The Mixer

Elias

I stared at myself in the mirror and curled my top lip in disgust as I tied my tie.

“You’re so fucking weak,” I muttered, chastising myself for not being able to resist my student.

Trying to keep my eyes off her during the assembly was grueling, and I was certain the mixer I was forced to chaperone wouldn’t be any easier. Personally, I thought babysitting adults was unfathomable, but a few mixers in the past had gotten out of hand when alcohol was involved, leading to young, destructive, entitled wolves shifting and tearing each other apart for the simplest infraction. A few years ago, a student was put in the infirmary for three days because he accidentally asked the wrong girl to dance. Her alpha mate was mate possessive and it took five guards to pull him off the poor kid. Lawsuits were filed against the academy: one by the victim’s parents for failure to protect to their son, one from the offender’s parents due to his expulsion, and another from the girl’s parents due to expulsion. Technically, the girl did nothing wrong, but mate possession was a dangerous illness, and there was no way we’d allow her to stay on campus and unintentionally endanger any male students she came in contact with. Her alpha mate would not tolerate being separated from her and he’d do everything in his power to get her back, and spilling blood would not be off the table.

We settled with the victim’s parents for a hefty sum of money, especially after they alleged that their son wasn’t protected because he was a scholarship student. That part was a pathetic money grab on their part, but we paid them to the sum of $3 million because we didn’t want Nocturne Academy’s name tarnished in the media. The couples’s parents received nothing; however, we did receive a notice that they were withdrawing their monetary pledges to our academy.

Since that unfortunate incident, chaperones had to be present at all academy-mandated events. Regrettably, I’d be forced to watch my mate be fawned over by Julian Lancaster. I could fight whatever this feeling was that built inside of me. It wasn’t jealousy because I could never be jealous of some young, punk kid. My wolf, on the other hand, didn’t give a fuck, and wrangling him was a full time job with unlimited overtime.

“Fuck,” I muttered when I noticed the beads of sweat trickling down my temples. I wiped my face with a handkerchief and reconsidered my attire for the evening. I yanked the knot of my tie loose and undressed, settling for a more casual attire of a black Nocturne Academy polo and slacks.

“I won’t make it through the night without shifting,” I sighed as I tried not to think about how I stalked my mate earlier and how she flipped me off. Her actions stunned me, but simultaneously humored me. I hadn’t expected her to challenge me, and every encountered proved she wasn’t as meek as her cohorts thought she was.

An incoming call from an unknown number distracted me. I answered without hesitation.

“This is Elias.”

“Eli, you shouldn’t have done that,” Claudia purred into the receiver. I cringed and immediately hung up. I had blocked her phone number earlier, but clearly she was desperate to sink her claws into me. No doubt she’d whine to her father and Caspian Grey would have some choice words with me.

Like clockwork, my father called and I promptly ignored his call and silenced my phone.

“Elias! Are you ready?” Augustus shouted from downstairs. I took one last look at myself in the mirror before leaving the expansive walk-in closet. “No jacket and tie?” he asked when I descended the manor’s winding staircase.

“I didn’t know you were the fashion police,” I said, scoffing at his observation.

“There’s no need to bite my head off. I’m just making a simple observation.”

“Don’t,” I replied with a warning growl.

“I know you just told me not to make any observations but you look unwell. You’re showing signs of wolf suppression.”

“I’m fine,” I argued, swiping my forehead with the handkerchief again. I pulled the nearly soaked handkerchief away and noticed my shaky hand.

“If you don’t let him out then—”

“I can spontaneously shift. I’m aware. We must leave. We’re already late and there’s no telling what these kids are up to.”

***

The New Student Mixer was in full swing by the time we’d arrived. Promptly, I took residence in the darkest spot I could find while Augustus disappeared to mingle with some of the staff members. I had no desire and would never be accused of Mr. Congeniality.

I folded my arms over my chest and tried to block out the annoying gossip from teenage girls and the posturing from the testosterone-filled boys, laying claim to the girls. I nearly pulled myself from the shadows when some intense verbiage was exchanged between an alpha and beta male student. Thankfully, their friends intervened and I was able to relax in the shadows.

I knew the exact moment my mate entered the building. The shaking I’d been experiencing went from slight trembling to violent, jerky movements. My blood seared inside of me, making the heat I felt earlier nothing compared to the inferno that aimed to burn me from the inside out. My clothes were damp and slicked against my skin and my head started to swim. My symptoms only worsened when I laid eyes on her.

A strangled growl bubbled in my chest and my fangs elongated when Julian ushered Delilah in with his hand on the small of her back—a back that happened to be exposed in a backless little dress that left me aching for her.

“Elias! Elias!” I was barely aware of Augustus trying to shake some sense into me. My nails became claws and sank into his arms. The scent of his blood wafted to my nose, temporarily stunning me. It was enough of a break for Augustus to drag me out of the party and towards the forest that surrounded the school.

“You’re such a fucking idiot,” he growled, shoving me deeper and deeper into the woods as I clawed off my clothes in preparation for a full shift. “You could’ve hurt someone!”

Augustus’s chastisement was drowned out by the blood rushing in my ears. I couldn’t process his words, only focusing on the fact that I may be suffering from mate possession.

Fuck my life.