Chapter 3: "You're my turn"

Just because a protector was found didn't mean anything got easier.

From the next day onward, every time I saw Ren in the dorm's common area, an awkward silence ensued. He always kept a certain distance and only spoke to me when necessary. He had declared that he would be my protector, but he still hadn't explained why.

"Hey, how long are you going to keep quiet about this?"

On the third afternoon after school, I finally couldn't stand it any longer and went to the courtyard where he was alone. He was sitting on a bench under a tree, pretending to read a book. I say "pretending" because the pages weren't being turned at all.

"What are you talking about?"

"The reason. The reason you protected me. I told you I'd tell you eventually, didn't I?"

Ren closed the book. She slowly stood up and closed the distance between us. I could have run away if I wanted to, but for some reason my feet wouldn't move.

"If you're nearby, you'll know."

"What"

He didn't say anything more, and instead grabbed my wrist. It wasn't a strong grip, but the heat emanating from it made me hold my breath.

"From the moment I first smelled your scent, the wolf inside me has been roaring."

"I don't understand."

"They're saying we're a couple."

With that one word, it felt as if all the surrounding sounds had vanished. "Fate." It was a word I'd heard briefly from Hatori yesterday. For a wolf, it refers to their destined partner.

"Stop messing around."

I shook off his hand. I was surprised at how loud my voice came out.

"On the first day, you called me a 'stray' and made a spectacle of me. And now you want to be my partner? That's just too convenient for you."

"At that time, I was confused myself."

"Do you think that makes it forgivable?"

For the first time, Ren's expression broke down. It wasn't anger or composure, but something more clumsy that was on display.

"I don't think so. But the facts don't change. If I remove you from my protection, you'll truly be banished at the next full moon. I wanted to avoid that at all costs."

"You didn't even know who I was until yesterday."

"I understand. That's why I won't force you to believe it."

His voice, unusually, had a hint of vulnerability in it. That only made me more unsettled. I didn't want to believe him. But I didn't want to push him away either. I was confused by these feelings that I didn't even understand myself.

"I'm going back now."

Having said that, I left the scene. I didn't look back, but I could clearly sense that he had been watching me without moving for a while.

When I returned to the dorm, Hatori was waiting for me with a worried look on his face.

"Are you okay? You look pale."

"Is it really that easy to tell if someone is your mate?"

Hatori looked a little surprised by my question. Then, he lowered his voice and told me.

"For wolves, their mates are special. They say they can recognize each other by scent, and once they realize they've found their mate, if they keep rejecting that person, their body will weaken."

"Are you getting weaker?"

"Yeah. So usually, most girls form a bond as soon as they realize they're mates. I've never heard of anyone refusing to do that."

Hatori's words weighed heavily on my heart. I still couldn't fully grasp that I was a wolf. So how could I easily accept being told that I was destined to be his mate?

That night, as he lay in bed unable to sleep, he thought he saw a figure outside the window. He cautiously peeked outside through a gap in the curtains and saw Ren standing in the courtyard. Was she waiting for someone, or was she simply enjoying the night air? He stood there for a while, gazing up at the dormitory window.

I felt like our eyes met, so I quickly closed the curtains. My heart was beating strangely. It wasn't because we were mates or anything like that. It was just nervousness. I told myself that as I pulled the covers over my head.

Even so, his last words wouldn't leave my mind.

"I'm not asking you to believe it if you don't want to."

I thought he was being sneaky for not asking me to believe him.