I laughed. “Slow down, girl. I could never hate you. I think you and Matt make a really cute couple, and as long as you’re happy, I’m happy for you.”
She let out an exaggerated sigh of relief and collapsed on the bed next to me. “Thanks, Jenna. I didn’t really care a ton about what the others thought. Ayanna is furious, tainting the family name and all that, but the rest I could care less. I just really hoped it wouldn’t screw up our friendship.”
“Anita, that’s crazy. Why would it?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean you’d think people would be more open-minded at a place like the ARC, but really, we’ve both been cold-shouldered by people already, and I know your dad will flip if he ever finds out.”
“I wouldn’t sweat it. I mean your sister is one thing, but the others are just jealous, Anita.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh come on, Matt Williams is hot, girl. There’s bound to be plenty of girls mad he’s off the market. I wouldn’t take it personally.”
“Wow, um, thanks, Jenna. I really hadn’t thought about it like that.”
I started packing up my backpack and glanced at the time. I needed to hurry to meet up with Chase.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“It’s Sunday,” I reminded her. “Study group with Chase. Are you and Matt coming tonight?”
She blushed. “Um, yeah, about that. No, we’re not. We were only really using the time to see each other.”
I laughed, knowing that’s the only reason this study group ever got started, so Chase and I could spend time together without questions.
“But hey, if you don’t want to be alone with Chase, of course we’ll come.”
I snorted. “Why would I care about being alone with Chase?”
I was glad my back was turned to her when I realized what I’d just said. Luckily, she didn’t seem to take it that way at all.
“You’re right. Chase is a great guy and I know he’ll watch out for you. You know, there are plenty of ladies on this campus who would kill to be in your shoes.”
“Huh?” I turned to face her, trying to understand what she was saying.
“I know you and Chase have fooled around a little bit at least for that stupid challenge, but then again, what ovary holder on campus hasn’t?” I struggled to bite down the roar threatening to escape me at the insinuation about my mate as she continued. “But really, I mean you guys are like actual friends and you spend a lot of time together. I’m just saying. I know you don’t think of him like that, but Chase is pretty hot, too. Not as hot as Matt, but still h.a.w.t., hawt! Most girls would be super excited to spend some alone time with him in the library.” She waggled her eyebrows up and down comically and I laughed, shoving her aside and leaving on that note.
Shaking my head, I left her sprawled out on my bed. “See you later Anita.”
“Where are you headed?” Tessa called after me as I was leaving the house.
I turned to see her. “Oh, hey, Tess. Nothing exciting, it’s Sunday night, I have study group.”
“Oh right, I forgot. Well, have fun.” She waved and closed the door as I turned and walked across campus.
Chase was already in our regularly booked room with subs, chips and sodas laid out on the table for us. He looked over my shoulder as I closed the door behind me. I never felt like we had privacy in the room because you could see out into the library so clearly, but I did know we were entirely alone and those on the other side of that two-way mirror couldn’t see us.
“Where’re Matt and Anita? I grabbed extras figuring they’d be here.”
“Apparently she and Matt went public.”
“Public what?”
“They’re dating, Chase. As she put it, they don’t need to pretend they are studying to see each other now, so she’d rather not even bother. Anita hates the library, she only ever came to see Matt.”
“Oh,” he said, a wide grin breaking out across his face. He reached over and snagged me around the waist and pulled me into his arms. “That is great news to me.” He leaned down and kissed me. I was already breathless when he pulled back, still grinning.
We sat next to each other at the table, close enough to touch, and started to eat. The need to be near him was so much stronger than I had ever imagined it would be. Just sitting there in the same room, our knees touching under the table while talking amiably, made me feel so peaceful.
That peace was interrupted by a knock at the door seconds before it flew open.
Chase
Chapter 17
“What the hell?” I said as my head whipped around towards the door as Matt and Anita walked in, with Chad behind them.
“I thought you guys weren’t going to make it,” Jenna said.
