Karis
Chapter 9
Good, his cocky mannerism seemed to have finally faltered and I felt like we were more on the same level as he squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. A mate? My mate? It was too much, too soon. I wasn’t ready to settle down. I’d just gotten my first taste of life. How could this be happening? Why now?
“Look,” I said, finding my voice again. “I really think this is a terrible idea, us working together.”
“Why?” he asked, staring me in the eyes. Why did he have to keep doing that? It made me warm all over and my legs feel like jello. “Is it because you know who you are to me?”
I was speechless. He’d just thrown it right out into the open like that. He wasn’t denying it or even second guessing this feeling. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied, not ready to face the truth.
“Yes you do. I can see it in your eyes. You, amore mio, are my mate.”
My heart tumbled over in my chest and the room started to spin around me. I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “Don’t say that out loud,” I screeched and looked around to make sure no one heard me. “I have a boyfriend. This cannot be happening.”
Oh my God, Tyler. I hadn’t even thought of him until it spewed out of my mouth.
Damon frowned. “Not anymore,” he said arrogantly.
“Damon, you can’t tell me who I can and can’t date.” I gathered my things up and started to storm out of there. “I will do the required work the Professor assigns, but you don’t get a say in my personal life.” I whispered in a harsh tone.
He looked more amused than angry as I stomped off.
I didn’t know where to go or what to do. I was worried Sabrina would be in the room. She had tried to apologize for her behavior at the Theta house and I had brushed her off, not ready to forgive her. I didn’t want to deal with her and all of this at the same time.
I decided to head for the woods and go for a run. On my way there a text came through. It was Tyler.
TYLER: Free this afternoon. Busy?
I stared at the screen. How was I going to explain this to him?
ME: About to go for a run.
TYLER: Woods?
ME: Yeah.
TYLER: Great, I’ll meet you there.
I groaned. I didn’t want him to come. I needed some space and time to clear my head and deal with the enormous elephant that landed in my classroom this morning. Elephant? Was Damon an elephant? I didn’t know. Was he a wolf? He had to be a wolf.
He had jotted down his number in my planner. I started to type it in when Tyler caught up with me and I nearly dropped everything in my arms. I planted on a fake smile and greeted him. My wolf growled in my head when he kissed me, and I understood why.
I liked Tyler, I liked him a lot. But kissing him and being close to him didn’t arouse me even a fraction of what Damon could do with just a glance in my direction. Tyler had been good to me though, and he was my friend. I didn’t want to let him go, but I also didn’t want to hurt him.
“Hey,” I finally managed, still trying to compose myself.
“You okay?” he finally asked.
I nodded, then shook my head. “Rough, strange morning. I’ll be alright,” I told him honestly. “I could really use a run, though, and I’m afraid I’m not very good company right now.
“It’s okay. I’ve been wanting to introduce my wolf to yours for a while now. They should get acquainted better,” he said logically.
I nodded, wondering just how good of an idea this really was.
I stripped and changed, feeling vulnerable being naked in front of him. It was ridiculous. I was a shifter, nudity was not a big deal. But something told me Damon wouldn’t like it, and that was enough for my wolf not to like it either. I shifted quickly, and she turned to ditch Tyler as I fought to stop her.
Tyler’s wolf was grey, the color of a mouse. He didn’t prance before me and I could see confusion in his eyes. His wolf turned away from me and started to take off. I could only imagine it was Tyler who reined him in. I found it strange that his wolf wasn’t at all interested in mine either and he was docile, much more so than my own wolf.
When Tyler clearly forced his wolf to come near us, mine squatted low and growled. He immediately shifted back.
“Karis, what the hell?” he asked.
I gave him a long look, not ready to even begin explaining it, then turned and ran as fast as I could further into the woods. I ran for hours. I wanted to just give myself over to my wolf and forget everything that had happened, but each time I tried, she turned back and I knew she was on the hunt for Damon. But I wasn’t ready to face him either.
