The goal was that there would be harmony if the alphas of these species all shared the same mate. That these mixed packs would help our community as a whole because it would allow for less separation between species of wolves and make it easier to work together. What they didn’t account for was the bullshit dominance fight between the four blood-bonded packs on campus.

  So yeah, we had to put up with this stupid competition of which floor we would live in each semester, because for whatever reason, our wolves had convinced us that the sixth floor was important. It wasn’t. I honestly think the two packs were just bored and looking for something to do, and that happened to be fighting over who got the top floor.

  I didn’t mind the blood-bonded pack we were somewhat acquaintances with. We lived in relative peace, although we weren’t friends by any stretch of the imagination. I would, however, take their side over the two other fucking packs of blood-bonded. I could barely stand to be in the same room as those assholes.

  My brow dipped as I considered the possibility of them seeing Effie on campus. I would lose my shit if they came within a few feet of her, let alone talk to her.

  I was tempted to tell Caedmon about Effie now. I knew it would get him to campus… but I was going to wait. I wanted to see his reaction far too bad to ruin it right now. Plus, I knew I needed to talk to her and explain what was going on before he scared the hell out of her. I didn’t know for sure, but I think my mate was a bit flighty, and we needed to figure out a way to avoid that at all costs. There was no way I was letting her go now that we had found her.

  “Fine.” I shook my head. “We will switch this next weekend. Take the house. I have no idea why they want it when they travel all summer.”

  We could just rent another one. It wasn’t like any of us ever went home. I didn’t have a home to return to, and none of my brothers particularly wanted to go home to their original packs, so if they wanted to rent our normal place, I was fine with that.

  “That simple?” He arched a brow, exhaling on his cigarette. “Or are you just eager to get done with this meeting?”

  I think I hurt the bastard’s feelings. Oh well.

  “Honestly, I have something I totally forgot about,” I said as he nodded and pulled out his phone to send a quick text. I was way too nice to this guy. Maybe I was partly sentimental for the friendship we used to have. Or maybe I just knew it wasn’t worth rehashing our complicated past, considering he would be our problem again as soon as he recognized Effie’s presence.

  “I’ll let them know the plan. I’ll be in touch.”

  I didn’t say anything else, sliding out of the car and not bothering to ask him for a ride the rest of the way back to campus. I wasn’t angry at the bastard—I knew he had some serious issues when it came to earning his father’s approval—but I still felt a sense of betrayal at him essentially deciding we weren’t good enough to hang out with.

  I nearly smiled, thinking about how all of this shit was about to go down, because I was far more understanding than my other two brothers. They weren’t going to be nearly as accepting when Caedmon came running back with his tail between his goddamn legs because we’d finally found our mate. Let’s just hope that Effie could deal with his shit, because her opinion was really the only one I cared about.

  As I made my way up through a forested section, I hit the wards that surrounded campus and jogged the rest of the way up a hill to where campus truly began. Shit. It was absolutely freezing today. I mean, it was Wisconsin in January, and we were right on the lake. The lake that was frozen on the edges, creating peaks and ridges that looked almost solid enough to climb on.

  They weren’t.

  I frowned, thinking about how cold Effie could be right now. I didn’t like that shit at all. I pulled out my phone and sent her a quick message.

  Me: Almost back to campus, let me know where they place you.

  Because I would be changing it.

  Honestly, I somewhat expected her to tell me to fuck off for being so demanding, or maybe ignore me. I even put my phone away, knowing that nothing good could come from my overzealous behavior. It was odd, though—this was a far fucking stretch from my normal lighthearted temperament. Well, the one not attached to my wolf… he was different.

  I couldn’t help this, though. I mean, shit—I was twenty and I’d just found my goddamn mate. You try controlling yourself. I increased my pace, not even bothering to fight the urge to get to her as soon as possible. I would feel far fucking better the minute I could get my arms around her, have her close enough to me that nothing bad could happen.

  Was it so much to ask for her to never leave my side again? Okay, it was possible that was an extreme request.

  I had to wonder who the hell had thought it was a good idea to send Effie here. I mean, Kirkwall was a rather small and isolated town to begin with, filled mostly with different wolf packs. Unlike many parts of the country, it wasn’t segregated by territory. Did that mean we got along? Hardly. But there was respect there.

  Except when it came to mating. That shit was off limits. Good luck trying to come to an agreement over that without it turning into a dominance battle, because each species felt the pull of the mating bond differently. Unless you were in a blood-bonded pack like us. That pull was clear as day, and I was actually surprised Caedmon hadn’t smelled Effie on me, because I had almost instantly been tuned into her the moment I walked into the train car she was curled up in. It had taken a while for me to figure out who I was scenting, but once I did, I hadn’t been able to look away. The moment I’d met her gaze, though, my instincts had been secured, and I knew she was the one.

  Still, despite this town’s effort to be a ‘good place’ for shifters, I wasn’t positive why anyone would send a bitten here unless they were with a pack and under protection already. I had come here with a pack of lycan wolves, a lot like Caedmon, but had quickly separated upon forming our bond. She was here alone, and that spelled trouble.

