Page 19 of Hexmate

And that’s where I felt most at home.

Chapter 8

Caden

Iwas at the small coffee shop on campus at least twenty minutes early due to nerves. I’d been driving Wild crazy pacing back and forth in my dorm room. Eventually he just told me to get out and go walk somewhere else so that he could get his homework done. Not that he was much of a homework sort of guy. If I had any guesses, I’d say he just wanted the room to himself so he could hook up with someone. Or get high. Either way, I couldn’t stand being cooped up anymore anyway.

So, I left and wandered around campus for a little bit, winding my way through the buildings until I reached the student center. It was well past lunchtime, so everything was fairly quiet. I had an afternoon class that I was skipping to see Atlas, but I didn’t mind. It was Professor Blackwood’s class, anyway. My absence would probably thrill her. It was no small secret how much she despised me. And after my encounter with her the week before, I needed a little breathing room before I showed my face in that lecture hall again.

Despite all my wandering, I was still far too early. Not wanting to get my coffee early and spoil our date, I waited outside.

No. Not a date.

That was the fifth time today I’d had to check myself mentally. Atlas, the most handsome werewolf in the school and easily one of the most powerful, wasnotinterested in me. Of that I was certain. And even if he was, which I knew he wasn’t, nothing could come of it anyway. He was the son of a powerful Alpha and an equally prestigious pack. There was no doubt in my mind his life was already laid out before him, all neat and tidy just like mine was. Powerful families came with a mountain of expectations. Both of us were only in college for a short time. Once it was over, the dream would be over, and the real world would come crashing in.

There was no escaping that.

So, as I stood there, I forcefully reminded myself that we were just friends, and that’s all we ever would be. Witches and werewolves didn’t mix. And gay Alphas weren’t a thing. At least not a thing publicly. Not at Widdershins where the best of the best came to learn how to be the leaders of the supernatural world’s future.

“You’re here early,” a low voice said, making me startle.

I turned to see Atlas stepping up beside me, his wide muscular frame casting me in shadow. He had his varsity jacket on, the front hanging open to show a skin-tight, white t-shirt underneath. I caught myself staring at every single one of his abs, shocked that they could be so prevalent. He really was astoundingly hot. And my dick, despite my best efforts, agreed wholeheartedly.

“Uh-huh,” I said, forcing my jaw to close and my eyes to lift to his. “I just… uh… didn’t have anything else to do I guess.”

“You didn’t have to wait out here,” he smiled. “It’s kinda cold today. I heard it might snow, actually.”

I glanced up at the clear blue sky. It didn’t look like anything except autumn perfection to me. “I’m fine.” But of course, themoment I said it, the wind picked up and sent a shiver through my body.

Atlas just smiled. “Sure.” He looped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me toward the student center doors. “Let’s get you inside before you freeze to death. You witches are always so skinny.”

“I’m not that skinny!” I retorted, allowing myself to be pulled inside. “Do you not get cold or something?”

“Not really,” he shrugged. “And when I do, I just shift. The fur coat is surprisingly warm. I could probably sleep outside below freezing in wolf form and be just fine.”

“Why would you want to do that?!” I scoffed. “That sounds terrible!”

“Sleeping under the stars is nice,” he said softly. “And being a wolf… well, there’s just something that feels right about it, you know?”

I shook my head. “Not really, no. But I’ll take your word for it.”

Atlas just smiled, leading me up to the coffee counter. We both ordered and Atlas, of course, insisted on paying for my drink. We stood in companionable silence while our drinks were made. I could feel the heat rolling off his body even though he was standing a foot away. And his scent, earthy and wild, filled my nostrils. He smelled like the woods, like moss that clung to rotting logs among fallen leaves. It smelled like… well, like what I imagined home would smell like. But there was something more to it, something that seeped into my skin and pooled in my groin, making my cock twitch.

I cleared my throat, side stepping slightly. Those kinds of thoughts needed to stop. The last thing I needed to do was pop a boner in front of this werewolf. I heard they could smell things like that, so I had to keep myself under control. We were just friends, nothing more.

With our drinks in hand at last, the pair of us found a couch tucked back away from the main student area, giving us a little bit of privacy.

“So,” Atlas sighed, flopping down on the far end of the couch and kicking his feet up on the table in front it. “You were going to tell me about your herbalism classes.”

I settled onto the other end of the couch, tucking one leg underneath me as I turned to face Atlas. His golden eyes were fixed on me intently, making my heart race. I took a sip of my iced chai to calm my nerves.

“Right, herbalism,” I said, trying to focus. “Well, it’s fascinating really. We’re learning about all these rare plants with incredible magical properties. Did you know there’s a flower that only blooms at midnight during a full moon that can enhance a witch’s power tenfold?”

Atlas raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk playing at his lips. “Is that so? Sounds dangerous in the wrong hands.”

I nodded eagerly. “Oh absolutely. That’s why it’s so heavily regulated. But just imagine the possibilities if it was used responsibly!”

As I launched into more details about various magical herbs, Atlas listened attentively. His eyes never left my face, and I found myself getting lost in their amber depths. The way the light caught them made them seem to glow from within.

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