She’s close
.
He stopped in the doorway of the room he had seen Avery in. Empty except for the scent
of his mate, he stepped inside to let the lavender and vanilla wash over him. He sucked
in a deep breath, allowing his lion to push to the surface. He cruised the room, letting
the animal to take the lead, show him the path to their mate. In the last row, the
last seat, the scent was the strongest. Placing his hand on the chair, he soaked up
the essence she’d left behind.
Heat seeped into his body, opening a part of him he didn’t think existed. His heart
and soul called out for her. With sudden realization he knew she was the missing part
of him.
If he could get her alone in a room with him, he knew he could sort out any misunderstanding
or fears she might have about him and their mating.
The previously unchanging ten-year plan would get an overhaul. He would create one
that included her and the life they would have together. His need for her grew too
quickly, becoming damn near uncontrollable. Claws extended from his hands, the lion
making his presence known.
Declan hurried out of the room when students began filtering in, disturbing his thoughts.
Making his way down the hall, he followed the scent trail his mate had left in her
wake. He hit the stairs at the other end of the hallway, rushing down and outside
where he lost her trail again.
“I have to give it to her; she’s pretty good at evading you. What in the hell did
you do to scare her off so damn bad? I mean, if she really is your mate, wouldn’t
she be waiting for you with arms wide open?” Mark breathed harshly, having rushed
behind him in an attempt to keep up.
“I didn’t do shit. That’s the problem. She’s my mate. I feel it in my bones. In my
soul. I’m going to hunt her down, claim her, and never let her out of my sight again,”
he growled.
“Hey, Dec?” Mark said with a bit of humor bleeding through.
“Yeah,” he gritted out.
“Rein it in some. Your fangs are showing and scaring the co-eds.”
Declan ran his tongue along his teeth and, sure enough, his canines poked through.
A glance at his hands showed fur and claw tipped hands. His lion broke free more than
he imagined he would.
A couple of girls, eyes wide with fear, skittered around him, keeping as much distance
from him as possible without running into the wall.
They had the same look in their eyes as Avery had—fear, and he didn’t know why. What
erroneous thoughts spun through her mind as she stared down at him? Did she think
he hated her? Didn’t want her? Or could it be something entirely different. He wouldn’t
know until he had her firmly in his grasp.
There would be no more running from him. Even if he had to park his ass on her front
porch and wait for her to come home. They would sort this out one way or the other.
He was getting his damn mate.
Avery flopped down onto her bed and checked her phone again. And, like the fifty million
times before, a wave of disappointment washed over her. Still no response from ROAR,
and she wondered if there ever would. Maybe there
was
no help for rejected mates.
“I refuse to believe that’s true,” she said into the silent room. “Maybe they’re taking
their time figuring out what to say. Maybe they need to research my situation before
they can get back to me.”
Avery chewed on her bottom lip, thinking it through. “Yeah. That has to be it. They
just need a little time to figure out where to point me. I’m sure not too many people
have this problem. At least, I hope they don’t.”
Sitting up, she placed her phone on the charger. She needed to practice the
out of sight, out of mind
mantra. Maybe if she didn’t stare at it 24/7, it would actually ring or ding or chime.
Whatever she had text messages set to.
Pushing up off the bed, she wandered into her living room. A sense of boredom swamped
her as she realized she had nothing to do.
Busy with the sorority and new pledges, Reese wouldn’t be able to get together.
The other girls in the townhouse were probably all busy, plus she didn’t know them
well enough to hang out with them.
Since her schedule change the first day, she had no actual schoolwork to do yet. The
professors at Shifter U preferring to wait a week before letting the real work begin.
It gave everyone time to readjust to having a new workload, and it wasn’t only aimed
at the students. Most teachers needed to get on track, too.
Avery walked to her little kitchen area. Pulling open the fridge, she didn’t find
anything in there she wanted to eat. Not that there was much in there to begin with.
She had yet to go grocery shopping—something she loathed. Her stomach growled, and
she frowned in response.
