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.
Precioso: 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.
“Precioso, 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.