Chapter 1
Effie Harlow
The first thought that popped in my head was: when had I arrived back at Eclipse Three, our dorm building? Or when had I been placed on my bed, surrounded by a thick, almost fortress wall of blankets? Better yet, what time was it even?
I couldn’t tell you any of those answers because my memories from when I opened my eyes in the medical center to when I closed them again out of pure exhaustion were absolutely limited.
There had been a nurse taking my vitals, and Tore had been holding my much smaller and colder hand in his large, rough and warm one.
The concern painted on Julian’s face and the tormented weight in Ryder’s gaze were both vivid, making an uncomfortable, nervous sensation permeate my gut.
I didn’t want either of them feeling like that, especially over me.
Caedmon had been the worst in some ways, because despite sitting as close to me as possible, his face had been completely expressionless.
Those deep green eyes had been glued to me as I attempted to answer the nurse’s questions.
Something I would have failed at completely if it wasn’t for Dakota aiding me with subtle prompts in my head.
It didn’t help that I felt overwhelmed by the strong imprints their magic left on me, imparting sensations and emotions that I didn’t fully understand.
Was this what they were feeling as well?
Or just their magic? I was hoping it was a mixture of both, because it would go a long way to helping me figure these men out.
Hopefully I would get used to it as well, because right now it felt like a system overload, and it was one of the many reasons my eyes had grown heavy and eventually closed, giving into a far more peaceful darkness than my unconscious state before.
A peaceful darkness that wrapped me in comfort and smelled like my mates.
One that was so relaxing that I must have slept through the night, because when my eyes finally opened, I could see the afternoon skies, icy blue, with a white ball of sunlight blasting down onto the snow below.
The snow and ice in the trees sparkled underneath its rays, and I found myself transfixed for a moment, unable to look away.
I didn’t want to go out there, my body still recovering from the bitter cold, but I still found it beautiful.
As I slowly worked my way into sitting, my entire body out of sorts and sore, I realized I had a hoodie on over the one from the medical center.
I couldn’t tell you if it had been a hospital or something else, all I knew was that there had been loud machines and nurses moving in and out of the room, seemingly unhappy with my mates’ presence.
Lifting my wrist up, I examined the plastic band tightened around it, featuring my name and nothing else.
Outside of the band, there was very little sign I’d been anywhere besides this dorm…
At least externally. If I hadn’t remembered the icy grip of Lake Michigan and the authentic anger and pain I’d felt right before I’d fallen, I would almost have assumed I’d dreamt it.
Frowning, I ran a hand through my matted hair and looked down at the blankets surrounding me, the pretty comforter they had purchased for me laying a base to the circle of nearly ten blankets that had been wrapped around me and then piled onto my body.
I picked up a hat that had slid off my hair and examined the knit texture, smiling slightly because it carried Julian’s scent.
In fact, I was practically wrapped in their scents, and I had to resist the urge to roll around in them and bask in the familiarity.
It was much easier to do something like that rather than focus on all the other stuff…
Like all of the serious things I needed to discuss with them. Things I needed to ask them.
Where were they, anyway? My eyes moved to a chair that was facing my bed, empty except for the book that sat on it.
I frowned, trying to read the worn title from where I was sitting, but found I couldn’t.
I even tried to lean forward, balancing on my raised dorm bed, finding myself oddly fascinated by the clue of who had sat there watching me sleep.
I let out a small squeak as I leaned forward just a bit too much and fell, my faceplant no doubt impending… if I hadn’t been caught.
I breathed out a sigh of relief when large hands caught my shoulders and eased me back.
I immediately relaxed into a massive chest that I was becoming very familiar with.
It rumbled under my touch as I looked up into Tore’s gaze, finding concern mixed with a darkness that caused my body to break out into pleasurable chills and my heart to beat far faster.
In part, it may have just been my body’s trained response to coming across a fenrir wolf, considering my past, but there was something else there.
