Fall Semester (Omega Wolf Academy Book 2) Page 4

  As always, nightmares plagued my sleep, and, without my mates by my side when I woke, dripping with sweat and gasping for breath, it took a long time before I fell back asleep. I was grateful for the weekend and the chance to sleep in and more grateful still that Chase had set our plans for just before noon and not early morning like Lucian would have. Besides him, none of us seemed to be morning people. I certainly wasn't. We'd get used to each other's idiosyncrasies eventually, I supposed, wondering if Lucian would start sleeping in or would, eventually, entice me to start waking earlier.

  A knock sounded at my door at 11:24 a.m., and Chase called out, "Hey, it's me."

  I dropped the sketch I'd been working on for my forms class and hurried to unlock the door. My stomach did a flip when I saw him, standing nonchalantly in cargo shorts, a fitted white T-shirt, and a pair of scuffed hiking boots. A pair of aviator sunglasses dipped low in the vee of his shirt, drying my gaze for a moment.

  "We should probably get some keys cut for each other's dorm rooms," Chase said, striding into my room as if he were more comfortable in this hiking get up, which I'd never have pictured him wearing in a million years, then he was in his usual clothes.

  I shut the door slowly and turned, still trying to take it all in. Chase was my southern playboy, my fashionable mate, not this sexy, rugged outdoorsman, who looked as if he could hoist an axe and chop down wood if he wanted. I licked my lips as the image flickered through my mind.

  Chase didn't seem to notice my utter shock and plopped down in my reading chair, then shot me his signature saucy grin. "You should probably get changed. I packed lunch and snacks, so no need to worry about that, but you'll need something sturdy on your feet and I don't think those will do." He gestured towards my Birkenstocks.

  I frowned down at my outfit of high-cut denim shorts and dark purple tank top, which covered a skimpy black bikini. "You said we were going to the lake," I reminded him. I'd dressed for an easy walk, not whatever location his hiking attire indicated.

  "I said we were going to a lake," Chase corrected with a shrug. "Sorry, should've been more specific. Do you have hiking boots? Your running shoes will do if you don't."

  I moved to my closet and pulled a pair of rose-colored well-loved hiking boots from near the back. "Don't worry about me," I said, shooting him a wink. "Give me a few minutes." I rooted through my dresser, pulling out a more supportive, sporty bikini, and a pair of yoga capris with pockets, then disappeared into the bathroom to get ready.

  When I emerged five minutes later, Chase glanced up from my computer desk where he'd relocated and held up my sketchpad. "Did you do this?" His raised eyebrows and shocked tone made me laugh.

  "Yeah. It's for my forms class. You knew I took art last term, right? I'm taking two art classes this semester. I'll probably major in it." I tilted my head, watching him absorb this new detail about me and felt my determination return. I was doing the right thing by stepping back from the physical lure of our mate relationship. We knew practically nothing about one another. I licked my lips and gestured towards the wall next to my desk, which was covered in oils, watercolors, and charcoal sketches. "Art is kind of my thing."

  Chase pushed to his feet, turning to stare at the mounted canvases. "You painted these?" He still sounded shocked, which both made me flush with pride and tingle with nerves. He'd yet to give an opinion of my art, I realized.

  I swallowed nervously and nodded, saying nothing while he moved his gaze from one to the next.

  Finally, he turned towards me, eyebrows raised, and shook his head slowly. "Old Ones, Lexi, you're amazing! These are gorgeous, not that I know a lot about art. But my mother does, and she would be floored by these." He turned again and pointed towards an oil painting of Liam and Rose's castle back in Ireland. "This one…" he trailed off and shook his head. "I don't know. There's something about it that feels special. Where is it?"

  I chewed my lip and blinked back unbidden tears as I studied one of my favorite images. I'd painted it over the course of a month, setting up on the hill that overlooked the castle in the hour before sunset, so that the brilliant rays of light, orange and gold, seemed to light the stone on fire. I'd given the original to Rose and Liam as a present and made a printed canvas to keep for myself.

