Chapter 38

Harley POV

My day started from bad and got immensely worse.

For the first time in… ever, I woke up with splooge all over myself, and my sheets. After making it to the shower and laundry undetected, I thought my day might pick up.

I was tired, sure, but that never bothered me before. I thought my dream would fade away to nothing like it normally does, but it stayed present. Teasing me through breakfast. Taunting me as I walked through the halls.

It all felt so real. I felt her skin in my dream, so warm and soft that I worried how marvelous it would really feel, simply because I was afraid, I wouldn’t be able to control myself.

I made a promise to Xaden. But I remember locking eyes with him as I took her nipple in my mouth, and he concurred her lips. He was just so enthralled and in love with the moment, it was like I wasn’t even there. Is that just my subconscious giving me circumstances I actually would be okay with? Or is that something that… could truly happen? To share and love Anila so wholly, it doesn’t matter who is between her legs—so long as it’s one of us.

Ridiculous. The whole thing was ridiculous. The need to kiss her, to feel her, to hear her cry my name was becoming an insistent desire that I continuously stuffed down. I glanced at my hands, remembering how they twirled and hardened her nipples just before my tongue swirled around them.

I shook my head, bringing myself back to the present moment. I had to push the memories of that dream out of my head before class started. I was intent on just taking it easy and shaking off the exhaustion I felt. But as I strode into Professor’s Tilly’s classroom, my heart began to pound and the threads within my chest tightened and tugged towards the corner of the room.

My eyes found her in the next second, and my heart nearly stopped beating. I had told Professor Tilly that I would help out in her class as her assistant before this semester even started. I only had a few classes this semester, so I did a lot of volunteer work and extra curriculum.

Professor Kai had asked if I could help him out as well and I agreed to do so until I saw that Anila was in that class.

I knew I wouldn’t be a good asset to Professor Kai being as distracted as I was, and he knew it too from the moment he saw the look on my face when Anila walked into the room. I’m sure he had heard the rumors like everyone else around this goddamn school.

I thought I had dodged a bullet but as I walked into Professor Tilly’s classroom and my eyes spotted Anila instantly, it seemed the moon goddess had a cruel sense of humor.

It wasn’t like I could get out of helping Professor Tilly; I agreed to it before the semester started and even, she knew I was the best student for the job.

This class was mainly made up of 3(rd) and 4(th) year students. The last thing I expected was to see a 1st-year student, especially one I had a wet dream about just the night before.

But seeing Anila staring back at me with wide eyes and pink cheeks, all those delicious sounds and smells, she whined and leaked pummeled into my mind like a boxer's fist. She squeezed her legs together as she looked at me, which gave me a curious feeling.

That is, until the distinct scent of her arousal wafted into my nose, making the animal within me purr.

Christ, get it together, Harley.

The class was hard, but as we approached the strength training section of today's course, I found myself relaxing just a little. I’m sure I’ll have to help Anila, this was her first strength training course, and being as new to this world as she was, I didn’t expect much from her.

Bears were notorious for their strength. We work at it from a young age so our bodies will be ready for our first shift. Strength didn’t always come naturally to us like it did with wolves so this class was important so the bears could build stronger muscles.

As we moved towards the weight room, just next door, all the students went into the locker rooms to change into the gym clothing they were told to bring. Once changed, Anila drifted towards the dead-lift weights. She looked at the contraption like it were rocket science, and before I really had any thought about it, I was moving to her side.

“You grab it like this,” I said, giving a quick demonstration. “The weights go here.” I pointed at the ends.

She listened to me intently, moving a few 20lb weights onto each peg. I cocked an eyebrow. No way could lift that much; the bar itself was 45lbs, and another 65 on top made my disbelief in her abilities worse.

I’m glad I said nothing, however. Because I would have eaten those words. She squatted, grabbed it in the exact spots I told her to, and lifted the weight with ease. The shock that wrote itself on her face matched the bewilderment I felt in my chest, and she dropped the weight with a resounding crash.

Students turned to look at us, but I shifted my body so they could only see my large back and not her pink face. I wanted that look just to myself. Just so I could pretend for only a moment that she was all mine.

“Sorry, that was unexpected,” She mumbled, her eyes staring at the weights on the floor.

I couldn’t help the smile that twinged the corner of my lips.

“It certainly was, but that’s okay. Usually, it takes a long time to build up that much strength. You do get a strength increase after your first shift, but not much if you were to be a bear. Our strength comes mainly from training.”

I then noticed the necklace draped around her neck, something that wasn’t there when I first met her. I knew it had to be her magical medium.

“Maybe since you got so close to your magical medium, it’s speeding your process and giving you the strength of a fully shifted bear…”

Her fingers traced the necklace around her neck.

She nodded slowly as if weighing my words.

