Chapter 3: Stuck

Luci’s POV:

Why would it matter if I ever saw him again?

Why were my thoughts being pulled back to that guy that smelled so sweet?

Maybe it was magic. I’d heard stories about magic, but I thought they were only legends.

It was said wolves could sniff out those with magical abilities, but I’d never actually heard about that being true.

If anything, all of those with magic or supernatural abilities were killed around the time that the packs were hunted to the brink of extinction.

Was he guy even human to begin with?

I’d never smelled a wolf like that before. Did that automatically cut him out from being a shifter though?

I glanced around the halls, but the scent was gone.

Students were milling about waiting for their classrooms to open up, and a few professors were headed towards the hall with their offices, but it was like he’d vanished into thin air.

How was that possible?

If anything, wouldn’t the smell be stronger in the building?

To be fair, the liberal arts and humanities building took up a square block of real estate.

Five stories high, this was one of the newer buildings on campus. It was like a maze if you didn’t know where you were going.

Even if I wanted to track this guy down right now, I’d miss my first class for sure.

The last thing I wanted was to get dropped from the class on the first day, especially with my father on my tail.

I’m sure he had a contact or two at the administrative office. I could never be sure, but it felt like my father always knew my grades before I did when I earned my first two degrees.

After he called me out a few times for lower scores than he approved of, I started to realize just how far his reach actually was.

By that point, I knew I needed to pass everything with grades that he couldn’t complain about.

I fought the impulse to growl out loud. The last thing I needed was to have my father even more on my back than he already was.

I looked around once more before I decided to take the stairs directly ahead of me.

More students were coming in and muddling up the scents in the building. It was pointless to stand around looking for someone I didn’t even know.

I took my time going up the steps and peeked out into the second floor before continuing back up. I did the same on the third floor.

Why was I feeling bummed about not finding him?

I mean, even if I did find him, what would I have done?

Tell him he smelled nice?

That just sounded creepy.

I tried to ignore the tugging sensation in my stomach as I got to the fourth floor.

The halls were practically empty as I went left and walked to the end of the hall.

When I got there, the class from earlier had already emptied and a few students had gone in and taken their seats.

I went in and sat toward the left side of the room. Being a grad class, there would only be about twenty or so people.

So ten tables per two students each left five desks on one side of the room and five on the other.

The back rows were already taken up much to my dismay.

I silently scolded myself for wandering around like a dumb a** for the past half hour. If I’d been faster, I’d be comfy in the back row right now.

The fourth and fifth row on the left were already almost filled up by three girls that looked to be a couple of years younger than me.

I knew if I sat in the back row with those students, there would probably be a lot of invasive questions. None of it would be done rudely, I knew it came from a good place in trying to be friendly with other classmates.

The less I had to lie about myself the better. It was easier to just keep the human students at a distance so I didn’t have to keep so many lies straight.

That was a lesson I learned the hard way during my first year of college.

I went ahead and took the third row so I’d be next to the window. At least I had a good view of the campus courtyard.

As much as I wanted to go and eat there with Carlos today, I couldn’t help but think about that smell from before.

I grabbed my phone and exited out of the messages with my father.

There was no point in reading the rest of what he had to say. All it would do is stress me out.

I clicked on Carlos’s message and thought of a response as the students behind me giggled amongst themselves.

‘Father called me. Went about as well as we expected. Let’s meet at the commissary after my class is out.’

There wasn’t even a chance to set my phone down before a response flashed across the screen.

‘I’m sorry Luci, I hope he wasn’t too hard on you. Forget about what he said for now and you can fill me in at lunch. Just remember, you’re a bada** wolfie princess! You got this! Have a good class and I’ll see you soon!’

I couldn’t help but smile at my bestie’s words. It was hard to deny how much easier college life became once he was around.

We were practically inseparable when we were pups.

My Abuela would watch over the pack’s handful of pups after my mother passed and my Father became busier running the pack single-handed.

Even then the other pups my age treated me differently because it was common knowledge that I was the daughter of the Alpha.

The only other pup that was pushed aside by the others was Carlos. Even at a young age, the pack didn’t truly appreciate his gentle disposition.

Carlos was seen as a weakling by the bulk of the pack, even by his own parents. This meant he wasn’t trained like the other guardias that protected the pack.

Luckily, Abuela encouraged our friendship as the two outcasts of our age group, much to the annoyance of my Father.

I’m sure Father was just worried about the possibility that I’d fall in love with Carlos, but even then I knew our bond was more of a sister and a brother rather than a young crush.

Father eventually got over the friendship after Carlos explained that he was not attracted to women.

I often wondered if Father backed off Carlos because he was gay and no longer a ‘threat’ to any plans involving me, or because he realized Carlos was one of the few wolves that had honestly appealed to the Alpha with genuine intention.

Either way, he never came between our friendship after that.

Who would have thought that would be one of the few things I didn’t have to argue about anymore?

A fit of laughter from behind snapped me back to reality.

I looked around and saw most of the seats were now full with other students.

A few had coffee or tea at their desk. One person even brought in a bagel sandwich from one of the food trucks they were trying to scarf down in a rush.

“Did that guy follow you?” I heard one of the girls ask behind me.

“Of course! He added me before we even got over here!”

“How many is that now?” the third girl chimed in.

“From this morning? Five,” the girl behind me said proudly. “If you count the party from last night though, I’m up to twenty-four new follows!”

“Anyone you thinking about getting to the talking stage with?” the first voice asked.

“A few. New semester, new me. I’m hoping for less f-boys and more real guys this time around. Maybe we will have some guys worthy of me in our classes.”

The group behind me burst into giggles.

If it wasn’t for Carlos, I wouldn’t know what they were talking about.

Father never condoned me using social media. He said it was just another way for the pack to keep ourselves in the path of danger.

It was clear from an early age what my purpose was to the pack. Father raised me with the intention of me being a Luna one day, even if it was for another pack.

Things like healing, medicine, child care, or event planning for festivals and ceremonies were constantly foisted on me for the bulk of my young life.

If anything, I had wanted to be in the meetings the between the pack elders and learn more of the ins and outs of pack leadership, but it just wasn’t something they taught women.

Even though I wanted to learn, I was kept in the dark with my father sighing ‘Alpha business’ at every step of the way.

The only reason I learned anything was from my Abuela, and that was only because while she was young, women were still allowed to hold higher positions in the pack.

That all changed during the culling fifty years ago.

I hated knowing that if I had just been born sooner, I may have held a place of leadership amongst my pack.

It made everything seem pointless while I was growing up. There was no fulfillment in life while I was being kept out of the major opportunities I would have had if I had been born as a male.

It was even harder to admit how envy coursed its way through me as the girls talked about their lives.

Life was different for humans. They didn’t realize how lucky they had it.

Advances in their society were small and taking time, but the pack was only going backward in the concepts they held close.

I would never have what they have. I just wanted the freedom to live my life for myself if all I’d ever amount to was being the trophy Luna to an Alpha, especially one as shady as Alex.

I may as well be a full-time babysitter. At least I’d get paid for my work.

“No one worth my time yet,” I heard the girl behind me say as she moved around in her seat.

“Probably not,” the third voice said. “It’s ‘Genre Studies in Literature’. You should probably use your free elective for something outside the major.”

“That’s not a bad idea. Maybe a business class, or should I go the tech route?”

I didn’t hear her answer.

The door to the classroom opened and brought in something I had been searching for. Vanilla and almond surged into the room like a bolt of electricity shocking me with its arrival.