These Feral Bonds

CHAPTER TWO

HAZEL'S POV

Caleb's room was in an isolated part of the dorms. They gave him one on the third floor, on a wing no one else lived in,which meant it was very easy for me to climb up the wall to his window, unnoticed. The walls of Holloway preparatory were old and rough with more than enough crevices, making it perfect for climbing. I took a peek inside the room. Empty. That was good. I entered inside, careful not to make a sound.

His room was…abnormally huge. He had a freaking closet! Most students shared a room with another while a few didn't. I was privileged to not have a roommate because of my father, but still. Well, Caleb wasn't just any student. This was actually fitting for the future Alpha of the silverflame pack.

The room had his strong scent. Like cedarwood and musk. Not that I noticed. I looked around, wanting to find Aetheris as quickly as possible. If Caleb caught me here, I was in big trouble. A glint in the corner caught my eye. There she was. On the drawer beside his bed. I was about to go get it when I heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. Oh no.

I wouldn't be able to take Aetheris and climb back down before he would come out and notice she was gone. I needed to hide. I looked around frantically, trying to find the best hiding spot in this spacious room. None looked promising enough so I settled for under the bed. I crawled under, lying flat on my stomach. I would wait here till he went to sleep and then I would strike.

Caleb came out of the bathroom a few minutes later. From where I was under the bed, I could see everything clearly. He came out wrapped in a towel, water dripping down his massive body. Because of his specific wolf traits, Caleb was bigger than most boys his age. The perfect mix of intimidating and sexy. Again, not that I noticed.

My jaw went slack when he took the towel off. I blinked, trying to process what I was seeing.I couldn't look away even if I wanted to. Caleb was built like a Greek God, all chiselled muscles and hard lines. Tattoos snaked down his arms and chest, indicating his pack and also his power. Every part of him was sculpted perfectly, from his chest muscles to his V-line. And what came after…I could actually feel my mouth water. I mean I guessed that he was packing but I didn't imagine it could be like this. Even now, his c**k stood hard erect, like it was taunting me.

I'm happy to announce that my first time seeing a naked man was not a complete disappointment.

Sadly, he put on some clothes, a simple tee and some loose pants. He put on some shoes too. Was he going somewhere? In the middle of the night?

Then he wore a jacket, snatched Aetheris from the top of the bedside table. He slid the drawer open, took out a bit of fabric and inhaled it before walking out. Weird. I waited a few minutes to see if he would come back before getting out from under the bed.

Caleb didn't even bother to lock the drawer. Why would he? The only person stupid enough to sneak into his room was probably me. Nothing would have prepared me for what I found though. On closer inspection I realized they were actually my things.

A few pairs of my lace panties, a strawberry lipgloss I thought I'd lost, a stack of my beaded bracelets, and even a pillowsleeve I had discarded, tucked neatly at the center as if it were his most prized possession.

Holy s**t. Caleb was nesting. With my things. Something cold slithered up my spine. Nesting was a wolf thing, a mate thing. Things wolves did when they couldn't be physically close to their mates all the time. They would take things to remind them, like an anchor. Why would Caleb have an entire nest dedicated to me? What the f**k? Not having the time to process this properly, I took the lipgloss and quickly left the room, taking the stairs two at a time. I couldn't lose him but I couldn't get too close either. By the time I had reached the edge of the woods that surrounded Holloway preparatory, Caleb was nowhere to be seen.

I was wary of going into these woods. Humans weren't exactly allowed in here.

It was dark, the light of the crescent moon doing nothing to illuminate. I didn't want to use the flashlight in my backpack as that would draw attention to me. I walked a little farther and there on a rock were Caleb's clothes.

Excitement coursed through me. He was here to shift. I had seen plenty of wolves in their true form but Caleb was different.

The thing was, he wasn't just a normal wolf. He inherited the Hawthorne Lycan curse, from his grandfather that had been passed down through generations through his bloodline. Normal wolves in Sylvan could shift effortlessly and at will but Caleb's was extremely painful and erratic. It was something beyond his control. The curse also made him more bloodthirsty than the average wolf. Stronger, faster, more tolerable to Silver. The ultimate killing machine. Yes, I spent four hours in the library trying to know everything.

I followed the footsteps leading away from the rock, deeper into the woods. Roars of pain sounded from somewhere in the woods. I followed the sounds, my legs taking me to places I shouldn't dare tread. I hid behind trees as I walked so I wouldn't be noticed. Some cursed wolves were rumoured to kill any living being on sight.

The hairs on my skin stood on end as a low growl sounded behind me. I turned around, slowly and saw the largest wolf I had ever seen in my life.

It stood nearly six feet tall with black fur, spit dripping from its maw, teeth pulled back in a snarl. I knew it was Caleb because of the wolf’s eyes and…was that Aetheris at the base of its paw?

The wolf stalked closer to me slowly. My first instinct was to run but I knew that would be futile so I kept very still. Caleb circled me slowly, sniffing, bumping his snout against me.

I decided to try my luck. I reached my hand out, in an attempt to touch his fur but he snapped his teeth at me, growling.

“Sorry,” I muttered.

Caleb let out an abrupt enraged sound, startling me and ran deeper into the woods. I tried to follow but couldn't find him. I could only hear his howls of pain and the inhuman screams. This went on for some time, about thirty minutes before it stopped. After searching for about ten more, I found him. A gasp escaped from my lips.He was in his human-like form now, lying naked and unconscious on the forest floor, bloodied from head to toe. The strong smell of copper and wet earth hit me so hard, I gagged. Was this what it looked like?

A purple glint close to him on the ground caught my eye. I squatted, slowly, so as not to alert him and took the necklace as quietly as I could, shoving it into my pocket. He shuddered slightly, his entire expression morphed in pain, so different from the furious one he always had. Slowly and carefully in order not to startle him, I brought my hand closer, moving the hair that covered his face away. He still didn't wake. Embolded, I raked my hand through his hair and some of the pain in his expression seemed to ease.

Suddenly, his eyes shot open and he grabbed my wrist.

“Don't touch me,” Caleb snarled.

I reeled back, falling on my ass. The stare he pinned me with made me want to wither into the ground. He was the one naked but somehow, I felt like the vulnerable one. The sight of him all bloodied and bruised sent a chill up my spine.

“S…sorry. You looked like you were in pain. I was just trying to help.” I said lamely.

“Following me to the woods has to be the most foolish thing you've ever done. Get lost.”

Not needing any further inclinations, I scrambled to my feet and ran back in the direction of Holloway.