Page 6 of Confusing Hearts

Anita laughed. “No, she really is a princess.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. Oh, there she is,” Anita said, jumping up and waving.

I turned just in time to see the beautiful creature I’d been watching, wave back. She was in the middle of the dance floor and her movements weren’t quite as sleek this time. I was grateful to find that her hold over me seemed to be a one-time thing.

“Never mind, that’s just Tessa . . .”

I nodded, but kept my thoughts to myself.

“So, looks like calculus is the only class we have together this semester,” I said, changing the subject. I didn’t want to think about the girl who had put a spell on me. No, not a girl, she was all woman.

“Yeah, Tessa’s in that class too. At least I think she still is. She was trying to get her schedule changed, so I’m not sure. Her sister Jenna is, though. You should sit with us. Jenna’s cool, you’ll like her. She’s not like some of the others.”

“So not a pampered princess?”

She laughed. “No, definitely not.”

As the night wore on, I considered my options for hooking up with Anita. Matt’s warning wasn’t what was holding me back, though; it was the memory of smelling my mate. I had convinced myself it was only in my mind, but my wolf did not seem onboard with moving on. Then again, I had never chased a cat before, so maybe it was just that.

Before I could even make my decision, Anita shot me down. Even though we were both verging on drunk, and had been dancing close and flirting much of the night, nothing was going to happen.

“I’m calling it a night, pup. And no, that’s not an invitation to join me. Honestly, I’m going to catch enough crap just from hanging out with you. Friends?”

She offered me her hand, and I smiled, flashing her my dimples as I accepted. “Friends.”

I hadn’t realized the party had died down until Anita had left. I found Matt and told him I was heading home. He was wrapped up in some chick I recognized as one of his regular hookups, but couldn’t remember her name.

Stepping outside, I took a deep breath of fresh air, letting it fill my lungs. Goosebumps popped up across my arms and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

Mate.

She was near. I could smell her, and this time I was certain. With the sweet aroma surrounding me, I realized I had smelled it the previous weekend, too. I suddenly remembered the reason behind my extreme intoxication. I had smelled my mate and it had freaked me out.

Looking around, I saw no one. I let my wolf come to the surface just enough to channel my full smell capabilities and walked around the building. There was a window open to one of the bedrooms and I could hear laughter coming from inside. Feeling like a perverted stalker, I peeked into the window. Anita. A shiver ran down my spine and my wolf tried to surge, but not in a positive way.

I knew Anita wasn’t my mate. I had just spent most of the night with her. I would know. My wolf had clearly not been pleased with my new friend.

“Hey, is someone out there?” I heard her yell from the window. I took off at a full sprint, not wanting her to see me. “Pervert!” she yelled at my retreating shadow.

Jenna

Chapter 4

Anita had waltzed into the room smelling exactly like my mate. I didn’t understand why. Panthers weren’t exactly known for a keen sense of smell, but I’d know that scent anywhere. I had tried everything to erase it from my memory, permanently, but the second he had walked into the house, I knew it. I had been dancing, lost in all coherent thought and swaying to the music, and that scent had hit me like a ton of bricks. I freaked and spent the rest of the night in my room.

One thing I learned from extensive research that week, there was definitely not even one male, black, panther at Archibald Reynolds. Not one. I had triple-checked. That could only mean one thing: my mate was not a panther. And if he wasn’t a panther, he couldn’t be my mate. Daddy would never approve. I had sulked, cried, and mourned all week the loss of a true mate, but it didn’t seem to matter when his delicious woodsy fragrance hit me.

I had also spent the week trying to rearrange my schedule, even skipping calculus on Wednesday and again on Friday, which was not like me. Knowing my mate was not a panther meant it was best if we tried not to cross paths, but he was in my calculus class. Unfortunately, it was the only one that fit my schedule and was a requirement for most majors I was considering, so I would have to endure it and brace myself for an inevitable face-to-face with him.

The only positive of the week for me was that two classes I had desperately wanted came open after dropouts. I had successfully gotten into both advanced graphic designs and a photography class I had been praying for. They met Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and along with calculus would make for a full morning on those days, but I was ready and excited for the new challenges.

Daddy wasn’t going to be happy. Neither would Tessa when she found out that after all her scheming and course changes, we still wouldn’t be taking the exact same classes this semester. I hadn’t found the courage to tell either of them when Daddy had called to check how our first week had gone. This was my time, and selfishly, I wasn’t ready to explain myself. I was doing something I loved, something that made me happy for a change, consequences be damned.

My new feeling of empowerment had me flying high and not even concerned with the whole true mate thing, until I walked into calculus Monday morning and froze. Taking a deep breath, I let his scent envelope me, but didn’t dare look left or right for the source of that delicious smell. I walked to the front and took a seat next to Anita.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

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