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1028 Words
Pulling myself to the wall to lean against, I hold one hand against my chest, my eyes darting around panicked.
“What the hell was that?!” I breathe, terrified.
CHAPTER 2
Aisha
I don't know how I get home, but I'm feeling slightly better, enough for my brain to be working normally. Harry is fast asleep, and Maddie smiles as I pick him up carefully so as not to jostle him awake. For a preteen, Harry is still too small in stature. My heart aches at how underdeveloped he is. It's only because he isn't eating enough.
"Thank you, Maddie," I give her a grateful look as Harry buries his face in my neck where my scent is the strongest. "I'm sorry I keep waking you up at this ungodly hour every day."
"It's a small sacrifice, Aisha," The old woman beams at me through her tired eyes. "Your brother's presence lights up my home. Come have breakfast with me tomorrow before you leave."
I open my mouth to refuse, but she cuts me off, "You're too thin. No girl your age should be skin and bones."
I yawn before I can catch myself, "Alright. Thank you."
She waits by the door till I've crossed the hall and opened the door to my apartment. The sound of her door closing makes me want to smile.
Closing my own door, I carry Harry into his bedroom. Laying him down, I pull up the blanket and stroke his hair, my heart throbbing at the sight of the child who needs his pack so desperately.
"We can't go back, Harry," I whisper hollowly. "I won't have them turn you into a monster, too."
He just mumbles something in his sleep before letting out a small snore. I wipe my wet eyes and stroke his hair once more. I turn on the night light and leave his room. Heading to my own room, I slide out my laptop and turn it on. It takes a couple of minutes, but I'm used to the lagging. I got it secondhand from one of my classmates. She had been happy to give it to me instead of having to dispose of it. I've always been good with technology, so I managed to change the motherboard and get it functioning again.
Checking the university's website, I feel relieved that course registration has begun for the next semester, and I'm amongst the first few students online. There is no break between these two semesters, and we just get three days to choose our classes and register for them online. There are plenty of courses to choose from, but I'm aiming at Data Analytics as a major, and I want to take a more advanced course so that I can do an internship over the summer, which will pay me more. After registering for the mandatory classes, I turned my attention to the advanced courses I would have to take next year. Fortunately, since I'm on a scholarship, I'm allowed to register for advanced classes for the juniors. The college would prefer that I graduate as fast as possible. I just have to hand in a form at the administration office for approval.
My eyes settle on one of the courses, and I stare at the name before checking the syllabus out. This is a good one. However, the professor, Morris Wolfguard, is known for his strictness. He's supposedly panty-dropping hot, but his classes are a torture chamber. He's ruthless.
I've never met him but that's because he's been teaching at a sister college these past two years.
I press my lips together.
I can handle him.
I won't be making eyes at him, and I'll make sure to keep up with the coursework. It shouldn't be a problem.
My hand hovers over the 'register' option.
It will be spring soon, and the bar will be flooded with people. I might have to work overtime.
My jaw clenches, "It'll be fine. What's the worst that can happen?"
I press the button.
*** ***
There's no sign of Bond for the next couple of days. I do hear whispers about how he was found naked outside, and a lot of the female staff giggle over it.
When Henry approaches me about what happened, I feign ignorance.
He leaves me be.
He has no proof I had anything to do with it, and from what I know, Bond isn't talking. Why would he? Admit that a woman beat him up and left him naked outside? His ego won't be able to take it.
It's a good week overall, with my last exam done and dusted. However, there is one thing bothering me.
That strange sensation I experienced.
It's not all gone away.
I've woken up a couple of times in the morning, my arousal filling the room. I have no one to go and ask, so the only other place is one of the websites that shifters like myself visit. We're all registered on it and have to use our pack ID to access it. That's why I didn't want to. Nobody has come looking for me and Harry. But if our ID alerts someone, there's a good chance they will.
I check the wall clock.
"Three minutes," I murmur. "Just three minutes. In and out. Nobody will be the wiser."
Taking a deep breath. I quickly log on and put my symptoms in the search bar, my eyes checking the time every few seconds.
The forum loads, and I screenshot similar conversations without even reading them. Heart racing, I quickly log out just as the three minutes are up and then sink back into my chair, letting out a shaky breath.
"That was close."
"What was?" Harry asks, looking over his shoulder at me from where he's watching cartoons on the small TV that I got out of a dumpster two months ago. We don't have cable, but I downloaded some cartoons for him using my college Wi-Fi and plugged in the USB in the port.
"Nothing," I smile at him. "Let's have lunch in an hour and then go to the park. We can go ice skating."
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