  "It's my home," I whispered, feeling the truth of it in my soul. I'd only live there for a short amount of time, compared to the years I'd spent in captivity, but still it was my home. The only home I'd ever known.

  Chase wrapped his arm around my shoulder and leaned down to press his lips against my temple. "I'd love to see it someday," he murmured, sending vibrations through my skin.

  I looked up at him and felt my chest swell. "I'd like that very much." I lifted onto my toes and fit my lips to his. The kiss was sweet and pure, so unlike the scorching kisses he’d branded me with that it filled my throat with thick emotion. When he pulled back just far enough to gaze down at me and brush his lips over my forehead, I melted.

  “Alright,” he said, stepping back to grab the backpack I’d barely noticed. “We should get going.” He sized up my new outfit and nodded in approval. “Yoga pants, huh?” His saucy grin returned along with a purely evil twinkle in his eye.

  I rolled my eyes and turned away so he wouldn’t see the smile that lifted my lips, then made sure to add a little extra sway to my step so he could appreciate the view.

  Outside the gates, we turned in the opposite direction of the lake I’d assumed we were going to and slipped into the forest as the sun hit its pinnacle. I breathed in the still warm air, filling my lungs with the faintest scent of coming autumn, and slipped my fingers through Chase’s when he reached out to take my hand.

  Remembering what he’d said about his mother’s love of art, I tugged gently at his hand and asked, “So, is your mother an artist, then?”

  Chase chuckled. “My mother couldn’t draw a stick figure with a ruler. That’s why she loves art so much. Because she envies the artist. Mostly, she just loves to collect beautiful things.” He lifted our joined hands to his mouth and pressed his lips against my fingers. “She’ll adore your work and you.”

  My stomach twisted in knots. It had been difficult enough to explain my existence and past to my mates. The thought of having to explain myself to their families made me want to throw up.

  I changed the subject, not wanting to ruin our perfect day with agonizing worry. “What was it like growing up in the South? I’ve never been down there so the only reference I have is from books and movies.” I tilted my head and grinned. “Do you actually eat fried green tomatoes?”

  Chase groaned. “If your only references include movies about elderly women or plantation owners, we are going to need to expand your horizons. A lot has changed in the last few decades.” His eyes darkened. “Not enough, though. There’s still racism and undue hatred for anyone slightly different. Even within Wolf society, it abounds. But not everyone feels that way. Certainly not my family, and we have been working our entire lives to change the views of others. Our world has no place for the close minded.”

  I read between the lines. While his family might be accepting of our untraditional mate dynamic, his community would not. My stomach twisted again, and I pressed a hand to it, reminding myself that this wasn’t a choice we’d made. Fate in her omniscience had chosen this for us. We just had to carry the burden of being unique. Thankfully, we had a lot of shoulders to spread out the weight.

  “Do you have any siblings?” I asked, once again realizing just how little I knew about my guys.

  Chase laughed lightly. “Oh, you know, just a few. If you consider twenty-three a few.”

  My eyes went wide. “Twenty-three! Old Ones! How big is your house?”

  “It’s big, but we’ve never all lived there at the same time. We all just come home for family events and holidays. I’m one of the youngest.” He shrugged. “I know things are a little different for you, but what’s your family dynamic like with the other girls?”

  I sucked
in a deep breath and let it fill my cheeks, then slowly exhaled. I’d never been asked this question before and wasn’t sure what to say. So, I went with my heart and spoke the truth, as I knew it.

  “I love my sisters, but it’s complicated.” I kicked absently at a rock in the middle of the path and sent it skittering into the trees. “We weren’t allowed to develop personalities, not really. So, it’s kind of like we’re all going through adolescence now, even the older girls. We’re all just trying to figure out who we are. Sometimes, it’s a little disconcerting to see someone I’ve known my entire life suddenly become a different person altogether.”

  Chase made a humming sound in his throat and nodded. “How do you think they’ll react to our little situation?”

  I shrugged and shook my head. “I have no idea, but they supported my pink hair, so, maybe they’ll be cool.” I lifted my hands, dragging his up with mine. “Who the fuck knows.”

