Chapter 16

Sofia couldn't fathom why Mateo wanted her to randomly hop into a cab and get dropped off somewhere. It made no sense, but she knew playing along was the only way to keep her lycanthropic secret from Diego.

The next day after classes, Diego asked, "Want to walk home together?"

Sofia wished she could tell him no, but recalling how Mateo had interrupted her surprise last night, she figured accompanying Diego partway was the fair move before embarking on Mateo's bizarre errand.

"How was your day?" Diego asked as they set off.

"Fine," Sofia replied casually, her mind racing for a way to ditch him without suspicion.

A few blocks later, Diego spoke up again. "You seem distracted. Everything cool?"

Sofia plastered on a smile. "Yeah, totally. Just thinking about that group project."

Diego seemed to accept her excuse. But as the corner where they split approaches, Sofia's heart pounde