When I finally got back to my dorm, Sabrina was gone and Tyler had left a note on my door, plus he had blown up my phone with twenty-seven texts. I didn’t know what to say to him, either. I had an early day the next morning, so I took a few minutes to go over some notes and ensure that my homework was complete before crawling into bed early.
I dreamt of Damon that night. He was so handsome, so much older and more mature. He’d probably been with tons of other girls and could have his pick of anyone. Why would he choose me? Because you’re his, a small voice in my head kept reminding me.
I woke feeling more refreshed than I looked. I showered and dressed for the day, adding a little more makeup than I usually required. I may have slept well, but I felt like shit.
Tyler was waiting for me outside of my first class. He looked sad but not irritated.
“Can we talk?” he asked.
“Class starts in five minutes,” I reminded him, checking my watch.
“Look, I know today is your busy day, but we have to discuss this Karis. How about lunch? At least give me that,” he practically begged.
I hated that I was hurting him.
“Okay, lunch,” I said, walking into class and taking my seat. I was relieved he took his usual seat next to me, but it only agitated my wolf further. She couldn’t understand why we were wasting time with Tyler now that we’d met Damon.
Class went by quickly. I paid very little attention, but it was an easy class and I wasn’t really worried about it. As we climbed the stairs back up to leave I shivered, and my arms covered in goosebumps.
Damon was standing at the doorway.
“Good morning, amore,” he said brightly, then seemed to think about something, smiling and nodding, like some piece of a puzzle had just clicked into place with him. “Tyler,” he said in a strained voice.
“Damon,” Tyler said equally aggressive.
“You’re gonna be late for your next class if you don’t hurry,” Damon reminded me. I looked at his watch and saw he was right. The professor must have run late.
“Thanks. See you later,” I mumbled.
“Her name’s Karis,” Tyler told him as we turned to rush out.
“Oh, I’m well aware,” Damon muttered.
“What was that all about?” Tyler demanded when we were out of earshot.
“What are you talking about?”
“How do you know Damon?”
I started to say, He’s my mate. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to say, and that immediately freaked me out. “He’s my Italian tutor,” I blurted out instead.
“Find someone else, Karis. I’m serious. He’s nothing but trouble. There’s something wrong with him. Didn’t you feel the tension back there? You could have cut it with a knife. I don’t know what his beef with me is. Maybe Richard was an ass to him. He’s my brother and I love him, but it’s definitely a possibility. I don’t know. I just know that that guy is really unstable right now and I don’t want to see you get hurt when he loses it again.”
“Again?” I asked.
“Yeah, he went nutso on three of the brothers a couple weeks ago. He’s not stable, Karis.”
“You said that already, but I don’t understand. How so?”
“I don’t know all the details. But last year over spring break there was this big war between the wolves and the big cats over Chase and Jenna’s mating.”
“I’m aware of that,” I told him. “What does that have to do with Damon?”
“The brothers rallied behind Chase to fight. It was the right thing to do, but Damon’s roommate, Matt, died in that battle. They say he’s not been the same since. Extremely depressed, spending too much time alone or in his fur. He’s flying off the handle over every little thing, picking fights with people, and just really not in a good place. I don’t want you near that guy.”
My heart softened a little more for my mate. He was going through so much.
“I can’t just stay away from him, Tyler,” I argued.
“Yes, you can. Find a different tutor.”
“It’s Italian. It’s not like there’s a big pool to choose from.”
“What the hell does Damon even know about Italian? He’s probably just in it for the chicks.”
I rolled my eyes. “Damon’s native language is Italian, Tyler. He’s my best option on campus, so just drop it.” We were outside my class and the professor was closing the door. “I have to go. Bye,” I said quickly, and ran into the class giving a quick apology as I passed my teacher.
Lunch with Tyler was strained. I hated it. We didn’t resolve anything. He was still hung up on me not being around Damon, and I still couldn’t fully explain to him that it wasn’t an option. Just seeing Damon for those few seconds this morning had lifted me up and made my entire day better. I couldn’t even explain the affect he had on me and I couldn’t decide if I liked it or hated it.