Food. She needed to eat.
Going to her room, she snatched up her phone and shot a text off to Reese.
Heading to Chugs. Join me if you can.
Avery grabbed a light jacket and her purse before trudging downstairs. She checked
in on Blaire, Tess, and Riley, wanting to let them know she would be heading out and
where to find her if need be. The girls were each in their rooms, either relaxing
or prepping for the next day.
She heard Riley talking through her schedule to someone on the phone. Avery bypassed
her and looked in on Blaire, who stood in front of a whiteboard drawing stick figures
in different positions.
Okay, then
.
“I’m headed out, Blaire,” Avery said, waiting for some kind of acknowledgment.
“Uh-huh. Have a good time,” she mumbled, never looking Avery’s way.
A stop at Tess’s door found the redhead lounging on her bed, headphones on, eyes closed,
and foot tapping to a tune only she could hear.
Deciding to leave a note on the whiteboard next to the front door, she grabbed her
keys and locked up. She shoved her keys into her pocket when her phone went off. The
chime alerting her to a text. Maybe Reese could join her after all. A bubble of relief
filled her. She wouldn’t be alone after all.
Digging the phone out of her pocket, her mouth dropped open in shock. A response from
ROAR—finally.
You’re on the path you need to be. Follow it, and you’ll find the answer
.
“I’m on the path I need to be. What the hell does that mean?”
She didn’t expect a cryptic message to confuse her even more. Her stomach growled
again, jolting her into action. She must be hungrier than she thought. She couldn’t
even remember the last time she ate.
Last night
.
“Food. I’m on a path to food. That I can do, and it soothes the savage soul.”
Walking through the neighborhood, she turned right at the end of the block. Another
block and a left, then a right, and she arrived on foodie row. Both sides of the street
advertised bars and restaurants. Pizza joints. Burger palaces. Not to mention Italian,
Indian, and Mexican cuisine. Bars that served shifter-specific diets and bars that
catered to all. If you craved it, you would find it here. A little something for everyone.
Enticing scents of smoky beef and beer wafted over her as she approached Chugs. Landon
stood near the door when she walked through, must be his turn to play bouncer. This
time of day, about three in the afternoon, there were few, if any, patrons to have
to compete for tables with. The atmosphere quiet and relaxing, the calm before the
evening storm. Perfect for her mood.
A few students sat together hunched over papers and books, talking in hushed tones
to each other. A teacher she recognized from her first year had confiscated a corner
booth, papers spread everywhere and a giant steak sitting to the side, waiting to
be eaten.
Levi rested against the bar, talking to Nik. She walked up, taking the spot on the
other side of Nik.
“I agree. A whole new paint scheme. Velvet fabric in dark purples and deep red. A
couple of tassels here and there, and it’s a veritable sex den. Don’t forget about
the plush cushions either. A girl’s knees start to hurt after a while.”
Nik grunted and grinned at her. “Hey, Avery. You should have told me you were coming.
I would have made sure your table was free.” He pointed to her usual corner table.
Two men sat together, heads bent toward each other. Their closeness appeared intimate,
cozy, and very personal.
“No biggie. It’ll only be me tonight, so I think I’ll sit at the end of the bar if
that’s okay with you.”
“Sure, sweetheart,” Levi said, ushering her to the lone seat at the end. “Black and
Tan, steak rare?”
“Yep.” Avery settled in her seat and sat back to do a little people watching.
Landon leaned against the wall, leisurely checking out the customers who came in.
When a busty, raven-haired woman sauntered through the door, he perked up but deflated
just as quickly when her girlfriend came through the door a few minutes later. The
women fused their mouths together in a heated kiss before finding a table.
Levi pushed her beer across the bar top and placed a napkin next to it. “Your steak
should be ready in a couple of minutes.”
“Thanks.” She smiled politely and looked away. She knew she wasn’t fit for company.
The weight of depression heavy on her shoulders. She didn’t want to be alone either
though, which is why she’d been drawn to the bar—familiar environment, familiar people
but without the pressure to make nice.
