CHAPTER THREE
1026 Words
Kael
I watched the girl as she weaved through the crowd of students, heading towards her assigned line. Avena. The name formed silently on my lips. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her stunning blonde hair. But it was those violet eyes that hit me hard, like a punch to the gut. I had never seen anything like them before.
A protective instinct flared up inside me, urging me to follow her, to stay close. I inhaled deeply; her scent lingered in the air. She smelled like fresh jasmine on a misty morning, but there was something more beneath it.
“Sullivan,” a deep voice interrupted, and I felt a hand clap my shoulder. “Why’re you hanging around with the freshmen?”
I glanced at my teammate. “Hey, Frank. Just going to grab my books.”
But my attention was drawn back to Avena. I didn’t like her standing alone in that line, and I really hated that some guy two spots behind her was checking out her body. My jaw clenched. I couldn’t blame him—Avena’s figure was incredible—but I still had the urge to rip his eyes out.
“Kael, you there?” Frank’s voice cut through again.
I snapped my focus back. “Sorry, what?”
“Dude, you okay? You look like you’re having a stroke.”
A laugh came from my other side. “Already drooling over a freshman?”
I turned, irritation rising. “f**k off, Jason.”
But I couldn’t stop looking at Avena. She had moved up in line, surrounded by even more people now. It made me anxious. She was so small, so vulnerable. She needed someone to protect her.
Frank followed my gaze. “Not your usual type, but I get it. She’s petite, but those curves—”
A wave of rage blurred my vision red, and I struggled to keep my cool. I’d spent years mastering control, exhausting myself with exercise to keep my beast in check, meditating to keep him calm. But none of that was helping now.
I let my claws extend just a little, enough to dig into my palm. The pain brought me back from the edge; if I didn’t ground myself, I might end up tearing into my friend right here in the middle of campus.
“Uh, Frank,” Jason said, warning in his voice. “You might wanna back off—Kael looks like he’s ready to tear your head off.”
Frank’s eyes widened as he turned back to me, holding up his hands. “Whoa, man. Didn’t mean anything by it. I didn’t know you felt that way about her.”
“Stay away from her,” I growled, my voice rough enough to make Frank step back.
Jason slapped me on the back. “Relax, man. He’s not hitting on your girl.”
Your girl.
I liked the sound of that. More than I should’ve. It felt right.
I tried to push the thought away, rolling my neck to loosen up. "She doesn't need some horny guy hitting on her."
Jason chuckled. "Who does?"
"You're both idiots," Frank muttered.
Jason gave me a sideways glance. "So, who is she anyway?"
I shifted, feeling uneasy. I didn’t want anyone paying too much attention to Avena—it could get complicated, especially if my hunch was right. "No idea. I just met her today."
Frank grumbled under his breath, "You're sounding a bit possessive for someone who just met her."
A flicker of anger stirred in me, but I forced myself to breathe it away. "She seems like a good person, that’s all."
Both Frank and Jason stared at me, surprised.
Jason broke the silence. "A good person? Are you even yourself? Come on, tell the truth—are you up on some alien ship getting probed right now?"
I shoved him. "Piss off."
Frank snorted. "Hey, some ass play isn’t so bad sometimes."
"You two seriously need a hobby," I shot back.
Jason grinned. "Why bother when your life is so much more entertaining?"
They had no idea how right they were. Yeah, we were friends, but only to a point. We joked around—talked about football, school, and girls—but it never went any deeper. It couldn’t. Not with everything I was hiding. Our friendship would never reach the level of trust I had with my brothers—brothers who’d been through hell with me. Brothers who knew my secrets. Brothers I needed to call about this potential problem.
"Come on, let’s grab our books before you propose to this girl you just met," Frank teased.
I glared at him. "Say that again, and I'll shove a textbook where the sun doesn’t shine."
Jason smirked. "Careful, Frank might actually enjoy that."
Shaking my head, I turned toward the student center where the bookstore was. But my gaze drifted again—Avena was sitting at a table now, talking to some sophomore who handed her a packet. A surge of jealousy flared inside me. I wanted to tear the guy's arm off.
I needed to make that call—now.
"I’ll catch up with you guys," I said, nodding toward the building. "I need to call Adrian."
"Tell your brother to go easy on me this semester," Frank muttered.
"Do that, and he’ll fail you twice as hard," I replied with a laugh.
Frank groaned. "Figures. No perks from being your friend."
I chuckled as they headed inside, then pulled out my phone, dialing Adrian. He picked up after the second ring. "Kael."
"We might have a situation."
Adrian immediately shifted into serious mode. "What kind of situation?"
I hesitated, trying to find the right words. "I met a girl."
Adrian sighed. "I’m working on lesson plans—can we discuss your love life later?"
A low growl escaped me. "This is serious."
There was a pause before he responded. "Alright, talk to me."
"She—she bumped into me on campus. A freshman. At first, I didn’t notice, but then the wind changed. I caught her scent. Adrian, she smells like one of us.”
- Writer