  “Who indeed,” Chase echoed and grinned down at me.

  We talked about his siblings, his parents, and extended family members, while we made our way further into the forest. He regaled me with stories of Christmases and birthday parties gone wrong that made me laugh until my face hurt. Eventually, the tension that had twisted my stomach at the mere mention of my family, dissipated, and I began to share memories of the good times. I kept the bad ones locked away, still, for another day when the sun wasn’t quite so bright.

  The path narrowed after a while, so that we were forced to unlink our fingers and walk single file with Chase leading.

  “Not that I’m complaining,” I called out as the terrain roughened considerably. “But you promised me a lake and I’m pretty sweaty back here.” I wiped a sheen of sweat from my forehead and took his offered hand from atop a huge boulder he’d climbed.

  With a grunt, he pulled me up and into his chest, then lowered his lips to mine and murmured. “We’re here.”

  I twisted away from his kiss, which was like butterflies whispering against my lips, and glanced over his shoulder, then gasped in delight.

  "I knew you'd like it," Chase murmured, gently squeezing my hand before leading me towards the lake.

  It was stunning. The lake, if you could call it a lake, was huge and as calm as a mirror. Mature trees lined its shores, broken only by sections of verdant grass that disappeared into smooth pebbles, then glistening water. The sun reflected off the surface, making it sparkle as if it were encrusted in diamonds. I rushed forward, feeling pulled towards its placid depths, and laughed in delight when I found it warm and inviting.

  Without hesitation, I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it onto the grass, then shimmied out of the rest of my clothes. Chase followed suit, only pausing to watch me wade into the water. Then he was splashing in after me, all light and laughter.

  He caught up to me and reached out, gripping me lightly around the waist to lift me high and send me flying. I squeezed my lips shut as I hit the water and disappeared into the aquatic wonderland beneath.

  "You swim like a fish," Chase said with a laugh when I swam around him, doing lazy flips and luxuriating in the feel of the water on my skin.

  I moved my fingers over the surface. "Rose and Liam have an outdoor pool and an indoor one, so I spent a lot of free time learning to swim."

  "Learning?" Chase asked, paddling closer to me. His eyebrow quirked up, then fell as realization darkened his eyes. "Shit. Sorry, I forgot."

  I shook my head. "Don't be sorry. I love that you see me as just a normal girl." I swam forward and wrapped my arms around his neck while our feet brushed together, and we kicked to stay afloat.

  "There's nothing normal about you," Chase whispered with his mouth an inch away from mine. He hovered there for a moment, just staring into my eyes. I wondered what he saw there and how he could make me feel so special with just a look.

  His mouth branded me, moving against my lips this time without the gentleness of before. This was hot and heady, and filled with desire. I melted into him, angled my head to deepen the kiss, and gasped when his hands delved into my hair and pulled.

  The small pain was exquisite and only excited me more. Beneath the surface, our legs kicked wildly, keeping us afloat, while our mouths devoured. Moans escaped my throat when he left my mouth to nip at my jaw and lick my neck.

  “Well,” a voice called out from the shore, snapping the sexual tension in an instant. “Looks like we weren’t the only ones to have a good idea today.”

  “Fuck.” Chase eased back and gulped in deep breaths. “Sorry,” he murmured. “Most students don’t know about this place. The path is rarely used.” He sighed and tilted his head. “Want to get out or ignore the interlopers and swim across?”

  I considered the options, glancing over at the small group on the shore who were watching us intently in a way that creeped me out. I frowned and lowered my voice so they wouldn’t hear. “Who are they? I’ve never seen them around campus.”

  Chase puffed out his cheeks and blew his breath out slowly. “They weren’t here for summer semester.” He nodded slightly towards them. “See the guy in the green shirt?”

  I glanced again and nodded.

  “That’s Dresden Oswell, one of the biggest douches on campus.” Chase grinned. “If you discount Dimitri.”

