Fated Mates, Destined To Be Enemies.

Chapter 16. Literature Class.

Tristan.

I noticed Hazel the moment she stepped onto the field.

It wasn't difficult because she stood out without trying to.

The other cheerleaders were warming up, stretching and practicing their routines, but my eyes kept finding her.

Maybe it was because I had already been noticing her for days. Maybe it was because my wolf seemed to notice her before I did, or maybe I simply couldn't stop looking at her.

She moved differently from the other girls.

There was something effortless about the way she jumped, twisted and landed. Her body seemed almost too flexible, bending into positions that made some of the other girls struggle to keep up.

I caught myself smiling.

I didn't even realize I was doing it until Jason bumped my shoulder. "What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing."

He followed my gaze, then he laughed.

"Ah."

I ignored him.

My eyes returned to Hazel.

She was good, very good. She made the routine look easy, and every time she spun or jumped, my attention followed her automatically.

Then she looked at me, and our eyes met.

For a second, neither of us looked away. Something warm moved through my chest.

My wolf stirred

I immediately pushed the thought away.

Not now, I had more important things to worry about.

The Night Breed!

Since the council meeting, I have been searching every evening.

The scent from that piece of flesh we found on the branch had become almost impossible to forget.

I had followed it through the woods.

Nothing.

The scent always disappeared, but I knew it was there.

A Night Breed was somewhere in Coldstone. And I intended to find it.

I looked back at Hazel.

She had turned away. I forced myself to focus on practice, but still, every few minutes, my eyes returned to her.

Then I noticed Seraphina walking toward her and my smile disappeared.

I couldn't hear what she was saying from where I stood, but I saw Hazel's expression change.

Seraphina moved closer, Hazel said something, then Seraphina shoved her. My body tensed. Seraphina was being unnecessarily mean to Hazel and I didn't like it.

I took one step forward, but before I could reach them to speak with Seraphina anything, Hazel steadied herself.

She looked angry.

For a moment, I thought she might confront Seraphina. Instead, she took a breath and walked away.

I stared at her.

There was something about that reaction that bothered me.

She had been provoked, yet she had controlled herself and admired that.

But why?

***

Later, I walked into the literature lecture hall.

I had no business being there, I was a science major, but that was precisely why nobody would suspect anything.

I told the lecturer I wanted to attend his class occasionally.

The students laughed, because obviously, everyone loved me and I always made them laugh.

Some of the girls giggled, girls loved me.

My eyes were already searching the room. Then I saw Hazel. Damn it! Why was she everywhere?

She was sitting among the first-year students, her notebook open in front of her.

I smiled and waved. She looked at me for a brief second then she looked away.

I lowered my hand.

For some reason, that bothered me more than it should have. Usually, people were desperate for my attention, but right now Hazel seemed determined to avoid it.

I sat beside Seraphina, but I wasn't listening to the lecturer.

I was searching.

The scent was faint, so faint that a human would never notice it, but I wasn't human.

My senses stretched across the room. I breathed slowly through my nose. Then I tried again, there were too many smells.

Perfume, books, sweat, food and cleaning chemicals.

I closed my eyes briefly and my wolf stirred.

Find it!

I opened my eyes, and the scent was gone, or perhaps it was somewhere beneath all the others.

I needed to investigate quietly, so I started with the textbooks.

I approached one student. "Can I see your literature textbook?"

He handed it to me, I flipped through it, but nothing.

Several students, but still nothing.

I wasn't looking for the Night Breed itself, but I was looking for traces.

The piece of flesh Drogo had found had carried a very particular scent. If the Night Breed had touched something recently, even briefly, there was a chance the scent remained. And the good thing was that I was right to badge the Literature class because as soon as I stepped in I could perceive the scent.

I kept searching.

Then I noticed Hazel watching me, my eyes met with her burnt orange eyes. She looked confused, so I quickly looked away.

I moved to another desk. "Can I borrow yours?"

The student handed me his book. I opened it, nothing.

I was beginning to wonder if I had been wrong about the classroom.

Then there it was, barely noticeable.

I froze.

My fingers tightened around the book. That scent, the same scent from the flesh on the branch.

My wolf immediately woke up.

Night Breed!

I lowered my head and breathed again.

Yes, It was here. Not strong, not fresh enough to tell me exactly who carried it, but unmistakable.

Anybody could have touched this textbook, so the Night Breed might not have necessarily been the owner.

I glanced around the classroom and saw hundreds of possibilities.

Then the lecturer divided his students into groups and Hazel and Seraphina were out in one group. I looked at Hazel and I could see the fear in Hazel’s eyes.

The scent was pulling me to where Hazel and Seraphina sat with their new teammates so I couldn't go further. I didn't want to make Hazel uncomfortable.

One of the teammates was Duke, and I can swear by the moon goddess that he was more likely the Night Breed.

My next plan was simple, join Seraphina for every team meeting with her new teammates for literature class, research more on Night Breeds so when I am around them I can try to fish the person out.

Nobody said it, but I knew finding and killing the Night Breed was like a hidden competition in the Pureblood Pack. And if I didn't end up being the one to catch it, my father would be very disappointed in me.

“Babe, let's get going.” Seraphina cut my thoughts shut.

“Won't you have a meeting with your new teammates?”

“Duh! Those fools can wait. I need some alone time with my man.”

I smiled as she pulled me towards her as we walked out of the lecture hall.

I swear I could feel Hazel's eyes borrowing through my skull from behind.

Was she feeling the way I did? Or does she just simply hate me?

I was never supposed to be wondering that, but the further I stepped away from Hazel, the more I wanted to find out how exactly she felt about me.