Chapter 4: Chapter Three

SAVANNAH

~Something’s off about this damned college.~

After enduring a hellish night at the alpha party and a sleepless night, I found myself cornered in the cafeteria by the most arrogant jerk I’d ever encountered.

The disturbing part was the inexplicable attraction I felt toward him. I’d never considered cheating on Trent, but this guy... His scent alone sent my senses into overdrive.

His dark-brown eyes held a familiarity, as if he knew me. The way his jaw clenched and unclenched, as if he was fighting the urge to touch me.

And when he did touch me, I felt unraveled, as if I wanted to throw myself at him right there in the cafeteria. Not that I’d ever confess to such a thing. Thankfully, my adviser arrived just in time to rescue me from the chaos of my hormones.

As I slipped past Dax, his gaze dropped to my lips, and I felt my stomach plummet.

Mrs. Jamieson signaled for me to follow her out of the cafeteria. I despised walking through the sea of students, each one of them staring. As if I’m the oddball, not them!

I couldn’t fathom why. Unless it had something to do with the events at last night’s party. Regardless, I kept my head down and focused on my feet as we left the building and stepped outside.

Mrs. Jamieson was a towering figure, well over six feet, but her kind blue eyes and playful brown hair softened her appearance. Her eyes crinkled at the corners when she smiled.

“So,” she began, gesturing toward a picnic table to our left. “Why don’t we sit down and have a chat?”

I took a seat opposite her and waited. She pulled out a folder and opened it. A photograph of my parents was prominently displayed on the front page.

She smiled when I noticed it.

“Your parents were students here,” she said, passing the folder to me.

Tears welled in my eyes at the sight of them together. My dad’s muscular arm wrapped protectively around my mother’s slender shoulders. “They look so perfect together.”

“That’s because they were. They were soulmates.”

“Can I keep this?”

“Of course,” she replied softly. I folded the photo once and tucked it into my front pocket.

When I looked up, she was studying me. “Am I in trouble? I didn’t mean to cause a scene last night.”

“No, you’re not in trouble, Savannah. I’m actually here to discuss something with you that might be difficult to accept.”

“~Okay~. What is it?” I asked, shifting uncomfortably.

She clasped her hands together on the table. “This university caters to a specific type of people, and you’re one of them. Everyone here is the same.”

She paused, pressing her lips together. “Savannah, we’re not exactly human, per se. We have abilities.”

My spine stiffened. ~What on earth is she talking about?~

“Last time I checked, I was human, Mrs. Jamieson. I’m starting to regret coming here. I think I want to go home.”

I started to rise, but she reached over and touched my forearm.

“Please sit back down, Savannah. Let me finish.”

Reluctantly, I sat back down, clutching my bag in my lap, ready for a quick exit. “Everyone here has a mate—”

“Oh my God,” I mumbled, shaking my head. “Not this nonsense again…”

“It’s not nonsense,” she insisted. “It’s the truth.”

I chuckled. “Okay, what’s next? Are you going to tell me that everyone here are werewolves, too, Mrs. Jamieson?

Honestly, I’m exhausted by all this and it’s only my first full day of classes. I just want to go back home to my grandmother’s house and apply to other colleges next year.”

“You won’t get into any other colleges, Savannah. Because you’re meant to be at Werewolf U~.~ Destiny has a way of keeping you here, and those applications won’t reach those universities.”

I scoffed. “Are you saying that’s why I didn’t hear back from the other colleges? Because the universe wants me here? Seriously, lady, you need to take your meds. You must realize how crazy you sound.”

She lowered her gaze to her hands. “Maybe if I show you, you’ll understand.”

Call me naive, but I didn’t believe there was anything she could show me that would make sense of all this.

She stood up. “Follow me.”

I grabbed my things, ready for a quick escape, and trailed behind her toward a field behind the cafeteria. As she neared the tree line, striding through the knee-high weeds in her heels, I couldn’t help but think this could be the end of me.

If I hadn’t been confident I could handle her, I wouldn’t have followed. “This might be a shock to you, Savannah, but please know I won’t hurt you, okay?”

