My Lycan Boyfriend's Dark Secret

all eyes...

Retreating back into the large crowd and heading towards my only friend on campus, Stephanie, I try to keep my head down avoiding any further attention. I am invisible... please let me be invisible... The speeches were over and we were left to familiarize ourselves with our classmates... to my utter horror. I feel eyes on me and my ears and cheeks heat up with embarrassment. At this point I could’ve stood in my underwear and not feel any more exposed as I am feeling right now. With my sleeves pulled down and bundled up in my hands I try to brush my curls over my scarlet red cheeks. I have to push through the crowd of students huddled together in order to get back to where I was, and I was relieved when she saw me and waved me over to her. The tried to pass a group of guys but they closed the gaps between them, closing me off and barricading me in. Oh fudge!!

“Come on, make some space,” Stephanie scolds the group of guys who are deliberately blocking my path. They only laugh at her, clearly having their share of fun picking on the new girl. Lucky me!

“Don’t be a spoil sport... we’re just getting to know each other,” the tallest guy in the group says as he wraps his arm around my shoulder. GULP! The feeling sent shivers down my spine. I was tiny compared to him, completely out of my depth never being taught any valuable self defense strategies. Thanks dad!

“Let me go,” I tell him, hearing my own voice c***k under the weight of my anxiety... which only makes him laugh. A laugh that holds no humor, at least not on my behalf. I keep my eyes focused on the paving below my feet, too nervous to make contact with theirs, and cautious of inviting and further advances.

“You heard her Kurt, now let her go,” I hear a cool and authoritative voice nearby and I instinctively lift my gaze and meet his. The most handsome face stood staring right back at me. Wow!! His jaw tensed and his lips pressed together. He is so beautiful. I couldn’t help staring at his dark brown eyes that are surprisingly fixed on mine, they remained cool and impassive giving nothing away. He doesn’t seem to care who I am, or even pretend to be interested. He is merely stepping in to save a situation from escalading.

“Yes Avery, we were just having some fun. We meant no harm,” Kurt says as he lets go of me like... I was on fire, his face suddenly turned ashen. He steps away from me, his hands held up in surrender. He is afraid of Avery and I can see why. Avery has an aura that demands respect and radiates danger. It's both terrifying and... wonderfully addictive.

“Go have your fun elsewhere,” my unexpected savior says curtly, glaring at the guys who were harassing me just a moment ago. With that Stephanie grabs my arm and pulls me away, stalking off before I can thank Avery for what he had done for me.

“Wait,” I tell her as I turn back to look for him, but he is already gone. No... The space where he stood is already filled by other students happily sharing a joke of some sort. I let out a deep breath as I follow after her on shaky legs.

“Those guys are bad news,” she tells me, “with them all is fun and games, until someone gets hurt... and then it’s a party.”

“Kurt?” I ask, just to be sure that is who she was referring to.

“and his pack of fools,” she clarifies with a scowl.

“Who is the other guy, Avery?” He's the one I want to know more about.

She stops to look at me, her eyes fixed intently on mine as she starts to say, “His name is Avery Black, he has been here since... like... he was old enough to be allowed admittance. Nobody really knows him though. He is too good for us average wolves,” she scoffs, “he’s loaded, naturally, and his father, Adam Black, is the Alpha of the biggest and most powerful pack in the United Kingdom. He stands to inherit it all, being the only son and heir to the throne. It’s only natural that Jessica has her eyes set on him.”

“He’s in our class?” I ask as I turn to search the crowd behind me once more.

“Yes,” she says, “he is already eighteen though, making him lucky enough to know his mate when he sees her.” Oh!

“And?” I look back at her. Please don't say he has a mate...

“He pays attention to nobody other than one or two of his friends, so I doubt his mate is in this school.”

“Oh.” I don’t know why I care. But I do. Maybe it’s the mystery hidden in his eyes, those deep dark brown eyes that shut everyone out. Or maybe it is curiosity sprung from gratitude. Who am I to know... All I do know is that this is going to be a more difficult year than what I imagined.

