The man instantly shuttered his emotions before he looked around, his eyes darting to the building next to us before he tapped his ID against a dark electric panel. It lit up green, and he led me into the foyer with an arm wrapped around my shoulder as if he was worried about something. I would have asked him what, but almost instantly I was surrounded by a warm blast of heat, making me sigh happily, loving that they had heating here because in our apartment building it had always been very hit or miss.

  I imagined being on the lake made for some freezing nights, so this was a positive.

  “We need to talk more about this later.” His voice was low and relaxing, but there was an undertone of serious concern that I didn’t completely understand.

  Was it something I said? Maybe it had to do with not having applied here. Did he think it was a mistake as well? Surely they would have caught that when I signed in… right?

  Instead of overthinking, I focused my energy on looking around the massive foyer and bottom floor we had just walked into. The floor, a gorgeous dark wood tile, was covered by an assortment of warm rugs and large, masculine furniture spread throughout the triangular room. Where the pointed end of the triangle would have been was a glass feature wall that showed off the lake. I couldn’t see all of it, the elevator column in the center of the room somewhat blocking the view, but I could tell that it was stunning.

  There weren’t any other students down here, but I could smell an array of different scents. Some were pleasing, while others were neutral or bothered my nose. I stepped closer to Julian, inhaling his earthy scent as I curled into myself slightly.

  “This is really nice.”

  He looked down at me, his brow dipping as he probably wondered why I sounded so awkward. Instead of saying anything, he led me towards a dark pair of doors that opened into an elevator. Goddess. Living on the seventh floor of the apartment building at home would have been a much more pleasant experience if we had a functioning elevator. Unfortunately, it had always been broken, at least as long as I’d lived there. It was enough having to walk to the store, walk home with your items, but to also climb up all those stairs? Yeah, not very fun.

  There were times when it had convinced me to not leave the house, purely because of the walk up and down the stairs with groceries. That had also gotten me hit a few times by Gerald for being ungrateful and lazy. Usually that meant going to bed hungry as well. Honestly, I still thought it was a bit worth it. Stairs were not my friend.

  As the elevator doors closed, my back slumped against the cool metal wall, and Julian stepped into my space. I let out a small sound as his large arms came down on either side of me, caging my frame as I watched him curiously. It should have intimidated me, the way he was so much larger and blocking out the light, but instead I found my fingers twitching to touch him.

  Although even I knew that would be a total weirdo thing to do.

  “Where did you go just now?” he asked softly.

  I answered honestly before overthinking it. “This is all a bit overwhelming, Julian. Far nicer than I’m used to, and it’s not really helping the overall feeling that I don’t belong here.”

  My wolf huffed at our thread of insecurity. As if she didn’t feel the same way!

  His gaze darkened, flashing black before he smoothed a hand up my neck and cupped my jaw. “This is exactly where you belong, preciosa.”

  I didn’t believe that, but I nodded anyway, not wanting to dissuade him from thinking so. Also, was it weird that I found myself fighting the urge to ask him to touch my bite mark? I wanted his fingers to run over it, or his lips. My core tightened thinking about his teeth on my neck and how amazing that would feel.

  I didn’t know what this man wanted from me, but I wanted to give it to him. Plus, he was far more welcoming than the other man I had met minutes ago. He’d been a bit rude, but Goddess, had he been beautiful. A bit crazy seeming, but objectively gorgeous. Almost model-like.

  What was his name again? Caedmon the asshole? I was pretty sure that was how Julian had referred to him. My wolf rolled over onto her back, watching Julian with a forlorn look, upset she’d yet to meet his wolf. I couldn’t lie, I wanted to as well. I also was curious to know what type of wolf Caedmon was, because he didn’t smell or feel like a fenrir wolf. My wolf let out a small whine at the concept of being around him again, making me nearly rear back. That was weird.

  Luckily, Julian didn’t seem to notice.

  “After you press the fifth floor button, you always have to make sure to rescan your ID to actually open the dorm door because this floor just has the five of us on it,” Julian suddenly explained as my eyes moved to where the elevator was slowing on the dot that had a ‘5.’ He lifted his ID to a black pad, which lit up green and chimed.

  When the elevator dinged and opened onto the fifth floor, the doors this time on the opposite wall of the elevator, I was instantly swarmed by several different scents, and all of them had a soft smile crawling onto my face. I could smell Julian’s scent as well as two others that weren’t as familiar, but they had me feeling at ease.

  “Wow.”

  My eyes went wide at the truly massive room we stepped out into. My gaze was instantly drawn to the massive window wall that overlooked the lake, just like on the bottom floor. Except up here, it was a much more encompassing view, and I found myself walking forward across the dark wood tile floors to see the full extent of the icy shores. My wolf was instantly up and hopping around, excited to see so much snow and ice.

  “I take it you like it?” Julian mused. I turned away from the window to find him right behind me.

  I looked up and flashed a smile. “How could you tell?”

  “I can feel your wolf jumping around.” He shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal. My eyes went wide in surprise, not just because of his statement but because of the way his hand smoothed over my waist, slipping beneath the two jackets I was wearing. I leaned into his touch, absolutely loving the way it made my entire body feel.

