Until Death Do Us Apart ➪ 𝔼𝕣𝕚𝕔 ℂ𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕥𝕖𝕣

Chapter sixteen: Big Bad Wolf

Christina and I walked into the party, instantly swallowed by a wall of sound—bass thumping, bodies moving, voices rising above the chaos. The room reeked of cheap alcohol and sweat. My nose wrinkled on instinct.

"Will!" Christina squealed before bolting into the pit of dancers.

"Wait—Christina!" I called after her, but she was long gone, lost to the crowd and whatever Will's goofy smile promised.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I don't go to parties with Christina. I sighed and made my way to the drinks table, already regretting agreeing to this night.

As I reached for a cup, an arm suddenly wrapped around my waist from behind.

"Seriously—what the fu—" I spun around, fist halfway raised, ready to swing. My hand froze when I saw who it was.

Eric.

He held both arms up in mock defense, laughing softly. "You always this jumpy, or am I just that scary?"

"You scared the crap out of me," I grumbled, smacking his chest lightly.

He leaned in and kissed my cheek. My heart did a stupid fluttery thing I pretended not to notice. He handed me a drink, which I placed on the counter for a second. Then I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the dance floor.

"Dance with me," I said over the music.

Eric groaned, digging his heels in like a stubborn child. "You know I hate this crap."

"You don't hate dancing," I said, narrowing my eyes. "You hate people."

"Exactly," he muttered.

Rolling my eyes, I started dancing without him. He stood there, arms crossed, looking like a bored security guard. I gave up after a minute, sighing dramatically, and turned back to grab my drink—only for someone to slap it out of my hand.

"What the hell?!" I snapped, spinning to face the person responsible.

"Don't you know not to drink something you left unattended at a party?" the guy said coolly, folding his arms.

I frowned. "My friends were watching it."

He arched a brow and glanced across the room to where Christina and Will were grinding together like they'd invented the concept. I winced.

"Touché," I muttered.

"Name's Ace Black," he said, holding out a hand.

I blinked. "Ace... Black?" I couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "That sounds like a name out of a bad fantasy novel."

He smirked. "And yet, here I am."

I shook his hand despite myself, still chuckling. Then I glanced around, my smile fading. Eric was gone.

Scanning the room, I spotted him sulking in a dark corner like a pissed-off vampire.

"I'll be back," I told Ace and headed toward him.

"Hey," I said, lacing my fingers with his.

"Hi," he said shortly.

Something was off.

"Alright," I said, tilting my head. "What's wrong?"

He pouted and looked away.

"Oh my god, are you serious right now?" I tugged on his arm. "Ericcc."

"Go talk to Ace," he said flatly.

And there it was.

I smirked. "Jealous?"

He glanced back at me, then suddenly yanked me toward him by the waist. "Maybe a little."

I laughed and leaned up to kiss him, and he didn't hesitate to kiss me back. For a moment, everything else—the noise, the people, even the creepy drinks warning—faded away.

When we broke apart, I gave him my best innocent look. "Can I please skip training tomorrow?"

He raised a brow. "No."

I groaned. "You're so mean."

He smirked. "We have to be up early. I'm heading back to my place. You coming?"

I hesitated. I kind of wanted to. A movie night with him sounded way better than sweaty strangers and cheap vodka. But—

"I think I'll stay. Experience my first real Dauntless party."

He nodded and kissed the top of my head before disappearing into the crowd.

I made my way back to the drinks table, muttering under my breath, and poured myself another drink.

"Wiser choice," Ace said, appearing beside me like some annoying spirit.

I rolled my eyes. "Go away. You made my boyfriend jealous."

He chuckled. "So it is official. You're the one dating Eric."

I narrowed my eyes. "How do you even know that?"

"Everyone knows. Eric's the biggest, meanest, baddest wolf in Dauntless," he said, tossing the words out like a challenge.

I laughed nervously. "He's not that bad."

Ace's expression changed. He leaned in slightly. "You know what divergents are, right?"

I stilled. "Yeah. Why?"

"Because Eric kills them."

The words hit like a slap.

I blinked, staring at him. "What?"

He didn't answer. Just walked off, leaving me with a head full of fear and a heart sinking like a stone.

I tossed and turned in bed, Ace's words on a loop in my mind.

Eric kills divergents.

That couldn't be true. Could it? I knew Max and Jeanine had blood on their hands. But Eric?

He never said he hurt divergents.

Except—he knows I am one.

What if he's playing me? What if this whole time, he's been waiting, watching, getting close so he could—

I bolted upright, gasping.

No. No. I couldn't stay here.

I threw on clothes, not caring about noise, and burst out of the dorm. My feet flew down the stairs, my heart pounding as I burst out into the cool night air. I didn't stop, didn't think.

I was almost at the gate, about to disappear into the city, when a blinding light snapped on in my face.

"S T O P R I G H T T H E R E!"

A voice boomed from above.

And then—

All hell broke loose