Chapter 1

I heard a voice in the library.

'She's wearing a white dress today.

'She's a cute little fox.

'Her tail must be so soft.'

I looked up and glanced around.

The library was quiet, with only the soft rustle of pages turning.

Across from me, three rows of shelves away, sat Charlie White, a snow wolf and the cold school heartthrob.

He was reading a thick book about physics, head down, expression utterly devoid of warmth. His jawline was so sharp that it could cut glass.

Cold and untouchable. That was how every girl at school described him.

I was about to look away when I heard the voice again.

It was a cool, slightly husky male voice. Honestly, it sounded so much like Charlie's. But the tone was completely different.

'She's looking over here!

'Is this pose making me look hot?

'Do I look perfect from this angle, with chiseled features?

'Wait, why'd she stop looking? Is my hair not cool enough today?'

My pen hit the table with a loud clatter.

I thought I'd just unlocked some kind of insane power.

My name was Lila Fox, and I was a nine-tailed fox.

In my family, every adult fox would awaken their own special talent.

My aunt's talent was "absolute charm." With one look, she could make anyone fall for her.

My cousin's talent was "business instinct." He could sniff a contract and know exactly which project would make money.

As for me, on this totally random afternoon, I guessed I had gotten the power of mind-reading.

But here was the catch. It only worked on one person.

And that person was Charlie, the snow wolf sitting across from me.

I couldn't believe it.

To verify it, I picked up my pen and pretended to casually glance his way.

Charlie stayed in that same cold pose. He hadn't even turned a single page.

But I could hear him thinking, 'She's checking me out again!

'She must be totally falling for my looks.

'What should I do? Adonis said I had to keep my cool and couldn't let her have me too easily. That way, she'd be hooked for sure.

'But she's so cute. She looks like a fluffy kitten. I kind of want to pet her.

'Well, no, she's a little fox.

'I want to pull her into my arms, hold her close, and make her cry.'

I was so stunned that I couldn't even respond.

My mind was blown. My fox ears almost popped out from under my hair.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

I wondered who the guy called Adonis was.

And Charlie really surprised me. On the outside, he looked all proper, but his thoughts were all over the place. And honestly, they were kind of dirty.

I lowered my head. My mouth was already curling up.

This was too funny.

It was way more entertaining than the boring book "Principles of Finance" in front of me.

I decided to push it a little.

I stood up, hugged my books to my chest, and walked over to the shelves near Charlie.

As I passed by him, I pretended to trip.

"Oops," I squeaked. My books went flying everywhere.

"Principles of Finance" landed right at Charlie's feet.

Charlie thought, 'This is it. This is my moment.

'Time for the classic hero move.

'Adonis said I needed to act fast, strike a cool pose, and keep my eyes cold.

'I should grab the book in a second and then say "watch it" with my coldest tone. She'll be all over me.'

I looked at him. My eyes showed enough panic to seem real.

Charlie moved.

He bent down in one smooth motion, grabbed the book, and stood up.

Then he handed it to me.

The whole thing was seamless. He actually pulled it off and looked pretty hot doing it.

His eyes locked onto my face. His lips parted slightly.

I waited, totally excited, for his line.

But instead, his inner voice was practically screaming in my head.

'Her eyes are so bright, like stars.

'Her skin is so smooth and tender. I kind of want to bite it.

'Do her lips taste like peaches? Man, I really want to kiss her.

'No, Charlie. You're supposed to be the cold, untouchable snow wolf, not some tail-wagging golden retriever. Get it together and say the line.'

He looked at me. His Adam's apple moved as he swallowed hard. After a long pause, he finally forced out a few words.

"Watch where you're going," he said.

He shoved the book into my arms, turned around, grabbed his own books from the table, and walked off fast without even looking back.

His steps were hurried, and his retreat looked almost like a desperate escape.

I stood there, hugging my books, frozen in place.

A few seconds later, I couldn't hold it in anymore. My shoulders were shaking.

I covered my mouth with my hand, barely stopping myself from bursting out laughing.

Charlie was so pure. It was honestly adorable.

He wasn't the so-called iceberg at all. He was really a big, fierce-looking dog who was actually a total softie inside.

That annoying fox hunting instinct in me suddenly woke up. I was ready to play.

With Charlie around, I figured this game was going to be a lot of fun.