Artemis' Gift Book 4

PAYNE

Walking away from her was a struggle, but I couldn’t bear to watch her, knowing she’d likely return to her boyfriend.

I hadn’t anticipated the surge of anger that welled up within me. This was a feeling more familiar to War than to me. How was he coping with this?

How were all of them managing their feelings for their mates? It seemed like an impossible task. We could always just kill the boyfriend, my wolf suggested nonchalantly. ~Sirius would be a pain if we did that,~ I sighed in response.

He’d do the same for Penelope, my wolf pointed out. That was true. No one dared to get close to Sirius’s mate, or they’d face his wrath. ~Desmond and Wade would react the same way,~ my wolf added.

Casey would definitely kill them first, we’ve seen it, I chuckled. ~And Wade would certainly kill for Ciara.~ They were all so deeply in love with their mates.

I’d always observed them, knowing that one day it would be my turn. But I wasn’t prepared for the intensity of emotions I felt when I laid eyes on Hella.

It was as if I could kneel at her feet and worship the ground she walked on. I’d never felt this way about anyone before, and it was hard to accept that she was with someone else. And you wanted to reject her, my wolf growled at me.

You know we can’t do that, I countered. ~She has to be the one to reject us.~ Lycans were fiercely loyal to their true mates and we couldn’t reject them. The rejection had to come from them, as we could only love our true mate.

She won’t reject us. She likes us. You saw how she looked at us during class, my wolf smirked. ~She couldn’t take her eyes off us and she was turned on… She’s going to dump her boyfriend for us, trust me.~

I lost him the moment he laid eyes on his mate. Now he was all for us starting something with her. But introducing humans into our world was a risky idea.

I walked into the dean’s office. He was a friend of mine and greeted me with a warm smile. I took a seat in front of his imposing desk.

He asked me how my first lecture went. The dean was oblivious to my true nature, but we’d met on an excavation in South America before I attended Penelope’s coronation.

“How did it go? Are you satisfied so far?” he asked.

“Yes, it went well. The students seem interested and engaged,” I replied.

“That’s good to hear.” he nodded. “I’ve cleared some time in your schedule as you requested. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Thank you. I’ll go prepare for my next class.” I stood up and left his office, heading back to my own. I spent hours working on what to discuss with my students next. When I was too tired to focus, I decided to go for a run. That would surely help.

The university was surrounded by a lush forest, so I wouldn’t be disturbed. I returned to my room, changed into my running gear, and headed for the forest. Once I was deep enough, I stripped and shifted.

I began to run, hoping to release some pent-up tension. But all I could think about was Hella. Damn it. This wasn’t like me. My mind was usually filled with lore or my duties as Beta for Casey and Desmond. But now, she was all I could think about.

The way she looked at me when we first met, and when she discovered I was her professor. The jealousy in her eyes when she saw the girls from her class talking to me. It was enough to get me riled up.

I picked up a scent that I recognized as her boyfriend’s and instinctively followed it. I didn’t know why I felt compelled to do so, but it was as if something was about to happen and I needed to be there.

I ran through the forest, the trees seeming to part for me, until I reached a house. A house? What was I doing here? I stayed hidden among the trees, observing the house. I lifted my snout to the air and caught Hella’s scent.

I strained my ears, trying to determine if she was still there. She was. I heard her shouting at someone, so I focused harder to catch the words. I was tempted to get closer, but a wolf my size and color would be hard to miss.

“How could you?!” she screamed. “We’ve been together a year and you just went and cheated? I can’t stand you!”

“Babe, it was a one-time thing, I swear,” Tobias pleaded. “I’m sorry, please forgive me.”

“You can go to hell! There’s no way I’m forgiving you for this.”

I heard something crash inside the house, and then she stormed out, wielding a baseball bat. She stopped in front of a blue car and began smashing it to pieces. Wow. Note to self: never mess with my mate, I thought.

She’s stronger than you thought, my wolf chuckled. ~She’s perfect for us. She’ll fit right in with the pack. Casey will love her.~

After she was done with her destruction, she dropped the bat and ran toward the woods. Damn it.

I noticed she was crying, which made me freeze. A wave of anger washed over me. I wanted to rush into the house and kill Tobias. He had no right to make her cry.

While I was imagining a thousand ways to make him pay, Hella ran toward me. I needed to move, and fast. I started running back to where I’d left my clothes, but I heard a gasp behind me. I turned to look at her. She stood there, stunned, staring at me.

“What the fuck…,” she muttered. I turned and ran again. I couldn’t approach her, not yet.

I shifted back as soon as I reached my clothes and ran back to my room. I closed the door behind me and sighed. What the hell was I doing? She looked so sad, she needed me.

I took a shower and changed into dark clothes. I waited for nightfall, then tried to locate Hella’s dorm.

Her scent was stronger to my nose than the others, but the problem with a campus is the multitude of different smells that blend together. I was grateful for my tracking skills.

I followed her scent to a building not far from the main one. I crossed the gardens, avoiding security, and looked for her window.

I needed to make sure she was okay. Discovering that her boyfriend had cheated on her must have been devastating. She didn’t deserve that.

I took my time, carefully scanning the area until I found her. She was sobbing on her bed, her friend attempting to console her. Ensuring I was well concealed, I eavesdropped on their conversation. Great, now I’m acting like a total creep.

“Can’t believe he did this to you,” her friend said, her tone laced with irritation.

Something about her words didn’t ring true to me. Could it be… He cheated on Hella with her own friend? What kind of lowlife does that?

“Yeah… I gave his car a good beating,” Hella admitted. “He was all, ‘babe, I only love you. She doesn’t matter’ and all that crap. I never want to see him again.”

“That’s probably the best thing,” her friend agreed. “You deserve so much better.”

“Thanks, Holly. I just want to move past this as soon as I can…”

“I get it,” Holly said, offering a comforting smile. “Let’s crank up some tunes and dance. I’ve even got some wine hidden away. We can get totally hammered if you’re up for it.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Hella said, her tears drying up as she grinned.

Holly reached for her phone, blasting some music before retrieving a bottle of wine from under her bed. Typical college kids…

I let out a sigh of relief, knowing she would be okay. I was about to head back to my room when I saw them start to dance. Damn it…

Hella moved with such allure… I found myself unable to look away, feeling a stirring within me. Now I understood how the others felt about their mates. Dancing was a perilous activity, and I found myself wishing she would save those moves just for me.