had already left."

"Are you alright?" I touched the side of his lips as I got closer to him.

His wounds and bruises were slowly healing. He then cleared his throat, which made me come back to my senses. I put my hand down and stepped back.

Come on, Astrid. You shouldn’t be worried about him. He deserved to be punched by Alexander, I told myself.

"Would you like us to talk somewhere else, Astrid? I just want a peaceful conversation with you, without your mate around…" he said meaningfully.

Was he flirting with me now?