Chapter 33: Do you think my mate is a male?

As Erick was daydreaming, he felt Dane stirring inside him.

He seems to be restless as he was moving around in his mind. Dane was pacing back and forth, growling in his mind. Erick could feel impatience and edginess from Dane.

It was then he looked up and his eyes widened. He did not realize that his eyes had turned amber for that short while. He then heard his voice, or rather, Dane's raspy voice coming out.

"Mate!"

He abruptly stood up, looking around him, surprising his teacher and classmates. He sniffed the air and sighed in bliss. It was faint but it was so pleasant, like woodsy and sweet. It was the kind of smell that he can get addicted to. From the faint smell, Erick could tell that his mate was not in the room but rather outside.

He ran out of the room, ignoring his teacher's shout to come back.

Is my mate in this school?

Is she one of the packmates? Or human?

He frantically looked up and down the corridor but he still could not see anyone. The corridor was empty as everyone was in their classes. He ran down the corridor, too absorbed in trying to look for his mate as he sniffed the air until he accidentally bumped into someone.

He looked up and was surprised to see Hamish, looking very well.

Hamish frowned at him as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "What's wrong with you? And what are you doing out of the class?" he asked sternly. Earlier when he came to school, his father had told him that Erick had already went to school. It seems like he had recovered well. In fact, Erick had just woken up from his unconsciousness a couple of hours before Hamish. And like Erick, Hamish was determined to go to school because he did not want to miss any class. And he wants to make sure Erick was alright.

Erick's eyes widened. Then a huge grin bloomed on his face as he slapped Hamish on the back. "Bro! I thought you were still 'dead' to the world!" he exclaimed in surprise. He was shocked to see Hamish looking alright, although, he does look a bit pale. His father did not even mentioned that Hamish was awake that morning.

Hamish rolled his eyes. "Well, barely," he admitted, not feeling ashamed. Then he frowned again. "I just asked you. What are you doing out here?"

"I think I found my mate," Erick whispered excitedly, leaning closely at Hamish, as if it was a huge secret.

Hamish raised his eyebrows in surprise. "And did you find her? Have you seen her?"

'That was fast,' Hamish thought in envy. He didn't smell anything, other than some foul stench here and there. Hence, he wasn't too sure how the 'smell' of a mate would be like. He was envious yet happy for Erick at the same time who was able to find his mate in a short time.

Erick scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, I'm not sure. I mean, I kinda smell her." Then he leaned closer to Hamish again. "Hey, do you think she's a student or a teacher?"

"Damn. I hope it's not a male," he continued, visibly cringing. He did not want to think of being mated to a male. He wanted a female mate, who is soft and nice to cuddle. He's a straight shifter, alright?

Hamish shook his head in bemusement. He then pushed Erick towards the class. "Come on. Let's get into class. Your father will be furious if he knows that you're skipping class. If your mother too find out about you skipping class, she probably will push you back to bed"

Erick nodded and together, the two of them went to class.

-----

Amber slumped over her desk. That morning, she decided to skip her homeroom because she needed to do her homework. She had forgotten all about it last night and it was due that afternoon. At that moment, she was in the library, where she had chosen a secluded place where she can sneak in some food to munch. It was also a perfect place to sneak in some sleep as it was one of the most quiet places in the library.

She was also late that morning so she had missed her breakfast. To curb her hunger, she brought along her bag of biscuits, which she will 'devour' as she studies.

She was never good at studying. She always got at least a borderline passing mark. And if she was lucky, she probably might get a C+. This was probably because she had spent too much time daydreaming in class, rather than listening to her teachers. Don't let her get started on her notes. Sometimes she doesn't even understand her own notes. They were either illegible or doodles that she likes to draw. It was like, her notes were more like art portfolio, rather than study notes.

It was not that she did not make an effort to study but she gets sleepy easily when listening in class. Especially on topics that did not interest her. She does like to read, though. Mostly fictional and fantasy genre type of books, such as Harry Potter. Other than reading, she loves to watch cooking videos and her favourite chefs were Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson. She wished she could cook, just like them.

Unfortunately, the other day when she attempted to cook, she found out an awful truth about herself. It was then she realized that she probably has the skill of an eater, rather than a cook. She tried to make some homemade patties. But it failed as the meat crumbled when cooked inside the frying pan. Instead of patties, it looked more like minced beef. Luckily, it was still edible. She did not burn it at all.

Hence, she used the leftovers to make some spaghetti. Amber was proud of herself for coming up with the idea. All she had to do during that time was to boil some pasta and mixed the 'minced beef' with some spaghetti sauce. And it was all good.

She licked her lips as she thought of the packed lunch box she left in the locker. She really cannot wait to dig in.

As she daydreams about her lunch, she did not realize that there was someone who was watching her from behind.