Chapter 32

Anila POV

Despite the tightness in my stomach, courtesy of my awkward encounter with Harley last period, I stretched my back and arms before attempting to lift off the ground once more. The power enveloped me like I was dipped into a warm bath, and my body lifted into the air slightly.

Much less than my first attempt. Not to mention the strain being harder to control this time around. My feet landed on the ground, and I sighed. Xaden stood at attention ahead of me, a few strands of hair lifting in the light breeze as he gave me a court nod.

“Again.”

I took a deep breath and rose from the grass again.

The power returned, but the lift was simply… not there. I chewed my lip—I knew why that was the case, but I couldn’t exactly explain to Xaden, my boyfriend, that I was distracted because of Harley. I wondered briefly if Xaden knew that Harley was the professor's aide in one of my classes. I mean, he was Xaden’s best friend after all.

Would that have come up in a conversation between the two of them? Or would Harley keep that to himself?

As gravity returned to me once more, I groaned and flopped onto my butt.

“You’re distracted,” Xaden said as he came to loom over me. The rays of moonlight at his back made the shadows of his face darker than intended, but his words made me bristle.

“That obvious, huh?” I jested, but the smile never reached my eyes.

“You can’t make progress if your mind is elsewhere.” He dropped into a crouch, his eyes level with mine. “I need you focused on here. With me, and what we are doing. Your shift is coming, and it will not wait for you to gather yourself.”

I knew he meant well, even if his tone was rather bossy. But I didn’t mind. In fact it seemed to stir up resolve, and when he offered his hand to help me to my feet, I clasped it with renewed determination.

He was right.

The shift was coming, no matter what. I can’t change the fact that Harley was in my Geography class, and I certainly can’t change the fact that my eyes turned purple this morning. I can’t let this paralyze me from proper training.

Once on my feet, I took a deep, centered breath and pushed out all thoughts from my mind. A blank slate with the intention of being weightless.

As soon as my mind was clear, my body rose, free from the restraints of gravity and I started to float. The sensation was so familiar that it was becoming second nature, and before I could truly think of it, I started to move my arms, flapping around like a bird taking flight.

I didn’t stop the laugh that burst from my throat, this probably looked pretty silly. Xaden, however, watched me intently and with an open curiosity.

Our training session ended shortly afterward because it was time for my last class of the night.

Xaden walked me to the arena for my combat lessons. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about this class in particular. I had never fought a day in my life, and I wasn’t sure what to think of this class. I certainly wasn’t sure why this class was chosen for me specifically, but I don’t think I could change it even if I wanted to.

“Everyone needs to learn at the least the basics of fighting,” Xaden told me as we stopped in front of the arena doors. “It’s the beginning class so they will go easy on you.”

I nodded, trying to settle the nervous pit that formed in my stomach.

“I’ll see you after though, right?” I asked, not wanting him to walk away.

He smiled and leaned down to kiss me. It was a gentle kiss that ended way too soon.

“I’ll come get you for dinner,” he told me against my lips before pulling away.

With a final wink, he was walking away, leaving me feeling alone and vulnerable. I took a deep breath and stepped into the arena. Students were already scattered around and finding their designated spots around the room and just as I walked in, my entire body stilled. I felt the familiar tightness in my chest and heat rose throughout my entire body when my eyes found Zach in the front of the room with Professor Atlas.

The two of them seemed to be talking intently about something and then Zach’s eyes flickered to mine. A grin formed on his lips sending my heart into complete turmoil.

“Anila!” I heard Penny before I saw her rushing over to me. “Thank God I have a friend in this class.”

I was relieved to see Penny too.

“What do you think this class is going to be like?” I asked, not bothering to hide my nervousness.

She pulled me along with her so we could stand with the other students who were talking amongst themselves.

“I hear all shifters need to learn basic combat,” Penny said. “Owls aren’t much fighters. Actually, I don’t think any shifters are much fighters except for bears and wolves. But it’s important that everyone can defend themselves just in case.”

