As I headed toward the Dining Hall, I nearly collided with Theo.
His bright blue eyes locked onto mine. "So. You and Colton got all touchy-feely during Weaponry, huh?"
Jealousy. It rolled off him in waves.
"Seriously? You were listening to my thoughts during that?" I snapped. It was infuriating that I couldn't even think about one of his pack members without him tuning in. I had zero privacy.
"I'm always listening to your thoughts." He shrugged like that was completely normal.
"You're a professor. Don't you have something better to do? Like, oh, I don't know, teach? Instead of monitoring my brain twenty-four seven?"
He looked mildly apologetic. "Honestly, Raven? I'd rather not hear your thoughts. They're kind of…" He trailed off.
"Kind of what?" I narrowed my eyes.
"Hard to listen to." He sighed, then reached into his pocket and pulled out something gold and glinting. He pressed it into my palm. "Put this on."
I looked down. An oval pendant, like a locket, hung from a delicate chain. "What is it?"
"It's filled with an herbal blend that blocks your thoughts from me," Theo explained. "If you don't want me listening, wear it. Which I assume will be most of the time."
Then he walked away.
No goodbye. No smirk. Nothing.
He was mad.
With a sigh, I slipped the necklace over my head and let the locket settle against my chest before heading into the Dining Hall, where I'd agreed to meet Iris.
"Want to eat outside?" she asked when she saw me.
"We're allowed to?"
She grinned. "Student handbook. We just can't take the trays."
"Fresh air sounds perfect."
Inside, I grabbed a turkey sandwich and fries, while Iris went for a chicken Caesar salad. We found a bench in the courtyard and sat down beneath the open sky.
"Can I ask you something?" Iris said carefully, peeling the plastic lid off her salad.
"Sure." I twisted open my iced tea.
"I saw you at breakfast. With the Darken."
Not a question, but okay.
"Yeah. We're sort of… friends." If friends made out on kitchen counters and invaded each other's thoughts.
"I noticed the way they look at you," she continued. "I'm pretty sure all of them want you."
"Really?" My stomach flipped. Was it that obvious? Well, Theo and I probably weren't exactly subtle.
She nodded. "And I'm not sure you realize this yet, since you're new to the whole werewolf thing, but the Darken are… significant."
"I can tell they're popular," I muttered, trying not to sound bitter. They were unfairly attractive. Of course every girl here drooled over them.
"It's more than popularity. They're one of the most powerful werewolf packs in the world. Top three, easily. They're not biologically related, but they're tighter than most brothers. Mess with one, you mess with all of them. And they're Ancients."
My hand froze halfway to my mouth. "Ancients?"
She blinked. "Right. You haven't taken History yet."
"I've heard of Nocturne Island," I said, recalling Aiden's lecture. "The first wolves."
"Exactly. The Ancients were the first werewolves to walk the earth. Most of us Descendants have maybe a drop or two of their blood. But the Darken?" She lowered her voice. "Theo and Aiden are full-blooded Ancients. Colton and Rhys are nearly pure as well."
"Are there others like them here?"
She shook her head. "They're the only ones. The last of their kind."
Wow.
I bit into my sandwich, trying to process that.
"You should be careful," Iris added.
"With dating a professor?" I sighed. "Yeah, I've thought about that."
"That's not what I meant." She leaned closer. "I'm talking about the myths."
"Myths?" I raised a brow.
"For one, it's said that if you fall in love with an Ancient, you can never fall out of love with them."
I snorted softly. "Good thing I'm not planning on falling in love."
Been there. Done that. Heartbreak wasn't on my agenda.
"There's also a myth that it's almost impossible not to get pregnant if you sleep with one," she continued. "Werewolf sperm is already stronger than a human's. But Ancient sperm?" She widened her eyes. "Apparently it's on steroids."
I nearly choked on a fry. "I am not getting pregnant by anyone. Ancient or otherwise."
"You say that now," she teased. "If they looked at me the way they look at you, I'd be lining up to make Ancient babies."
I laughed. "Well, Theo actually pulled away last night."
Her fork froze midair. "Pulled away? Voluntarily?"
"I was having… mixed feelings," I admitted. My fingers brushed the locket resting against my chest. Now he couldn't hear me. The relief was real.
"Maybe he knows the myths," Iris said thoughtfully.
"Maybe." I hesitated. "But if they're the only full-blooded Ancients left, how does anyone even know the myths are true? Do they have secret love children scattered around the globe?"
The idea of centuries of Darken conquests wasn't exactly far-fetched.
"As far as anyone knows, none of them have Pups," Iris said. "And they're all bachelors. Theo especially has a reputation for never having been in love."
"That makes no sense. They've been alive for hundreds of years."
"I know. That's just what people say." She shrugged. "There used to be many Ancients centuries ago. Most were hunted down."
"Hunted?" I frowned. "I thought they were unstoppable."
"They're powerful. But silver is still silver. And there was a disease that wiped many of them out. The Darken survived it." She hesitated. "There's only one wolf believed to be stronger."
My stomach dropped. "Who?"
Her gaze locked onto mine.
"Milos Santorini."
The wolf who murdered my parents.