  “You can feel that?” I asked, trying to keep the slight tremble and surprise from his touch out of my voice.

  He nodded, and before I could ask about his wolf, he began to point things out about the room we were now facing. The triangular-shaped main space had large, dark furniture that looked quality-made and masculine in style, comfortable rugs layering each area. A large television hung on one of the walls, and the front space overlooking the lake seemed to be used as both a study and living room. The room was separated by the elevator column, and behind it I could see more windows and what I was nearly positive was a kitchenette.

  “There are five suites to each floor,” he mentioned finally, showing off two doors to one side and three to the other. I found myself naturally wanting to stay in this small window-filled space, the comfortable chair right behind me perfect for curling up and reading. I had to shake myself and remind myself that this wasn’t really my space. I was just being allowed to stay here. Everything here was so beautiful, and the realization that this looked like a magazine cover had me feeling truly inferior.

  “Want to see your room?” he asked curiously, putting my bag down as he gently shrugged off his jacket from my shoulders. His hands on my skin, despite being separated by my own jacket, had me shivering as they moved over my frame. I should have been nervous about being alone with a man I literally didn’t know, but instead I was hating that he was removing his jacket from me. His scent. This was going to be a problem.

  I finally processed his words.

  “What do you mean my room?”

  I suppose I hadn’t considered where I would be sleeping. I mean, I could just sleep on the couch, I’d done so before… I guess it made sense to have a room, though.

  “Can’t sleep on the couch,” he mused.

  I mean, I literally could, but now I felt silly for thinking that. I was so out of my element. Also, how did he know what I’d been thinking? Was I that obvious?

  “Come here.” He gently intertwined our fingers as if understanding I was having issues with all of this, leading me towards a door that was closer to the front of the space, on the side with three suites. My eyes gravitated towards the lake again, my wolf’s excited whining and yelping making me want to tell her to zip it, but I figured that would probably seem weird. Although, I wasn’t just around fenrir wolves anymore, so maybe not? I stepped closer to Julian as he opened up the dark door, flipping on the lights.

  “Check it out,” he said, gently ushering me in.

  The entire space smelled clean, almost like lemon cleaner, and the dark floors contrasted the tall white walls. To the front of the room was a windowpane that was on a slight diagonal, following the angle of the building, and to the left was a door that I assumed led to a bathroom, maybe? I swallowed nervously, looking around the space that was flooded with light, stepping back slightly into Julian.

  Yeah, I couldn’t handle this. It was too much change at once. I didn’t know what to do with so much space all to myself.

  How did I convince him the couch was the right option for me?

  “It comes with a full-size bed and a dresser and desk,” he pointed out, his fingers smoothing over my shoulders as he stood behind me. “We will need to make sure you have some bedding, but the rest is up to you.”

  I was thankful that the furniture was bare despite being modern and high quality. The small aspect made it moderately easier to deal with… barely. I let out a small exhale.

  “This is just my room?” I confirmed on a small exhale.

  He offered me a curious head tilt. “I can show you the others if you want, if you don’t like this one.”

  “No!” I squeaked, feeling alarmed at that concept. “This is fine. It’s beautiful, actually, I’m just bad with change.”

  His lips pulled into a full-dimpled smile as he walked over to my bag and brought it over before placing it in the center of the room. “I’m guessing you need to pick up some stuff?”

  I fidgeted with my hands and nodded, wondering how much everything was going to cost. I hated that I was being so quiet right now, but I honestly didn’t know what to say to the man. I just needed some processing time. That would fix me. Hopefully.

  “Let’s eat something and we can go from there. I promise you will get used to it.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side as I inhaled his scent, feeling far better. Was it normal to feel physically better when someone like Julian was touching you? We left the door open as he led me towards the kitchenette, dropping the bag from the Student Union down onto the counter.

  The kitchen was missing an oven, but it had everything else, including a dishwasher, fridge, microwave, and even a long island. Honestly, it was double the size of the kitchen in our apartment back home, and it wasn’t even a full kitchen. I wondered if I could find a way to bake in here? I knew Christmas season was over, but I hadn’t even had a chance to bake this year because we had been so low on money that we had only been able to purchase essentials.

  “What are you in the mood for?” he asked curiously.

  “I’ve never had most of these,” I answered honestly, looking over the brightly colored packages that we had purchased. Well, he had purchased. Which reminded me, I needed to figure out a way to pay him back...

  Before he could say anything else or we could decide what to eat, the elevator dinged open, and Julian’s entire body froze. My gaze moved towards the elevator column, curious to see who would round the bend. I didn’t like how tense the person made Julian, so I was already finding myself frustrated with them. Before I saw anyone, though, the scent of vanilla and fresh cut wood filled the space. It had been one of the scents from before, but it was so much stronger now.

  My wolf let out a soft whine as my breathing picked up.

  “Effie.” Julian’s voice was edged in caution, his eyes moving over my shoulder as I looked back at him.

  “Julian, you back?” A deep voice had my entire body softening, my knees almost breaking from where I was leaning against the island…

  …and that was all before I actually saw our new guest.

