Chapter 31

Harley’s POV

I smelled her before I actually saw her entering the classroom. I wasn’t sure how I missed her on the list of students, but I somehow didn’t know she was going to be attending this class until it was too late.

I made it a point to avoid her for most of the day. When I saw her crowded in the elevator with Xaden and Zach, I took the stairs out of respect. But my inner bear was furious for not shoving us into the elevator and hogging her for ourselves.

Staying away from her was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my entire life, and I fought in an entire war.

My stomach had been turned into a knot for most of the day, but I fought hard to ignore the sensation, not wanting my emotions to be evident on my face.

“Earth to Harles,” my friend, Anthony, said, furrowing his brows together as he stared at me across the lunch table.

I had been watching Anila from across the room as she sat closely beside Xaden. She kept stealing glances at him and smiled her bright and beautiful smile. It made my insides turn with a jealous rage that I tried to desperately control.

Bears weren’t known for rage, so this was foreign territory.

I shook my head and turned back to the small group I was sitting with.

Xaden obviously wasn’t my only friend; he was just my best friend. Since he met and mated with Anila though, we hadn’t really spoken much. I think he feels weird knowing that we are both mated to the same woman.

Not that I could blame him; I felt weird too. But he was still my best fucking friend, and I didn’t want him to think I didn’t cherish our friendship.

“Sorry, what were you saying?” I said, focusing my attention on Anthony.

Anthony was also a bear shifter. Bear and wolf shifters made up most of the school's shifter population. Both our species were known to be strong and powerful. Bears were mainly known for their muscles and wolves were known for their power.

I was the future Alpha of my bear pack; the next in line to take over once my father retires… or worse.

“Professor Kai has been looking for you,” Anthony repeated. “He wanted to know if you would be interested in being his teacher’s aide in the geography class. You excelled in that class last year and he couldn’t think of a better student. He wanted me to pass along the message.”

I nodded, recalling the email I read this morning that Professor Kai sent me, but I didn’t respond to it.

“Yeah, I got his email,” I confirmed, fixing my attention on my pizza.

“So, are you going to do it?”

“Do what?” I asked, taking a bite of my food.

Anthony groaned miserably.

“Are you going to help him out?” Anthony asked with a ping of irritation in his voice, having to repeat himself.

I swallowed the chunk of food in my mouth and sighed.

I had a free period after lunch, and I really didn’t want to spend it being an aide in another class. I was already an aide in one class. But I truly did enjoy Professor Kai’s Geography class and it’s not like I had anything better to do.

“Yeah. I’ll go see him right now,” I said as I shoved the last of my pizza in my mouth and stood to my feet.

Without another word, I grabbed my tray and brought it to the dirty dish bin, placing it inside. I spared one last glance in Anila’s direction. She still hadn’t noticed me, or maybe she was pretending she didn’t notice me.

She seemed fixated on whatever those identical-looking girls were babbling about. But I met the eyes of Xaden who gave me a look of concern. I didn’t say anything to him, I just gave him a head nod and he returned it.

I felt his eyes on me as I left the dining hall.

It didn’t take long to get to Professor Kai’s classroom. He was seated at his desk, munching on his lunch and flipping through a book when I entered.

He paused and looked up at me, a relieved smile spreading across his face.

“Oh, good. Does this mean you are going to help me?” He asked hopefulness in his voice. “This class is much bigger this semester and they are all brand new. I could use all the help I could get, and I couldn’t think of anyone better.”

“I can’t let you drown, can I?” I asked, teasingly.

He laughed and then handed me the class list.

“These are the students this semester,” he told me.

I raised my brows; it was double the size of most classes. No wonder he needed extra help this semester.

“Can I see the curriculum?” I asked, dismissing the student list.

He nodded and slid a binder across the table. I flipped through it while Kai finished eating his lunch. Professor Kai was a middle-aged man who had been doing Mythical Geography for many years. He went to this school and when he graduated, he got the job as a professor because this was his favorite class and the former professor retired.

I had Kai as a Professor in the advanced program last semester, and I loved this class. I was really good at it if I were to say so myself.

There weren’t many subjects I wasn’t good at. I wasn’t just muscle; I also had a strong brain as well.

The classroom started to fill, and it wasn’t until most seats were occupied that I smelled her amazing scent. The scent of fresh lemons invaded my nose and made my entire body still as the hairs on my neck stood tall.

A warmth like no other spread across my features; a warmth that only surfaced for one reason. When she was nearby.

I knew my bear was close to the surface, threatening to break free and to go to our mate. I bit back a growl, trying to maintain my urges.

I grabbed the attendance list off the desk while Professor Kai started to write on the whiteboard for the new students.

Scanning the list, my heart fell into my stomach when I saw Anila’s name in the middle.

I should have looked closer at this list before agreeing to help Professor Kai. Now, all I could think about was how to get out of this without feeling like an asshole.

The door swung open, and Anila walked in. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her beautiful and bright features. Her cheeks were flushed, and her hair was a bit messy from her time with Xaden, which only made my bear that much more aggravated. I had to chew the inside of my cheek to keep him stabilized.

Her eyes grew large as she stared at me and for a moment, I thought she wasn’t breathing. At that moment, it was like were the only two people in the room and I couldn’t help but offer her a small smile, despite how sick I was feeling.

She returned the smile and only broke our gaze when Professor Kai addressed her.

“You must be Anila Montgomery. You are all the talk around the school,” Kai said to her. “You can find a seat anywhere.”

She didn’t say anything; I didn’t think she could speak even if she wanted to. I knew I couldn’t. But she offered him a nod and gave me one last uncertain look before finding a seat in the center of the class and sitting.

She sat with her backpack sitting beside her on the ground and her eyes fixed on her desk. She twirled her fingers in front of her and I could tell she was nervous. Her nervous scent was potent in the air, and I wondered if anyone else could smell it or if it was just me.

I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off her. Her hair was down and cascaded over her shoulders and down her back. The right side of her hair was tucked neatly behind her ear; she was biting her lower lip, chewing on it almost vigorously and I fought the urge to take her in my arms and take her bottom lip between my own teeth.

My cock twitched with the desires I felt for her. But I knew I couldn’t have her. Not like that. Not like anything. She belonged to my best friend.

He had already claimed her, and it wouldn’t be fair to him or her to take her for myself after I willingly stepped aside. I knew Zach was still going after her despite the deal he made with Xaden, but I wasn’t like that. I respected Xaden too much.

I owed him my life.

But still, my inner bear was restless with need, and I knew the only one who could satisfy that need was Anila.

She was wearing a skirt, showing off her incredible legs. She crossed her legs out in front of her and heat filled my body as I wondered what it would feel like to drive myself inside of her and make her scream my name.

Her eyes finally shifted up to me and in that split second, I wondered if she was thinking the same thing.