“Oh my god, Hazel!” Sophia exclaid, rushing forward to hug . “We heard what happened at the mall. Are you okay?”
I winced slightly at the pressure against my injured arm but returned her hug with my good arm. “I’m okay. Just a few scratches that are already healing.”
Callum followed Sophia into my room, his face etched with concern. “Annie Williams attacked you? In public? That’s insane.”
“Tell about it,” I sighed, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. My body still felt tired from the healing process. “It happened so fast. She just shifted right there in the mall and lunged at .”
“Everyone’s talking about it,” Sophia said, sitting beside . “And how the triplets put her in the cells imdiately. Her dad too, from what I heard.”
“Just Annie’s in the cells,” I clarified. “Samuel was just removed from his position for defending her actions.”
Callum leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “About ti soone stood up to that family. Annie’s been horrible for years.”
“Have you heard anything else?” I asked, curious about how the news was spreading through the pack.
Sophia nodded. “Kira and lanie are absolutely horrified. I saw them at the coffee shop earlier.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know that you’re friends with Kira and lanie.”
A strange look passed between Sophia and Callum. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, suddenly uncomfortable.
“Not friends exactly,” she said carefully. “More like... acquaintances by circumstance.”
“But they were at your party,” I pointed out.
“Yeah, that’s because—” Callum started, then stopped abruptly when Sophia shot him a warning look.
“Because what?” I pressed, sensing sothing they weren’t telling .
Callum ran a hand through his hair. “Well, I an, Sophia knows a lot of people because of her past... connections.”
“What connections?”
“It’s nothing, really,” Sophia insisted, but her cheeks had turned pink.
Callum glanced between us, clearly not realizing he’d stepped into sothing awkward. “You know, from when she dated Levi.”
The room fell silent. Sophia closed her eyes with a grimace while Callum’s face morphed into an expression of horror when he realized our expressions weren’t right.
“Callum!” Sophia hissed.
“You dated Levi?” I asked, stunned. The triplets had never ntioned this, and I had been living with them my entire life.
“Oh shit,” Callum muttered. “I thought she knew.”
Sophia sighed deeply. “It was nothing serious, Hazel. Just a very short thing about a year ago.”
My mind raced. “How did I not know about this? I literally live in the sa house.”
“It was only for a week,” Sophia explained, her voice gentle. “It was kept really quiet. Levi and I realized pretty quickly we were better as casual acquaintances. His parents didn’t approve of because my family isn’t high-ranking enough.”
That made sense. Henry and Evelyn had always been obsessed with status.
“We didn’t even tell many people,” she continued. “Just went on a couple of dates, realized there was no spark, and ended it mutually.”
I nodded slowly, processing this information. “So that’s why you know Kira and lanie.”
“Yeah,” Sophia admitted. “That’s also why I don’t really like them. Or Annie. But our parents are all officials and work together, so we have to interact sotis. It’s all just pack politics.”
Callum, clearly desperate to change the subject, clapped his hands together. “Speaking of interesting connections, guess what? I found my mate!”
I shot him a grateful look for the topic change. The revelation about Sophia and Levi wasn’t exactly earth-shattering, but it had caught off guard.
“Yes, tell us everything!” I said, perking up. “You’ve been so secretive since the party.”
His face lit up instantly. “Her na is Cassandra Barry. She’s from the Ironhound Pack.”
“Ironhound?” Sophia perked up. “I know plenty of people from Ironhound!”
“We know,” Callum said with a laugh. “Anyway, she’s incredible. She has this platinum blonde hair that practically glows in the sunlight, and the most piercing blue eyes I’ve ever seen.”
I smiled at his obvious infatuation. “How did you two et again? Was it really at Sophia’s party?”
“Yeah, she ca with so friends from her pack. The mont our eyes t...” he trailed off, a dreamy expression on his face. “It was exactly like everyone describes the mate bond. Like everything else in the world just disappeared.”
Sophia and I exchanged amused glances. His enthusiasm was adorable.
“Yeah, I’ll say,” Sophia said, chuckling. “I had my first chicken fight loss in years because of you.”
Callum gave a sheepish grin.
“Actually,” he continued, checking his phone, “she’s visiting Emberfang today. She texted earlier saying she’s at the mall right now.”
“Really?” I asked. “That’s great!”
“I was thinking maybe you two could co with to et her?” Callum looked hopeful. “I’ve told her so much about my friends, and she’s excited to get to know you better.”
Sophia glanced at . “Are you feeling well enough, Hazel? You were just attacked a few hours ago.”
“I’m healing up nicely,” I assured her, standing to prove my point. “Werewolf healing has its perks. And honestly, I could use so normal friend ti after everything that’s happened.”
“What about the triplets?” Sophia asked. “Won’t they freak out if they co back and you’re gone?”
“I’ll text them,” I said, grabbing my phone from the nightstand. “They’re busy with pack business anyway, dealing with the Annie situation. This will be a good distraction.”
I quickly typed out a ssage to Lucas, Liam, and Levi, explaining where I was going and who I was with. Within seconds, Lucas replied that they were still dealing with the aftermath and to be careful. Liam added that Callum better keep safe. Levi simply sent a series of heart emojis followed by a threatening knife emoji that I assud was directed at anyone who might try to hurt again.
“All clear,” I announced. “Let’s go et your mysterious mate.”
Twenty minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of Emberfang Mall. The Silver Pines Mall was still closed after what happened with Annie due to ongoing investigations, so most shoppers ended up visiting the Emberfang Mall instead—there were way more people here than I imagined.
“Where are we eting her?” Sophia asked as we entered through the main doors.
Callum checked his phone again. “She said she’d be at the central fountain.”
We made our way through the mall, passing by shops and cafes bustling with afternoon shoppers.
As we approached the large decorative fountain in the center of the mall, Callum suddenly quickened his pace, his face breaking into a wide grin. He raised his arm in an enthusiastic wave.
“Cassandra, over here!” he called out.
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