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24
Ben
Professor Luna droned onand on until the words were just a hum of noise inside my head. Usually, I was interested in the hunting and survival techniques we learned about in class, but today I couldn’t focus. All I could think of was Raven’s long hair, her soft skin, her warm mouth…
My wolf let out a low growl that vibrated deep in my chest. He wanted her too. Somehow, I was going to have to convince her I wasn’t an asshole. I didn’t know anything about romance or how to woo a woman. They usually came to me, we had our fun, and we went our separate ways. Sex wasn’t a big deal. It was stress relief, a way to pass the time. But Raven, she wasn’t a way to pass the time. She was the one I wanted to spend all my time with.
Suddenly, a scream broke through the room. Shrill and laced with pure fear. It shot right through me, sending a jolt of terror deep into my soul. My wolf prickled inside me, poised for an attack.
I jumped up and looked around, trying to find the source of the sound.
The class looked at me, confusion painted on their expressions.
“Nobody else heard that?” I asked.
“Mr. Lucia, please have a seat,” Professor Luna said.
I tensed, my whole body on alert. “I heard a scream.”
Suddenly, another scream broke through the silence, vibrating within me. I watched the unchanged expression on my professor’s face. He really couldn’t hear it.
My chest tightened as realization snapped into place. The scream was meant for me. Raven was in trouble. “I’m sorry. I have to go.”
I knocked over my chair in my rush out of the room but didn’t stop to pick it up. Running at full pace, I exploded out of the door, hitting the hallway at a sprint.
My wolf howled in anger as he clawed at my insides. With every step, I could feel Raven’s pain, her fear. I pushed harder, pumping my arms. When my wolf fought to break free, I didn’t resist.
I ran on all fours, my wolf leading the way toward Raven, following her scent and the pull of her fear. The hallway flew by in a blur and I didn’t let thinking get in the way of the turns and twists my wolf made. We were sometimes at odds, but not when it came to her. Raven called to both of us and if I had any hope of getting to her in time, I had to give in to my wolf.
In my wolf form, my ears prickled as another scream broke through the silence of the halls. I wasn’t sure if I was hearing her for real or through the bond we held. I didn’t really care as long as I could find her.
Lifting my nose into the air, I sniffed, searching for any traces of her scent. My fur stood on end when I caught it and I lunged down the hall. Everything passed in a blur as I wound down stairs and through hallways toward my mate.
I couldn’t hear her anymore and the silence was more painful than listening to her scream. At least if she was screaming, I knew she was alive. The silence was deafening.
A coppery scent filled my nose. Blood. Raven’s blood. It didn’t matter how I knew but I did. Baring my teeth, I growled as I charged toward the scent.
As I turned the corner, I caught sight of an open door and Raven on the ground. A woman I didn’t recognize was standing over her.
I charged.
The stranger hit me with a bolt of electricity that sizzled through me, sending me flying backward away from Raven. I landed hard on the ground, smacking my head on the tile floor. Stunned, I stood up on shaky legs. The blast had sent my wolf away somehow. That shouldn’t be possible. What magic was she using?
The room swayed or maybe I did. But I wasn’t about to quit on her. “Leave her alone.”
“My fight is not with you, shifter,” the woman said.
“A fight with my mate is a fight with me,” I said.
The woman’s brow furrowed. “Foolish child, you don’t understand what you’re saying. You hit your head too hard.”
I growled, clenching my hands into fists. She could say all she wanted, but it didn’t excuse the fact that she’d tried to hurt Raven. For that, she was going to die.
I ran toward her, emitting a war cry as I charged her.
Blue sparks flashed across my vision before they hit me. I screamed in agony. It felt like every nerve was on fire. Panting, I fought against the onslaught. She wasn’t going to bring me down. I could fight her.
My knees gave, and I fell to the ground. The edges of my vision went black, and I struggled to remain upright. “Run, Raven.” I wasn’t sure if I said the words aloud or if they were in my head.
Then, everything went still, the blue sparks hitting my chest were frozen in place. No, not frozen, they moved slightly just as I was moving slightly. I could think and feel, but I couldn’t make myself move.
In a blink of an eye, I hit the ground, the blue sparks gone.
