And no, I wasn’t talking about the desire coursing through me… that had been constant since arriving here. This was something different, and it was flaring underneath my skin dangerously. My wolf let out a small noise that almost escaped my throat.

  “He’s not a wolf.”

  Was that why I was reacting so poorly? “What is he?”

  My response had her curling up as she offered me a perplexed look. Wonderful. That wasn’t helpful, unfortunately. When a piece of paper landed in front of me, I looked up to find Caedmon laying the course packet there, his eyes worried and dark. I tried to offer him a comforting smile, but I wasn’t positive that it worked, because if anything, he looked more concerned.

  My gaze flickered down to read the syllabus. Economics 101, taught by Ryder Bosu. That was a name I found myself wanting to roll across my tongue.

  “Hey there,” a voice said next to me as I turned my head, realizing that everyone around us was talking. Introducing themselves? Crap. See, this is what happened when I zoned out. I turned and tried to focus on the young man next to me. His eyes were somewhat warm, and I tried to offer a hesitant smile, forcing myself to not look at the enigmatic men in the front of the classroom.

  “Hi.” I offered a small smile.

  “I’m Charles.” He offered a hand. “I think we are supposed to introduce ourselves to each other.”

  “Honestly, I wasn’t paying attention,” I admitted, meeting his hand. “My name is Effie.” Almost the minute our hands touched, a low growl came from the front of the classroom, causing Charles to pull his hand back, his face flushed, as his eyes darted down to my neck with surprise. Maybe at me being a bitten wolf?

  His reaction was confusing enough, but more so was Caedmon’s reaction, annoyance clear on his features. At what? I shrunk slightly in my chair, wondering if it had been something I’d done. His gaze moved from Charles, warming on me and making me relax just slightly. Maybe not.

  Instead of Charles trying to talk to me anymore, he looked down at his syllabus, leaving me to look back up towards the front of the classroom. Ryder, or Professor Bosu, which didn’t feel exactly right, was talking to Caedmon. They seemed to be in a heated discussion, and my face felt flushed because I didn’t understand what was going on here. Why did Caedmon look so upset? Before I could ask, Ryder broke away and walked around his desk.

  “Alright, now that you’ve introduced yourself to your neighbor, I am going to be pairing you up for the semester. Remember, this person is going to be your lifeline for any questions. I don’t answer shit after hours,” he drew out, his eyes flickering over everyone with a boredom that surprised me. Mostly because his gaze was so different whenever it met mine.

  I wish I could tell you I heard the other names of my classmates as Ryder announced the pairs, but instead, I simply felt overwhelmed. Everything about this first class seemed fast-paced and complicated—something I wasn’t used to when I was in charge of my own schooling and could take my own time. I was starting to wonder if maybe this was too much for me. It wasn’t until we had reached the end of the list that I realized I hadn’t been assigned a partner yet. Caedmon walked over and sat next to me, looking much more relaxed.

  “Uneven number, so we are going to work together,” he offered quietly, looking over my reaction as I nodded happily. I played with the edge of my syllabus, careful to not accidentally tear it with my nervous fidgeting.

  “You okay?” he asked gruffly as Ryder gave some type of direction, but my ears were still ringing from his energy circling the room.

  “I feel overwhelmed,” I admitted, meeting Caedmon’s gaze. I did. I felt overwhelmed by them. By class. By Ryder. By all of this.

  “We can leave,” Caedmon immediately offered, a slight thread of panic in his gaze I hadn’t expected. I opened my mouth to tell him that maybe it was a good idea, only to have a shadow eclipse my space, a chair moving across the floor as I found myself suddenly looking up into Ryder’s handsome face. My mouth opened slightly in surprise, because there was absolutely nothing like being around him in person. This close. He smelled just like he did in my dream, but it was so much more intense being in his space.

  How was any of this even possible? Did he remember the dream? There was absolutely no way, right? Maybe it hadn’t been him, just someone that oddly looked exactly like him and no one else I’d ever met before…

  “You look like you’re about to pass out, Effie,” he observed, his eyes darting over to Caedmon. “Why?”