  5

  Effie Harlow

  Holy crap. He was possibly the largest man I’d ever met.

  Seriously, there was an absolutely massive man standing frozen at the corner bend of the room that faced towards the kitchen. It was almost comical the way he paused mid-step before his entire body seemed to go rigid, a pair of icy blue eyes narrowing on me. I wish I could tell you I wasn’t intimidated, but considering the look was not only tinted with surprise but also something that seemed like anger, I could feel my wolf freaking the heck out. My pulse jumped as I tried to keep my breathing even.

  Julian wouldn’t let him hurt me, right?

  Why was that my first thought? I had never assumed someone would protect me before, and I didn’t expect it to start now. I just needed to keep both my eyes on this man because he was literally the definition of a predator. I also could feel an odd pulse of lust in my core that came from his massive, intense presence, my breathing going slightly rough as I blinked, trying to keep focused on him.

  “Tore.” Julian’s voice had a warning edge. “This is Effie.”

  The man blinked upon hearing his name, seeming to shake himself of something, his gaze darting from me to Julian before sliding back over to me.

  “When?”

  What was with this ‘when’ question? I felt like this was a common question between the men around me. I didn’t like feeling out of the loop, and I had to admit, despite not having a right to know, some of the looks they exchanged had me feeling off.

  It was also possible this was my ridiculous urge to somehow connect with Julian… and now Tore? I barely knew the man’s name! What was going on here? Was it possible I was just hyper-focusing on the few first people that wanted to spend time with me? That didn’t treat me like crap? Or was this an authentic connection I felt to them? My brow dipped, not liking the confusion there.

  “Around an hour ago. I met her at the train station, she just transferred in.” Julian’s voice was soothing, and I found myself physically relaxing to it, something I couldn’t currently afford without knowing who Tore was or if he was a threat. I knew there was a different side to Julian as well, I could sense it, but right now he was sweet and relaxed. I just wish it could remove the fear this other man was inspiring.

  “Effie.” Tore said my name with interest before stepping forward. My wolf instantly had me stepping back, hitting into one of the barstools as I gripped the counter. Not only was this man massive, like 6’6’’, but he was extremely built and dangerous-looking, like some vicious warrior. Like the Vikings I had seen illustrated in some of my books come to life.

  His hair was a dark blonde, with almost caramel undertones, messy and pushed back slightly to highlight his intense predatory gaze. The man was wearing a dark leather jacket and motorcycle boots with his shirt and jeans, adding a darker edge to his overall appearance. It probably didn’t help that he had tattoos running up his neck and onto his fingers, making him appear all that more deadly. I mean, he was gorgeous… but terrifying.

  He was also a fenrir wolf.

  An extremely powerful alpha, if I had to guess, far more powerful than my uncle, and his entire air was vicious and almost primal. I couldn’t help but feel cornered like prey, something that not only came from my recent past but the natural dominance he exuded without any of Julian’s sweetness to counteract it. Honestly, sometimes it truly surprised me that fenrir wolves couldn’t shift into a full wolf form, because their magic made it feel as though there was a vicious creature waiting right under the surface to make an appearance.

  A small whimper broke from my throat as I began to feel the same pressure that I felt around my pack, that fear and intimidation coursing through my veins. It was confusing because there was something underneath all of that, a familiarity trying to push through, but it wasn’t strong enough.

  Julian made a worried noise but didn’t move as Tore stopped after a second step, his eyes flashing with confusion and something that looked like hurt.

  Had I hurt his feelings?

  Frustration filled his face as he ran a hand through his hair, looking confused on how to handle this. I didn’t know either. I wanted to both snuggle up next to this man and run for my life. I was pretty sure the first part was just my wolf… I’m pretty sure. Honestly, it may have been both of us.

  “Effie grew up in a pack of fenrir wolves,” Julian explained as Tore snapped his gaze around towards him.

  I wish I could tell you I hadn’t used it as an opportunity to literally turn and run. Julian called my name in warning, but I didn’t listen. Where the heck did I think I was going to go? I almost slid on the floors as I went to turn the corner around the elevator, panic moving over me in a tidal wave caused by my wolf and the previous memories of everything that had happened with men like him.

  Well, there were no men like him, to be fair.

  A sharp gasp came from my lips as a large hand came around my wrist in a solid grip, tugging me back as I not so subtly slammed into Tore’s chest. I had barely made it a few feet. How the heck did he grab me so fast?

  I winced at the pressure on my old bruises there while at the same time leaning into him. My fear ebbed away once I was pressed up against him though, my wolf sniffing him and seeming to calm down as if we recognized him. How odd.

  “Don’t run from me,” he grit out, his voice hard and at the same time almost rough. “Please.”

  My eyes flickered up to his, my wince growing at the tight hold on my wrist as I saw guilt in his gaze… and fear.

  Why was he afraid? Oh man. I had no idea what was going on right now.

  “Can you let go of my wrist?” I whispered. His fingers instantly released, his other hand sliding around my lower back as I cradled my wrist against my chest.

 

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