Matt gave me a sincere apologetic look. “We weren’t, but um, Chad needs some calculus help. One of the guys told him about our Sunday night group and he asked to tag along.”
“Is one of those for me?” Anita asked, eyeballing the two uneaten foot long cheesesteaks on the table.
“Are you going to pretend you don’t want it?” I teased, taking out a salad from the other bag. “'Cause I grabbed a salad just in case.”
“Oh God, no! Leave that rabbit food for the other panthers who want to pretend they’re human stick figures. I’m past that,” Anita assured me.
Matt put his arm around her and grinned. “We had a long talk about that. She’s done trying to starve herself on my behalf.”
Anita punched him in the arm. “It wasn’t on your behalf, exactly.”
“Hi, I’m Jenna. Are you Chad?” Jenna asked sweetly.
Shit! I hadn’t even thought to introduce them. Feeling like an ass, I made the introductions. “Sorry. Jenna, this is Chad, my new little brother and roommate for the rest of the semester. He just transferred here from somewhere out east. Chad, this is Jenna.” I bit my tongue to stop myself from adding my mate to the end of that.
“Hi Chad, it’s nice to meet you. I just transferred too, at the beginning of the semester. Welcome to the ARC. I hope you find it as awesome as I have.”
“Thanks,” Chad said. “It’s definitely taking some getting used to, but I’ll adapt. My family just relocated out here and my dad wanted me to stay close to the family. I wasn’t supposed to start until next fall semester, but they made an exception for me. I’m a freshman. I rushed Delta Omega Gamma in the fall and they were able to transfer my membership here. It’s certainly been different. D.O.G. isn’t really comprised of actual dogs back East.”
Anita snorted and Jenna laughed. “Really? I thought Matt was the only non-wolf shifter crazy enough to rush D.O.G. So, what spirit animal are you?”
Chad looked around nervously. I saw him eyeballing the chips and already guessed he had a bit of an obsession with them. I handed him one of the unopened bags and he quickly snatched it from my hand with a thanks.
“I’m, uh, well, I’m a squirrel,” he finally confessed.
“A squirrel? Really?” Jenna asked.
“Aww, that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever heard,” Anita gushed, causing my new little brother to blush furiously.
“Squirrels are a lot tougher than people think,” he said, huffing out his chest in a show of manliness. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
In the brief time since I walked back into my room earlier that day, I had learned plenty about my new roommate. First, he loved chips and he squirreled food away, which I suppose was only natural given he was a damn squirrel. Second, that kid could talk. I didn’t think I’d ever been around a person who talked as much as Chad. But, I also found him to be a truly good guy. He might not be the coolest dude on campus, and he was quirky as all heck, but there was something nice and easygoing about the kid, too.
I may not have been thrilled with the interruption to an evening alone with my mate, but I hadn’t exactly planned on having her all to myself anyway, so I tried not to let it disappoint me.
“Chad, have
a seat. Join us. There’s extra subs and a salad,” I told him, grinning at Anita.
“You really wasted money on a salad?” she said.
I laughed. “That’s all you ever eat,” I argued.
“Fine, but no more. I’ll eat the stupid salad. Chad can have the other sub.” She pouted.
“It’s okay. If you don’t mind, I’d prefer the salad. I don’t eat a lot of meat,” he assured her.
“Oh, well, okay then,” Anita said, passing Chad the bag with the salad.
”So, what spirit animals are you all?” Chad asked.
Jenna answered for all of us. “Matt’s a jaguar. Anita and I are panthers, and Chase is a wolf."
I liked the way she said wolf, more assertive than the others. I noticed a touch of pride in her voice. The thought of her being proud of my wolf sent an extra jolt of thrill through my body. I was very thankful we were seated at the table in that moment. It was pathetic how even something so minor registered as acceptance and excited me. It was even more embarrassing how much I craved any signs of approval from Jenna. I could just see my damn wolf in my head wagging his tail happily.