  “Because she’s overwhelmed, and you’re not helping,” Caedmon leveled, his voice soaked in dominance. A comment that Ryder ignored as he looked back at me, almost speculative and making me feel as if I was under inspection. I shivered as a soft energy wrapped around me suddenly, making me breathe out on a short exhale.

  “Why are you overwhelmed?” he asked, his head tilting as he leaned forward, his gaze completely on my face.

  “Lots of reasons,” I answered, my voice soft. “Partly because of you.”

  Caedmon wasn’t wrong, and I was almost positive I wasn’t supposed to say that to my teacher. I mean, I didn’t know for sure, but I felt like this conversation wasn’t normal to have with your professor. Call it a hunch.

  “Me?” he questioned, his eyes flashing with something.

  “Professor Bosu?” a female voice called out as his burnt eyes examined my expression, a wave of emotion crashing through them, before he seemed to smooth it out and look up at whoever had called him.

  Honestly, the man was nearly unrecognizable with his indifferent mannerisms as he stood and crossed the room towards a pair of students, both looking frustrated. I blinked, clearing my vision, and looked down at my desk, feeling as though I could finally pull in a breath. Ryder had a very overwhelming effect on me.

  A hand gently wrapped around my own, pausing the shaking, as I looked up into a pair of green eyes that were growing more familiar. I sank against my chair as I tightened my hand on him, something like pain and affection in his gaze. I didn’t let go, liking the warm, hard feeling of his grip against mine.

  “Alright, that’s enough for today. Make sure to look over the syllabus,” Ryder called out after a few moments of us sitting in somewhat silence. “We will have a full quiz on the reading material on Wednesday before diving into chapter 1. This will be the first and only time class will be cut short, so be ready. I highly suggest staying ahead of the material, because I won’t be taking any extra time. Caedmon is free to answer questions, but I am not.” His eyes darted over to me, causing me to blush.

  Caedmon muttered something as everyone began to file out. I took the syllabus and opened my bag, finding a pale purple folder that one of the guys must have picked out for me. I put the syllabus in it, trying to calm my breathing, and didn’t even realize the classroom was empty until I looked up and found Ryder sitting in the seat across from me once again, his gaze completely focused on my expression. I froze, my fingers pausing on the zipper as Caedmon let out a frustrated rumble.

  “Ryder, cut it out,” he insisted on a low hiss.

  “I’m not doing anything.” I felt like there was a ‘but’ that he wasn’t including onto the end of his sentence. Like he wanted to do something. What did he want to say?

  “Let’s get you to your next class.” Caedmon stood, and I followed him up. Ryder’s gaze dipped along my body as he continued to offer me a look I couldn’t quite interpret. I found myself wanting him to like what he saw, but that made no sense. Instead, I shrank slightly. His gaze snapped up to mine, confusion and something darker filling his gaze.

  “Later,” Caedmon insisted. A wave of frustration ran over my skin. I could tell that the two of them were not saying something. It was similar to how I had felt in the dorms yesterday. The lack of knowledge only made me feel more uncomfortable and lost, creating a sense of anxiety that was growing in size and depth.

  Ryder took in the determined set of Caedmon’s jaw before nodding sharply, standing and all but dismissing us as he turned back to the desk. I swallowed, feeling awkward as Caedmon led me from the room, and I had to will myself to not look back because I could feel Ryder’s penetrating gaze on me.

  I was distracted enough as we left that I was authentically surprised when Caedmon pulled me down a hallway we passed, pressing me against the wall. My breathing hitched as his hands came down on either side of me, trapping me without touching me. I very much wanted him to touch me. I didn’t feel panicked as I assumed I would, being cornered. My heartbeat slowed as his magic surrounded me, that dangerous edge under his skin only making his closeness that much more appealing.

  My face felt flushed, and my magic was sparking in a combustible manner from Ryder and now Caedmon. Magic that I wasn’t used to. Magic that didn’t feel as familiar as usual, my wolf letting out a soft whine of confusion. I’d never reacted to anyone like this in my life, and within twenty-four hours, I’d met five men that all seemed to elicit intense and confusing responses.

