"Bria," Callum shouted from his standing desk in front of the class.

I stopped and glanced over my shoulder. Jasmine, Levi, and Holden paused too, all turning around to stare at our professor who looked more tense than he had after I told him that I dated Adan.

"Can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Sure," I said, staring uneasily between Jasmine and Levi, then I glanced at Holden who looked right at Callum like he knew something was up between us. "Why don't you guys get lunch without me? I'll catch up later. It was nice meeting you, Holden."

Holden snapped his head back to me and plastered a fake smile on his face. "You too, Bria. Maybe we could get lunch some other time together, and you can catch me up on what I've missed so far."

"Uh, maybe."

Jasmine curtly nodded to Callum, then turned back to Levi and Holden, gesturing to the exit doors of the classroom. "Come on. We know this really good place that sells hot wings. If you're a fan, you'll love them, Holden."

When they disappeared through the doors, after Holden glanced back at Callum and me, I cut my gaze to Callum and opened my mouth to ask him what was going on. Holden didn't give me the creeps, but he did make me a bit uneasy.

Before I could get out a word, Callum slapped a hand over my mouth and nodded to a side door, gesturing for me not to say anything until we reached his office. I pressed my lips together and followed him out the door, scanning our surroundings to see if anyone was watching.

After we stepped into his office, Callum locked the door and blew out a deep breath. He drew his tongue across his now-extended canines and let out a low, guttural growl, his claws cutting right into his palms.

"Stay away from that guy," Callum said to me. "He's part of The Council."

My chest tightened, my entire body frozen.

No. They couldn't have found me already. I couldn't go back. I refused to go back.

I stared at Callum through watery eyes and bit back a sob, my entire world collapsing in on me. He stood tensely, his chest moving up and down unsteadily and his teeth glistening with saliva like a wild animal.

Callum Lee might've been my professor. He might've been a ruthless alpha werewolf.

But I... I had fallen in love with him. I couldn't lose him.

Unable to stop myself, I wrapped my arms around his taut waist and pulled him closer to me, resting my head on his chest and sobbing into his dress shirt. Every emotion that I had buried from the past few years suddenly hit me at once.

Terror. Anxiety. Rage. Misery.

Fuck. I balled his shirt into my fists. I refused to lose him.

I would not be the weak girl that The Council remembered me as. I would train to get strong for as long as I had left. I would fight them until my very last breath. With this new guy in my class, my days were limited.

But I would work my fucking ass off.

Nobody would hurt my friends and family again because of me.

"I'm going to take care of you," Callum said, gently grasping my face and tilting my head to look up at him. The sunlight flooded into his room, illuminating every thick hair on his jaw and making his brown eyes a hundred shades of magical gold. "You don't have to worry."

And while I'd still worry, warmth spread throughout my chest.

Never in my life had anyone told me they would take care of me and meant it.

Hearing those words from him both scared me and actually made me feel... good for the first time ever. Callum wasn't going to run away or turn me in or hurt me in any way. He was going to stick by my side and fight.

My mate.

Our mate.

A small voice broke through the doubts and worries to shine. I stared up at Callum and dragged my fingers through his thick and dark scruff hairs, a low hum rumbling from deep within my chest, one that I wasn't controlling.

"There is a voice inside my head," I whispered, hoping he didn't think I was crazy.

Callum's stoic look suddenly softened, and a smile graced his face. "Your wolf."

I swallowed hard, my stomach fluttering with excitement. "I think so."

He pushed some hair off my forehead with his index finger. "What does she say to you?"

My lips curled into a smile, my cheeks flushing. Giddiness rushed through my body, and something stirred inside me, a beast waiting to finally come to life. Goddess, I felt like I had when Professor Lee emailed me the first time with that book suggestion.

Somehow, even then, Callum Lee made me feel so special.

"Hmm?" Callum asked, seizing the small of my hips, picking me up into the air with total ease, and setting me on his desk. He placed one large hand beside my thigh and buried his face into the crook of my neck, his scruff tickling my skin. "What's she saying to you about me?"

"That you're definitely not her type," I teased him.

He growled into my ear, making me both giggle and clench at the sound of a possessive alpha, my possessive alpha. He slid his hands up the sides of my thighs and maneuvered his way between my legs, tugging me closer to the edge.

"Well, she better get used to me, because I'm not leaving her."

I rested my forehead against his and smiled. "You promise?"

"I promise you, Bria," he said to me, his voice softening. "I'm never going to leave you."