Finley had to mentally pull his bear away from the table; his desire for their mate was so overwhelming. He didn’t want to leave her; he didn’t want her to walk away knowing he wouldn’t see her again for days.

She didn’t know, but now that he knew who she was, her scent called to him. Fin was sure he’d be able to track her all over campus if he wanted to. Not that he would, but if he happened to see her, then a friendly conversation wouldn’t be out of place. Plus, he’d get the confirmation that she was okay. The fact that she lived at home, on one hand, made him happy that she would be safe and secure at night guarded by an overprotective mother. On the other hand, it meant she wouldn’t have the level of freedom he had being at school.

He’d have to work around that to make sure he got the time in with her that he wanted. Holding his animal back, he helped her out of her seat and walked her to the door.

“This was fun, Finley,” she said, turning a smile up to him that should have just been friendly, but his animal took it as an invitation.

It wasn’t, so he held the bear in check. “You can just call me Fin, everyone does. It was really nice meeting you, Zara; I’m looking forward to Wednesday.”

Even to his own ears he sounded formal and odd. But it was the best he could do to keep from growling at her. His hands were itching to touch her hair. Run his fingers through to see if it would fall over his hand like silk. He wasn’t sure if that was something his bear was thinking or him.

“Me too,” Zara offered. There was a slight blush to her cheeks and it made her eyes sparkle. He knew she liked him, he could smell the change in her as she relaxed at the table. She didn’t have the hesitancy that she first smelled like when they had walked to the café. It meant that he was on her radar and that was the most important step.

“Can I walk you to your next class?”

She nodded and Fin was thrilled to have a few more minutes with her. They chatted about inconsequential things as they made their way to the biology building.

Zara waved goodbye and he lifted his chin at her with a smile. He had his hands tucked into his jean pockets because he feared that if he wasn’t paying attention his bear might make an appearance. He definitely couldn’t explain away long black claws and make himself not sound insane.

He wasn’t going to lie to himself, he watched her walk away. He cataloged the swing of her hips because he was going to use it in reruns in his mind for the rest of the day. The swish of her hips, the flip of her skirt. It was hypnotic and he was starting to feel like a little bit of a fool standing alone on the sidewalk long after she was gone.

Shaking off his euphoria, he pulled out his phone and texted his brother to see where he was. It turned out that he had class and wasn’t far from where Fin was. Using the time to control his animal, he walked towards Rainier. He needed his brother. There wasn’t anything left in his heart or mind from the disconnect that he had felt with him. It took one moment, one flash of a pair of green eyes to make him realize everything his brother had gone through.

The instant connection to another human being. The awareness of her heartbeat was like a drum inside his head. He couldn’t hear anything else. Every thump meant that she was alive and he could be happy. Fin didn’t care about his own happiness; it was Zara’s that he cared about now. He wanted to know that she was warm enough while she was sitting in class. He should have offered her his jacket, not that she would have taken it. Maybe he needed to go buy her some warm clothes. She hadn’t eaten anything while they were at the café. Was she hungry? Did he need to wait for her after class and bring her something to eat?

That wouldn’t come across as crazy or weird. She’d probably call campus police on him and his life would be back in shambles for screwing up his first moments with his mate.

Finley found Rain’s class and took a seat on a bench and waited. He also made plans, or at least, he was thinking of ways to put those plans in motion.

Finley had a trust fund, all the Rochons did. If he was careful, it was enough money that he didn’t have to work. It didn’t mean he could spend his life splashing pictures on Instagram while he was pouring champagne on models from his yacht, but his schooling was paid for and he could buy or build a house whenever he wanted. He could walk into a car dealership and buy a car. They were all things that were physical and usually didn’t make a dent in the psyche of a shifter.

Life as a shifter was twofold, and they existed partly in the human world, and partly with the animals. Having a constant reminder in your head that even if you bought a fancy car, you’d rather be running through the woods, altered your wants just a little bit.

He didn’t have a car, he found that when he needed one he’d rent it. Or rideshare a car. Thank goodness for Uber and the public transit system. He just made do and didn’t think about it. Now he wanted a safe car so that he could be in control of Zara’s safety when they went out. He wanted to pay for her education so that she could start making her own choices. Then again, that would probably cause a rift with her family, so he tabled that idea for now.

His animal wanted to know where she lived so they could make sure she lived in a safe neighborhood and there was adequate street lighting. It was ridiculous to even think such a thing. He didn’t ask her if she drove. Did she wear a seatbelt all the time? Of course she did, she wanted to be a doctor. If anything she was safety conscious.

Finley really didn’t know how his fellow clan members had figured this out. How do you go from not knowing a woman to needing to protect, love, and cherish her for the rest of your life in the literal second you meet her?

He wanted to give all of them a hug and maybe an apology letter for not understanding their struggles. It was something the old Finley would have done. He would have put their feelings first and supported them. The old Finley had been creeping back slowly, but he was in full force now that Zara was involved.

Finley couldn’t deny too that there was something else going on. Old Finley was there, wanting to protect and coddle, but there was another part of him that was running scenarios through his head that all involved Zara naked and Finley blissfully deep inside her. He wanted her like he’d never wanted a woman before. He wanted her naked and laid out under him screaming his name. His animal wasn’t helping because he was redirecting his thoughts back to those fantasies.

He knew he could make her happy in bed. There wasn’t anything he didn’t want to try with her. His mind kept working up what she would look like, her hands tied above her head with silk scarves. Blindfolded and gasping as she waited for the next touch on her body. Finley taking his time, teasing and bringing her to the edge over and over again. He’d never thought of doing that with another woman. But suddenly with Zara, it seemed imperative that he bring her pleasure that way.

Sitting on a bench in public sporting a stiff cock was not acceptable behavior and he didn’t want his brother to give him shit, so he switched his mind over to how he would go about telling his family. What would their reaction be? He was most nervous when he thought about telling Cassie. She’d say ‘I told you so,’ or something like it. Cash would be supportive like Cage had been. Angel would be happy for him because Angel was over the moon with his own life.

Rain would either support him, which was the most likely scenario, or give him shit because Fin didn’t back him up like he should have.