Fated to Meet You

Chapter 6

The sun has already set when Katryna puts down History of Wolf Shifters. She glances around her room to see her room mate has still not returned. Her stomach rumbling a bit, she moves to check her map and schedule. Hopefully her schedule would inform her of when breakfast would be? It was likely that she had already missed dinner, considering the lack of light outside, but she wasn’t going to miss breakfast tomorrow. She decides to check her schedule first, smiling in relief that it does, in fact, state meal times. It does show a three hour period for dinner, from 6pm to 9pm. Nine o’clock was quite late, but as it was almost 8, she wasn’t going to complain that food would still be available.

Katryna stretches as she stands from her bed, now looking through her map for the directions to the mess hall. She was a bit confused at first, seeing several corridors and staircases that, when touched, would cause the map to change what floor it was showing, but after a few tries she did figure out where to go. Memorizing the path back towards the entrance of the castle, she begins to walk, now trying to locate all of her classes and writing down little directions next to them on her schedule. It wasn’t too long before she dropped her pen, however, struggling to juggle between the papers.

Just before she leans down to pick it up, she sees the back of a neatly combed head. As he stands up and offers the pen to her, a flush crosses her cheeks. “Ah- Thank you!” She takes the pen before looking at his face, giving a warm smile. “I spent my afternoon reading instead of figuring out where my classes are, luckily it says curfew isn’t until midnight.” He gives her a little smile back, although it was much more timid than her own, his eyes keeping themselves away from hers.

“Would you like help? I attended the Academy last year. I can help.” His eyes shift to hers and her breath stops for a moment. His eyes were the color of chocolate, making it hard to look away.

She doesn’t fight her urge to keep looking at him, even as she shakes her head, forcing her lungs to work again, “Ah! No, I’m just using my map to write it down, but I am going for dinner. Have you eaten yet?” He takes a step closer to her causing her heart rate to spike. He leans in further, placing a hand gently on her cheek before leaning in and taking a large, although silent, sniff towards her neck. Katryna feels her cheeks hit further, but this heat trailing lower across her body. Although strange behavior to her, she felt a bit turned on and flattered.

“I have, but I would be happy to accompany you, mate.” She feels herself swoon a bit as his voice comes out low and sultry, something she did not expect from the timid smile he was giving only moments before. He steps back a bit, hand dropping from her face to move and take her things, holding them for her in one arm while grabbing her hand with the other. “I know the way, and we can find your classes together afterwards.”

She was just recovering from his voice in her ear when he takes her things. She doesn’t resist, just allowing him to hold it and starting guiding her along. Tingles are shooting through her hand where he holds it, their fingers fitting together so perfectly that she wonders if she’s dreaming. “What were you reading?” his question begins to snap Katryna from her daze.

She glances at him and just stares blankly for a moment. What was she reading? What is he talking about? “What?” she says after several seconds of silence, feeling embarrassed and awkward.

He just gives her a little grin, letting go of her hand. Her mind almost immediately starts to clear, although she can’t help but feel cold now at the lack of contact. “You said you were reading all afternoon. What book?”

“I was reading History of Wolf Shifters. I don’t come from a magic family so Professor Sierra left it for me to make sure I don’t offend anyone. She also left me Introduction to Magic.” Katryna rolls her shoulders back, trying to relax a bit. Why was she suddenly so nervous? Was it because she was talking to a cute boy? But she didn’t feel this nervous back home.

He nods in understanding, “You may not want to tell everyone that you don’t have magic heritage. Some don’t take too kindly, and it’s really easy to be hexed when you don’t know the incantations to defend yourself.” She nods, suddenly realizing that she really did just make herself an easy target. She takes a few steps away from the man, thinking about it. He glances over at her before laughing. “I won’t hurt you, mate. You don’t need to worry.”

She didn’t know why he kept calling her mate. He definitely didn’t sound Australian, afterall. Was that magic thing or a wolf thing? Did they frequently call each other mate? Were the Australians magic? “Katryna,” she smiles, then blushing again as she quickly adds on. “That’s my name, I mean. Katryna.” She hesitates before extending a hand for a handshake.

He looks at her hand for a moment before meeting it with his own, “Hector, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Katryna.” The way he says her name sends a pleasant shiver down her spine. He doesn’t let their hands linger too long, however, dropping it as they enter the mess hall. “Dinner,” he gestures to the room, dozens of tables sitting across it. At the far end stands a few lines, people walking through them with trays. The scene inside was similar to what she had seen outside, but a bit more contained. Tons of young adults were playing around, floating food through the air or wrestling in some of the larger open spaces.

“It’s crazy in here,” she mumbles, causing Hector to laugh.

“It settles down after the first week or two. Right now everyone is just excited to see who’s the strongest and the smartest. For wolf shifters, strength leads the pack, for the sorceresses its power and wits.” He leads Katryna towards the food lines, offering her a tray. “Usually the two strongest are a couple. Connections can enhance the other’s abilities leaving them unstoppable, except by the teachers.”

Katryna nods, understanding, but a few questions do occur to her as they pass through the line. “But aren’t the older students going to be better? They’ve had more time to practice their skills and are more likely to have a strong bond with someone.” This causes Hector to smile.

“You are quite right, it is rare for any of the new students to claim head of the pack.” He grabs a small snack for himself, thinking it rude to let a lady eat alone, before guiding them to a table. “But it can be entertaining to watch.” Katryna nods as she sits down, observing the chaos surrounding them. She doesn’t realize the way she leans against Hector until his arm wraps around her waist, pulling her closer. Her face flushes again as she stuffs it with her food, wanting to hide her embarrassment. Yet, nothing felt more right than sitting next to him while being held. But the feeling of warmth and comfort was disturbed as a boy walked in with the loudest, most distracting laugh, paired with those unforgettable gray eyes.