Squeezing our fingers together, she looked up at me with a small, bright smile.
Oh well. It was worth all the bullshit, because I finally had found my fucking mate, and she was perfect.
4
Effie Harlow
“These are beautiful,” I commented, my eyes tracing the stunning dorm buildings that surrounded us, feeling severely out of place. I didn’t belong in a place like this. I may not have fully understood where I belonged, but it wasn’t here. That much I knew.
Although, with Julian’s hand intertwined with mine, it was very difficult to remember that. Difficult to remember that just because he caused a reaction of warmth and contentment in my chest, didn’t change the little fact that I was a bitten wolf. I was at the bottom of every single system of hierarchy.
My eyes flicked up to his neck and his mark that made us so similar despite being so very different. How was it that he was treated so differently than how I had been in my previous pack? Why did people seem to move out of his way? Maybe it was because he was a man? Maybe that made a difference? I just wasn’t sure.
I could feel a unique sense of power radiating off him that somewhat reminded me of the dominance that Alpha had, but stronger and far more controlled. It made me wonder who this man was and how someone became an Alpha as a bitten wolf. If that’s what he even was. I was realizing moment by moment how little I knew about the world I had been thrust into after being sheltered inside of a tiny apartment for the past five years.
My brow furrowed in confusion, realizing I’d yet to be offered any dirty looks or cruel comments since arriving. In fact, everyone from the taxi driver who had dropped me off to the woman at the front desk had been exceptionally helpful. I had assumed it was just good fortune that I’d happened to come across a series of ‘nice’ shifters, but maybe it was more than that.
Was it possible that the way I’d been treated before had not been normal?
Or maybe I had just been lucky so far.
In some ways I wanted to believe the luck theory, because the concept of being singularly selected for that type of mistreatment served by my pack left a dirty taste in my mouth and had my wolf growling in distrust and betrayal.
I knew it sounded messed up, but in some ways, I was far more comfortable with being treated poorly. I knew what to expect when someone was being cruel. Everything about this place was throwing me off, though, and not just the people. No, it was the people, the campus, the attractive man holding my hand. All of it was overwhelming.
Plus, campus was literally like a forested winter wonderland. Only on postcards and in photos had I ever experienced a place this stunning, pure in color and landscape, as if no part of real life had ever truly touched it.
There was a complete absence of broken beer bottles, cigarette butts lining the stone staircase outside of our apartment complex, and leering looks from pack members that drank just a bit too much and hung out inside of the foyer, hoping to run into someone willing to offer them a place to crash instead of walking all of two or three blocks to their own place. That was the problem with living right next to a bar. Pack or not, it didn’t draw the greatest group of people. Yet, I was more comfortable with that than this.
Everything about this was idyllic in nature, and that terrified me. I just continued to wait for the perfection of this place to shatter like a snow globe thrown against a wall.
I had always loved snow globes and how they captured such a beautiful untouchable scene. Until a few weeks ago, I’d had a handful to call my own. Then, when Theresa and Gerald had fought on Christmas, the small collection of miniature snow globes I had lined on a cabinet in the living room had taken the brunt of it. Not that they noticed or cared.
No, when they retreated to their bedroom, partaking in their rather violent and loud post-fight routine… I had been stuck slowly cleaning up the shattered remains of the one collection that I had valued, while trying to block out the noise of their rather loud activities. Even now, tears welled in my eyes just slightly, wishing there was a way to bring them back. It didn’t even have to be the exact snow globes, I just enjoyed having something that beautiful I could call my own. I felt like it was a small little penance for all the other crap I had been served up, right?
Maybe this snow globe, this magical experience, wouldn’t shatter. Maybe the Goddess really had cut me a bit of slack in my life. One could pray, and I very much had.
Despite my nervousness and caution, I was eager to explore the campus. It wasn’t large by any extent of the word—smaller than our pack territory—but according to the map, I had yet to even walk past the first section of facilities. It felt larger than what the map suggested, a brand-new world that I was going to get to experience.
The campus was built along a single stretch of mile-long road that cozied right up to Lake Michigan, and the campus buildings were split on either side of the road. One side had the Student Union, which was on the side that led towards town, while the dorm buildings we were headed towards faced Lake Michigan.
I couldn’t blame them for wanting this view for the dorms. It was essentially perfect, and I found myself in awe of the Eclipse community housing. I hadn’t thought it was possible to find a building beautiful, but maybe I’d been surrounded by so much ugliness in my life that this felt inspiring, nearly dream-like.
“I think they only built these maybe five years ago,” Julian responded to my ‘beautiful’ comment with an easy smile. “After you get settled in, I’ll show you the rest of campus. The further down you go, the buildings change from dorm and student centers to academic buildings. It’s all a fairly short walk though, even when it’s fucking freezing.”
I couldn’t help but smile at his swearing. I shouldn’t have found it attractive, but he said it with a smile, so instead of making me nervous, it just had me amused. Normally swearing meant Gerald was upset, which meant pain or yelling for Theresa and possibly me. I knew that wasn’t the case with Julian, though. In fact, the man was different from anyone I had ever met before.
I loved the idea of walking around campus with him, and a small part of my insecurities began to settle that he clearly didn’t mind being seen with me. I mean, we were literally holding hands right now. I frowned slightly, wondering if that would last once classes started up tomorrow.
“We can drive instead.” He nudged my shoulder. “It’s less than a mile, but I don’t want you getting cold.”
I blinked up at him, realizing he thought that was what my frown was about. I smiled softly. “No, walking is completely fine. I promise.”
His golden gaze searched mine before he nodded and continued to lead me forward. I looked up at the dorm we were headed towards, which looked more like a modern high-rise condo with its blunted triangular shape and sleek concrete and glass facade.
Had my scholarship really included living in a place like this? Why? I knew there were probably less luxurious options.
Not that I would want to change now. My cheeks heated, thinking about the way Julian had insisted on changing my building placement just so I could be closer to him. The man was an intoxicating mix of both demanding and firm, knowing exactly what he wanted yet still maintaining a lighthearted air to him. I loved the way he expressed himself so bluntly, and I found that made it easier to trust him, which was a feat for me.