Chapter 77

Lila’s POV What did he just say?

I stared up at him with wide and shocked eyes. I could hardly breathe standing in front of him. We were outside and the air was starting to get brisk.

It was growing late in the evening and only the faint lighting of the moon, hidden behind a few clouds, lit up the ground around us.

“I can’t seem to get you out of my head,” Enzo repeated, keeping his eyes locked on mine. “And that’s a problem.”

I wanted to say something to him, anything, but no words were coming into my head. I couldn’t believe he was saying such a thing.

“Enzo, I—”

Before I could utter a single word more, he stepped closer to me, closing the small gap that sat between us. He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck to hold my head in place as he paced his forehead against mine.

His breathing slowed down to match mine and his eyes shut for a brief moment before he opened them and gazed down at my lips.

I wanted to stand on my toes and kiss him; I didn’t know what else to say or do.

“Ever since I found out you were my mate; you were all I could think about. And that’s a problem, Lila.

It’s a problem because we can’t be together in the way that I want,” his voice was low and husky. “As badly as I want to have my way with you, I have to restrain myself. But I’m going fucking crazy. I came here for you, and here you are trying to set me up with randoms... so excuse me while I’d rather do anything else before I stay here for another moment when all I really want to do is rip your clothes off.”

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My breathing grew shaky and when he dropped his hand from the back of my neck, it was like a slap in the face. I didn’t want his touch to go away. It was electrifying. I was mesmerized by this Alpha in front of me.

I bit onto my bottom lip, chewing on it to keep myself sane, but my lower abdomen was growing warm at the very thought of him.

He stepped away from me, leaving me frozen in place. I knew my face must have been completely red because I was growing incredibly warm.

“I’ll see you in class tomorrow,” he said, turning away from me.

I wanted to run after him as he began disappearing in the shadow region of the vacant streets, but my legs felt like jelly.

I finally managed to look back at the art studio. I had to go back in there.

Cassidy-Ann and Leroy Klein were both waiting for me.

Glancing back to the area that Enzo had walked toward, I saw that he was gone. I sighed, feeling slightly disappointed as I turned back and walked back to the studio.

Cassidy-Ann was still with her small group of people, including Leroy Klein, when I approached. She gave me a kind smile as she reached her hand out for me to take.

“There you are, Lila. We were just talking about you. I hope everything is okay,” Cassidy-Ann said sweetly as I stepped beside her.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I just had to make a phone call,” I lied, giving them my best smile.

“Mr. Klein was just explaining how he has a few new spots open for next year at his academy,” CassidyAnn said, glancing over at Leroy who nodded in agreement. “I was just telling him that I was going to be going to Monstro over the summer for the art show he’s holding at the academy. It’s one of the biggest art shows of the year and every famous person will be there.”

Of course, I’ve heard of Leroy Klein’s art shows.

It’s only ever been a dream to attend one of those shows. Anybody who is anybody attends it.

I wasn’t surprised that Cassidy-Ann would be attending such a show as well.

“As my assistant, I would want you to attend it with me,” she told me with a smile.

Was she serious?

She wants me to travel to Monstro and attend the most famous art show to ever exist? I could practically scream at her words. I couldn’t believe what was happening right now.

“We would be gone for the entire summer...so a couple of months,” she continued.

At that point, my heart fell back into my stomach. I had a disappointed feeling knotting inside of me and I felt Val’s head lowering.

We would be gone for so long...

That was two months away from Enzo. Val would never be okay with that.

I couldn’t just leave without talking to him about it first.

“Bring your portfolio once you get down there. I’ll take a look at it and if the board agrees, you might be getting an acceptance letter for next year,” Leroy added, giving me a wink in the process.

My eyes widened at his words and my shock must have been evident on my face because Cassie-Ann chuckled.

“I’m assuming that’s a yes?” She asked, eyeing me carefully.

“I...I have to think about it,” I managed to say.

They both looked at one another with frowns before looking back at me.

“It’s only for a couple of months, Lila. Plus, this will really benefit your career. You would be foolish to not go,” Cassie-Ann said, raising her brows. “If you need to think about it, please, take the time to do so.

But this spot won’t be open forever.”

“We can hold it just as long as you agree to come to the school to check it out,” Leroy chimed in. “If you don’t agree to it soon, I’m afraid I’ll have to give the opportunity to another student.”

My heart fell into my stomach; I knew I couldn’t keep them waiting forever.

“They will need a commitment before they hold the spot,” Cassie-Ann explained. “So, the sooner you give me the okay, the better.”

“Tomorrow,” I told them, looking at them both. “I’ll give an answer tomorrow. I just need to talk to some people first.”

“I was planning on booking the flights tomorrow,” Cassie-Ann said with a concerned frown. “I’d like to get that done sooner rather than later. So, you have until two o’clock tomorrow to give me an answer.

Understood?”

“Yes,” I said quickly, giving them a polite bow of my head. “I’ll give you an answer by two o’clock tomorrow. Thank you for understanding and thank you so much for this opportunity.”

“I hope you can make the right choice,” Leroy said, eyeing my face with his small and dark eyes. “This type of opportunity doesn’t appear frequently. You might not see it again.”

He turned on that note and went to mingle with a few others he had spotted. Cassidy-Ann remained behind. She had her arms folded across her chest and she was staring at me with such intensity I thought I was going to melt.

“I’m surprised you need to think about something like this. You’ve worked for me for a week, and you’ve always been the type to jump at any given opportunity. At least, I thought you were.”

“I am,” I said, furrowing my brows together. “I promise, once I make a final decision, I will let you know.

But I have a lot of family and friends I need to speak with first.”

“This is your life, not theirs. This isn’t their decision to make,” she said, still assessing my face carefully.

“Unless...” she paused for a moment before her eyes widened. “Unless it’s a boy.”

“What?” I nearly laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I would never allow a guy to dictate such an important decision in my life. I honestly mean it when I say I need to speak with my friends and family. I hope you can respect that.”

“Of course,” Cassidy-Ann said with a plastered smile. “I respect that very much. I need to mingle with some others. Please answer anyone’s questions if they may have some. Try to make some sales if you can.”

“Yes, mam,” I said, turning away and going toward a more secluded area so I could pull out my cell phone really quickly.

I instantly started to call Enzo; I wasn’t sure why, but I knew I needed to talk to him.

“Hello, this is Professor Enzo’s phone...”

For the hundredth time this evening, my heart fell into my stomach, and I felt a tight knot forming.

This might have been Enzo’s phone, but it certainly wasn’t Enzo who answered.

It sounded like Connie.