Chapter 3 : A Wolf In the Library

Eleonore’s POV

My alarm went off at eight in the morning. I’d miss the breakfast hours in the caf getting up this late, but the morning called for a coffee and pastry which I could easily get from one of the nearby coffee shops.

It was the first day of classes and I couldn’t have been more excited for them. I’d have my preceptorial course first thing in the morning, followed by a mandatory math class I wasn’t looking forward to, and then my elective course, the whole reason I was here.

Introductions to Architecture and Design. The same course my mother took decades ago when she first attended Oakwood University.

I quickly got ready, going through my morning routine. After getting dressed and brushing my hair, I picked up an orange pill bottle and popped out two pills, the required dose, before swallowing them dry.

Another stipulation for attending. If I attended then I had to remember to take my medicine every morning and if I forgot, there would be hell to pay. I knew better than to test fate with this aspect of my life.

Once, back when I was younger and had just started taking them, the pills had been a bit big for me and I complained bitterly about it to the point of tears. My mother tried to calm me down, but I refused.

When my father heard… when my father heard, he berated me and slapped me hard enough that my cheek hurt for weeks afterwards. The worst part about it though, was that Mother got hit too, much worse than me. All because I…

Well, I didn’t have trouble swallowing pills anymore, and I didn’t dare push the matter ever again.

Don’t fight against the inevitable. I knew better now. And at the end of the day, I was going to take that pill tomorrow, just like always.

Father had always been controlling of all of us, of me, Thomas, Mother. This was just another aspect he had to have control of. The only reason I was allowed to attend university was because it still fell within his plans.

I was close to home, easily reached, easy to call back, and could be found with little effort. Having professors and living on a school campus meant that in some way I was monitored and that he could be informed if I stepped a toe out of line.

No, I was still well within my father’s plans and what he wanted out of me, the only thing was that my new little cage had new forms of enrichment that I wasn’t going to squander.

I made my way out of my dorm room and hunted down the nearest coffee shop, buying myself their largest mocha and a blueberry muffin with my credit card. If there was one thing an Everwood didn’t have to worry about, it was money, but that’s really the only good thing about being one in my opinion.

With a coffee and muffin in hand, I made my way to my first class of the day, my preceptorial about Creating Monsters, and as soon as I stepped foot into the classroom I almost turned around and walked away.

He was in my class. The guy was in my class. Mr. Werewolf from yesterday. Oh no. Oh no, no, no... I did not need this. This was the last thing I needed.

Wait. Wait—keep your cool, Eleonore, I reminded myself. You only bumped into him. That was all. His eyes might’ve flashed gold, but he shouldn’t want trouble either. The supernatural stayed secret for a reason. I’d be fine.

It was the first day of classes. No one was going to cause trouble on the first day of classes and as long as I didn’t make a big deal about it, no one else would either.

So, I took a breath and entered the classroom. It was a blessing that there were other students there to give me an excuse to sit on the other side of the room and avoid conversation and confrontation.

He glanced at me, and for a moment I didn’t dare to breathe, but all he did was look away and that was that. After waiting a moment with nothing happening, I let the tension in my shoulders go.

Fine. Everything was fine, I reminded myself, and then our professor walked in, and I didn’t have to worry too much anymore when we were all distracted by the syllabus.

The first day was easy, we just went over coursework and the materials we’d need. My second class was dull, though I expected math to be. Certainly not as heart-pounding as my first class with Mr. Werewolf but that was fine with me.

The class I was truly looking forward to was after lunch and I couldn’t contain my excitement.

There were dozens of drawing tables in the room with stacks of cardboard and clear rulers. The walls were lined with little dioramas and models of unique buildings.

It smelled of graphite and glue and it was everything I was hoping it would be and more. Mother took this class.

She used to tell me all about buildings and materials and she was so passionate about it that I just—I loved hearing her gush about something she loved, sharing what she loved with me. She’d read me little excerpts from her old textbooks and tell me funny little facts about famous buildings around the world.

They were some of my fondest memories with her before she… before mother…

Living with my father wasn’t easy, and to this day I didn’t know if my mother had wanted to be with him in the beginning or not but whatever romance and love that had been there dried up and turned into a nightmare for her.

Stressful, scary, as her son was groomed and her daughter a pawn and I… I suppose she couldn’t take it anymore so she… stopped taking it. And decided to take her life instead.