  Unpredictable. Change.

  I didn’t like this. I didn’t like this at all.

  I loved it, and that scared me.

  “Effie.”

  I blinked, trying to clear my head as a tremble worked through me.

  “Mon ange.”

  Nope. Still wasn’t happening.

  “Effie.” Caedmon’s voice was harder and colder, snapping my attention to him as he gripped my jaw firmly yet gently, making me look him right in the eye. My head tilted back as I examined the way his green eyes ate up my expression, concern and a cool, clinical nature intermingling to create a confusing mix that I found oddly intoxicating.

  What was wrong with me? Seriously?

  “I’m sorry,” I whimpered, worried he would be mad at me. His hand instantly loosened, panic filling his gaze.

  “Nothing to apologize for,” he soothed. “I don’t know how to help you, mon ange. What can I do?”

  I looked at him, realizing he was still not fully touching me as I voiced my quiet suggestion. “This is going to sound ridiculous… but can I have a hug?”

  Yes, I knew it was silly.

  I had loved my hug with Tore today, and I wanted another, specifically from Caedmon. Shock seemed to filter through his gaze, and in a quick movement, he had me gathered against him, his large arms anchoring me against his muscular body. My fingers gripped his shirt before sliding around his neck, loving the way that his large arms tightened around me. I didn’t even mind the slight bit of pain in my ribs, because this superseded it completely. This relief. I had no idea how long we stood there, but eventually I let out a slow breath and shivered, running my nose against his chest. His chin was on top of my head, and I felt completely covered by him, the two of us wrapped up in one another, sheltered from the overwhelming world outside of this hallway.

  “Caedmon? Effie?” Julian’s voice sounded concerned as the man holding me stiffened. He didn’t move away—luckily, for my fragile ego—but he did pull back slightly, offering Julian a look that I couldn’t see.

  “Everything okay?” Julian asked almost cautiously. I hesitantly looked at his expression, wondering if he would be mad at Caedmon holding me like this. I mean… he had kissed me, right? Yet the concept of him being upset didn’t make sense to me at all, and his face was void of anything but concern, making me wonder if yesterday had even happened. Well, also this morning.

  No. Both of those had very, very much happened.

  “Yep.” I clung onto Caedmon as he let out a soft rumble and buried his nose in my hair again. When a warning bell rang, I jumped and he stilled me, separating us slightly as Julian continued to stare at us with confusion.

  “Ready to go to your next class?” Julian asked, offering me a hand. I looked at Caedmon, who just nodded and then stepped back. I took Julian’s hand and followed him out from the hallway.

  “Are you going to be back at the dorms later?” I asked, looking back at Caedmon. I wasn’t ready for our moment to end. Not yet.

  “Yes.” He nodded immediately. “I need to move some of my stuff back.”

  I blushed. “I may have left my comforter in your room.”

  He flashed a small smile, looking down at his shoes momentarily. “Good.”

  Then he was gone, and Julian shook his head, smiling. “You know, Effie, I’m a bit jealous. Now he’s going to expect you to sleep in his room every night.”

  I looked down, a smile pressing on my lips. “Yeah?”

  “How am I supposed to sleep with you now?”

  “You could join us,” I immediately answered, and found myself embarrassed.

  Oh yeah, Effie, that’s a normal response. I felt a twinge of awkwardness and embarrassment because of what I had just suggested. In true Julian fashion, though, he let out a deep chuckle and wrapped an arm around my hip, pressing a kiss to the side of my head.

  “Maybe I’ll do that, preciosa,” he mused and murmured something else under his breath. I didn’t catch that part, though. Instead, I was overwhelmed by the fact that he was willing to do just that… to join us. That concept had me feeling a flush of heat that felt dangerous to both of us.

  “You look flushed,” Tore mentioned. “You feeling okay, lil bit?”

