Chapter 136
Ellie's POV
The wheels of my suitcase clicked rhythmically against the dorm hallway tiles as I made my way to Room 304. Winter break felt like a dream now—Jackson's warmth, my parents' acceptance, the crystalline wolf figurine sitting carefully wrapped in my bag. But campus had a way of pulling you back to reality, and I was determined to make this semester count.
"ELLIE!"
I barely had time to brace myself before Lily crashed into me, nearly knocking my suitcase over. "Oh my God, I missed you so much! Tell me everything about your break. Was Jackson there? Did you guys—"
"Lily, breathe," I laughed, steadying both of us. Megan appeared in the doorway, smiling her quiet smile.
"Welcome back, Ellie. Lily's been literally bouncing off the walls waiting for you to get here."
I dragged my suitcase inside, and Lily immediately plopped onto my bed, patting the space beside her. "Okay, but seriously—you have to tell me about the hot new computer science advisor. Everyone's talking about how young he is. Like, inappropriately young to be faculty."
My stomach did a small flip. New advisor? That was... unexpected. Professor Paulson had mentioned something about bringing in additional support for the growing department, but I'd been too focused on my community health center project to pay attention.
"I'm more interested in our project status," I said, pulling out my laptop. "Did you finish the user interface prototypes?"
Lily's eyes lit up—the beautiful thing about her was how easily she shifted from gossip to genuine enthusiasm. "Yes! And you're going to love what I did with the color scheme. I was thinking about accessibility the whole time."
We spent the next hour hunched over my laptop, comparing her frontend designs with my backend algorithms. The code felt like coming home—clean, logical, predictable. Unlike people. Unlike the weird tension I'd felt building since Caleb's appearance in Mapleton.
"We should find Megan and head to class," Lily said eventually, grabbing her bag. "I want to actually see this mysterious advisor everyone's talking about."
I gathered my materials, trying to shake off the vague unease settling in my chest. You're being paranoid, I told myself. Not everything is a threat.
We found Megan in the hallway, and the three of us started toward the Computer Science building, Lily chattering about her break with Ryan. She was literally bouncing as she walked, her happiness infectious.
"He's just so sweet, you know? Like, he gave up that London exchange program for me. Can you believe—"
"Lily, watch where you're—" I started, but it was too late.
She collided directly into a tall figure coming around the corner. Books scattered everywhere—I recognized Introduction to Algorithms and Database System Concepts hitting the floor.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Lily dropped to her knees, scrambling to gather the books.
"It's quite alright," a smooth voice said. "I should have been watching where I was going."
The man bent down to help her, and that's when my world tilted sideways.
Every instinct I'd honed over nineteen years screamed at me.
Inside, Thalia's hackles raised, a low warning growl reverberating through my consciousness. Alpha bloodline. European pack. Dangerous.
The man was tall, probably six-foot-two, with dark hair styled just slightly too perfectly to be casual. His smile was warm as he handed Lily her textbooks, but his eyes—sharp, calculating—swept over all three of us with predatory precision.
And his scent. Even suppressed, even masked by expensive cologne, I could sense it. Wolf. Not just any wolf—the kind of concentrated power that came from generations of alpha lineage.
Every muscle in my body wanted to shift into defensive posture. Instead, I forced myself to breathe slowly, to keep my expression neutral, to be just another college student in a hallway.
"I'm actually looking for the Computer Science department office," he said, straightening. "I'm the new advisor. Just started today."
No. No no no no no.
"Oh my God, you're the new advisor?" Lily's enthusiasm made me want to grab her and run. "Everyone's been talking about you! We're CS majors—Lily Parker, and this is Ellie Green and Megan Davis. We're all freshmen."
Please don't look at me. Please don't—
His gaze shifted, landing directly on me. Something flickered in those dark eyes—recognition? Assessment? The corners of his mouth curved slightly.
"I'm Caleb Martinez," he said. "Very pleased to meet you all."
Martinez. The name Jackson had mentioned. His cousin.
My pulse thundered in my ears, but I forced my face into a polite smile. Under my skin, Thalia was practically clawing to get out, sensing threat, sensing danger.
"The office is in Whitman Hall," Megan offered. "Just across from here. We're actually heading that way now for our 9 AM class."
"Perfect." Caleb's smile was genuinely pleasant—or perfectly faked. "Perhaps I could walk with you? I'd love to hear about the program from a student perspective."
No. No. Make an excuse. Run.
But Lily was already nodding enthusiastically, and Megan was pointing the way, and I was trapped. Trapped between protecting my human friends and not revealing that I knew exactly what this man was.
We walked together, Lily filling the silence with cheerful chatter about course requirements and campus facilities. I stayed half a step behind, watching Caleb's every movement.
He was good. Really good. His body language was open, friendly, interested. He asked questions that seemed innocent but weren't—about our backgrounds, our interests, our connections.
And all the while, I could feel his alpha presence probing at the edges of my consciousness, testing. Trying to determine my strength, my pack allegiance, whether I'd already bonded with Jackson.
I kept Thalia locked down tight, breathing through my mouth to minimize scent detection, maintaining perfect human mannerisms.
"Ellie's an unusual name," Caleb said suddenly, his attention zeroing in on me. "Very distinctive. Are you local?"
The casual tone didn't fool me. This was an interrogation.
"I'm from Mapleton," I said evenly. "About three hours from here."
"Hmm." He nodded thoughtfully. "And you're all in the CS program? What kind of projects are you working on?"
Lily launched into an excited explanation of our community center database system, and I let her. Better she talk than me. Every word I spoke felt like giving ammunition to an enemy.
We reached Whitman Hall's entrance, and Lily pointed upward. "Advisor offices are on the second floor, room 203. Our classroom is down here—105."
"Wonderful. Thank you so much for the escort." Caleb's eyes found mine again. "I look forward to seeing you around campus, Ellie. Perhaps in office hours?"
The way he said my name made my skin crawl.
"Looking forward to it, Mr. Martinez," I managed.
"Please, call me Caleb. I prefer a more equal student-faculty dynamic."
He turned and headed up the stairs, every movement radiating confidence.
Inside the classroom, Lily and Megan immediately started discussing how "nice" and "approachable" he seemed. I made noncommittal sounds, my mind racing.
I pulled out my phone under the desk, fingers shaking slightly as I typed.
Caleb Martinez is here. He's a CS advisor in our department.
I stared at the message to Jackson, then added: He knows. He's watching me.
My finger hovered over send. Through the window, winter sunlight streamed across campus, making everything look peaceful and normal.
But I'd felt the predator in that hallway. I'd sensed the threat beneath the friendly smile.
And somehow, I had to survive a semester with him watching my every move.
I hit send.
Outside, students laughed and called to each other, enjoying the first day back.
Inside, I wrapped my arms around myself and waited for Jackson's response, knowing that everything had just gotten infinitely more complicated.