Rain made it through his first few days of the new semester with no more bumps in the road. He’d spent the weekend in full prep mode. He felt he had a firm grip on his classes, they were just extensions of things he’d already learned and knew. All except the one that is. It was Wednesday, dreaded Wednesday. He had been trying to play it off like it was no big deal, that it was just another class. But the truth was, he was completely out of his comfort zone. He knew he was going to be walking into that classroom and odds were pretty good, he’d be the only guy there. There was also almost a guarantee that no one was going to want him there.

Fin hadn’t let up on the jokes about his class. He kept coming back to his room to find gifts on his bed. A bottle of nail polish one day, a box of tampons the next. This morning there had been a curling iron heating in the bathroom. Fin was being a dick. Rain wasn’t even sure he was signed up for classes this semester. For all he knew, Fin was majoring in partying.

After turning off the curling iron, he got ready for class, and then made a stop next door. He knocked on the door and it swung open.

“Rain! So nice to see your handsome face this morning.”

“Hey, Ashley. Do you guys need a new curling iron? Or a backup one? I have come into possession of one and clearly don’t need it.”

“Ohh, a Beachwaver, that’s like a hundred and thirty bucks. You sure?”

Leave it to Fin to buy an expensive curling iron as a joke. “Yeah, use it in good health,” he said, handing it over.

“You want a cup of coffee or something?” the pretty girl asked.

“Sorry, I’m off to class. Thanks though, maybe some other time.”

The girl looked crestfallen. It wasn’t the first time Rain had seen that look. He’d spent the last three years being the gentleman, the guy friend to any number of girls that were looking for more from him. But the truth was, he wasn’t interested. Not even a little bit. Some time ago he had realized how much his bear and he needed their one true mate and saw no reason to play the field.

He didn’t blame other shifters that sowed their oats. There was literally an animal inside them that wanted out sexually. The clans used to come together years ago to see if shifters could find their mates within the clan groups. They called it The Run. Now as most families knew each other and had ensured there were no fated mates between families, they kept doing the runs just as reunions. The young ones still treated The Run for a chance to hook up, and those looking for some casual fun with no obligations could find a willing partner in the woods to spend some quality time with.

Rain never had the urge to find someone that way. He’d run along with his friends. Shifting and chasing through the woods was exhilarating, but the closest he’d come was a few heavy make out sessions. Not that it was common knowledge, but only Fin and Angel knew that he was still a virgin. He wasn’t afraid of sex or worried that he didn’t want it. He was a healthy young man and sex was pretty much all he thought about. But he and his bear were willing to wait. They knew that when they found their mate that it would be worth it. It didn’t mean he didn’t hope like hell he didn’t have to wait for the next forty years like some of his uncles and cousins. Forty plus years of celibacy didn’t sound like much fun.

Walking to the building that held his hopeful final credit, he saw he was early, too early. Finding a quiet spot under a tree that had a semi-dry spot, he sat down and pulled out his phone.

Pulling up his video chat, he hit the number for his brother Cash. The phone chimed as it rang through.

The screen blacked for a moment then his sister-in-law Cassie popped on screen.

“Rainier! What’s up, dog!”

“Hi Cassie, How’s the fam?”

“Oh my god! Your niece and nephew are little hellions! Tearing ass all over this house. I’ve had Cash put down about a thousand miles of that heavy duty gym mat material on the floors. Little jackasses keep climbing the walls. They eat constantly and think it’s funny as hell to take their diapers off. And this is all when they are in human form. I’d understand if their bears did it, but no, this is all human naughtiness.”

Rain gave a chuckle. His brother and his mate had a tough start to their relationship. Then when Cassie got pregnant, the whole clan had to keep his brother from coming unglued. He was so protective of his mate that he had basically stopped working and tried to watch over her twenty-four seven. Cassie finally had enough because she was not the kind of girl that needed a babysitter and banished his brother back to work.

His niece and nephew, Jett and Axel were adorable, funny as hell, and made Rain want a family of his own. He spoiled them rotten and loved taking them out into the woods around his brother’s house. They would shift and climb a tree, then shift to human and get stuck. It was a constant job to keep them safe, but he loved taking care of them.