I couldn’t let my emotions get away from me. Being so close to Jenna in front of others was dangerous, especially one of her sorority sisters. I switched subjects and got down to business. For the next hour we concentrated on calculus as I pushed aside every bodily urge that came from being so close to my mate and not touching her. Every now and then she would brush her leg against mine or squeeze my leg under the table. Just the knowledge that she felt that need to reach out warmed me all over and got me through an exhausting hour of study.
In some ways, being bonded now helped calm my wolf; in others, it made things so much worse. I didn’t feel the aggression towards others that I had felt during our mating. I didn’t want to rip Matt’s head off when he accidentally bumped into her, and I had faced those demons previously. No, now I just wanted her on a deep level, all the time.
As if the desires weren’t bad enough to keep tamed without embarrassing myself, my brain chose the most inopportune moments to flash up pictures of Jenna naked beneath me in my mind. I blamed it on my wolf, on my animal instincts that only wanted our mate in that way, but it probably wasn’t fair to blame it entirely on him. I felt like a horny teenager who just couldn’t get enough of her.
It had been more than an hour since I last tasted her sweet lips and I was going to lose it if our friends didn’t wrap up and leave soon. I couldn’t let myself think about the long cold night I was about to face alone.
I don’t know if Matt got some sort of brotherly hint or it was just time, but a few minutes later he rose and stretched and admitted he was done for the night. Of course, the others followed his lead as he and Anita left with Chad in tow.
The second that door closed behind them and I was certain they had left, I scooped Jenna up in my arms and kissed her. It was like breathing fresh air. She eagerly kissed me back as my hands roamed to the hem of her shirt. I needed to feel her soft, warm skin beneath my hands.
The opening door didn’t register in my brain until I heard a gasp and a throat clear behind me.
“Um, sorry, Anita forgot her purse,” Matt said, grabbing it from the chair and trying to pull her from the room as quickly as possible. I opened my eyes just in time to see the truly apologetic look in his eyes.
“But . . . What . . .” Anita was trying to talk, but was obviously shocked by what they’d walked in on, as Matt was busy shooing her out, away from the room.
“Wait,” Jenna finally said. Her voice was solid despite her racing heartbeat. “Anita, come back. We need to talk.”
“It’s okay, Jenna. I got this,” Matt assured her.
“Uh-uh,” Anita said, pushing her way back to the room. “Girl, spill it. I thought you just messed around with him that one night to screw with our sisters.” She perched on the top of the table and waited with unabashed excitement.
“Where’s Chad?” I asked Matt.
“He said he was heading on home.”
I let out a breath of relief. “Good, thanks. Make sure the damn door’s closed.”
“Did you know about this?” Anita asked, turning on Matt.
“Um, no. No, I didn’t. Okay, so I sort of suspected, but I didn’t actually know.”
“Jenna? What’s going on?” Anita asked, turning her attention back to my mate.
I couldn’t help the overwhelming need to protect her as I stepped between the two girls to shield Jenna from her friend.
“Whoa.” Anita clearly noticed my aggressive stance. “Calm down, dog-boy, this is girl talk time right now.”
“It’s okay,” Jenna said, sounding far calmer than I certainly felt. This was the one thing she absolutely did not want to happen, at least not this soon.
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure,” she said, and then shocked me back down a peg as she rose up on her tippy-toes to press a kiss to my lips before taking a spot on the table next to Anita.
“Please promise me you won’t tell anyone about this, Anita. Not yet. I know it’s all going to come out before the end of the semester, but I’m not ready to lose Tessa or any of you just yet. I need some time to prepare for it.”
Anita laughed. “Jenna, you’re not going to lose us. To be honest, there’re a few of our sisters that will be relieved to hear this. I mean, come on, you’re Jenna Lockhardt! No offense but you’ve never done anything wrong or disobeyed your father even once in your entire life.”
