Scarlett

The rest of my first day at school went by quickly. Most of the students still watched me warily and every time I saw Blake he would grin and shake his head at me. He was really annoying me.

By the time the end-of-school bell rang, I was ready to leave. I'd had enough and if I saw Blake once more I wouldn't be responsible for my actions.

I made a quick stop at my locker before walking back out into the parking lot.

When I saw my new car parked in the parking lot, I felt a calmness settle in me at the thought of driving my baby home. I really needed it after the day I'd had.

I adjusted the strap of my school bag over my shoulder as my eyes met a set of stunning blue eyes. For a moment I stopped and took in the sight in front of me.

If Blake was a gorgeous, confident male whore, then this guy was sinfully stunning and the king of all male whores. He oozed sex appeal and an air of confidence that commanded attention. Immediately, I knew he was the leader of the other group, Cade Presley. I felt an air of authority around him and the only other person I felt that around was Blake.

I recognized him as the driver of the red Porsche I'd raced and I felt a smug smile tug at my lips as I held his gaze.

His hair was black like mine, although his was short on the sides and had a longer section on top that fell across his forehead. When his deep piercing turquoise eyes settled on me, I felt my body shiver at the intensity of it. Butterflies began to flutter in my stomach as I held his gaze.

I didn't have to know him to be able to tell that he was dangerous and ruthless. It was something I could sense.

Even dressed in a plain white shirt and faded jeans, he was gorgeous and looked ready for a photo shoot. It should be against the law for someone to be that good-looking; he was lethal.

I reminded myself that hot guys normally knew it and carried around an ego to match. He might look good on the outside, but I'd bet money he was not so good on the inside.

He was leaning against the side of his red Porsche.

I wouldn't let him intimidate me so I held my head high as I confidently walked toward my car. There were a couple of girls surrounding him, vying for his attention, but his eyes were fixed on me.

I watched as his eyes widened in surprise when I opened the door to the Maserati. The girls who were trying to engage him in conversation realized that his attention wasn't on them anymore and when they noticed that he was staring at me, they crossed their arms over their chests and glared at me.

As I slid into my car, I noticed the guy from earlier, the blond one with the short hair who had initially glared at me in my first lesson of the day. He walked up to Cade and stood by him. Both of them watched me intently as I started up my car and revved slightly as I backed the car out of the parking space.

I glanced back once more before I pulled out of the parking lot. The strangeness I'd encountered and gorgeous boys were forgotten as I raced home. The feel of the car gliding around the corners made me feel relaxed because I was back in control. By the time I arrived home, I was relaxed.

I parked the car in the garage and slid out. I still loved my other cars. I had various other cars but the Maserati was my favorite. When I needed to relax and drive fast, I drove the fast cars; when I wanted to go unnoticed, I normally used my Range Rover or Jeep.

Gary was in the kitchen when I walked in and dropped my school bag on the floor.

"So, how was your first day at school?" he asked with genuine interest.

"It was okay, but some of the students are a bit weird," I told him as I grabbed an apple and pulled up a chair next to him at the kitchen table.

"How were they weird?" he asked as he sipped his coffee.

"They kept watching me the whole time and it was almost like they expected me to attack them," I explained with a shrug. It still made no sense.

"Maybe they were just looking at a pretty girl," he explained with a smile and I rolled my eyes at him.

"There is definitely something up at that school. There are two different groups that seem to be run by two different guys," I tried to explain.

"You think they're some type of gangs?" Gary asked with concern.

"Maybe."

Gangs. I hadn't thought of that. That could explain why there were two groups that stuck together and didn't mingle with the other students.

"I don't like the sound of that," Gary said with a crease in his forehead.

"Relax, I know how to protect myself," I reasoned with him. He knew what I was capable of because he trained me himself. Despite what I said, I could see Gary getting that determined look.

"I'll be fine," I assured him.

I knew Gary well enough to know that if he thought there was something dangerous in my environment, he wouldn't hesitate to yank me out of the school and make me move to another place he considered safer.

"I can't let anything happen to you," he stated as his eyes softened. He took the responsibility of keeping me safe very seriously.

"Nothing is going to happen to me. Other than two tight groups, I didn't see any weapons or any fights. I think you might just be over-reacting. I don't want to move; I like it here."

"Fine," he muttered. "But if anything happens that I'm not happy with, we're moving."

I gave him a brief nod. Even if he was right and the two groups at school were gangs, if I had nothing to do with them and kept my distance I wouldn't have anything to worry about. I still couldn't figure out why they had given me strange looks, but I was sure after a while they'd forget about me.

As soon as I was done with my homework that afternoon, Gary started with my training. I knew it was the fear that something could happen to me that had spurred it on.

He was normally very strict and determined with my training, but this time he pushed me harder than he ever had before. By the end of it my legs were wobbly and my arms hurt. I lay on my back on the sparring mat with the sweat pouring off of me. I'd definitely be feeling it the next morning.

Gary stood above me and gave me a hand up.

"Are you trying to punish me?" I teased as I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

"I'm just making sure you know your stuff," he stated with a smile, but I knew him well enough to see the worry hidden beneath the grin.

"Don't worry," I told him as I walked out of the gym, leaving him standing there drying off his face with a towel.

If it kept him from hiring a bodyguard to protect me, I'd do double the training I normally did to keep him happy. I didn't want some bulky guy following me around at school.

I was so sore that the first thing I did when I went upstairs to my room was head straight to my bathroom to run a bath.

With a sigh, I stripped my clothes off and sank into the warmth of the water that eased my tired muscles. I lay in the bath until my fingers started to wrinkle and the water began to cool.

Once I got out of the bath, I put some clothes on and then headed downstairs for an early dinner. It was one of the perks of having a chef: I got him to make all my favorite meals.

It was late when I went back upstairs to my room and Gary disappeared into his study. The sun had set already and it was dark outside. I stood by my bedroom window, looking up at the bright stars in the sky, admiring at how beautiful it was.

I inhaled the distinctive smell of fresh rain. I searched for the source and my eyes widened in shock when I saw a huge wolf sitting on the inside of my property by the boundary wall.

It was a massive black wolf—I'd never seen a wolf that big. I even rubbed my eyes and looked again to make sure I wasn't seeing things. It was completely black and its amber eyes glowed in the darkness as it watched me.

Feeling vulnerable, I shut my window and took a step back.