Chapter 7
Chapter
Seven
JESSE
The burnt tire scent of fear rolled off Caleb as he stood frozen in the middle of the dean’s office.
Good. The devious little shit was right to be afraid. He had no fucking clue how unstable he was—or how much danger he put us both in every second he ran around unaccompanied by a werewolf strong enough to keep him under control.
I’d throttled my wolf last night to avoid breaking his mind. But the gloves were off now. As he watched me, his heart fluttering, I smiled big enough to show my lengthened incisors.
His chest expanded as he drew a deep breath. The scent of fear thickened, but anger joined it, the whiff of hot metal unmistakable. Suddenly, his nose wrinkled, bunching his spray of golden freckles. He squeezed his hands into fists at his sides.
Ah. He’d scented Andrew Welch’s aftershave. With practice, he’d learn to tolerate artificial fragrances. But he didn’t have the least bit of practice.
Although, he was quite the accomplished escape artist.
I let the full force of my wolf blaze through me as I stood and pointed to one of the chairs in front of the desk. “Sit.”
Caleb made a sound like he’d just swallowed his tongue.
But he sprang into action so quickly it was almost comical, stumbling to a chair and sitting hard.
He gripped the armrests with both hands, his knuckles white with tension.
Two spots of color burned on his cheekbones.
He looked at the wall behind me before slamming his gaze to the carpet.
A beat later, he darted another look at the wall.
What the hell? I turned, following his gaze to the fraternity paddle engraved with Greek letters. Understanding bloomed, and I couldn’t hide what was probably a wry smile as I turned back to Caleb. “These religious types always tell on themselves, don’t they?”
Caleb lifted his gaze, his wolf bleeding into his eyes and taking them from baby blue to a shade so pale it was almost colorless. He probably didn’t realize it, but his wolf recognized Welch’s scent, and it wanted to find its prey and finish the kill.
I rounded the desk and sat on the edge, my foot dangling near Caleb’s knee.
He glanced at the juncture of my thighs like he couldn’t help himself.
Which, of course, he couldn’t. Not with the connection his wolf had forged between us.
I wasn’t above using it to my advantage, so I spread my legs a little wider.
Caleb’s throat worked as he swallowed. A blush spread under those charming freckles and down his cheeks. The rich, smoky scent of his lust thickened the air, blunting the astringent bite of Welch’s aftershave.
My sweatshirt pulled taut across my shoulders as I folded my arms. “Word of advice. Don’t run from a more experienced werewolf.” I leaned forward. “Right now, that’s every werewolf, pup.”
His hands on the chair’s armrests tightened as he shifted his gaze to my thigh. “Don’t call me that. And drop the college boy shit, too.”
“What should I call you? Because right now, you’re an untrained wolf running loose in a college town, and that’s a problem for both of us. Trust me, you don’t want to find out what happens when a wolf loses control before their first shift.”
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“If you cuss at me again, I’ll bend you over this desk and heat your ass with that paddle you can’t stop fantasizing about.”
Pale eyes skidded to mine. His lips parted, and I could almost see him cycling through potential responses, trying to find one that made him sound offended instead of so turned on he couldn’t see straight.
As the struggle played out, a low growl rumbled in his throat.
If I had to guess, he didn’t realize he was doing it.
His control balanced on a tightrope—and he was close to losing his footing.
“We shouldn’t be in here,” he said finally, his voice like sandpaper. “I’m sure plenty of people have a key to that door.”
“No one will disturb us.” The ward I’d set on the outer door would keep humans away.
One day, I’d tell him the ward was only possible because his wolf had bonded with mine.
The intimate connection made it easier for me to control him.
Without our bond, I could have never subdued his wolf while maintaining the ward.
He scowled. “I suppose you’re going to tell me you used some kind of werewolf magic to seal the door.”
“Exactly.” I removed my hat and ran a hand through my hair. “I can teach you how to set one, too.”
Blue eyes lingered on my hair before settling just south of my jaw. “Tempting, but I’m full on credit hours this semester. Maybe another time.”
Oh, he was a brat. Later, I could indulge his smart mouth. Right now, I had to make him understand the precariousness of his situation.
“Cute,” I said, “but my instruction isn’t optional.” In a blur of speed, I hopped off the desk and grasped his jaw. “Look at me.”