I shrugged, clutching my bag closer to my chest. “Okay, Mrs. Jamieson. I have class in thirty minutes. Can we hurry this up? There’s a Luna 101 class I really want to discuss with you—”

The sound of her clothes ripping interrupted me. They flew off her in shreds, a whirlwind of movement and fur blurred before my eyes.

I blinked several times, trying to comprehend what was happening, but nothing could have prepared me for the reality.

Mrs. Jamieson—~sweet Mrs. Jamieson~—had transformed into a wolf right before my eyes. The breath caught in my throat, but I was too stunned to react.

My vision blurred, the air, my breath, my ability to comprehend, everything faded into darkness.

~What the hell have I gotten myself into?~

***

Awakening to a silence so profound it was almost deafening, I bolted upright, my head spinning and my stomach churning with unease.

Blinking away the remnants of sleep, I found myself staring at a stark white curtain and a room that bore an uncanny resemblance to a doctor’s office.

Swinging my legs off the table, I attempted to stand, only to stumble towards a cabinet, catching myself just in time.

“Easy,” a woman’s voice cautioned.

Turning, I found a woman in the corner of the room, clad in a nurse’s uniform, a stethoscope draped around her neck.

“What happened? Why am I here?” I asked, my mind racing to piece together the events that led me here. The last thing I remembered was sitting with Mrs. Jamieson and then—~wait a minute~. My eyes widened in realization, and the nurse quickly moved to steady me, her grip firm on my forearms. “Savannah, calm down. You’re okay.”

“No, I’m not! Mrs. Jamieson just morphed into a wolf, and there’s this guy who won’t stop following me around campus, claiming I’m his mate! Either take me home or I’m calling the cops!”

“Savannah,” she said, her voice a soothing balm. “It’s okay. Sit down.” Reluctantly, I allowed her to guide me back to the table, and together we began a series of calming breathing exercises. “You’re fine. Just take deep breaths.”

Closing my eyes, I imagined I was back at my grandmother’s house, swimming in the pool with Trent, before everything spiraled out of control.

When I opened my eyes, the nurse was smiling. “Okay. I’m going to call Mrs. Jamieson back in, okay? She really needs to finish her conversation with you.”

I frowned, not particularly eager to continue our discussion, but Mrs. Jamieson entered the room anyway, her blue eyes wary, as if she was afraid I might faint again. She kept her distance, and this time, she wasn’t alone. The man from the cafeteria was with her. My cheeks burned as he looked at me. ~How embarrassing~. Not only was he ridiculously attractive for his age, but he also knew I had fainted.

“Savannah,” Mrs. Jamieson began.

“Yes?” I responded, my tone guarded.

“Perhaps it wasn’t the best way to reveal the truth, but I didn’t think you’d believe me otherwise.”

“I wouldn’t have,” I admitted, my gaze dropping to the floor as I kicked at a random black mark on the tile. “And I’m not even sure I believe what I saw. You turned into a dog, Mrs. Jamieson.”

The man’s mouth twitched, but Mrs. Jamieson didn’t laugh. Instead, she looked slightly offended. “A werewolf, Savannah. Everyone here can do that, including you.”

I let out a small laugh, which quickly turned into full-blown laughter.

“I think I would know if I turned into a werewolf. I’ve never transformed into anything. I’m human and I’m clearly at the wrong college. If you just let me go, I promise I won’t tell anyone about your...abilities.”

They exchanged a look that made me uneasy.

“Savannah, you can’t leave. The reason you haven’t shifted is because you were raised by a human. If your parents were here—”

“They’d call you both crazy and tell me, ‘Let’s go home, Savannah. You don’t have to attend this insane university anymore. You can move to LSU with your boyfriend and make normal mistakes for your age that don’t involve tying yourself to some stalker.’”

“Savannah,” the man interjected. “I’m Professor Braxton, and I understand this is difficult, but you are a werewolf. Both of your parents were. It skipped your grandmother’s generation, and your father inherited it. He mated with your mother here at the university. This is where you’ll begin your life as a luna—”

“Oh my God,” I muttered, covering my face. “Please let me leave!”

Braxton’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out to answer the call. The worried expression on his face suggested it was important. “I have an emergency meeting about the game tonight. Are you okay here?”