  I grinned and playfully slapped his arm. “You’re bad.” I knew he loved Dimitri, and the jibe wasn't real. "I don't know." I chewed my lip and glanced across the lake, knowing it would be a fantastic swim. "I'd love to stay, it's beautiful here."

  "But?" Chase asked, picking up on the hesitation in my voice.

  "But maybe we could come back another day, when there are a few less assholes around." I shrugged, feeling bad about ending our date so soon. "We could head back to that little clearing on the way up, the one by the brook, and have our picnic." I did a little shimmy and smiled. "Maybe we could pick up where we left off."

  Chase's eyes flashed with interest. "You mean, when we were interrupted." He glanced at the shore with a frown. "Yeah, probably best. They're watching us like a pack of hyenas."

  I shivered despite the warmth of the water. Part of me wanted to ignore the instinctual warning and chalk it up to dislike for the new group, but another part of me said no. I'd ignored my instincts this summer and questioned my sanity. But I'd been right. There had been someone watching me, stalking me. After the attack, I'd promised myself that I'd start relying on my instincts more. They had led me to my mates, after all, so they couldn't be that rusty.

  We made our way to shore, not rushing, but not feeling our little private paradise anymore. I ignored the eyes on me as I stepped out of the lake, wringing water from my sodden hair.

  One of the girls, heavily pierced with dark straight hair that gave her a goth look, inhaled deeply, leaning forward in my direction. There was nothing subtle about the move, I thought, as I toweled off.

  "Do you smell that?" She asked one of the other girls, pitching her voice just loud enough so I could hear. "She reeks of other wolves. I’m not a saint, but, Old Ones, is it so hard to pick one guy to fuck at a time? I wonder if Chase knows she’s such a slut.”

  Chase’s entire body went stiff as a board beside me. He straightened, letting the boot he’d been lifting fall back to the grass as he turned towards the ignorant bitch. My hand shot out and touched his arm, drawing his gaze to me. Subtly, I shook my head. We owed them nothing. They had no right to know what fate had blessed us with.

  Chase took a deliberate breath and nodded, then reached for his boot again and finished dressing.

  We ignored them completely, adding fuel to the whispers and digs that made Chase’s eyes go dark with anger. Still, he kept his calm, knowing I’d asked him to step back. My heart filled with adoration and respect for him. He really was a good guy. I handed him the backpack, and we set out, turning our backs on the mean kids.

  “Wasn’t she the one Dimitri flipped over?” the pierced girl asked, again speaking loud enough for us to hear. “Yeah,” she
said, answering her own question. “I heard about it from Dacien over summer break. She was with Chase at a party when Dimitri came in and went all primal. Do you think she’s playing them against each other?”

  “No fucking clue,” a guy said with a bored tone. I figured it must be Dresden by the way Chase ground his teeth together. “I don’t get what they see in her.”

  “Maybe they’re blinded by her gaudy pink hair,” another girl said with a giggle.

  I fought the urge to reach up and touch my hair. These were bullies. I’d been imprisoned by bullies my entire life and knew they’d get a boost knowing their words affected me in any way. I reached out blindly and met Chase’s hand in midair. Our fingers linked in solidarity.

  “Looks like cotton candy,” Dresden said with a sly laugh as we approached the path back down the mountain. His voice barely reached us anymore. We were almost out of earshot, almost away from the gang of assholes, when he added, “I wonder if her cunt tastes as sweet.”

  They laughed.

  I froze.

  Chase turned and, in one magnificent moment, shifted from human to wolf, then attacked.

  Chapter 6

  “Hey!” Lucian muttered, punching Chase’s bare arm beneath the first full moon of the semester. “Stop watching them.” He shifted his gaze past Chase to where Dresden and his crew milled around, pulling their clothes off. “Promise me you’ll stay as far away from them as possible. You’re both lucky you weren’t expelled.”

  Chase pulled away and frowned. “We weren’t on campus and, besides, you wouldn’t have done any better if you were there.” He jutted his chin towards Dimitri, who was presently staring holes into Dresden’s back. “And what do you think tall, dark, and moody over there would have done? I was restrained.”