Damon
Chapter 10
Seeing Karis walking out as I headed into my second class made so much sense of things. I had always gotten that weird feeling walking into the class, but we had definitely never crossed paths there before.
Seeing her with Tyler was a whole different story. I hated it and so did my wolf. I suspected he was the boyfriend she had mentioned. Was it any wonder my wolf freaked out whenever he was around? He carried my mate’s scent on him. That was going to have to stop. But Karis was young and headstrong, so I knew I had to wade those waters very carefully, starting with not killing the boyfriend.
It had taken a lot out of me to be nice to the kid, but I knew it was necessary. The fact that it had clearly set him on edge and probably freaked him out wondering what I was suddenly up to was only a bonus for me.
With classes over I headed back to the house, sorry I hadn’t seen my girl again. Baby steps, I reminded myself. My wolf and I were in it for the long haul and making rash moves would only scare her away. It was said both parties felt the pull of the mating call strongly. I sure as hell knew I was feeling it. Karis was all I could think about, and I was banking on her feeling it too. She couldn’t possibly stay away for very long if she felt even half of what I was feeling. Knowing I’d get to see her tomorrow and spend some more time alone with her was the only thing stopping me from going to her.
I walked into the doghouse with a smile on my face, thinking of my feisty mate.
“What’s wrong?” Chase asked before I could even close the door behind me.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked with no malice behind my words.
“My house too, asshole,” he reminded me.
“Brett, Chad, get in here,” Chase yelled.
“Great, another intervention? What is it this time?” I asked.
The guys joined us and they all stared, gawking at me.
“What is wrong with this picture?” Chase asked.
Brett looked me over and Chad grinned.
“He’s smiling,” Brett finally said. “What happened? Has he totally lost it?”
I laughed. “Assholes. The whole lot of you. I’m fine. It’s been a good week, so stop worrying about me so much.”
“We’ll never stop worrying,” Chad said.
“And we’re going to make your week even better,” Brett announced. “We had a meeting to discuss the Tyler situation. I know you should have been a part of it, but we all felt we knew where you stood. We decided that it would cause too much stress on the house if he were here. He’s out, Damon. We aren’t going to let him pledge.”
I stared at my brothers, and these three were in every sense of the word. “I really appreciate it, I really do. But it’s not necessary.”
“Come again?” Chad asked.
“He’s Rock’s brother. He’s the best candidate rushing this year, and aside from me, everyone likes him. He deserves the invite. Give it to him,” I said simply. I didn’t add the fact that he was close with Karis and that worked in my favor because I knew now she’d been in my house and had met my brothers. I needed her here more. Now that I knew my girl’s scent, everything that had been happening to me since the start of the school year made perfect sense.
“What’s really going on here, Damon? Is this some sort of prank?” Brett asked, looking around for a camera or something.
“No prank. And I’m serious. Give him the invite. I’ll be fine.”
“Um, okay,” Brett said. “Come on Chad, we need to let the others know.”
When those two left, Chase stayed quiet, studying me. “You genuinely seem happy and okay with this. What the hell is going on with you?”
“Nothing,” I said, and it was mostly true. I’d found my mate, but I was far from getting her. I would though, and I loved the thrill of the hunt she was putting me on.
Jenna had called, and he hesitantly took off a little while later. I hit the books and made sure everything was complete for my three-days-a-week classes. I didn’t want anything getting in my way of time with Karis.
After a good night’s sleep dreaming of her, I was up bright and early to start my day. I had spent some time going through the file Vinny had given me on her, including her class schedule. I knew Italian was her only class of the day. I was hoping she’d be up early so I could casually bump into her over breakfast. But while I had her class list, I had no idea what her personal schedule was like.
Going back through all the places I’d experienced the sensations she caused before I knew what they were, I determined a high probability that she lived in Fenrir Hall. I headed there first, bringing books with me and taking residence on a bench that gave me a clear view of the main door. It was a bit stalkerish, but I was getting desperate.
I wasn’t there long when I saw Tyler exit the building. I hadn’t considered maybe that was why I’d smelled her at Fenrir. Disappointed, but determined, I stayed, listening to my gut instincts. It paid off an hour later when she ran out of the Hall looking stressed. I checked the clock and saw how late it had gotten. If she didn’t hurry, she’d be late for class, and something told me that was not acceptable by her personal standards.
I got up and followed her. She ran into the café and returned only a few minutes later with a cup of coffee and a bagel, eating while she sprinted across campus, careful not to slosh her coffee.
