"Alpha Lee," Milo said through the mindlink. "We're tracking Alpha Adan. He's approaching university grounds. We need you to meet us at the northeastern borders, so he doesn't harm any students."

I tensed and stood from my desk, gazing out into the hallway to make sure nobody else was around. Just as I was about to end the fucking day, this asshole had to show up. And I hoped to the goddess that Bria was still with Jasmine, like Jasmine had told me she was earlier.

Running out into the darkness, I surveyed the woods once more and shifted into my wolf, sprinting toward the northeastern border to meet my pack and to stop Adan from advancing further onto university lands.

When I saw him standing among his warriors, I growled harshly and shifted into my human again, smelling my pack close behind. "You're not moving any further onto the university."

Adan turned around, eyes a blazing gold.

"Bria Benton," Alpha Adan growled. "I need to find her."

"Why do you want Benton?"

I asked the question like her name didn't affect me, like I didn't know who she was.

But, Goddess, I did.

If Adan found out that Bria was my mate, then things would get a whole lot worse for us very quickly. I needed to keep Bria safe from everything that she didn't even know about yet.

"That's none of your fucking business." He moved closer to me with his claws drawn. "Where is she?"

Hands balled into fists, I stepped closer to him to show him and his pack that I wasn't afraid of him, because I wasn't. My pack could defeat him, easily. But we were on school grounds with humans less than half a mile from us, and Bria's dorm was close. Too close.

"I already fucking told you that I don't know who she is."

"And I thought I made it clear that you needed to find her."

"I don't take orders from anyone, Adan."

Growling, Adan leaped into the air and shifted into his wolf, rushing at me. I shifted into mine, spotting my warriors approaching their pack from behind. And before I knew it, the forest turned into a bloodbath, with fur flying everywhere, the needle-covered path becoming a river of thick wolf blood, and howls drifting through the air.

We fought for what must've been almost an hour, until Adan lifted his nose in the air and howled. His wolves retreated through the woods, and I almost wanted to follow after him to end this all right here and right now, but I...

I smelled Bria's scent drifting through the woods.

She was close.

If Adan found her...

After ordering my wolves to get home safely so we could come up with a plan, I ran toward her scent. From a distance, I spotted Bria standing out on the quad all by her fucking self. It must've been one in the morning already, and Alpha Adan was searching for her. I didn't know if he knew what she looked like or smelled like, but I wasn't taking any chances, so I shifted behind a tree.

"What are you doing out here, Bria?" I scolded, rushing toward her completely naked because my clothes were stuffed in the bush behind her.

She must've thought I was fucking insane, stalking at her bare and covered in blood, but it didn't matter. I needed her out of here fast. Alpha Adan was on my ass about finding her as quickly as supernaturally possible.

Professor Lee," Bria said in a breathy whisper. With wide eyes, she took her time glancing down my naked body, her mouth forming a small O. "Wh-what are you..." When her gaze reached my cock hanging between my thighs, her cheeks turned bright red. "Oh my..."

I snatched her upper arm and dragged her into the classics building, slamming and locking the door behind me. After bringing her to my office and locking the door, just in case that asshole smelled us, I finally released her.

Rubbing her arm, she looked everywhere except at me. "I just needed some fresh air."

"You could've gotten fresh air outside of your dorm. Why'd you come all the way here?"

She gnawed on the inside of her cheek and glanced down at my junk again. "Because..." After crossing her legs and rubbing them together, the scent of her cunt coming off her in waves, she turned away and shuffled toward the window. "I... smelled something good... uhm, you. Is that weird?" She groaned and rubbed a hand over her face. "Gosh, it's even weirder to say out loud."

Rummaging through my closet, I pulled out some spare clothes and tugged them on. Then, stepping closer to her, I gripped her waist from behind. "It's not weird," I murmured into her ear.

To a human, it might've been.

But this was the mate bond taking full effect. It was so strong, it even affected humans.

She stayed quiet for a long time, then cleared her throat. "Why're you covered in blood?" she asked me, voice tense and awaiting an answer. Yet she didn't turn around to face me again. It was almost as if she was scared.

I swallowed hard, wanting to desperately tell her what I was and what she meant to me. It had barely been a fucking week, and my mate was driving me so fucking crazy. I wanted to keep her safe any way possible, and keeping this quiet until Alpha Adan went away was best.

The more she knew, the less safe she was.

"That's a story for another day."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, Bria," I said, dragging my nose up the side of her neck and inhaling her sweet scent. My shoulders slumped forward at the smell, relaxing me down to my very core. I had never experienced so many emotions from just one scent before.

Bria remained quiet for a couple more moments, her body tense in front of me.

"What's wrong?" I murmured into her ear.

"I..." She paused and curled her fingers against the windowsill. "I have another question."

"About what?"

"Mythology."

"What is it, Bria? You can ask me anything."

She turned around and stared deeply into my eyes with her intense ones. Nervously, she gulped and chewed on her lip. "Do you believe in supernatural creatures like... lycans and werewolves?"