Chapter 0003

Audrey & Edwin

Audrey’s POV

I had all but fled from that apartment, away from the sleeping Edwin, away from the smell of old books and ink—away from the place where I had just lost my virginity to my damn professor.

It couldn’t be true, I thought to myself as I hurried out into the hallway, taking care not to wake him, and practically sprinted down the stairs. There was no way I had just slept with my professor. Surely it had been a coincidence and nothing more.

But even then, something in my stomach told me that it hadn’t been a coincidence. And I couldn’t take any risks.

…

Sliding into my seat at the cafe, I sipped at the foam on my coffee and tugged nervously at my sweater. I had knitted the sweater myself—a cozy dark red wool with black buttons up the front—and normally it provided me with more comfort than any of my other garments ever did.

But not today. No, not when I had slept with my professor last night.

“You said you asked about canceling your student assistantship?” Tina, my closest friend, asked as she slid into the seat across from me. She glanced up at me from behind her red hair and pushed a stray curl out of the way. Her hair was always wild, but that was part of what I loved so much about her.

I nodded stiffly. “Yes. But my advisor warned me that it would cause me to be blacklisted. It would prevent me from taking on any campus work, even part-time.”

Tina furrowed her brow as she looked at me. “I just don’t understand why. You’re both consenting adults, and it’s not like either of you knew. I doubt it would get in the way of your teaching assistantship work, so long as you both act appropriately from now on.” She paused then, sipping her coffee. “Who was the professor in question, anyway?”

I frowned and passed a hand over my face, steeling myself. I had told Tina about last night, seeing as how she was my best friend, but I hadn’t told her who the professor was yet.

“Edwin Brooks,” I finally whispered, keeping my voice low so as not to be overheard.

Tina’s eyebrows shot up instantly. “You mean that hot new professor that everyone’s been talking about?” she asked incredulously.

I clenched my jaw, indicating that she was correct. Tina’s hand shot out and grabbed mine. “Audrey… You know we both have a class with him this semester, right? And that he’s the owner of Brooks Designs?”

All at once, I felt as if my stomach had dropped straight into the floor below me. I stiffened in my chair, my eyes widening into saucers.

Brooks Designs… It was the one luxury fashion brand that I had always dreamed of working for. It was part of the reason why I had worked so hard throughout high school, so much so that I had begun attending college at just sixteen years old.

To not only sleep with the professor of my teaching assistantship, but to also have a class with him and to have him be the owner of my most longed-for company? How could it get any worse?

“Goddess,” I groaned, leaning back in my chair. “Tina, you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”

“Hold on.” Tina pulled her hand away and tapped at her phone screen for a few moments before thrusting it toward me. “This was him, right?”

Narrowing my eyes, I grabbed her phone and stared at a grainy picture of a man in the bar.

A handsome man with short brown hair and a blue tie, probably in his 40s or even early 50s if he had aged well.

“This is Edwin Brooks?” I asked, feeling a seed of hope beginning to blossom in my chest.

Tina nodded. “He’s the talk of the campus; some girls saw him in the admissions office the other day when he was getting his badge, and I guess some people have been sneaking pictures of him around town.”

“And you’re sure this is him?”

“Positive.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding. An incredulous bark of laughter escaped my lips, and I shook my head with relief. “That’s not the man I saw last night,” I said. “I’ve never seen that man before.”

“Oh?” Tina cocked her head to the side.

Nodding, I took a sip of coffee and noticed how it no longer tasted like ash. “I guess it was just a coincidence after all.”

…

Edwin’s POV

I awoke to the sensation of warm sun spilling across my cheek and my exposed chest, and a warm feeling below the sheets. Instantly, a smirk tugged at the corners of my lips as I recalled last night’s… events.

How strange, to run into such a sweet and beautiful girl at the bar. The circumstances had been a bit odd, but the night we had spent together certainly hadn’t been.

I could still taste her milky skin on my tongue. Her floral perfume hadn’t been too overpowering, the scent of her shampoo still lingering in the air. She had moved so gracefully beneath me, her slender fingers running along the nape of her neck. I could picture the gentle arch of her back in my mind even now, hours later.

Rolling over, I reached out for her, craving just a little more of her before we inevitably parted ways for good.

But when my hand reached out, it was met with nothing but cool, empty sheets.

I finally opened my eyes and found that she was gone.

“Audrey?” I called out, propping myself up on my elbow—perhaps she had gone to the bathroom. But upon looking around the room, I saw that her clothes were all gone. That exquisite gown that she had made herself, that breath-stealing lingerie that she had also made.

All gone.

I sat up fully then, looking around the room with confusion and maybe a hint of disappointment, and that was when I saw it: blood on the sheets.

With a hitched breath, I pulled the top sheet back a little further to reveal the red splotch. Instantly, I felt my stomach flip.

She hadn’t mentioned being a virgin or anything of the sort. Her skills in bed had been a bit inexperienced, I supposed, but not so much that it seemed as though this had been her first time.

Had I been too rough with her, perhaps? I thought I had been gentle, but…

Sighing, I climbed out of bed . Now, more than ever, I wanted to find her so that I could make sure she was alright—just so I could make sure that I hadn’t inadvertently hurt a woman.

It seemed that my wolf, too, was eager to see her again. But for different reasons.

“I need her back,” I felt his voice echo in the back of my mind. “We have to find her. Quickly.”

I didn’t argue at his insistence even though I never went for more than one night stands; my night with Audrey, the beautiful girl with long black hair, could have meant something. Maybe we had been brought together for different reasons. She didn’t have silver hair like I had been told, but… still.

Suddenly, the sound of my phone ringing pulled me out of my reverie. I quickly answered it to find my personal assistant on the other end.

“Good morning, Mr. Brooks,” my assistant’s voice crackled through the speaker. “I know it’s early, but I just wanted to let you know that you’re all set with the school. Your card and badge should work to unlock all of the doors on campus now, and you’re welcome to begin moving into your new office.”

“Thank you, Charles,” I said, chewing my lip absentmindedly.

“You’re welcome, Mr. Brooks. If there’s anything else I can help you with—”

“Actually, there is.” I paused, feeling utterly stupid but unable to keep my curiosity at bay. It was unlikely that this girl was who I was looking for, but my wolf was so insistent that I had to check anyway. “Can you look up a name for me?”

“Certainly. What’s the name?”

“Audrey,” I said, then paused uncertainly. “I don’t have the last name. But I’m wondering…”

I didn’t need to finish for my assistant to get the idea. For a moment, I heard typing on the other end—and then Charles replied, “There’s only one Audrey at the school: Audrey Thatcher. She’s a student at Grayspring Academy.”

I felt as if my heart had just leapt out of my throat.

“Mr. Brooks?” Charles’ voice came through again. “You’re not implying that the Silver Star may be here at this school, are you?”

Swallowing, I nodded stiffly even though Charles couldn’t see me. “The prophecy points to this campus,” I said, turning to look out the window at the bustling town below. “Maybe…”

My voice trailed off, my throat working uselessly.

The Silver Star will arrive, the prophecy had said.

Oh, Moon Goddess… Who is your Silver Star?