She somehow managed to arrive to class five minutes early. She stopped outside the room, threw her hair into a messy bun, took a deep breath, and opened the door. Before it shut, I saw a notable slouch in her shoulders, like she was disappointed. I wondered if that was because I wasn’t there. The thought alone made me happy.
With a smile on my face, I walked into class. She turned towards the sound of the door and our eyes met. I saw relief wash over her before she stiffened and tried to cover it. My little mate was missing me as much as I was missing her. I was certain of it.
She once again sat in the first row, but this time closer to the aisle. I said hello to Vinny, then took the seat next to her enjoying the sound of the quick intake of breath that hitched when I sat down.
I took out a piece of paper and jotted down a note in Italian telling her she looked beautiful today. Sei bellissima oggi. I passed it to her.
She smiled and shook her head.
She wrote something back and handed it to me. Grazie. Ora fate attenzione.
I stared at her words in surprise, but impressed. I looked back at her wondering how many other surprises she had up her sleeve.
Vinny took notice of my distraction and came over afterwards telling them to pair off and practice saying the words aloud. In the second I’d turned away to speak with him, Karis tried to run away. I reached for her arm, grabbing her hand instead and stopping her. Electricity shot up my arm and straight to my groin from her touch.
“Is everything okay with your new student?” he asked me in fluent Italian.
“Better than expected,” I told him. “She needs to be tested. She knows more than a first year should. Look at this,” I said, showing him the paper.
He frowned and gave me a look of concern. “It’s not like you to flirt with the students I assign you. You’ve always kept a very professional distance. Will this be a problem?”
I shook my head, laughing at the blush and horrified look on Karis’s face. “No problem, sir. I assure you. This one is very different, but it’s all good. I’ll explain later.”
Vinny looked from me to Karis.
“She’s understanding what we’re talking about. Isn’t she?”
Karis’s eyes went wide, and she looked away trying to pretend she hadn’t just understood him.
“Like I said, far more than a first year should.” I beamed up at her with pride.
Vinny nodded in understanding. “Miss Begay, please go with Damon. He knows what to do.”
Karis nodded. “Yes, sir,” she said in perfect Italian.
She let go of my hand and I immediately missed it. She gathered her stuff as I waited, then followed me as I led her through the lower door and down the hall to Vinny’s office. Karis looked around uneasily.
“Are we supposed to be in here?” she whispered.
I laughed. “Yes, amore, we’re allowed to be here. The professor asked me to test you. You clearly know and understand far more Italian than you should for a first year.”
She blushed. “Not really. I just got a little excited when I learned it was even an option and started diving in over the summer.”
“What program were you using?”
“Just something I downloaded to my phone.” She showed it to me and I looked through it. I wasn’t familiar with the one she was using but noticed immediately they rated her at seventy-eight percent fluent.
“Why didn’t you just ask to test into a higher level?” I wondered aloud.
“I didn’t know that was an option. Plus, I don’t know how effective that app is and I didn’t want any holes if I’m going to be fluent.”
“Is that your goal?” I asked, hoping she’d say yes.
“Yes, definitely.”
My heart soared over something as stupid as my mate’s excitement in my native language. I needed to get drunk, play video games, and burp a lot or something with my boys before this girl turned me into a complete sap.
“Well, this is definitely a step in the right direction. How much of my conversation with Vinny did you understand?”
“Not all of it, but enough. Is he going to ask you to stop tutoring me? He didn’t seem happy about the note.”
“Would that bother you if he did?” I asked, curious of her answer.
She shrugged. “I checked around. You’re the best option in the entire school. I prefer to work with the best.”
She blushed when I grinned at her, but I decided to let her off the hook.
“You aren’t going to lose me, Karis,” I said, meaning more than just for tutoring. “Now, let’s get this test started.”
She seemed nervous at first but calmed as we went along. I tested her for over an hour before I finally called it quits.
“Well, how badly did I do?” she asked, nervously.
I laughed. “Bad? Amore, you have holes we need to fill, but honestly you tested higher than most third-year students. I can start speaking it with you if you want to improve faster. I would recommend you transfer into 201, possibly 202, but since I know neither work in your schedule for this semester, I’ll see if Vinny will let me private tutor you and stay in 101, then jump to 201 in January, higher if you work really hard.”
“You think he’ll still let us work together?”
“Yeah, he will. Just to help my professional relationship with him, I may have to tell him about us. Are you okay with that?”