  Being a bitten was held in extremely high regard at Silver Falls. As in, everyone would want to be around her and know her, but there was the added element that she was also a woman. I just wasn’t positive that Effie was aware of the effect she had on male wolves, and more so that bitten female wolves were considered the best possible choice of mate out of all. This was followed by bitten male wolves.

  So yeah, like I fucking said, catnip. Wolfnip? Sure, whatever.

  Fuck, I hated the concept of anyone but our bonded group considering her a potential mating option. I knew until we marked her and covered her in our scent, she wouldn’t be fully safe. Hell, until I was buried inside of her and our bond was one hundred percent solidified, she would be in danger of someone thinking they could take her. Not everyone cared about consent of mating as much as we did, and that was a fucking problem. I swallowed nervously, fighting my instinct to mark her immediately versus not scaring the absolute hell out of her. I knew we weren’t there yet. The group of us would just always need to be around her until we figured out a way to handle this.

  Putting aside that I had a hard time believing someone as perfect as Effie was our mate… I couldn’t believe a bitten wolf was our mate. That was a huge fucking deal. Because bitten wolves were comparatively ‘mostly human’ compared to the other three species, it allowed for the other genetic strains of wolf to come across stronger without cross-polluting with humans fully. Essentially, our wolves were usually weaker, so the pups that were born favored the other, more dominant, breed’s traits.

  It made me wonder how we had gotten so lucky that she not only ended up here but that someone hadn’t already tried to claim her. I suppose I didn’t know if anyone had tried, something that infuriated me, but it was clear they hadn’t been successful. I mean, shit—I had been in far too many situations before arriving here where I had been nearly forced into a mating bond myself. Luckily, I had been part of a pack that valued decency, but I knew the danger that existed out there.

  Plus, mating with bitten wolves introduced some variety into the genetic pool. It was a fucking nasty subject, frankly, but some smaller packs that refused to let in outsiders ended up inbreeding, because after some point… well, everyone was related. So yeah, smaller packs had a much simpler family tree, if you know what I mean. I cringed, trying to remove that thought process from my head, thankful that I’d been brought into such a ‘normal’ pack.

  I shook myself from those thoughts and looked around, noticing that campus was growing busier already despite classes not being in session this Sunday afternoon. The land itself was somewhat of an island, the campus nearly isolated from the city by a thick, frozen river on one side and the lake on the other. I had taken the route through the forest on the south end of campus, but even that was pretty heavily watched, and I knew that despite not seeing campus security, they were there.

  Unlike a lot of law enforcement back home, I trusted the security here. They had stopped far too many issues for me to not consider them trustworthy, so while I worried about someone talking to Effie, I knew she was safer on campus than off.

  I frowned, wondering how the hell I was going to explain to her that we were mates, because while I knew she could feel it… I didn’t think that she knew exactly what was going on, and if you added three more of us into that mix, it was only going to get worse.

  Preciosa: They are placing me in Eclipse building four. I’m not sure where that is.

  Fuck no.

  That was exactly what I was worried about. There were several Eclipse buildings, and the ones that the four blood-bonded packs lived in, taking up the top two floors, were three and four. Four consisted of the other assholes, and I would be dead before I let her live near them. I picked up my phone, dialing her number easily, and I found myself relaxing as she answered it after two rings.

  “Preciosa, long time no talk.”

  When I called her that the first time, I had seen the confusion that had clouded her stunning face, and while I had been tempted to explain… I was pretty damn sure it would be obvious all too soon how precious she was to me. Her soft, almost bell-like laugh came through the phone and had my chest warming at the mere sound. I tried to soften my words to not come across as a demanding ass.

  “Where are you right now?”

  “I think near a football field, maybe,” she mused, the wind whipping around her making her voice echo slightly. “After I checked in at the Student Union? Yep. That’s what it’s called. Hence the massive letters on it, spelling that out… anyway, they told me to go to Eclipse Four while pointing me across the street, so I think that is where I need to go?”

  I smiled as I turned the corner and immediately saw my adorable mate, my oversized jacket completely swamping her frame as she tried to focus on a map in her hand that kept almost blowing away. Fuck, she was perfect. I frowned, not liking how red her nose was as she shivered slightly, her cute ramble cutting off as she almost lost the map.

  My gaze ran over her colorful appearance as she frowned slightly, asking if I was still there, probably confused why I hadn’t responded since I was so caught up staring at her. Honestly, I absolutely loved looking at Effie. She was a magnet to the eye, and not just because of all the different colored clothes she was wearing.

  The woman was like a piece of art.

  “Look to your right,” I explained calmly. She turned, almost stumbling, a strand of multi-colored hair escaping her beanie. She flashed me a full smile, making me smile back, unable to escape her intoxicating pull. The first thing I was doing when I got her inside was taking off that damn beanie.

  I wanted to run my fingers through her hair and breathe in her scent. I also wanted to pull her up against my chest and wrap my arms around her protectively. I wanted her to curl up against me as we watched a movie inside my room so I could ensure she stayed warm. I had never been romantic or protective, but I couldn’t and wouldn’t bother stopping these thoughts and ideas from developing and growing. There was so much I wanted with Effie that I had never even considered before.