Jenna flushed red in her cheeks. I started to protest, but she held up a hand to stop me. “She’s right. I’ve always done whatever it took to please my parents and everyone else.”
“Exactly.” Anita turned to me as if to say “I told you so.” “So what makes him worth going against your dad’s orders to not fraternize outside our kind?”
I watched Jenna turn beet red, but she raised her chin in determination. “I don’t know how to say this any other way. Anita, Chase is my true mate. My one true mate.”
I’m not sure anything had ever shocked Anita more. Her face started to turn an odd shade of purple and her eyes nearly bulged out of her head, then it contorted and she started to laugh.
“That can’t be,” Anita said with certainty.
“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s the truth,” Jenna said.
Matt was eyeballing me, equally as shocked as his girlfriend.
“A feline and a canine? True mates? I’ve only ever seen that happen one other time,” Matt said solemnly. “It didn’t end well, and it won’t be easy, Chase, if you decide to pursue it.”
“There’s no “if” to it, Matt. Jenna’s my true mate. That’s it. You know how my family feels about true mates,” I reminded him, since he knew how I felt on the issue already.
“Do they know?” he asked.
“Yeah. They haven’t met her yet, but my family is well aware of the situation and looking forward to seeing her over spring break. The pack has been notified too and so far, so good,” I told him.
“Wait, you officially notified your pack?” Matt asked, even more shocked than before, and I just grinned and nodded.
“What does that mean?” Anita questioned.
Panthers didn’t follow the same rules as wolves. She didn’t understand the pack or our customs. I grimaced slightly, realizing Jenna needed more information on that too—on the off-chance someone challenged her. I didn’t expect to go through the trials. What other wolf besides me would want a panther for a mate? But I hadn’t thought about it from her side. Someone could challenge Jenna for me. I bit back a growl at the thought just as Matt yanked my shirt collar down. He and Anita gasped simultaneously at the sight of my bond mark.
Anita reached over and revealed the same on Jenna. “Are you insane?” she shrieked. “Your father is going to kill him, and probably still disown you after he’s dead.”
Jenna turned white. Clearly, she hadn’t thought things through from my side regarding her family s
ituation, either. We still had some talking to do. I vowed to do just that over the weekend at the cabin. We were so distracted and wrapped up with each other and settling in that we didn’t exactly do much talking about that sort of stuff.
“It’s going to be fine, Anita,” I said, trying my best to sound confident.
“I can’t believe you’re bonded, and to a dog,” Anita said to Jenna. I didn’t take it personally. We already knew the prejudices we’d have to face.
“You won’t tell anyone?” Jenna asked hesitantly.
“Who would believe me?” Anita laughed. “Of course I won’t tell anyone.”
“And, we’re cool?” she asked.
Anita rolled her eyes. “No, never.” Both girls cracked up laughing as I frowned. But they hugged, so I could only assume it was some sort of inside joke. “When? Where?”
“Oh, that, well, it sorta happened this weekend,” Jenna confessed, blushing.
“But you were gone this weekend,” Anita challenged.
Matt cleared his throat, grinning. “So was this guy.”
“Where did you go?” Anita asked.
“Home,” I said, smiling.
“But you said you weren’t introducing her to your family till spring break,” Matt pointed out.
“Not San Marco. Our home.”
“Could they come over sometime?” Jenna asked.
I gave her a look that caused her to snake her arm out and smack me in the stomach. I didn’t bother dodging it. She never had to ask me for permission to invite someone over to our home. Her face told me she heard what I was thinking loud and clear.
“Where?” Anita asked.
“We have a cabin only about ten minutes off campus. It’s gorgeous and amazing. I can’t wait to show you.” Jenna squealed with delight as she told Anita about it.
“You bought her a house?” Matt asked, rolling his eyes. “Dude, you are so whipped.”
“You have no idea,” I confessed.
“Damn, I hope Anita doesn’t think I’m buying her a house, too.”
Confusing Hearts (Westin Pack Book 4) Page 15