  I jumped, surprised by his sudden appearance as I flashed him a hesitant smile. “Yes, just sort of a long morning.” Filled with a bunch of emotions that I wasn’t prepared to handle at all. Tore examined my expression and nodded slowly.

  We left the building, walking towards the humanities department as I asked, “What classes do you guys have today?”

  “Graphic design,” Tore said. My brows jumped with interest, because did that mean he was majoring in that? I absolutely loved that concept. I didn’t know much about graphic design, but I wanted to know more.

  “Is that your major?” I asked softly. His nod had me wanting to ask more, because there was a slightly unsure nature to his expression. Did he not like his major? Did he like it but thought it was embarrassing in some way?

  “I have Physics in the next building over,” Julian explained.

  I found something almost sad, or maybe thoughtful, in his gaze. I squeezed his hand in response as we entered the larger, slightly older building that we’d been walking towards.

  “Dakota will be here after class. He had a meeting, but make sure to wait for him,” Tore said after a few moments of us walking towards my class. It was odd how they almost predicted my thoughts, and I absolutely loved it. I had been wondering where he was, but more so I had been wanting to know where to go after.

  As we reached the door to the classroom, I met the eyes of the professor up front, a young woman that offered the three of us a somewhat surprised look. Tore and Julian said goodbye to me, much like earlier, making me almost let out a dreamy, stupid sigh as I watched them walk away. When I turned back into the classroom, the teacher looked away, but not before her surprise registered once again. I walked into the room and found a seat a few rows back, on the far line of desks against the window looking out at the lake.

  How did anyone focus on class with views like this?

  I tensed slightly when someone sat right next to me, my eyes flicking up to find a young woman who was now somewhat familiar. The red-haired woman from the restaurant stared back at me with a copper gaze that seemed far more relaxed and well-rested than the night before. Hadn’t this been a freshman class? I’d thought she was older, but I guess that had been an assumption. Her entire energy was filled with strength, and there was a haunted edge to the way she looked at things. Almost a palpable jaded view. Not that I could blame her—everyone has had different experiences in life. For all I knew, she had it worse than me.

  She adjusted her baseball cap, pulling her ponytail tighter as she offered me a hesitant smile. “Hi.”

  “Hey,” I offered with a shy smile. “You’re from the diner yesterday, right?”

  “Yep.” She put out her hand. “Ruby.”

  “Effie.”

  I met her hand as I again tried to feel out what type of wolf she was, but I was unable to determine it by the time I pulled back my own. She wasn’t fenrir or anything like the guys, but whatever she was, it was full of power. There was energy running under her skin, and it felt like a wolf, but once again, that didn’t feel like the right term for it.

  “Oh, I think the entire school knows your name by now,” she teased lightly, almost looking sad. “First found mate to a blood-bonded pack on SFU’s campus. I’m surprised they haven’t let the media on campus for that shit yet.”

  What?

  “Mate?” I echoed.

  Was she saying that I was mated to the guys? I mean, first found mate… to the blood-bonded pack. Considering I only knew one blood-bonded pack, I had to figure that was what she was saying. The thought of being their mate gave me so much joy and contentment…

  …Only to be crushed by the disappointment and realization that they hadn’t told me. Why wouldn’t they have told me? Because it wasn’t the case? Or because they didn’t want me to know because then it would mean they had to accept me? Or reject me? My wolf ignored my inner ramblings and began jumping around in excitement.

  Ruby’s eyes widened. “Please tell me I am not the one breaking this news.”

  I opened my mouth, then closed it, before frowning. “I don’t know. I mean, no. Yes. Sorry, I’m just a bit confused because they hadn’t said anything. But how would you know that? You’re saying they are my mates?”

  Her jaw clenched as she ran a hand through her ponytail before muttering, “This is none of my fucking business.” She met my gaze and winced. “I’m sorry, Effie, just ignore me.”

  Before I could say anything, another woman sat in front of Ruby and pinned her with an amused look. “Are you scaring the poor girl? Already? How long have you been sitting here? Less than a minute is a record, even for you.”

 

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