Mrs. Jamieson nodded, and he left, leaving me alone with the crazy wolf lady. I felt like crying.

“Okay,” she sighed. “I think that’s enough for today. I called Jaka to come walk you back to your room. You missed Luna 101 today, but I informed your teachers. You’ll have another class on Wednesday. Just stick to your schedule for the rest of the week, and we’ll talk again soon.”

~I highly doubt that. I’m calling an Uber the first chance I get.~

“But you have to promise me something first.”

“~Oh, do I~?” I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

She fixed me with a stern look. “You can’t tell anyone outside of the university about this. That includes your grandmother and your boyfriend.”

I scoffed. As if they would believe me. I didn’t want to scare Trent off, so I had no intention of telling him.

“Everything will be okay,” she assured me before leaving.

~Good riddance.~

Jaka entered the nurse’s station carrying a steaming cup of coffee and a bag. “Hey, roomie. Brought you a pick-me-up.”

I wanted to tell her exactly where she could stick her pick-me-up, but I refrained, mostly because I really wanted that coffee and my stomach was growling at the smell.

“Why didn’t you tell me you can turn into a wolf, Jaka?” I demanded as we made our way back to our room. “Or that some guy would ~claim me~ at the party?”

She shrugged nonchalantly. “Because I thought you knew. Everyone knows. I thought your lack of excitement was a bit strange, and I didn’t mention a mate because not everyone finds one right away. You’re lucky you did.”

~Lucky? Some random guy is stalking me and I’m lucky?~

I studied the furrowed brow on her face. “You didn’t find a mate?”

She shook her head, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. “No, but I have four years here, and I ~really~ want an alpha, but not everyone gets one.”

Her gaze, soft and hopeful, met mine. “And you got a really good one. He’s super hot, Savannah. Daxton Allaire is a senior and next in line for the alpha position at his father’s pack. The Legion Pack in southern Louisiana.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “You sure know a lot about him. Do you have a crush on him?”

Even as the words left my mouth, I felt a pang of jealousy. It didn’t make sense because I was in love with Trent.

“No!” she exclaimed, shaking her head vehemently. “I would never go after your mate, Savannah—”

“Girl, stop,” I interrupted, my voice barely above a whisper. “If I have it my way, we won’t be doing any kind of mating. I have a boyfriend.”

She snickered. “Daxton will tear Trent to pieces. You better make sure he doesn’t come here.” She paused, her gaze fixed on me.

“Once you have your wolf you’ll understand. Every wolf has a mate. One person they are meant to be with. Daxton is yours. Can you not smell him?”

A blush crept up my cheeks. I did smell him at the party, but I didn’t know what it was. I bit my lower lip and let my gaze fall to my wedges.

“~Mm-hmm~,” Jaka said, a knowing smile on her face. “I knew you sensed something.”

“Whatever,” I mumbled, brushing off her comment as I continued toward our room.

Jaka caught up to me in a few strides. “Are you coming to the football game tonight?”

“Wasn’t planning on it. If werewolves~ are so strong~, why would they play in a human league? That doesn’t seem fair.”

“It wouldn’t be fair. They don’t play against humans.”

“Who do they play? Are there other universities?”

She nodded. “Yeah, that’s why everyone shows up. Randomly, they will find their mate at another college in a different part of the states. We play all over. But mostly pairs are mated in the same areas, but not always. But tonight we aren’t playing against wolves.”

We pushed through the doors leading to our dorm room. “Then what are we playing?”

She gave me a worried look. “Tonight we’re playing lycans.”

“Lycans? Like on Underworld?”

“No. Lycans are mean. They are a branch of werewolf, but more vicious, and don’t shift like we do. They walk on their hind legs.”

A shiver raced down my spine. “Do wolves and lycans mate?”

“No!” she shouted. “~Never~. They mate with one another.”

“Okay, don’t get crazy,” I mumbled. “Just asking.”

She unlocked our room and I walked inside, tossing my bag on my bed.

“So are you coming?” she asked.

Curiosity got the best of me. I could always run for my life after the game. “Yeah, I’ll go see some wolves and lycans beat the crap out of each other.”

“Maybe you could invite Daxton to sit with you?” she mumbled.

“Don’t push it, Jaka.”