Page 10 of Wolf Mate

The hum vibrated under my skin, and the ground began trembling underneath me.

Holy shit. Was I causing an earthquake? Surely not.

“Hey, are you okay?” someone asked, startling me.

My emotions flared higher, and the ground moved under my feet, toppling me over.

“Whoa,” the guy said, and a hand grasped my arm.

Instead of hitting the ground, I was tugged into the side of some random guy. That was enough to take my focus away from my internal turmoil. This guy wasn’t nearly as muscular as Raffe, and when I looked at his face, my thoughts didn’t scatter.

Bright-emerald eyes stared back at me from under spiky, dark-blond hair. The guy dropped his hand and bit his thin bottom lip. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to manhandle you. It looked like you were going to fall.”

Fall? He hadn’t felt the ground shake or move? Thank fuck. My anxiety lessened, reducing the energy in my blood to a fizzle. “No, it’s fine. I was dizzy. Thanks for helping me.”

He was the second handsome guy to offer me assistance in less than twenty-four hours. What was it with all the men here resembling models? This guy had the whole Ken doll vibe going on but with a mysterious edge that made him damn alluring.

He continued to examine me, which made me feel as if I were under a microscope. My skin crawled, and my heart skipped a beat.

I needed to be on my way to class. Unsure what else to say, I took a step forward, but the guy stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

Something weird washed over me, like curiosity and determination—emotions that were definitely not mine, which meant they were his, and my blood was dangerously close to humming again. Though I never understood how, I could sometimes read other people’s emotions. “I’m going to be late.” I tried to pivot around him, but he blocked me again.

He went for my hand then paused. “I’m not trying to make you late, but I want to make sure you’re okay. You looked upset before you stumbled.”

I blew out a breath, and the tension in my shoulders eased. “My roommate isn’t thrilled about rooming with me.” I shrugged, playing it off like it was no big deal.

“Ah.” He frowned. “Well, it hasn’t been long. I’m sure she’ll change her mind.”

Mom had told me similar things over the years, but the more time a person spent around me, the less they wanted to do with me.

“Not likely. She was on the phone with the housing administrator.” Why was I spilling my guts to him? I rubbed the spot in my chest that felt like a gaping void.

“That’s her loss, then.”

I snorted and tilted my head, expecting to see a condescending expression, but Nice Guy’s face was lined with concern.

His eyebrows rose. “What? You don’t agree?”

“No.” Wait. I wasn’t sure how to answer that. “Yes?”

“You’re not sure?” He smiled, and a dimple appeared in his right cheek, adding to his good looks. “Well, I do. I can already tell you’re good people.” He tapped his head.

Could he be strange like me? My stomach fluttered. “Like a buzzing or something?”

He laughed. “Or something. But someone selfish or who didn’t care wouldn’t be upset about their roommate not liking them.”

Oh. Right. That made more sense, but my body sagged. “Maybe I’m upset for purely selfish reasons. You don’t know.” People assuming things about others caused a lot of problems in this world. “Anyway, thanks for the assist, but I need to head to class.”

This time, when I turned and marched away, Nice Guy didn’t stop me. For some reason, a knot of disappointment twisted hard within me—which was ridiculous. I would’ve been annoyed if he’d delayed me again.

I took my phone from my jeans pocket and pulled up the campus map. Science classes were held in the Howling Building, across the road from the apartments.

I strode in that direction, noticing a ton of students loitering around. Back at my old school, the classes got fuller as the day went on, but this was a totally different sort of place.

When I opened the thick wooden back door to the building, someone behind me bumped into me. My sneakers squeaked on the shiny vinyl floor as I caught my balance. The person didn’tbother apologizing as he hurried to the second set of doors ten feet in front of us.

Jerk.

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