Artemis' Gift Book 4

PAYNE

I made a hasty retreat to my office, the scent of Hella’s desire was too much to bear. I was so aroused that I needed to deal with it immediately before anyone noticed.

Just like yesterday, after watching her dance with her roommate, I was so turned on that I had to relieve myself as soon as I got home.

She smells so good…, my wolf murmured. ~I bet she tastes even better. ~

You’re not helping. What if another professor sees us? These tight pants aren’t exactly concealing…

I shut the door to my office and exhaled. It wasn’t as spacious as the one I had back at the pack, but it was sufficient.

I had a desk, some books from home to fill the bookcases, and a few artifacts like statues and paintings to decorate the walls. I moved to the desk, cluttered with books and materials for my classes, and sat down in my chair.

I was so aroused it was starting to hurt.

I was just about to unbuckle my pants when there was a knock on my door. Damn. I quickly pulled my pants back up and tried to regain my composure.

“Yes.”

The door opened to reveal one of the other professors from the history department. She was a fifty-year-old with short, curly black hair, dressed in a gray suit with a skirt that stopped above her knee but had a slit up her left leg.

She flashed me a bright smile, her white teeth contrasting with her thick red lipstick.

I knew her as Ms. Dinton. Recently divorced for the third time, she specialized in the Medieval period. She was highly competent, but she seemed a bit too interested in me, which was never going to happen.

“Mr. Loimos,” she greeted, swaying toward me. “I was wondering if you’d be joining us for the party on Friday? It’s a chance for the whole department to get to know each other.”

As a lycan, I didn’t have a last name, but I chose Loimos when I registered here. It literally meant “pestilence” in ancient Greek, which seemed fitting. Pestilence was the only other name I’d ever used.

“I’ll be there. Thanks for the reminder, Ms. Dinton.”

“Oh, please,” she giggled. “Call me Ursula.”

I managed to keep a straight face and nodded. I hoped she would leave if I showed no interest, but she wasn’t easily deterred.

She perched on the edge of my desk, her skirt parting to reveal her short, see-through panties. I quickly averted my eyes to meet her clear brown ones as she leaned forward to show off her cleavage.

I wanted to growl and tell her to leave, but that wouldn’t be appropriate here.

“I’m looking forward to seeing you there,” she said.

“I’m looking forward to meeting everyone.”

She grinned and stood up. I almost sighed in relief, but instead, I waited for her to reach the door. She turned and gave me one last knowing smile.

“Everyone will be… thrilled to have you. We’re lucky to have such a… competent man teaching with us.”

“I’m glad to be here as well,” I replied.

“I’ll see you around, Mr. Loimos.”

“Of course.”

Finally, she left, and I sighed. Damn, I should lock my door to avoid further interruptions.

I stood up, locked the door, and returned to my desk.

I resumed unbuckling my pants and freeing my erection. Even the encounter with Ms. Dinton hadn’t dampened my arousal for my mate. This couldn’t continue indefinitely.

You know what we need to do, my wolf said.

I can’t just spring this on her. She’s a student and she knows nothing about the supernatural world.

We can take it slow. Sirius managed with Penelope.

Penelope was never human to begin with, and she was raised by a pack. Hella… Hella probably thinks we’re fiction.

Just thinking about her brought her image to my mind. Her smile, her eyes, her hands, her body—I imagined all of it on me, pleasuring us both.

I stroked myself, picturing her hands on me, and that was enough to bring me to a quick climax. Fuck… I was grateful for Wade’s advice to always keep wipes in my desk.

“When you meet your mate, you’ll feel a burning desire for her that you won’t be able to suppress. Be prepared,” he had told me before I left the pack.

Damn, I hated him for being right. Even Desmond had agreed with him, which usually convinced me more than anything Wade could say.

I cleaned up, pulled my pants back on, and unlocked the door. I sat back down in my chair. I had a few hours before my next class. I thought I’d prepare, so I turned on my computer when my phone started ringing.

I glanced at it and saw Fabian’s name. He was supposed to take over most of my beta duties while I was away, and he was doing a great job. I knew I had made the right choice in asking him to help.

“Yes,” I answered.

“Hey, Payne,” he greeted me enthusiastically. “How’s it going? How was your first day?”

“It was fine, thanks for asking.”

“Did you meet her?”

Of course, that was what he really wanted to know. I sighed, knowing that he would tell the others what I was about to say and my phone would be ringing off the hook.

“Yes, I did.”

“That’s great! Is she a professor like you?”

“No, she’s a student.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you had such fantasies,” he chuckled.

“We don’t choose, and you know it,” I sighed.

“Have you approached her yet?”

“No, she had a boyfriend until yesterday, and she’s a student.”

“So was Penelope, even if she graduated remotely. Don’t let that stop you, you know how important mates are to us.”

“I know, but she’s nothing like Penelope. She doesn’t know we exist, and she’s one hundred percent human. I don’t think that’s a good idea…”

“You won’t be able to reject her, so you might as well lean into it. She has the right to make this choice, don’t take it away from her.”

“Since when are you so wise, huh? That’s usually my job.”

“Well, I’m filling in for you, so I get all the perks,” he chuckled. “Just relax, you have time to take this one step at a time. If Wade can do it, then so can you.”

I heard a low growl in the background and knew that Wade was there too. Fabian couldn’t resist teasing everyone.

“I need to consider her needs first. She likely has a family, and it would be tough for her to vanish suddenly, given that humans aren’t permitted in our pack’s territory.”

“No worries there,” Desmond’s voice echoed through the phone. So, they were all in on this. “I’ll discuss it with Cassandra, but we wouldn’t want to make things difficult for you and your mate.”

“I appreciate that, brother, but let’s not jump the gun.”

“If you’re wooing her like this, there’s a lot of work to be done,” Wade laughed.

“I can’t figure out what Ciara sees in you,” I said, frowning.

“She’s my true mate, and she loves me,” he replied, a smug grin on his face. “You’ll understand soon enough. What’s her name?”

“Hella,” I said, a smile spreading across my face.

“Fenrir will be thrilled.”

We all burst into laughter. The First Lycan would be overjoyed to learn that my mate’s name was Hella.

I wondered how she’d react if I told her, but I wouldn’t start by explaining lycans and Fenrir to her. The fact that he devoured humans wouldn’t be comforting.

I heard footsteps approaching my office, so I decided to wrap up my conversation with my brothers.

“Sorry, brothers, but it seems I need to get back to work. Give my regards to Casey and Ciara.”

“We will,” Fabian assured me. “Remember to call us now and then.”

“Of course,” I chuckled.

I ended the call and turned my attention back to my computer when the door burst open. Who had the audacity to barge into my office without knocking?

I looked up to see a flustered Hella standing there. I narrowed my eyes, my mind racing to the worst-case scenarios. What could have happened to make her so upset? Who needed to be taken care of?