Denver, Tasha, Victoria, and Eric made their way to the bustling cafeteria, scanning the room for a vacant table. They finally spotted one with Claude and Nuella sitting at it, chatting animatedly and munching on fries."Hey guys!" Eric greeted Claude, giving her a warm hug before gesturing to the empty seat beside her. "Mind if we join you?"Claude smiled, shifting to make space for Eric to sit. "Of course not. It's always more fun with you guys around."Not Victoria and Tasha she continued inwardly giving them a look.As Eric settled into his seat, Victoria took it upon herself to hold Denver's hand, interlacing their fingers. Denver looked at her, a surprised expression on his face, but he didn't pull away.Nuella noticed the display of affection and grinned, nudging Claude playfully. "Looks like we're in the presence of some lovebirds," she teased, winking at Victoria and Denver.Nuella was not aware that Denver and Claude were mates and Claude didn't want her to know so she flowe

Claude sat cross-legged on her bed, surrounded by piles of clothes, toiletries, and other travel essentials. She had been preparing for the graduation all day, mostly doing it slowly to keep her mind occupied.The thought of spending a week in the wilderness had initially filled her with dread. She had never been much of an outdoors person and the idea of living without modern amenities seemed like a nightmare. But the promise of extra marks on her certificate had been too tempting to pass up.As she sorted through her clothes, Claude tried to focus on the positives. She had heard that the facilities at the campsite were top-notch, with all the necessary safety measures in place. And while she didn't know much about living in the wild, she was sure that she would pick up some survival skills along the way.But despite her attempts to stay positive, Claude couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that had settled in the pit of her stomach. What if something went wrong? What if she got

Victoria walked away from the group with Denver, her heart pounding with fear. She had never been camping before and the idea of sleeping in a tent alone made her feel uneasy. Denver, being the gentleman that he was, had offered to walk with her to her assigned room, but as they approached it, Victoria turned to him and suggested that they share a room.Denver looked at her with surprise. "Are you sure, Victoria? I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable.""I'm sure," she replied, feeling her cheeks flush. "I just feel a bit frightened, that's all. And I know it's silly, but I feel safer with you."Denver smiled kindly. "Of course, Victoria. I don't see any harm in it. We can still apply for the same rooms as everyone else has been appointed other rooms."Victoria felt a wave of relief wash over her. She knew that Denver was the kind of person who would protect her, and the idea of sleeping next to him made her feel more at ease. They quickly made their way to the reception desk and

Ria was no doubt her biggest motivation because after their brief mostly silent conversation, she felt like she could face the rest of group even if all she wanted to do before was curl up in bed and be miserable. Leaving her tent, she went looking for them and didn’t have to look long, the light from a bonfire and the chatter of excited teenagers as well as the delicious smell of roasted marshmallows telling her exactly where to go.It looked like the entire group was there and no one else shared her thoughts of wanting to be alone as they all chatted and roasted their marshmallows. Some people were coupled up, resting their heads on their partner’s shoulders as they talked about god-knows-what. She unconsciously searched for Denver among the crowd as she made to sit down but before she her eyes could do a full 360 around the circle of people, she was accosted by Nuella.“Claude!” She snapped looking both worried and angry. Claude turned to her friend with one brow raised as the both

She pulled back to meet a very stunned-looking Eric. She felt conflicted especially as Ria kept on stamping around in circles in her head showing her displeasure.Stop, Claude he’s not your mate! Ria kept shouting and Claude felt like shouting, “And when has that stopped anybody?” back at her, thinking about Denver and Victoria but she managed to stop herself. But apart from Ria’s nagging, there was also the fact that she hadn’t really felt anything when she kissed Eric. The pull she had been feeling before although still there, wasn’t as strong as before.She faced Eric again who still looked very dumbfounded and a warm blush covered her cheeks. “I’m sorry about that.” She said, scratching her head.“Um…” He shook his head as though trying to clear his thoughts. “You know how I feel about you, Claude. Doing that could really mess me up if you don’t reciprocate.” He said biting his lip like that was quite hard for him to say although the seriousness in his eyes was clear and Claude co