Finally back in my dorm room I start to unpack, removing my lavender and rosemary cuttings from my bag and hanging them on my headboard. The scent soothes me and helps me think straight. Two things I am finding missing from my life at this moment. I also take out the comforter mom knitted me, its beautiful pale pink and green brightening up my mood as I hold it to my chest before throwing it over the bed I will call my own for the next 365 days. I collapse on the soft springy mattress, my head sinking into the fluffy pillow as I close my eyes and inhale a deep breath through my nose. Feeling the knitted comforter under my hands as I flex my finger, I almost feel like I am back home... almost.

“Oh, great... I’m stuck with the village i***t,” I hear the exasperated sigh of someone from the other side of the room. I sit up abruptly, snapping my head in her direction as I look at her... my first roommate ever.

“Hi,” I push to my feet, extending an awkward hand in greeting, “my name is Oceania Burns, but you can call me Ceana. You must be Marge,” I say smiling excitedly at her.

“I know who you are, we all do,” she says as she turns her back on me. That's... unexpected. I drop my hand immediately, feeling every bit the i***t she pointed me out to be. I recognize her though, she was one of the girls standing with Jessica when Stephanie showed me around, what did Steph call them... the terrible two?

“Let’s get a few things straight,” she says as she turns to face me once more. Her auburn hair pulled back into a stylish high bun and her eyeliner applied to perfection. She looks like a celebrity. “I am not your friend. We don’t hang out. When I have boys over, which I will, you will keep to yourself and mind your own business. Also... touch an item in the fridge with my name on, and you are dead... get it?” She says with her chin held high.

“Ok,” I answer stepping back into my half of the room, nodding slowly and avoiding eye contact. I just want this year to end. What the hell am I doing here? I don’t belong here. I squeeze my eyes shut feeling tears build up and threatening to spill over my lashes. I rush through the open door, hearing her laugh as I run down the hallway. I don’t want to cry in front of them. I want to at least have that little bit of control. Finally reaching the line of trees past the courtyard, I start to slow, I start to breathe... I feel safe under their cover. Looking up and seeing the dense green canopy above me reminds me of home. I sink to the ground, feeling the pine needles prick the skin on my knees. Bowing my head with my palms flattened to the ground, I take a deep breath to steady myself.

You have to be strong now, you have to find a way to survive.

In the distance I hear a roaring, like that of a strong consistent wind, but the trees are not swaying. Could it really be? Pushing to my feet I decide to investigate and follow the sound as I walk through the woods. It get’s louder and louder and then I smell it... the ocean. Yay! My spirits lift instantly and I start to run, I feel my heart beating like a drum in my chest and my stomach fluttering with the adolescent excitement of a young child. This could be the relief I am looking for, this could be my saving grace. My feet hit the sand and I pull off my shoes, one by one, throwing them hastily to the ground as I feel my feet sink into the warm sand, and the cool sea breeze caress my skin and twirl my hair life fingers combing through my curls. Ah... perfect... I was born and raised in the Knysna forest and hardly found an opportunity to escape it, but when I did, I found myself drawn to the beach... with its crashing waves and comforting warm sand. I have always been drawn to the ocean, since as long as I can remember. The cool water splashes up my legs and refreshes me as I run through the salty water, arms spread open like the wings of a bird, spinning in circles and soaring free. Maybe this... being here and free... can make up for all the rotten people who inhabit the high and mighty academy.

The hairs on the back of my neck rise with the awareness that someone is watching me. “Hello?” I call out as I freeze to look at the line of trees, searching the dark spaces between the wide trunks. I feel someone watching me, but I can’t see anyone... it’s unnerving. “Hello?” I call out again feeling rooted to the spot. My heart is beating loudly and heavily in my ears. “Sh-show y-yourself,” I shout in desperation, but no one responds. Am I just imagining things? I jog wearily to where my shoes remain scattered in the sand, picking them up as my eyes search the trees before me. I better get back to my room, as unpleasant as it may be.