Chapter 46: New Friends & Unexpected Bonds
All 6 boys were waiting for the girls at the entrance to their dorm. As Michelle and Stella walked out, Michelle froze, seeing the other 3 boys with her brother and cousins. “Hey, you, ok? Don’t worry, one of these idiots standing there is my brother, he is a warlock, and the other 2 are friends they all made today, one is human, and one is a vampire-human hybrid.” Michelle looked at Stella, “Your gift is so gonna come in handy for me, if you don’t mind that is.” Stella smiled and just linked her arm with Michelle’s and started walking towards the boys.
“Hey, see you made a new friend.” Drake smiled warmly at his sister as she walked to him with Stella. “Guys, this is Stella, a white witch and my roommate. Stella, this is my brother Drake, and these 2 are our cousins, Lumus and Remus.” Stella shook hands with Drake and Lumus, but when she took Remus’s hand to shake it, she froze, eyes going wide and her cheeks flushed red and hot. Remus sniffed the air, looked at Stella, and his eyes grew big and changed colour as his wolf, Hildwulf, came forward, “MATE!!”
Stella’s brother stepped forward, looked between the 2, patted Remus on the back, “Welcome to our family, dude, just make sure you look after my sister.” Stella shifted her eyes from Remus to her brother and broke the hold she had on Remus’s hand. “Immm, hi. O, Michelle, this is my brother, Sheamus.” She looked back at Remus and smiled shyly. Drake moved in next to Michelle, “This is Neil, he is a human, and this over here is ….” Michelle stiffened next to her brother, the scent of oakwood and mountain breeze filled her nose, she locked eyes with the tall, dark-haired guy with dark green eyes that seemed to be turning gold the longer he looked at her.
“Michelle…Are you ok?” Drake pulled her against him in a protective manner. “MATE!!!” But this time it was not she who spoke; it was Silver. She was mid shift and struggled to hold Silver back. Drake looked at the young man in front of him, “RUN!!!! Darius, RUN!” Everyone looked at Michelle and Darius, while Drake was trying to hold his sister back. Darius, instead of running, stepped forward, put his palm on Michelle’s face, and spoke so calmly that it calmed Michelle and Silver both down, “Silver, as pleased as I am to meet you, my beautiful young Lycan, I would also love to meet Michelle, if that is ok with you.” Silver withdrew with a purr and let Michelle take back control.
“Hi Michelle. I am Darius, Vampire Prince, and by the wonders of all that is, your mate, though I am a vampire-human hybrid.” He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. His voice had a Southern tone to it, like he was from Louisiana. “Hi, I am sorry about Silver. She has been a bit restless since arriving here. And what a pleasure to meet everyone.” Lumus stepped forward, “Well, new friends, who turns out to be Remus’s mate, and you found your mate. Now you have 4 people to protect you. No one will even think of coming near you.” His smile was infectious. Buy Darius had a frown on his face.
As they walked to the restaurant on the academy grounds to grab some dinner, Darius could not help but wonder what Lumus was talking about. Michelle and Stella excused themselves, and Darius took this opportunity to find out what was going on. “Guys, what do you mean, no one will even think of coming near Michelle now?” Drake sighed and looked him straight in the eye, “Michelle was bullied in high school since we turned 16. Remus and Lumus are 6 months younger than us, but we are all 18 this year.” “Why was she bullied?” Darius could feel anger rising inside his chest. “Well, I think it is better if you hear it from her, then from us.”
Stella and Michelle got back to the table, and Darius and Remus stood to let the ladies slide into the booth and sit down. They were discussing the majors they were pursuing and the training they were undergoing. After dinner, the boys walked the girls back to their dorm. Michelle was a bit antsy, and she could feel Silver pushing forward. As they all said their goodbyes, she pushed through her brother and cousins’ mind links, “Silver needs to go for a run; she can’t stay inside any longer.” The boys nodded at her and turned to Stella’s brother and Darius. “Would you guys mind waiting with Stella. We need to accompany Michelle on a run; we don’t want her to run alone. They both nodded in understanding and walked inside with Stella.
Michelle gave Stella an apologetic smile and walked with the boys to the back of the dorm, where the woods lined the border of the academy grounds. Because the academy was on their pack grounds, they had a pass to go running in the woods while everyone was asleep. Stella and Michelle’s room faced that way, with the windows looking out over the woods. As Michelle and the boys ran deeper into the woods before shifting, Darius went and sat by the window, watching to see when Michelle would return from her run.