Chapter 2

PROFESSOR DANTE

She smelled like wild roses and home.

I gripped my desk so hard the wood creaked as I watched Lessie disappear down the hallway.

At thirty-two and the Alpha of Shadow Ridge Pack, I had never lost control like that, not especially for a human.

I have never felt my wolf claw so desperately at me, begging to be freed.

Mate! Mate!! Mate!!!

My wolf kept repeating that each time my eyes met with hers during the lecture. But how is that possible?

She was human, just a twenty year old human who was my student.

How could I, an Alpha, be mated to a mere human? Everything that should have made my wolf turn away in disgust, instead drew him closer.

But more confusing than being my mate, the scent underneath her human scent confused me more. It was a scent I recognised, something that made my teeth ache and my hands shake.

Everything about Lessie was impossible. There was no way she could have been my mate, talk more about being a Moonborn.

I have heard the stories. Every wolf had. The Moonborn were born once in a generation, blessed by the Moon Goddess herself, with power that can reshape every Packs, regardless how powerful they are.

Most dismissed them as fairy tales. But how could a mere human have the Moonborn scent?

Still drowning in my thoughts, I headed to my office down the hall. I sank into the seat with a sigh, my head rested against my fingers as I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment.

My office door burst open without a knock. Kieran leaned against it, his emerald eyes bright with curiosity as he crossed his arms against his chest.

"Rough first day back?" My Beta's grin was all teeth.

“Because half the campus is talking about how Professor Ravencrest looked like he had been struck by lightning throughout his class."

"Shut the door," I gritted through my teeth, my brows raised.

His smile faded at my tone and he stepped inside, shutting us in.

"You scented her too." I said, it wasn't a question.

At least, here was proof that I wasn't going crazy but I wasn't going to let anyone get close before I found out what exactly she was. "Stay away from her, Kieran."

"Possessive already, Alpha?" He stared at my face with the keen attention that made him such an effective Beta.

"Don't forget she's human, Dante and your student. No matter what you think you scented on her, we could all be wrong."

"She's..." I caught myself before the word 'mate' could escape my lips. Some truths were just too dangerous, even for my closest friend. "She's under my protection."

"Protection from what?"

Before I could answer, my phone rang. The caller ID made my blood run cold. It was Celeste.

Rolling my eyes at it, I let it go to voicemail.

"Your ex is persistent," he noted.

"She's not my ex, stop calling her that. She was a mistake." I pulled up my class roster on my laptop, studying Lessie's file.

Her parents were dead, no other living relatives, grades that suggested intelligence bordering on genius.

"What do you know about orphaned werewolves?" I looked up from the screen, asking.

"Theory or practice?"

"Both."

Kieran dropped into the chair across from my desk.

"Theory says they don't usually survive without a pack but practice says the ones who do survive learn to hide what they are so well they forget they are werewolves at all."

My heart sank. Could it be what I'm thinking? What if Lessie is more than a human?

What if she is a werewolf who doesn't even know about her identity?

"No," I whispered, shaking my head as if to shake off the thought of any possibility. But the thought lingered in the back of my mind.

"Until?"

"That will be until their first shift, usually triggered by extreme emotions or..." He paused, grinning side to side as if amused.

“I love to see paparazzi like that. It's so much fun to watch."

"Get your act together, dude." I slammed my fist against the table gently but it was hard to enjoy shaking him out of his fantasy.

"They are usually triggered by extreme emotions or the recognition of their mate."

I closed my eyes. If Lessie was human, everything would stay confused but at least she would be safe.

But if she turned out to be a werewolf, then our meeting this morning must have done something to her.

"There's something else." His voice turned serious. "I ran into Celeste a few minutes ago. She heard about the rumour and asked questions. She wants to know why your control slipped."

My wolf pressed against my skin, demanding action. "What kind of questions?"

"Who knows? She just won't give up on you and wants you back. She had always been spying on you through your students.

You should be more careful now that you have someone you want to protect."

Before I could say another word, a scream shattered the afternoon quiet.

We both froze. The sound came from the direction of the student parking lot. It was a human scream but underneath it was something else.

I was already moving before conscious thought took over, Kieran beside me as we raced toward the sound.

Other professors poked their heads out of offices, confused by the commotion, but they moved with human speed, with their human senses.

They couldn't smell what we smelled.

We reached the parking lot to find a crowd of students gathered around something near the oak trees that lined the perimeter.

I pushed through them, all academic politeness forgotten.

A girl lay crumbled on the asphalt, her dark hair spread like spilled ink. It wasn't Lessie but close enough in size and colouring to make my heart stop.

Deep claw marks raked across her arms and she was profusely bleeding.

"Everyone back!" I snapped, falling into the authority voice that commanded armies. "Someone call 911!"

But as I knelt beside the girl, I caught her scent. It was definitely human, which meant...

"Professor?" The girl's eyes fluttered open, unfocused with pain and shock.

"Something... something attacked me. It was big, bigger than a normal dog but..."

"But what?" My voice was filled with curiosity, my eyes searching hers as though they held the answer before her lips could spill it.

"But it looked at me like it knew exactly what it was doing."

I exchanged a knowing glance with Kieran. We understood the situation. It was a rogue wolf, on campus during daylight. It was not only dangerous but reckless.

The girl grabbed my wrist, her strength slipping through her fingers. "But it spoke... the dog spoke, it whispered something right before it ran off."

My blood turned to ice. "What did it say?"

"It said... it said 'Wrong girl. But she will do for practice.'"

The crowd of students pressed closer, their phones out as they recorded everything. But all I could think about was violet eyes and the scent of weed.