  Hanging up my phone as I neared her, I watched as she looked down at her own in surprise before closing it awkwardly. I had a feeling it was not only new but something she wasn’t used to using often.

  “Come on back inside real quick,” I explained, easily picking up her bag over my shoulder before offering my hand. My chest almost puffed out with goddamn pride when she intertwined our fingers almost right away. I couldn’t help but squeeze them a bit tighter, my wolf fucking thrilled that she was not only with us but covered in our scent and holding our hand.

  I know, this was ridiculous.

  The funniest part is that possessive and protective qualities weren’t even a trademark bitten wolf trait. Which meant that if I was this bad… well, I could only imagine what the others would be like.

  The Student Union was filled with people, instantly making me feel on edge. She looked around curiously, leaning into me slightly. I could tell she was confused by our connection, but there was also a natural, instinctual part of her that wanted to be closer. I hoped that when she met the others, she relied on that more than the rational part of her brain that would tell her to get the fuck out of here.

  Plus, as much as I cared about others being around her, I cared more about changing where she would sleep at night and getting her some food. My wolf growled at the concept of not knowing when she’d last eaten.

  “How was your meeting?” she asked softly, my eyes moving down to her after offering a dark look to some asshole that had snapped his head up on hearing her delicate, windchime-like voice.

  “I’m glad it finished quickly,” I expressed honestly as we walked back towards a set of offices that overlooked the football field. “Honestly, we probably could have handled it over the phone.”

  Effie looked down at the phone in her hand and offered it a cautious, almost speculative glance, as if she didn’t trust it. I smiled further, making me know my jaw would probably fucking hurt from being around her. The woman just had that effect on me. I don’t think I’d smiled this often in a very long time.

  “Why are we back here?” she asked curiously, the office assistant looking up at Effie’s voice before her cheeks flushed in realization of who I was. Something that annoyed me but would serve our purpose right now. Authentic shock filled her face as her eyes flickered down to Effie and our intertwined fingers.

  Yeah, I would give it an hour until this got around to everyone.

  “Hey again,” she greeted Effie. “Is there a problem?” I could see sincere concern there as my mate stared at her and then up at me with curiosity, probably not understanding why I dragged her sweet ass back in here.

  “I need her changed to Eclipse Three, our floor,” I said bluntly before sliding my student ID over to her. After examining my expression, the woman nodded, realizing I was serious and also realizing what that meant, having our fifth room finally taken up by someone. She started the change process immediately, without question, and I nearly sighed, knowing that I was going to need to tell the administration. I preferred to keep them out of shit as much as possible, considering they liked to exert control over their students, specifically the blood-bonded packs, as much as possible.

  At least the girl at the desk didn’t question my request. There were a lot of alphas on campus—well, not a lot, but a fair amount. It came with the money and power associated with the place. But the blood-bonded packs had been made up of the most powerful and dominant, so I didn’t blame this girl for being a bit scared of me.

  I was also glad that she had enough respect to not act like some of the women on this campus. Unlike other shifters, the blood-bonded packs made a point of not fucking around casually with others. Well, at least we didn’t, and I was pretty sure Caedmon’s friends felt similarly. There was absolutely no point. Since the start of college, we had been just waiting for our mate, knowing it was possible we wouldn’t find her until after we graduated. Luckily, that wasn’t the case. I think they had hoped this school would attract the best mates, and in the case of Effie being here, that was definitely accurate.

  I didn’t know exactly how to describe the surety that came with Effie being my mate. It was instinctual and unquestionable. There had been her scent. Then the way my wolf and I had reacted, the world heightening into pinpoint focus upon first meeting her gaze. Even the automatic way I grabbed her hand when we were at the train station. All of it was just natural. She was my mate. She was our mate, and I had never been so damn sure of something in my entire life.

  “Why the change?” Effie asked softly as the woman adjusted all of her information for room and board. I somewhat loved that I had so much control over the system, despite not using it often. Then again, I had a feeling I would do pretty extreme shit for Effie, so maybe I would be using it more often than not.

  “I want you close to me,” I admitted, only half explaining the truth of the situation. Her cheeks turned pink but she just nodded, not saying anything.

  Was it wrong I loved her slightly shy mannerisms? Everything she did was fucking appealing to me.

  “Here you go.” The woman offered my ID back as I realized we would need to get Effie’s as well at some point. Without another word, I led her from the room, knowing that she needed to eat whether she admitted it or not. My wolf was demanding it.

  “What are you in the mood to eat?” I asked curiously.

  Her brow furrowed. “I have no idea… honestly, I hadn’t thought past breakfast yesterday. It’s been a rather hectic couple of days.”

  I blinked, letting out a low rumble, realizing she just admitted to not having eaten in more than twenty-four hours. Yeah, absolutely not. I ushered her into the small corner store in the union and began to point out an assortment of options, gathering a basket’s worth of shit. She was going to need far more than this, but it was going to have to work for now. Plus, my wolf was literally clawing inside of me, trying to get out or for us to take action to provide for her. My eyes moved to the bag I was holding, knowing there was no way that she had anything close to what she needed or deserved.

 

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