She shrugged. “There’s not really anything to tell.”
Her hint of rejection was like a knife in my back.
“Karis, you’re my true mate. He’ll give me a little leeway for flirting with you.”
She let out a cute short little laugh. “Is that what you called that note?”
I grinned. “Smartass. I honestly thought you’d take it and look it up later. I wasn’t expecting you to read it right there.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “Never underestimate a Begay.”
“Never again,” I told her, enjoying the light bantering we’d fallen into. Looking at the time, I hated admitting we needed to return to the real world. “Grab your things, we’ll swing by to talk to the professor then head to lunch.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Bossy much?”
“Don’t be a pain. Just let me feed you. It makes me feel better,” I told her honestly, worried at the darkened look that swept across her face for only a brief moment.
She opened her mouth to speak and I was certain she was going to say no, but her stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly. “Fine,” she said, unable to deny she was hungry too.
We caught Vinny just as his next class broke.
“Ah, there you are. That took longer than I thought,” he said, shooting me a questioning look.
“Not as long as it should have. I tested her against all three levels,” I said proudly.
“Really?” he asked, showing genuine interest. “And?”
“She has holes that need some work, but her comprehension is incredible, and with a little work I’ll have her speaking it in no time.”
“What level did she test into?”
“Third year, but with enough important gaps that I wouldn’t recommend over 202 right now. That won’t work in her schedule though, so I say leave her in 101 and let me work closely with her this term. I’ll have her ready to jump into second, maybe even third year by January.”
Vinny looked from me to Karis, then back to me. The concern was back in his eyes. “Are you sure about that?”
Karis looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole and die, so I just smiled. “I’m sure. You have nothing to worry about. I’ll come by later and explain everything. Right now, we’re going to head to lunch before the café closes.”
“We’ll talk later though?”
“Definitely.”
“Well then. Excellent job Miss Begay. Keep up the good work.”
“Thanks,” she said softly as I led her up the stairs and out of the room. “Why didn’t you just tell him?” she asked the second we were in the courtyard outside of the classroom.
“You didn’t look like you wanted to be there for that discussion.”
“Sorry. It’s just weird. All of this is just so. . .weird.”
We walked in silence that should have been awkward, but with Karis, nothing felt wrong or awkward. She grabbed a table for us and let me pick out lunch for the two of us. By the time I got through the line and back to her, she wasn’t alone.
Chase and Jenna stood by the table talking to my mate. It was sort of a surreal moment. I knew Chase had to have met her, but having both Jenna and him talking with her just felt right.
“Hey guys,” I said, walking over to them. “You joining us?”
Chase raised an eyebrow of inquiry at me, but I ignored him.
“Yeah, if you’re staying, join us,” Karis said.
“Okay,” Jenna quickly agreed, sliding into the booth across from Karis. Of course Chase joined her, which meant I got to sit next to my girl.
Feeling her body pressed against my side brought me unimaginable joy. I passed her the tray so she could choose what she wanted and noticed goosebumps running up her arms. She rubbed it.
“Are you cold?” Jenna asked. “They always have the air conditioner cranked up too high in this place. You’d think they were catering to a bunch of polar bears or something.”
Chase laughed, “Or an Alaskan wolf. Come on Kare-bear, you should be more acclimated to the cold than this.”
A sense of unease washed over me at the affectionate nickname Chase used with her.
“Kare-bear? How well do you two know each other?” I asked, trying to calm my wolf’s panic. This was Chase, mated to Jenna, Chase. I knew there was nothing to worry about, but it didn’t seem to register to my wolf.
Karis shrugged, still rubbing the goosebumps on her arms. “Our families are close. Until a few weeks ago I hadn’t seen Chase in years. And I certainly haven’t had anyone call me that in at least as long as that, too.”
Chase laughed. “Sorry. It’s hard to imagine you as anything but little Kare-bear.”
“But you’re a wolf?” I asked, still trying to piece it all together.
“Yes,” she said simply before changing the subject and turning her attention to Jenna. They seemed to get along famously.
I reached down to my backpack laying on the floor next to me and grabbed a jacket I’d tossed in there. I wrapped it around Karis even knowing she wasn’t really cold, just responding to my close proximity. I liked the idea of casually putting my scent all over her. She looked at me and smiled gratefully, wrapping it tighter around her.
Lunch with Chase and Jenna was nice. It was something I could see us doing many times in the coming future, a future where I would claim Karis as my mate and proudly walk through life with her by my side.