Chapter 81
Nicole POV
Aaron stepped forward, looking serious now. “Eric, can I talk to you for a second? In private?”
Eric nodded, giving me an apologetic look. “I’ll be right back, okay?” he said to me softly.
I nodded, trying to calm my racing heart. Eric and Aaron left the room, heading upstairs. I was left alone with Venus. She sat down next to me her stole
warm.
*So, you and Eric, huh?” she said, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
“It’s not… we’re not really… I mean…” I stammered feeling flustered.
Venus laughed. “Relax, Nicole. I’m not here to judge you. I’m actually glad. I haven’t seen Eric look this happy in a long time.”
I blushed.
“Yeah,” Venus said, nodding. “He’s been different lately. Lighter, I guess. And I think it has something to do with you. He has never brought girls home, and you are the first one.”
I felt the blush deepen across my cheeks. “I don’t know what to say.”
Venus gave me a kind smile. “Just be honest with him. He needs someone like you.”
“I don’t even know what is happening, but…” I didn’t know what to say, so I turned my head away.
Venus placed her hand on my hand. “Nicole, I understand your predicament, but I am sure that what you are feeling is genuine.”
Her words surprised me. “How can you say that?” I asked, unsure of it all.
She just smiled. “Because I have known Eric since we were kids. There is definitely something about you that makes him happy, and seeing you give me the same vibes. I mean, both of you are exploring your feelings, isn’t it?”
Jealousy stabbed me. She knew him for so long? “Yeah!” I blabbered. “I don’t know.”
“Give it some time,” she added. “If you still don’t feel sure, then maybe you both should move on.”
I contemplated her words. Venus was sitting so casually, but there was a sharpness in her eyes, like she notices everything. I decided to break the silence.
“So… how long have you known Eric?” I asked again, fiddling with the edge of my notebook, trying to look not jealous.
Venus smiled thoughtfully. “Oh, since forever. He’s like a brother to me, always trying to play the tough guy.”
I nodded, thinking about how guarded Eric could be. “Yeah, he seems that way,” I said softly.
Venus leaned in a bit closer, her tone shifting to something more serious. “But rest assured, you’re different, you know? I’ve never seen him open up to anyone like he does to you. It’s like you’ve cracked the code.”
1 blinked in surprise. “It doesn’t feel like that. Sometimes I can’t tell what he’s thinking at all.”
Venus chuckled. “Trust me, he’s not as complicated as he wants everyone to think. If he’s showing up for you, coming here to explain things… it means you matter to him.”
I swallowed, her words, making my heart flutter. “I hope you’re right,” I murmured.
Venus grinned. “I’m always right. Just don’t make him wait too long, okay?”
1/3
Chapter 81
Her words made my heart swell. Maybe she was right, Maybe there was something real between un, even if we started of as bike falante stairs, where Eric and Aaron disappeared, hoping that whatever they were talking about didn’t keep him away for too larg
Eric POV
I followed Aaron upstairs to his room, shutting the door behind us. The look on his face was serious, almost too serious for him, it wash rehandia darke seemed this tense, and it set off alarm bells in my head.
“What’s up, Aaron?” I asked, leaning against the wall. I tried to keep my voice casual, but I was already feeling a knot of concern in my stomach. “You bet like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Aaron ran a hand through his messy hair, pacing back and forth. He only did that when something was really bothering him. Finally, he stopped and faced me. “It’s not a ghost, but it’s something weird. I saw something in the woods, north of the college. I think we need to be careful?
My frown deepened as I crossed my arms. “What did you see?”
Aaron hesitated, like he was figuring out how to explain. “Fox shifters,” he said after a moment. “A group of them. I counted at least four, maybe more.”
I blinked in surprise. Fox shifters? Here? That made no sense. “Fox shifters? Are you sure?”
He nodded, looking confident but also worried. “Yeah, I’m sure, I shifted and went into the woods to check things out after getting that security footage of Lexi. Something didn’t feel right. My gut told me to look around.”
Hearing that made me uneasy. Memories flooded in my mind. Fox shifters were notorious. They rarely traveled in groups near places like our college. It was risky for them. “How did you even find them?” I asked, trying to understand the situation.
Aaron took a deep breath, like he was reliving the moment. “After I got the footage of Lexi, I had this feeling that something else was going on. Like it wasn’t just Lexi messing with you. So, I decided to go for a run in the woods as a wolf, to clear my head and maybe find some answers.”
I nodded slowly. Yeah, shifting and running in wolf form often helped me think, too. It cleared our minds, made everything simpler.
“I was running near that stream,” Aaron continued, his voice dropping a bit. “You know the one, about a mile north of campus. I slowed down when I heard voices. At first, I thought it was just hikers, but then I picked up a strange scent.”
“Foxes,” I muttered, piecing it together. It had to be.
He nodded, confirming my suspicion. “Exactly. The scent was strong, I got low and crept closer to check it out. That’s when I saw them–a group of foxes near the stream. They looked normal at first, but then they shifted into their human forms.”
My eyebrows shot up in shock. “They shifted? Right there, in the open?”
“Yeah,” Aaron said, shaking his head. “They didn’t seem worried about being seen. It was like they didn’t care, or they thought no one was around. They started talking and laughing, and then… they just got into the stream and took a bath like it was no big deal.”
“That’s weird,” I replied, feeling a sense of unease creep up my spine. “Fox shifters are usually more cautious, especially around a place like this. Someone could have easily spotted them.”
Aaron nodded, agreeing with me. “I thought the same thing, so I hid behind some bushes and watched them. I didn’t recognize any of them, and they didn’t look like they were from around here. They seemed relaxed, almost too relaxed, like they were waiting for something.”
My mind raced, trying to figure out what it could mean. “Do you think they’re planning something? Maybe they’re connected to Lexi? Or Da
He shrugged, looking uncertain, “I don’t know. But I didn’t like the feeling I got. They stayed there for a while, just talking and laughing. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they seemed pretty comfortable. After they finished, they got dressed and left, heading deeper into the forest.”
“Did you follow them?” I asked, trying to connect the dots. If they were planning something, we needed to know.
Chapter 82