He gasped as he was forced to obey. Fear and anticipation flowed around him like electrical currents, each emotion feeding the other.
His thick lashes fluttered, and his pouty mouth trembled.
So damn tempting. The reservations my human side had about fucking a twenty-three-year-old didn’t bother my wolf in the slightest. The fact that Caleb’s wolf had instigated our connection made resisting him all but impossible.
And if I was honest with myself, I didn’t really want to resist him.
“Like I told you last night,” I said, “teaching is my gift. I mean that in both the werewolf sense and the human one. I have a master’s degree in education.
I’ll help you control your wolf, but it’ll go a lot more smoothly if you cooperate.
It’s up to you, Caleb. You can choose the easy way or the hard way.
But whichever way you choose, you’re coming home with me tonight. No arguments. Is that clear?”
“I can’t,” he bit out, fear and anger flowing off him. But there was lust, too. It frazzled along our connection, cranking my own need higher. His irises began to glow as his wolf surfaced. A fourth emotion joined the turbulent sea in his eyes.
Challenge.
I moved my hand to his throat and squeezed. Not enough to restrict his air. Just enough to let him know I could. “I’m not giving you an option.”
Wood creaked as he gripped the chair’s armrests. His voice dropped an octave. “Let me go.”
“Also not an option.” The consequences would be more dire than he knew, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him. I tightened my grip. “Obey.”
His growl rumbled under my palm. The struggle between human and animal raged in his eyes, which flickered between submission and fury.
For a moment, humanity won. “My parents,” he said, his pulse thumping rapidly under my thumb. “They’re strict. If I leave home now, they won’t pay my tuition here.”
“I’ll work something out.”
“Like what?”
“We’ll worry about it later. You have time.”
His eyes lightened another shade. “That’s easy for you to say. This is my future we’re talking about.”
“Whatever future you had planned is over,” I said.
“I’m sorry if I didn’t make that clear last night.
You’ve been turned. You’re immortal now, although you can still be killed if you’re injured badly enough.
It’s a cool superpower, but it has some downsides.
For example, at some point very soon, your wolf is going to overwhelm your human intellect and force your shift.
If that happens when I’m not around, you could lose control and expose us to the human world.
Worse, you could get stuck on four legs, your human half buried so deep you’ll never get it back.
So you’re going to come home with me and do as you’re told. ”
“Get your hands off me,” he growled, his speech garbled as his beast tried to take over.
I tightened my grip on his throat. “You don’t give the orders between us. And if you run from me again, baby, I’ll make sure you can’t sit comfortably for a week.”
He snapped.
I was ready for him.
In a blink, I had him around the desk and bent over it, his flushed face against Welch’s big monthly planner. The paper crinkled as I worked Caleb’s jeans open and shoved them to his ankles.
“I went easy on you last night,” I said, pushing his underwear down. “I won’t make that mistake again.” I stepped back. “Get up.”
He came off the desk and rounded on me, rage snapping in his wolf-blue eyes. “You—”
“Get the paddle,” I ordered, my wolf thick in my voice.
My power lashed, hitting him at full blast, and he cried out as he lurched to do my bidding.
Hobbled by his jeans, he let out an angry sob as he waddled to the wall and took down the paddle.
He faced me, looking ridiculous with his pants around his ankles.
But he also looked like pure sin with his kissable mouth, disheveled blond hair, and big dick standing at attention between his legs.
A bead of pearly moisture clung to the swollen tip.
He was cut, his cockhead smooth and shiny with a prominent slit.
Like a lot of natural blonds, his pubic hair was sparse, and his balls were as smooth as his chest.
“Nice,” I murmured, stepping forward and gripping his erection.
He let out another furious, lust-fueled gasp as I tugged him into me by the dick and took the paddle from him.
I set it on the desk, then squeezed his cock a little too hard as I let my mouth hover above his.
“You’ll need to be quiet for this, sweetheart.
Not unless you want half the student body bursting through that door and finding out just what it takes to keep Caleb Lawson in line. ”
His cheeks went scarlet. He tried meeting my eyes. When he couldn’t, he settled for an angry little growl that made blood surge to my cock. “You can’t get away with this,” he said, his breath puffing against my lips. “I’ll call the cops.”