I pulled my duffel bag over my shoulder as I stumbled into the aisle, attempting—and failing—to hold it in a way that wouldn’t aggravate my bruised ribs. It was heavy enough that I let out a small grunt as I positioned it behind me, leaning forward slightly as I tried to handle the weight of it. How did other students get all of their stuff to school?
My memory flashed to a movie I had seen about six months ago where the main character’s parents had dropped her off on campus. A family that was nothing like mine sending their child off to a campus that, if I had to guess, was nothing like this one.
Panic filled my chest as I considered the indisputable fact that I knew no one here. I was starting a semester later than other freshmen, and everyone would already have their friends. It was very possible people wouldn’t even notice my arrival, and maybe that was good? I was very torn on how to feel.
As I made my way to the part of the train where the doors were, I winced as the strap of the duffel dug into my shoulder uncomfortably. I may not have a lot, but it sure felt much heavier the longer this day went on. Then again, I had barely gotten an hour of sleep last night, far too anxious and worked up about this morning, so of course it was unsurprising that I felt so fatigued.
“Can I help you with that?”
The question came from a warm, deep voice that echoed from behind me. The relaxed nature of the question and the man’s tone were almost purposefully calm, as if he was worried I would startle. Despite his attempt, I jumped slightly and turned quickly, nearly stumbling under the weight of the bag to see who was close enough behind me that I could hear them.
My head fell back, and I found myself looking up into the face of a very handsome and tall man. Taller than most men I knew, and attractive enough that I could feel my ears heating and my entire body freezing up.
“What?” I asked sincerely, needing him to repeat his question, because wow—I couldn’t focus on anything but his face.
Oh no. I had no idea how to interact with this man. This was going to be awkward for everyone. I wonder if I could apologize in advance.
“I was wondering if I could help you with your bag.” His small smile was understanding and filled with an affection that glinted in his gaze. I swallowed nervously, not knowing how to respond and wondering briefly if he was only acting nice because he wanted something. Gerald did that a lot. I felt my brow dip as he continued to look over my expression, his eyes darkening as if he saw something that upset him.
Was I that transparent? It was possible. I wanted to know what he thought of me. Why did I care? I was curious, though. I felt an electrifying sense of awareness going up my spine, trying to alert me to something. The train swayed to a stop before I could even respond, arriving at the station, and leaving me feeling even more impossibly awkward.
What did I do now? No, seriously—not only was I terrible with social situations, but I felt like my mouth wasn’t working. Words weren’t coming out, and I was staring at this man like a fish, my mouth slightly open as if I had never been around someone of the male species before. To be fair, he was exceptionally handsome and smelled amazing…
The doors dinged open and I blushed, realizing I was still staring at him. I was such a weirdo. The man flashed me a smile, two dimples appearing against his tan skin, as my heart literally stuttered in my chest.
Oh, that was bad. What was that about? Maybe I was having a heart attack. I had been around ‘attractive’ men before… they had piss poor personalities, but physically, they had been pretty.
This guy? Well, I hadn’t realized I had a type until I was standing toe to toe with him and his freakin’ dimples. Which meant I needed to run. Fast. Because hadn’t I just been saying this was the last thing I needed? Also, considering the massive change I was going through? This wasn’t welcome.
His angular, chiseled jaw and stunning face were a warm, light golden tone that was contrasted by a wave of dark, almost navy hair that seemed to highlight just how beautiful he was. Like some type of angel. It also brought to attention how far away his face was from me, making him far over a foot taller than myself. I didn’t know if he was muscular, but he sure seemed like it, and that was with him wearing a vintage-looking jacket with jeans and vans. My eyes flickered to his chest, the shirt tight against his form, and I nearly sighed, confirming my prediction that… he had muscles.
What really caught my eye, though? The faint silver bite mark on his neck. Was he a bitten wolf also? The scent of raw earth filled the space around us as people pushed past to hop off, no one touching me, luckily, because I was positive I would get knocked over.
Still, I couldn’t find it in myself to look away from his golden brown eyes that flashed and swirled with black heat before returning back to normal. Swallowing hard, my pulse jumped, making me feel a bit fuzzy. Something was going on here.
Also, had I really still not said anything yet? Still? Seriously. This wasn’t completely my fault, though. Why did he have to be so handsome?
A chuckle broke our staring contest, and I looked down at his sculpted lips, seeing a flash of a tongue piercing briefly before he lightly pressed a hand to my waist and nodded towards the door.
“I will take that as a compliment, precioso.”
I blinked before swearing under my breath as I realized I had said that out loud. I turned, stepping down onto the platform, my face blushing bright pink as I considered making a run from my embarrassing slip. The icy wind from the lake slapped against me, but thankfully my body temperature ran a bit higher than the humans who were racing to get inside, making it bearable as I made the stupid decision to stay and talk to the man who no doubt thought I had problems.
“Did I really say that out loud?” I squeaked out.
“Oh yes.” He flashed me a stunning smile before reaching over and removing my bag from my shoulder, instantly making me sigh in relief. I found myself in a bit of a hazy, lust-induced bubble being so close to him that I didn’t even try to stop him from helping me out.
Did he have some type of magic? That would be the only explanation for why I felt so weird. I had never in my life reacted to a man like this.
My wolf blinked her eyes open as she finally registered his proximity and scent. It was very clear she didn’t view him as a threat either, because instead of reacting defensively, she went very still, turning her head in a small tilt. I knew I wasn’t the only one who felt the weird surge going through us, the tightness of the connection, because as if sensing my wolf’s attention, the man literally paused, a weird expression crawling over his face before he shuttered it.
I tightened my hands into fists as a low rumble broke from his throat. I wanted to feel that vibration under my fingers. I wanted to touch him more than I’d ever wanted to touch a man before.
I also found myself glad he was holding my bag, because it had my scent on it, which meant he would smell like me… Oh Goddess, what the actual heck was happening here?
I finally managed to get out some semblance of a coherent question. “You’re a bitten wolf?”
His eyes filled with a bit of understanding as he nodded, seeming to now be the one that couldn’t talk. Instead, he intertwined our fingers, carrying my bag over one shoulder as if it was nothing as he led me towards the stairs that left the platform. I had to jog a bit to keep up with him, feeling like I was on some rollercoaster. I had never felt so exhilarated, confused, and overwhelmed at once.