Thomas and I didn’t know what really caused her to do it, but she was gone all the same and there was nothing we could do but move on, adjust to our mother and only protector being gone and leaving us to father.

That had been five years ago and now Thomas was in charge of a few of the Everwood hotels while I had been barred from any social life and interactions. I—hadn’t fought hard against that though.

Before I loved going out with my mother to the park, meeting people, free of my father’s control for a bit to enjoy life but after mother passed it was as if… as if doing those things felt dull, more melancholic than fun so I… stopped.

Stopped going out like I used to, and stopped having fun. Father was happy but I was miserable. Thomas was the one who really pressed me and convinced me to go to university—and we had to beg and do favors to finally get permission, but I was here, and I felt alive.

It wouldn’t be forever, I knew that. At some point, he’d call me home and I could never leave Thomas to deal with him alone, but for now, I could draw, I could design, and I could enjoy something I had missed for years.

The professor, Professor Sanderson, oh he was brilliant. Looking old enough to have taught my mother and dressed like he wouldn’t be out of place on a build sight, he was engaging, passionate about what he was teaching, and had us learn how to use architectural writing and lettering for our drawings and blueprints.

They looked just like Mother’s—haha! Though I suppose that was the point to begin with.

Yeah… everything I was hoping for and more. There were a few books required for the course but instead of going to the school bookstore, I headed to the library.

On my way there, I bumped into the cheerful Charlie. She lifted her hand for me and I quickly met her hand with mine, almost clapping as they both connected. “Hey girl! Want to get some coffee later?”

I chuckled. “Maybe, I still need to get books and do my first homework assignment.”

She rolled her eyes mockingly and then smiled. “I will see you later girl, don’t study too hard!”

I chuckled and found the library’s premises. A real treasure for the eyes of the beholder.

They’d have a copy of the books I wanted, as long as I got to them first and I didn’t see anyone heading in the same direction as me after class.

The library had to be one of the older buildings on campus because the outside looked a bit like a castle with all stonework and tall but thin windows, but at three stories with two heavy wooden doors, it was charming in a way that left me giddy.

I’d have to come back and see what they had to offer. Literature had always been a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. With father so controlling there weren’t too many things you could do that wouldn’t gain his ire. Reading was one of them.

Back when Thomas’s lessons weren’t so strict, we’d have a tiny little book club with Mother and talk about the stories we liked. I had been a bit too young back then to read what they were reading but they always listened when I gushed about my children’s books about color and magical beans, so I did my best to listen to them gush about romance or surviving zombie apocalypses.

Good times. Oh, if there was a book club on campus I’d have something to do. I didn’t see how I could get into trouble with something like that.

A quick check at the computers and my books were somewhere on the 3rd floor. The inside of the building had a mixture of antique furniture and sleek-looking tables and desks mixed in. It was eclectic, fun, and probably saved the university money to not have to replace so many things at a time.

“Now, where are you,” I mumbled as I brushed my finger over the spines, looking for my book. “Ah.” There. Ar. 436-12. An Introduction to Architecture by Bruno Cadarte.

Fantastic. I grabbed my prize and stepped out of the aisle, turning towards the stairs before someone cut me off and I almost ran into them, but this time I managed to catch myself, stumbling a few steps back and almost bumping into one of the bookshelves.

“Excuse me,” I said politely, not really paying attention to him, more than ready to brush past him and get on with my evening, only he physically cut me off.

What the—

“So, you’re the one my brother’s curious about.” He muttered and then before I could even open my mouth to ask who, his hand planted itself next to my head on the wall behind me, caging me in between him and the books, as he leaned in close, making it impossible to ignore him.

Too close—too close…!

Dark brown hair that was combed back, strong features like high cheekbones and a defined jaw, and eyes a bright blue color as intense as the stare he was leveling me with. The dress shirt he wore didn’t hide the muscles underneath as they flexed and oh god—oh god.

“What did you do to him…tsk.” He clicked his tongue and then his hand was on my chin, tilting my head back and forcing me to look him in the eyes with a move that shouldn’t have made me so weak-kneed. “I asked you a question. What did you do to my brother?”

Then—I was saying oh god for an entirely different reason as my skin tingled from his touch and his eyes flashed gold. I didn’t have to question who his brother was anymore as he gave himself away.

Mr. Werewolf.