Levi made his way to the other end of the counter to serve a couple of women. Shame
filled her when she realized she was thankful he moved away. The way he kept peering
at her with that customer/bartender-bare-your-soul kind of look, gave her the impression
he wanted to talk. She had no desire to do that.
A plate landed in front of her. The aroma of the steak hit her square in the face,
and she groaned.
“That good, huh?” Nik leaned against the bar next to her. A grin tilted his lips.
“Why do you think I keep coming here?”
“You mean it isn’t for my witty conversations and dashing visage? I’m hurt, Avery.”
He effectively killed the wounded look, which had taken residence on his face, by
grinning like an idiot.
“You know better than that.” She sliced into the meat like a hot knife through butter.
Lifting the fork to her mouth, she closed her lips around the morsel and moaned. Shutting
her eyes, she savored the first bite, the smoky char, the slight tang of blood. She
swallowed then chased it with a drink of her beer.
A whoosh of air escaped from Nik, ruffling her hair. “Damn, Av. Don’t do that too
much, or you’ll have every horny male in here knocking on your door. Unless it’s what
you want.”
The snort came out a bit louder than she’d expected. “Nope. You should know by now
men aren’t on the radar unless they are a professor and I need to ask a question.”
“I’ve always wondered about your lack of male companionship. The entire time Reese
and I were together, I never saw you with anyone. Was that by choice or were you not
interested in guys?
Stunned, she dropped her fork onto her plate, folding her hands in her lap. No one
ever bothered to ask her those kinds of questions. Luckily, she didn’t have to think
too long about the answer. “Choice. Though to be honest, guys have never banged down
the door begging for a date. Better, easier options were close by. Women less focused
on studies and more interested in having fun or better able to balance the two perfectly.”
Avery shrugged nonchalantly, attempting to shake the feeling she wasn’t worth the
effort, but the feeling wouldn’t go away. Her heart hurt, the crushing blow of not
being good enough stealing her breath.
She didn’t feel that way often. That maybe if she took her focus away from classes,
she would be able to see people outside her sphere, that they would see her. The thought
was ridiculous. She wouldn’t be able to do it. There were things to do. Dreams to
fulfill. Her future waited for her.
Knowing all of that, knowing she couldn’t stray from the plan, she couldn’t help but
feel that one time she’d love to know what it felt like to be pursued. To know how
it felt at the center of someone’s world, where they would be willing to do whatever
it took to be with her.
How could she expect some random guy to treat her that way when her mate wasn’t even
interested?
Avery looked down at the once-delicious steak. It wavered in front of her. Heat and
pressure backed up behind her eyes, and she realized she couldn’t eat another bite.
She pushed the plate away in disgust. Digging her credit card out of her purse, she
handed it to Nik. “I need to go. Can you ring me up?”
“Av, honey, what’s wrong? What did I say to upset you?” Nik tried to turn her head
toward him, but for once she had the strength to resist.
“Nothing,” she whispered, getting off the chair and out of his reach. “It’s me. Please,
Nik, can you just do this for me?” She shook the card at him, refusing to make eye
contact. If she did, she would break down and cry much like the wounded girl she was.
She didn’t want him to see her weakness.
“Fuck.” He took the card and walked behind the bar. “I’m calling Reese. I don’t know
what happened, but you don’t need to be alone right now.”
Declan’s heart pounded, he thought he would either throw up or explode seeing his
mate talk to the massive shifter. The bear’s scent had to be washing over Avery, masking
every other odor around her, she would never be able to scent Declan from where he
stood. It pissed him the hell off.
Something in the recesses of his brain told him to get to Chugs, to drop everything
and go there that second. The moment he’d walked in the door, he knew why.
“Don’t worry, she isn’t,” Declan said, walking up to Avery. Wrapping her in his arms,
pulling her close. She relaxed against him momentarily then stiffened, pushing away.
She gasped. “What are you doing here?” She looked horrified at her momentary weakness
to allow him to comfort her.