Something innate that suggested to me that those aggressive qualities that he naturally had could be really perfect in the right situation…
I just didn’t exactly know what that situation was.
“Tore, are you okay?” I asked, feeling a thread of panic at his appearance.
He stepped further towards the bed where I was now kneeling on the pile of blankets, cupping his jaw.
Even with the elevated surface, his 6’6’’ height took him so far above me that I had to tilt my head back to fully examine him.
Normally I would have been far more hesitant about touch, not only because I didn’t want him to be uncomfortable but because I had no idea how it would be received…
At that moment, though, it didn’t matter.
All that mattered was understanding why he had such dark circles under his eyes and looked exhausted, like bone-tired.
His normally icy blue eyes seemed almost navy, nearly black with emotion, and his dark blonde hair, normally neatly tied back, laid messily around his broad shoulders.
He was wearing only a t-shirt and sweats, appearing to have just gotten out of bed himself, which made no sense considering how exhausted he appeared.
When he leaned into my touch, letting out a low rumble, I let my eyes trace the tattoos on his neck and where they disappeared under that shirt.
I tried to not focus on it for too long because I knew that I would just end up getting distracted.
“Am I okay?” Tore’s voice was rough and choked. “Lil bit, you were dragged out of Lake-fucking-Michigan, looking like a goddamn ice cube, before laying unconscious under a pile of blankets for nearly twenty-four hours. I am so far from fine to any fucking extent.”
I couldn’t help but flinch at his swearing and the anger in his voice. I didn’t think it was directed at me… I hoped it wasn’t, but I couldn’t help but apologize.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, shrinking down on myself. “I didn’t mean to scare you, Tore.”
A tortured expression filled his face at my words.
When his hands tightened on me and he pulled me against his chest, I relaxed, realizing that he wasn’t mad at me.
At least I was pretty sure he wasn’t. My fingers pressed against his heartbeat as he let out a rough exhale against my hair and surrounded me with his magic.
“No, do not apologize,” he soothed. “I’ll do better. I have to do better to keep you safe. Not just for that, but how I act around you. It fucking kills me anytime that you flinch or shy away from me. I’m not mad at you, lil bit, I’m fucking terrified.”
I pulled back slightly, frowning. “Terrified?”
His nod was slow and expression serious. “So goddamn terrified of losing you.”
Tore was terrified? I didn’t like that, especially when it was over me.
I didn’t know how to calm him, but I figured that I would try my best. “I should have never gone up onto the ice caps…” I faltered, not knowing how to fully explain the situation at hand because there was no way to just talk about one element without it leading to what had occurred in the university president’s office.
I needed to tell them about that, I just didn’t have the energy yet. I was still absolutely drained.
“Why did you?” he asked, his brow furrowing.
I sat back on my heels, drawing my hand back, but he caught my wrist and held it there against his chest, watching my expression carefully.
I honestly didn’t think I would ever get used to seeing so much care directed towards me.
It was only intensified by the tight hold his magic had around me, almost soothing but also restricting in the best way possible.
“I was really upset and overwhelmed, honestly sort of angry, and I was trying to walk along the lake to get some space…” I breathed out.
“Ryder found me and tried to come closer, so I climbed further up on the ice caps and told him to leave me alone. I was being dumb and overreacting, I should have never—”
“No,” Tore bit out, causing me to tense before his arms wrapped around me, filling my senses with his vanilla and fresh-cut wood scent.
“You are anything but dumb, lil bit. I do need to know what got you so worked up though. Was it Ryder? Because I have no issue with dealing with him. Bastard annoys the fuck out of me.”
I blushed at the intensity of his tone in defense of me, a concept that still baffled me.
I offered a small smile and shook my head as my fingers ran against his jaw once again.
He pressed his forehead to mine, and I absorbed his warmth until he pulled back, making me nearly pout.
He grabbed both my hands, kissed my wrists gently, and placed them on his chest.
“If you keep touching me like that, it makes it hard to focus,” he murmured, “and I need to know what happened so I can make sure it never happens again.”