"W-What?" Jackson asked, his eyes widening.

Areum crossed her arms and looked away."Just act like you don't know me. When you see me in the hall, just walk past me as if I'm just another one of these students."

Jackson just stared at her, unable to understand her, "Why?"

"It’s just easier that way. Oh and if you hear anything about m--…never mind. Just pretend that we're strangers. That's all I'm asking."

Jackson's inner wolf just stared at her with large puppy dogs eyes, they were so sad and so watery that when Areum turned to look at Jackson he was mirroring almost the same look.

Her lips parted and her heart constricted when she saw such a heart broken look on his face. She had never seen anyone other than her sister look at her with eyes like and it made her feel bad.

If anyone, she figure that Jackson would be the most thrilled that she wanted to pretend that she didn't exists.

Hell, she thought he'd want the same thing.

"What did I do?" Jackson asked curiously, his eyes still peering in to hers.

Areum gave him a grim smile that barely constituted for a smile, "Nothing. It's not your fault. I-It's just easier for me and you. I don't think a TA should be seen around with a student that closely anyways. It might jeopardize your job. So this is a win-win."

Jackson stared at her, completely lost. This wasn't a win-win. Unless win-win meant that one person lost. , he wasn't even a real teacher and he wasn't even offered a real position anywhere. He just got Mason to just use some voodoo-wolf magic to produce the right paper work and references.

Well, Mason said it was magic but Jackson was pretty sure it was just skilled forgery.

Apparently the elders were getting restless with the prince and his lack of mate so they were willing to let a few laws be broken to help him 'court' her.

But now it was all backfiring.

'W-What? Why doesn't she like you? She's your mate. No, please. Make her stay.'

' her. If she doesn't want you around, then give her what she wants.'

Jackson stared down at her, his puppy dog  eyes melting into a look of darkness. "You want me to stay away?"

Areum looked up at him and gulped. "Yes."

Jackson turned away and started walking away, leaving her on her own while his eyes flashed an angry purple. "Fine."

-----

Jackson walked aimlessly around the school suddenly feeling a lot dizzier than he remembered.  He had purposely got the Admissions office to place him in all the courses that someone taking Areum's major would take, which meant that he was sitting in on every one of her classes.

Boring? Yeah.

Was it worth it? After what she said to him? He wasn't so sure.

He had skipped the class that she was supposed to have right after she told him to pretend like they didn't know each other but now he was thinking that maybe it was a bad idea.

Ever since he listened to his rouge side, his inner wolf was fighting with his human and it was making it hard for Jackson to move.

It was like they were taking over his senses and it made it almost impossible to hear anything else. His ears were ringing and his vision was blurring as he stumbled down the hallway.

'Why did you do that? You should've told her no? Is your ego that big? The whole point you came to this human school was her, why would you say fine?'

'Because who is she to tell you what to do? She doesn't want you around her. She's embarrassed, so what are you going to do? Just whine pathetically at her feet? You're the prince. People whine at you.'

'Maybe if you treat your mate better, she wouldn't be this wary of you.'

'Maybe if she treated you with respect you would've given her the time of day.'

'I love her.'

'I hate her.'

Jackson felt nauseous as a cold sweat washed over him. It was like having a high fever without actually being sick.

Medicine wouldn't work.

He only had one cure.

And she wanted nothing to do with him.

He closed his eyes and stopped in front of one of the lockers and pressed his forehead on it to let the cool metal freeze the sweat that was making him both uncomfortably hot and cold. He pried his eyes open and frowned when the locker he was standing at wasn't as grey as the rest.

He pulled his head back a little, trying not to fall over from the sudden heaviness in his skull and squinted his eyes when he saw something written in red paint, fading off the locker.

Jackson made a face as his eyes traced the angry words.

Someone needs a hug.

It always stunned him how angry humans were, but usually they didn't act without being provoked which meant that there was a reason that someone would want to paint those words on the locker.

"I wonder what she did to piss someone off." He mumbled tiredly.

"I'd say she deserved it."

Jackson turned his head, blinking slowly, looking at the person talking to him. He scrunched his nose when he was hit with a smell so foul that it made him even more  nauseous.

"Wha--"

Yoomi slid her palm up Jackson's chest but he couldn't find the energy to push her away. The more time he spent away from Areum, knowing that she didn't want him, was making him weaker.

It would've been fine normally, but because she was being upset  at him, his energy was draining faster.

"She's known for being the school's tramp. Not a lot of people like her anyways. She lives up to her title and she knows it because she barely fights back. She's a huge . But don't worry about that. You're the new temp TA  right?" She purred, her eyes half lidded as she bit on her lip.

Jackson knit his eyebrows but all he could do was lean away so that his back was pressed against the locker. This only gave Yoomi a better vantage point when she trapped him against it with her body.

She made him so uncomfortable.

She was different.

Different than Areum.

She was shorter, it made her seem almost unnaturally small, unlike Areum  whose top of her head reached his nose.  Yoomi, on the other hand, barely made it to his chest.

He didn't like this whole thing.

It made him feel gross.

"Yeah, and I'd prefer if you keep some distance between us. I like to be professional relationships with my students. Since that's all they are. Students." He mumbled weakly.

Yoomi's finger circled his chest with a pout, "I was hoping you'd see me as more."

What the hell?

Jackson rubbed his forehead , "I don't and I won't, trust me.

"You look familiar." She had a glint in her eye that made Jackson think that she knew more than she was letting on.

Suddenly it him.

The bunny at the party.

The girl who tried talking to him when he was walking towards Areum.

.

He grabbed her finger and squeezed in as he limply leaned towards her. "Stay away from me."

The girl smirked and pressed her hips against his, but unlike any other boy, he didn't feel or even the slightest bit aroused.

"Aww, you don't mean that. For a future teacher I wonder why you found yourself going to student held party. I think you like to play more than you want people to know."

Jackson growled and bent down at her, "Don't act like you know me."

"I think I know you pretty well, purple eyes