Page 18 of Hexmate

The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I held my breath, waiting for his response. I knew I shouldn’t have asked. We were friends, so it wasn’t weird. But the intention behind my words wasn’t friendly. It was something… more. Something I shouldn’t have been feeling.

Caden’s cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of pink. “I’d like that,” he said softly, meeting my gaze for a moment before looking down at his feet.

My heart raced. I couldn’t help taking a small sniff of the air, my wolf senses picking up hints of his excitement. I could hear his heart was racing. “Great,” I managed to say, trying to keep my voice steady. “How about tomorrow afternoon? Say, 3 o’clock? I’ll come pick you up.”

Caden nodded, a shy smile playing at his lips. “Sounds perfect.”

We stood there for a moment, neither of us quite sure what to say next. The air between us felt charged, crackling with a tension I couldn’t quite name.

“Well, I should get to class,” Caden said finally, gesturing towards the conservatory. “But I’ll see you tomorrow, Atlas.”

The way he said my name sent a shiver down my spine. “Yeah, see you tomorrow,” I replied, watching as he walked away.

As soon as Caden disappeared around the corner, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. What was I doing? I shouldn’t be pursuing this, no matter how drawn I felt to him. My father would be furious if he knew I was even considering a relationship with a witch, especially when he’d already picked out a mate for me. I had to continue our bloodline and if I was with a man and a witch… well, that just wasn’t going to happen.

But as I made my way back to my dorm, I couldn’t shake the image of Caden’s shy smile from my mind. The pull I felt towards him was undeniable, almost magnetic. Was this what a fated mate bond felt like? The one Professor Horvath had been talking about? It was almost impossible to ignore, but why would the gods or the thread of magic bind us together like that? For what purpose?

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I needed to focus on my responsibilities, on my future as pack leader. I couldn’t let myself get distracted by these feelings, no matter how intense they were. It was probably just a phase, anyway. I heard that happened in college a lot. But once those four years were over, real life waited for me. No matter what I felt here at the academy, I had to go home eventually.

As I entered my room, I was greeted by the sight of my roommate, Silver, sprawled across his bed, face buried in his pillow. The dark elf was wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, his muscular form on full display. I took half a second to look him over, wondering if I was attracted to men. He was fit and objectively handsome, but I didn’t feel the same pull I felt toward Caden.

“Hey man,” he said, glancing up at me. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Everything okay?”

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just... had an interesting class.”

Silver sat up, raising an eyebrow. “Interesting how? Did Professor Horvath go off on another one of his anti-witch rants?”

I sighed, dropping my bag and collapsing onto my bed. “Yeah, something like that. He was talking about familiar bonds and how dangerous they are.”

Silver snorted. “Of course he was. That guy’s got a serious chip on his shoulder when it comes to witches. I guess his great-grandmother or something was forced to be a familiar for a witch.”

I nodded, not wanting to get into the details. My mind was still reeling from my encounter with Caden in the hallway. I couldn’t stop thinking about how cute he looked with his hair ruffled and those shy glances. Of course, the way his cheeks turned pink when I asked him to coffee was adorable too. But what got my attention more than anything was the way his scent shifted when I got close to him. He might not realize it, but I could smell that he was attracted to me. And I liked it, which made things a lot more complicated.

“Something on your mind?” Silver asked, his elbow propped up on his pillow as he looked my way. “You look… I don’t know… troubled I guess.”

“It’s nothing,” I said, shaking my head. “I think I just need to burn off some excess energy. I’m gonna jump the barrier and shift. I need to run some of it out.”

“Good idea to get it out today.”

I stood up, glancing over at him. “Why’s that?”

“Big snowstorm coming in a day or two. The dryads have been talking about it all week. I guess we’re gonna get absolutely dumped on.” He looked up at me with a smirk. “Don’t want you getting frostbite on your little wolf beans.”

“Fuck off,” I huffed, heading for the door. “I’ll be back before dark.”

“Cool. I’ll be sleeping or jerking off or something.”

I just rolled my eyes and left the room, taking nothing with me but my student ID so I could get back through the barrier.

As I made my way across campus towards the barrier, my mind kept drifting back to Caden again. The way his blue eyes lit up when I showed interest in his herbalism studies, the adorable blush that colored his cheeks - it was all so captivating. But I couldn’t shake the nagging voice in the back of my head reminding me of my responsibilities, of my father’s expectations. I really needed to get a hold of myself.

I reached the edge of campus where the magical barrier shimmered faintly, invisible to human eyes but clear as day to supernatural beings like myself. With a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching, I slipped through the barrier, feeling the familiar tingle of magic wash over me as I passed through.

Once on the other side, I stripped off my clothes quickly, stashing them in a hollow log I often used for this purpose. Taking a deep breath, I let the shift overtake me. My bones cracked and reshaped, fur sprouting across my body as I transformed into my wolf form. I hit the forest floor on four dark paws, my fur so dark it was almost blue. I shook myself off, trying to get rid of the itchy feeling after sprouting so much fur all at once. It was the worst part of the entire transformation.

The forest came alive around me, my heightened senses picking up every rustle of leaves, every scurrying creature. I took off at a run, relishing the feeling of my paws pounding against the earth, the wind rushing through my fur. As I ran, I let my mind go blank, focusing only on the physical sensations of my wolf form. The scents of the forest filled my nostrils - pine, damp earth, and the faint traces of other animals.

I pushed myself harder, running faster and faster until my muscles burned with exertion. It felt good to let go like this, to embrace my wild nature without the constraints of human society. Out here, I wasn’t Atlas Faolan, future Alpha and college student. I was just a wolf, free and unfettered.

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