Chapter 6: Part 6
I scrubbed my face harshly, the cold air sending chills down my spine. My hands toyed with themselves, a nervous instinct while I tried not to delve on it—the slick
in between my legs. Dreams are figments of imagination, illusions your mind creates when you're asleep, and you have no control over them. So maybe that’s why I thought of Professor Abel.
The absurdity of it, the absolute idiocy of the mere thought, made my cheeks burn. Pushing the sheets off, I quickly changed my clothes and rushed out of the room.
“Emma!” A voice called out, making me halt in the middle of the living room, my hoodie pulled over my head. “Where are you going now?”
I looked over my shoulder, “For a run.”
“Oh. I just got a call from our landlord, and he said he will be moving next door today. Shouldn’t we welcome him?”
My ears twitched at that, slowly turning on my feet. “Our landlord?”
Allie was the one to select this place, an all furnished apartment in one of the most expensive areas. I tried to talk her out of it, but she was unwilling, threw a huge fit and begged me to stay with her. Even though I insisted on paying half of it, my friend denied it and asked me to use it for my tuition.
“Yes. He owns the building, and the apartment across from us belongs to him.”
There was no nuisance all these days of us living here, which is a week because we were the only one on the entire floor. In our defence, there are only two apartments per floor. But with the landlord coming back, I wasn’t sure of having that silence anymore
I twisted my mouth. “Sorry, but I need some time to clear my head.”
“Still got that Professor on your mind, huh?”
A cough escaped my throat, the hair on the back standing up in embarrassment, cheeks turning bright red. Bringing my palms to smooth down the heat, I shook my head. “I-It’s just a casual run. I’ll try to be back soon.”
“Alright! I’ll make something delicious to welcome you.”
I beamed at that, “Thanks, Al.”
***
I crouched on the ground, my paws stretched out on the grimy floor. From the outside, the cabin didn’t look this run down, but now that I roamed my eyes around, smelled it, the rotting wood and the sharp stench of a rodent hit me.
My wolf slowly stood up and stretched, always needing some time in my hind legs to get used to walking on four. There was intense energy coiled up in my muscles, so I started walking along, falling into a gentle trot, but that made the room shrunk and appear smaller. I started prowling now, looking over at my discarded clothes for a second too long.
I felt my nose twitch at the smells coming in from the broken, boarded-up windows and the warped wood. Crouching, I came to a sudden realisation that there was space for me to push my muzzle out between the planks in the door.
The rich smell of the damp ground filled my nostrils, and I pulled back to reach through the space in the door with my front leg. With enough force, I managed to rush outside and stand at the edge, overlooking the expanse of trees.
As a wolf from another territory and pack, I had certain restrictions. I cannot cross the boundaries, roam around freely without being caught by the members and be termed as a danger. Still, I wanted to be in between those trees, feel the wind in my thick silver fur as I ate up miles of the forest floor. The urge has never been this strong before, a weird feeling in my gut.
Before I could comprehend the situation, my wolf took a step further and sat back on its haunches, my head was thrown to form a smooth line with my back, and a deep, unfamiliar sound escaped my throat, the howl tentative and new but not quiet.
For a heart-stopping moment, everything went silent; the only sound was the wind rushing through the trees outside, something small scuttling away from the area I stood around.
And then it comes, travelling quickly on the night air even from far away. The sharp, unfamiliar answering howl. It’s different, less playful and more guarded, but still not hostile.
Mate.
The word echoed in my ears, joy exploding in my chest, something I had kept buried deep ever since my very first transformation at the age of sixteen when my hormones had gone haywire, and the things went wrong.
Tears brimmed in my eyes, and I made the same sound again, more desperate and needy like my wolf was crying out for help. However, I did not respond this time, silence grating my nerves.
***
Exhilaration and adrenaline rushed through my veins, a broad smile on my face as I came back home. Unfortunately, I did not get the opportunity to follow that sound as the wolf disappeared quickly. There was hope blossoming in my chest that I would find my true mate in here.
It sent something akin to excitement down my body, face heating up. All these years, I have been trying to find the one, hoping to find the happiness that my father spoke so highly of.
“Allie?” I yelled for her, rushing to the kitchen only to find my friend munching on the cookies.
“Hmm?”
“What got you so down?”
“Our neighbour is hot.”
I giggled at that, plopping on the seat in front of her. “How dare he?”
She slapped a hand on my arm, pushing the tray towards me. “He looks so dashing but also so cold, Emma. I offered him my hand-baked cookies, and he shut the door on my face.”
I winced at that. “Oh, maybe he doesn’t like sweets.”
“Who doesn’t like cookies? Chocolate chips at that?!”
“Sorry, Al.”
She pushed her face on the cold table, letting out a sigh.
***
The following day I made sure to press the white shirt and carefully tuck it in the paper bag. Professor Abel will finally be happy with my efforts, I thought to myself with a barely concealed grin. He did not have any classes today, so I decided to meet him directly in his office.
On the way, I peeked at our neighbour’s door, only to see it locked. There was no visible change, the same oak door staring back at me. Shaking my head, I turned on my feet and skipped college.
I came to stand in front of Abel’s office, noticing that the room was slightly ajar, goosebump prickling all over my arms. The sliver of light from the room made me gulp nervously, my hand reaching out to the cold metal of the doorknob.
“No!” A loud yell from inside stopped me. “I won’t tolerate these ridiculous requests anymore. I moved out just like you wanted. Is that not enough for you?”
My feet froze in the middle, hands falling by my sides. I sucked in a sharp breath through my parted lips, looking to both sides of the hallway only to find it empty. Should I walk out? I tightened the grip on the paper bag.
“Mom, I cannot do this now!”
I stopped at those words, instantly thinking back to that kind, gentle face who always gave me orange lollies. A lump formed in my throat at the memories, my lips twitching.
Abel must be pacing because his footsteps got louder; suddenly, the door pulled open while I stood there blankly. The Alphas nostrils flared, phone pressed between his left ear and shoulder, jaw clenched tightly as he took a step back.
“I will call you later.” He huffed and immediately hung up the phone, sliding it in his pants pocket.
Abel tugged on my wrist and abruptly closed the door behind with a slam. I jumped, my eyes clenching for a second as a loud bang reverberated through the walls. My Professor crowded against me, his spicy scent making it impossible to breathe, mouth slack.
“How much did you hear?”
I blinked as his cold minty breath fanned my face, my fingers clutching on the bag tight enough to tear through it. “Sorry?”
He narrowed his eyes into slits, teeth grinding. “You are not fooling anyone, Miss Emma. I know you heard me talk to my mother.”
“It was an accident….” I slowly started, nervously licking on my bottom lip. “Besides, you should not talk to her in such a rude manner, sir. I believe that she….”
A low growl escaped his throat, cutting me off, and he glared at me. “You don’t know anything!” Abel raised his voice, a hand coming down to slam on the door behind. I flinched at the sound, a lump lodging in my throat, legs shaky. My fingers loosened around the bag, and it clattered on the floor. “Get out!”
“But—”
He opened the door and raised his chin, not even bothering to look at me. With a heavy heart, I turned on my feet and walked out of his office.
***