“I’m sure you are exaggerating, Cass. My little angels would never do such horrible things. They are perfect cubs and will both be president in the future.”

“It would take a joint presidency to get those to agree on anything. They fight like cats and dogs. Unless they are sleeping, then they are cuddled up to each other for warmth.”

“They are cubs, just think, you are getting two done at once. When does Cash want more?”

“Oh hell no. He can keep his big bear paws to himself. Bad enough giving birth to twins, but doing it at home was lame. I’m jealous of all those drugs and knock out gas you can get at the hospital.”

“Cass, I think knock out gas was only on classic Batman episodes.”

“Whatever, I wanted it. Axel stop chewing on your sister’s hair! His bear licks her hair constantly. She has to get shampooed every day.”

“Bear saliva is good for them, it’s not that gross.”

“Hah! I’ve seen what you bears like to lick. You aren’t fooling anyone. Nasty, dude. Not as bad as the cougars, mind you. Most of you bears are too big to reach down there, thank goodness.”

“Okay, then. On that note, is Cash there?”

“No, honey, he left his phone at home when he went into work today. Abandoning me with the terrible two. I think I’m going to jack them up on sugar before he gets home and then take a bath. Only seems fair.”

“Excellent idea. Have him give me a buzz when he gets back, yeah?”

“Will do, bananaroo!”

Rain ended the call with a smile. He loved his sister-in-law. She was funny, crazy, and an amazing mate for his brother. He met her the first time when she was recovering from a car accident. Rain had never seen a more broken thing in his life. A deflated soul was painful to witness. His brother had brought her back to life and made her whole again. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever had the privilege to witness.

Watching his brother fight for his mate ensured that Rain wasn’t about to settle for anyone but his true mate. So what if he was a virgin, it didn’t make him any less of a man. He just wanted his first time to be with his mate. For him, knowing that there would never be any other woman in his mind or even his heart would be a blessing.

Checking his phone, he decided he should head towards the lecture hall. He wanted to stake out a seat that would hopefully keep him obscured from too much attention. Also having his back to a wall seemed like a logical idea.

When he walked in, there were only two other people already there. Two girls sitting next to each other, texting on their phones. They glanced up to watch him walk in and their eyebrows rose almost simultaneously.

They didn’t comment, just watched him find his seat not all the way in the back, but close to it, and to the side. The room was set up like a theater, allowing a clear view of the front from every seat. He could see the screens and with his shifter hearing, he didn’t need to worry about missing anything that was said.

The class slowly started to fill in. Some people walking in excited, others with trepidation. And as they scanned the room, their eyes would hit him and the reactions ranged from frowns to smiles of pure sexual interest. He wasn’t just saying that because they looked at him. It was because his senses could pick up all the cues that they found him attractive. If he was a player like Fin, he could use that to his advantage. It was another reason he wasn’t comfortable dating. He felt like he knew what most people would try to keep hidden.

As the class settled in, there was just a quiet murmur of conversation. The door opened and the room went silent as everyone expected the professor to enter into the room. Instead, a young woman walked in. Her hair was black and had hot pink tips that curled up at the bottom. She was wearing a gray t-shirt and a long brown vest that flared around her hips. It covered her ass, and Rain wasn’t embarrassed to admit he was trying to look. Her skinny jeans had holes in each knee and she wore a pair of brown army style boots with the laces barely tied. In her arms were stacks of paperwork.

“Don’t worry, I’m just the TA. Continue your conversations,” she called out as she walked towards the small desk set off to the side. The chatter in the room picked back up. The woman walked to the desk and dropped the paperwork as she turned to scan the room.

Her eyes came to rest upon him and those beautiful eyes; dark green with gold flecks in them narrowed in his direction and her expression became a frown directed straight at him. She was not happy to see him.

Rain on the other hand, wasn’t happy to see her either. He was shocked, amazed, stunned, and sinking fast into a swirling pit that he’d never want to get out of. His feet went numb, his body felt like it was on fire, and his bear was roaring like he’d never heard him do before.

In the middle of History of Feminism, stood the woman he would die for, the woman he would worship until the end of time, the woman the universe had deigned to be his.

His mate.