Shaking out her hands, she bent and grabbed the weights again. There was a little strain, but she lifted it with ease, doing fifteen squats before letting it rest on the ground for a break. When her eyes moved to mine, there was a twinkle of amusement.

“Impressed, huh?” She joked, but I could hear the nervous tremor in her voice.

“You think that’s impressive? Check out Davies,” I point to another Were-bear, grunting and sweating as he struggled to lift a dumbbell with 220lbs marked on the side. He was a third-year student. I gave a weak smile, “He’s the third strongest in class.”

Anila offered a soft smile, her light gray eyes finding mine and stealing my breath. “Who is the first?”

“Me,” I state without thinking. I blinked at my words, and her smile turned beaming as she laughed.

“Technically you aren’t a student in this class,” she said and the smile she wore as she spoke made my knees weak. “You are the teacher’s aide.”

I shrugged.

“Maybe not but I’m still the first strongest,” I jested. “When I took this course last year, I was definitely the strongest,” I added, flexing my muscles.

She laughed and it was music to my ears. I did that; I made her laugh. I also noticed her cheeks growing incredibly pink when I flexed; it made me grin in satisfaction knowing that she liked what she saw.

As she got back to her workout regime, I found myself watching her closely. I had no idea she was so capable. The weight she lifted drew errant gazes her way, but I moved closer, using my body as a shield. I don’t know why I wanted to hide her away from everyone else, but their scrutinizing gazes grated my nerves.

I felt so much pride. In myself, in her. In the fact that she was listening to me. Like I was fulfilling some sort of duty, preparing my mate for the shifter world around her.

I blanch, mate?

No, no. Not my mate. I can’t think like that.

She caught my hesitation as she set a dumbbell onto the ground, loaded with 55lbs.

“What is it?” Her voice was kept soft like a whisper, as if it were only meant for my ears alone and I relished that thought.

I swallowed thickly, my hands balled into fists as I averted my gaze, staring at the weight on the ground rather than her entrancing silver eyes.

“I’m fine. I just didn’t sleep too well last night,” I told her, trying desperately to brush that dream far from my mind.

Anila chuckled, “Yeah, me neither. I read a wickedly good book and went to bed much too late.”

Despite myself, I glanced at her again, noting the flush in her cheeks that was not just from exertion.

“It happens,” I offered.

Anila nodded, before getting into position to work her forearms again.

“I’m thankful for the physical activity. I had too much frustration to work out, this is good,” she ground out as she curled her arm.

“Frustration?” I wasn’t sure what she meant, but when her lips thinned and that blush deepened, it clicked what kind she meant.

I almost laughed, if only she knew about frustrations. I couldn’t get the sight of her bouncing breasts out of my mind, and it was only a fucking dream.

“Ah, yes. I understand that all too well,” I mentioned casually, trying to help her feel not so alone. She huffed a laugh, but the strain on her face as she did one final curl told me she was too focused to actually speak.

I watched her perfect form, directing her when her stance was too wide, or if her back wasn’t straight enough.

It’s so painfully obvious I couldn’t take my eyes off her, that Professor Tilly casually drifted to my side, giving me a playful nudge with her shoulder.

“I never thought you’d be so enthralled with someone, Harley. And I’ve known you for a long time.”

Tilly was my mother’s best friend. Another reason why I couldn’t exactly get out helping her. I always liked Tilly; she was like a second mother to me. While most professors around this school went by their last names, Tilly went by her first name.

“Haven’t you heard the rumors? According to some, she’s my fated mate.”

I kept my face still, but I heard her sigh beside me as she placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Ah, to have a mate. This is the one that’s tied to others, yes?” she asked, and I gave a brief nod, unable to actually say words.

Some people spend their entire lives never finding their mate. I found mine, but she is not mine alone. I was gutted over that fact but there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

The fact that she belonged to two others… bothered me. Not in a possessive way, but in a what the hell have I stumbled onto kind of way. There is something about her that is otherworldly like she was a rarity even here.

“Don’t worry, Kiddo,” Tilly said, squeezing my shoulder, her hand tiny against the hard muscle. “It’ll work out. If she really is your Mate, then you two will be together.”

Her smile was bright, but it didn’t calm me. I nodded, returning a smile that didn’t reach my eyes before turning my attention to Anila once more.

I instructed her on how to properly lift on the bench, but I was careful to never touch her, kept my words detailed, and pointed to things she needed to do. If I touched her… I couldn’t tell what would happen.

The dream that I so desperately tried to forget about returned to the center of my mind and when she peaked up at me through her long lashes, with a curious gaze, I wondered for a moment if she could tell what I was thinking.

No, it wasn’t possible.

It’s not like she could read my mind and she certainly didn’t know the kind of thoughts I had of her last night. She had no idea of this dream and it needed to stay like that.

I had no right to think about her like that. She was not mine and she never would be.