I nodded along with her words, but it didn’t make me any less nervous. My eyes found Zach’s again, and I saw his gaze darken as he took me in.

“Are you going to be okay with Zach in this class?” Penny asked, keeping her voice low and for my ears alone. “I hear he’s the teacher’s aide.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, but then I nodded.

“Yeah, it’s whatever,” I told her, trying to act casual.

“Hello everybody. I am Professor Atlas, your combat instructor,” Professor Atlas said breaking into our conversations. His voice boomed across the arena silencing the entire room immediately.

Professor Atlas was a tall and buff-looking man with a buzz cut and tattoos going up his arms and across his torso. He stood in front of everybody wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants. His shirt was removed, revealing his abs and I could tell from the ladies around the room, that he was swoon-worthy. However, I didn’t feel the same attraction to him as I would to Xaden.

Zach on the other hand was also shirtless, revealing his hard-as-rock abs and I had the brief thought of touching him before I internally scolded myself. I noticed he had some scarring on his chest, and I couldn’t help but wonder where they were from.

He also wore sweatpants and I saw there were beads of sweat on the nape of his neck and on his torso leading downward and disappearing into the band of his pants. My mouth was agape as I noticeably checked him out.

I blinked a few times, snapping myself out of this delusional state, reminding myself that Xaden was my boyfriend, and I shouldn’t be checking any other man out. Even if Zach was technically my mate too.

It didn’t matter.

I chose Xaden.

“In this class, you will be learning the basics of fighting and more importantly, defense,” Professor Atlas continued. “You will be assigned a partner for the semester, and you will continue to work with this partner for the remainder of your time in this class. Because we have an uneven number of students in this class, I asked one of the top students, Zach Gresham, to help as my aide and partner with one of you.”

My entire heart fell into my stomach as Professor Atlas said those words. Zach’s eyes found mine and I could see the pure humor hidden within them.

I was completely paralyzed.

“I will be choosing your partners,” Professor Atlas announced, which was followed by a bunch of groans.

I felt Penny tensing from beside me and she gave me a worried look. I knew she was hoping she would be partnered with me during this class. I was honestly hoping for the same thing.

“This class requires you to be dressed in appropriate gym clothing. We don’t have assigned gym clothing for you to wear, so you can wear anything you want, as long as it’s appropriate for this type of work. It needs to be flexible and breathable. Specifically, something you’d wear for a proper workout. For today, we are just going to go over the curriculum for the class and assign your partners, so you don’t need to worry about changing. But Thursday, I expect you all to wear gym clothes.”

Professor Atlas continued to tell us what this class was going to consist of and all that we were going to be learning, my feet kept willing me to go to Zach. I had to really focus on grounding myself. I wasn’t going to give in to that urge to go to him.

He might have been my mate, but he wasn’t my boyfriend.

“Once I assign you a partner, I’m going to give you a bit to get to know one another and then you are free to leave,” Professor Atlas said as Zach handed him a clipboard that I assumed had all the assigned partners on it.

My heart was pounding against my chest as he started to read off the partners. People started to pair off and go to specific sections of the arena to talk and get to know one another. Penny was partnered with another girl, and she was already off chatting the girl’s ear off.

The number of students waiting for their names to be called lessened and I found myself being the only one left without a partner.

Zach’s grin grew wide, and my breathing hitched as Professor Atlas looked at me.

“Sorry, Miss Montgomery. It looks like you’re the odd one out. I’m going to assign you to work with Zach here,” he said, motioning for Zach who stepped forward, his grin never leaving his face. “But I assure you, Zach is one of the best at this school and he excels in combat. You will be in good hands.”

I couldn’t even speak and when Zach stepped closer to me, allowing his scent to invade my nose and warmth to spread across my features, I felt like I was seconds away from melting into a puddle at his feet.

Then, Zach’s words caressed my ears as he only stood inches from me when he said, “You’ll be in very good hands.”