Darken Moon University

Her: Kaiden

Every year at Darken Moon University started the same.

I’d arrive.

Girls would crowd me.

I’d ignore them.

Most of the time, I preferred women outside of school. Women who wanted the same thing I did—something simple. No emotional attachments. No expectations.

It made life easier.

At least it used to.

The moment I saw her across the lawn, I thought I was losing my mind. I had caught her scent earlier when I stepped out of my car. Rain and wildflowers. I’d noticed it, but I hadn’t thought much about it. Not until I saw her. Then everything clicked.

Mate.

She was smaller than me, exactly my type. Long black hair fell down her back, and even from a distance I could see her unusual eyes.

Beautiful.

Everything about her was beautiful. The second she separated from her friend, I followed. Looking back, I probably should have introduced myself like a normal person. Instead, I followed her and I walked into her room without warning. I didn’t care. Not until I saw those eyes. Those damn puppy eyes.

My little wolf.

The conversation had gone better than I could have hoped. Better than I deserved. Then Raven ruined it. The call wasn’t optional. Braxton had given me a job, and if I wanted to become Alpha one day, I couldn’t ignore responsibilities just because I’d found my mate.

As much as I wanted to.

So I left.

Every step toward that door felt wrong. I could tell Aelira was hiding something. There was fear in her.

Pain.

Old wounds.

Breeze wanted answers immediately. Wanted to push. Wanted to demand. But my wolf trusted my judgment. She wasn’t ready. When she was, she’d tell us. The only thing Breeze insisted on was leaving our scent on her. That part I didn’t argue with. The kiss had been worth it. More than worth it. The way she looked at me afterward..The way she relaxed when I held her..

I knew then that I’d wait as long as she needed. Because she was worth waiting for. Unfortunately, reality didn’t care about my love life. My father’s family business had other plans. Technically, my great-uncle John owned a shipping company.

Unofficially?

The business handled things most people didn’t ask questions about.

Weapons.

Jewelry.

Rare artifacts.

Information.

Whatever paid.

My father insisted I work under Uncle John until graduation. His reasoning was simple. Braxton was my uncles shipment manager. Usually who Raven helps for me.

“If you’re going to lead a pack someday, you need to learn how to make difficult decisions.”My father said.

So when Raven called, I answered.

Raven was my best friend and the only reason I managed to balance school and work. I still had two years left before graduation. Originally, I planned to finish early. Now? I wasn’t so sure. Leaving Darken Moon suddenly seemed impossible. Not when my mate was here. Not when every instinct I had wanted to stay beside her. The bigger problem would be the Pack Council. If they discovered I’d found my mate, they’d immediately begin preparing her for Luna duties. Which included children. And after meeting Aelira, I knew she wasn’t ready for that kind of pressure. Not yet. As I drove toward the shipping yard Raven had sent me to, I already knew what we were dealing with.

Idiots.

It was always idiots. Sure enough, Raven met me near the office. Together, we entered the security room and watched several men climb through a restricted area. Their target was obvious. A special shipment scheduled to leave for one of our overseas clients. Russia, if I remembered correctly. The container likely held weapons, jewels, or both.

Raven pointed toward the monitor.

“We’ll cut them off here.”

I nodded. “Sure.”

He immediately looked at me. “What’s your problem?”

“Nothing.”

The lie sounded weak even to me.

Raven snorted. “When you’re ready to stop lying, let me know.”

I sighed.

One of the many reasons Raven was dangerous was because he knew me too well.

“I can’t.”

His expression softened.

“Why?”

“Because if I tell you, I know you won’t tell anyone.”

He nodded.

“But if my father or uncle start asking questions, they’ll make you tell them.” Alpha’s can make anyone talk its common knowledge.

Understanding flashed across his face.

He leaned back in his chair.

“Fair enough.”

A moment passed.

“Just tell me when you’re ready.”

I nodded.

“I will.”

The rest of the job was easy.

Too easy.

We intercepted the thieves before they reached the shipment. Raven volunteered to stay behind and handle cleanup. Normally I’d argue. Tonight, I didn’t. By the time I got back to campus, it was almost midnight. I parked, jogged toward my dorm, and headed inside. As I passed Scar’s room, I noticed a dress lying outside his door.

Interesting.

Very interesting. I’d have to ask questions later. After a quick shower, I threw on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. Then I headed toward the women’s dorm. My feet practically carried me there on their own. When I reached Room 115, I smiled. The door was unlocked. Whether she’d meant to leave it that way or not didn’t matter. Breeze was thrilled. The second I stepped inside, I felt it.

Fear.

My smile disappeared. Aelira was asleep on the couch. Sweat dotted her forehead. Her breathing was uneven.

Nightmare.

I crossed the room immediately. The moment I sat beside her and pulled her into my arms, her body relaxed. Almost instantly. A small sigh escaped her.

“So hot,” she mumbled sleepily.

Before I could respond, she pushed up her shirt in her sleep, clearly trying to get comfortable. And removing it

I looked away for a second, dragging a hand down my face.

Breeze was no help whatsoever.

Mate.

“Not helping.”

Beautiful mate.

That wasn’t helping either. Because she was beautiful. Moon Goddess, she was. Not because of what she looked like. Not because of the curves that had definitely caught my attention. And her perky breasts against my chest wasn’t helping either. But because she was her. Because even exhausted and half asleep, she somehow trusted me enough to settle against me. Aelira shifted closer. The movement pulled my attention right back to her.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Every instinct I had wanted to hold her tighter. To keep her safe. To stay exactly where I was and never leave. The attraction was there.

I wasn’t blind.

I wasn’t dead.

But right now, it wasn’t the thing consuming me. The thing consuming me was the fact that she had been terrified when I first found her. And now she was sleeping peacefully in my arms.

Trusting me.

That meant more than anything else. I carefully brushed a strand of black hair away from her face. Immediately she relaxed further. A small smile tugged at her sleeping expression.

My chest tightened.

Protective.

Possessive.

Terrified.

Because if anyone ever hurt her again, I wasn’t sure what I’d do. Breeze rumbled his agreement.

Ours.

I looked down at her one last time.

“My little wolf.”

The words came out quieter than I intended. Aelira made a soft sound and settled even closer against me. Like she’d finally found somewhere safe. I pressed a kiss against her forehead.

Then, for the first time all day, I let myself relax. And drifted to sleep.