Chapter 7: Encounter

Luci’s POV:

I had to fight the urge to not stop where I stood as soon as his scent reached my nose.

If I was alone, I would have paused and at least looked at Gavin. I would have turned in place to see his long bangs over his eyes and his button-cluttered backpack slung over his shoulder.

Even if it didn’t make sense, I would have walked over to him and found something to talk about.

Just like what I wanted ever since the moment I realized Gavin had left our classroom.

I didn’t know why I was feeling like this, and it would definitely end up being the focus of lunch with Carlos, but something in me told me I wouldn’t be able to ignore Gavin all semester.

There was something about him I couldn’t put my finger on, but I wanted to try and figure out what his deal was.

Unfortunately for me, I found myself having even sh*ttier luck than normal.

My dad, I could deal with, even if it was only at a distance.

The fact that someone was following me around in a campus full of humans, that was clearly a wolf, left me uneasy.

I doubted it was any of the wolves that were normally at the university. They all kept their distance, students and faculty alike.

Nothing related to the packs bled over into campus life which kept the university as a neutral zone.

No matter what dispute or disagreement might be going on between the wolves, nothing was off as far as the humans were concerned.

That’s why this whole thing was so strange.

Knowing some random wolf was tailing me for some unknown reason with a motive I couldn’t even begin to try and predict left me more on edge than normal.

Something wasn’t right, and the last thing I wanted was to rope a human into this mess.

I didn’t want to bring Gavin into the line of sight of whoever was following me around campus, that would open up a world of trouble for him that he wouldn’t even be able to understand.

It was for the best if I just kept walking to the commissary while not trying to give any attention to Gavin.

It felt like I had to drag my body with each step forward as I passed him without so much as a glance.

The air was dizzying with Gavin’s scent, just like it had been back in the classroom.

It defied logic. How could his scent be so strong outside with the fresh air?

Each step away from him was torturous. It was as if a magnet was trying to pull me closer to him the further I got away.

The sweet scent started to dominate the other smells in the area.

I tried to ignore Gavin’s scent and walk a little faster toward the commissary when my ears picked up the heavy steps of someone quickening their pace behind me.

Part of me wanted to turn around and confront whoever had been tailing me, but that when I realized the wolf’s presence wasn’t coming any closer to me.

So who was following me now?

“Hey.” The voice behind me was soft, but my wolf ears picked it up clearly.

I picked up my pace a little faster in the hopes that I could shake my newest pursuer. As much as I wanted to run back into Gavin, now wasn’t the time.

“Hey,” it repeated, this time a little louder.

Heads of people walking past glanced past me, and then away when they realized whoever was calling out wasn’t talking to them.

I pulled my phone out and pretended to look at something interesting as Gavin’s steps got closer behind me.

My breath caught in my throat as a cloud of sweetness swirled around me.

“Hey.” His voice was on my left.

I glanced down to see black combat boots walking in line with my own feet.

My heart skipped a beat knowing he was right next to me.

I felt like such a loser. Why was I even feeling this way about a stranger no less?

My phone was still clutched in both hands as I picked my head up to see Gavin matching his pace with my own.

“Sorry to bother you,” Gavin said as he adjusted the one strap of his backpack that held onto his shoulder. “You’re in Genre Studies for Literature right?”

I quickened my steps by a hair. I could sense the other wolf lingering somewhere behind me.

It hadn’t stopped observing me. If anything, it was trying to listen in on our conversation.

There were a hundred things I wanted to say to Gavin but now wasn’t the time. Not while someone was eavesdropping on us.

Whoever they were working for was going to be pissed when they didn’t have any tea to spill about following me.

“Yeah. Luci,” I said as I mini-waved with my left hand before I grabbed back to my phone that was held by my right.

I needed to give short answers. As much as it sucked, Gavin couldn’t be seen with me right now.

Gavin gave a small wave before returning his hand to hold his backpack in place.

“Gavin. Could you point me to the bursar’s office?”

His pace easily matched mine. He had to be at least six feet tall before the boots.

I felt so short being next to him. Even more so than when I was standing next to Carlos.

I nodded to the right and he followed my lead as we got off the path that was becoming more crowded with students by the second.

The sweet scent had me feeling dizzy. In my head, it was easy to see that I wanted to drag this out as long as I could.

I could have brushed him off, but if I was too cold, then he’d probably never talk to me again. Just the thought nearly sent me back into the same panic as when he left the classroom.

“Go back around the library and make a right. Bursar’s office is opposite the Registration building. It’s squished between two other buildings, so everyone misses it.”

He hung onto my every word. Even with his sunglasses on and his hair hiding obscuring his view, I could feel his eyes locked on me.

“Thanks, I-”

The wolf that was stalking me was moving closer with the cover of the crowd shielding them from my sight.

“Sorry. I’m gonna be late to meet someone. See ya later.” I looked up and felt a pang in my chest as the small smile that had started to form on his lips vanished before it could finish.

He gave a small nod as I turned and headed back toward the commissary.

I hated the idea of leaving him there.

If it hadn’t been for that stupid wolf creeping on me, I could have walked him to the bursar’s office. What a wasted opportunity.

Whoever was following me better keep their distance. If I hadn’t been on campus, I would have given them so much hell.

It was out of my hands though.

I wanted to look back, but I knew if I did, it’d open the door for more interaction with Gavin.

The further I got away from the sweet smell, the more I wondered if I did the right thing by letting him wander around campus on his own. I hoped he found the building all right.

What if Gavin took my abruptness to heart? Did I just ruin any chances of getting to learn more about him?

I shook my head at the question. Why did it even matter what he thought of me?

He was just someone from my class. That was it.

Whoever had been following me was still behind me, so at least they hadn’t gone after Gavin.

After ten minutes of me sulking across campus, I reached the commissary automatic doors that opened wide as I entered.

A blast of cold air shocked me back to reality as I made my way into the heavily air-conditioned building.

On one side of the building was a sitting area for those eating and the opposite side had a line of quick-service food spots along with a couple of shops mixed in for coffees or smoothies.

Usually, I’d look for Carlos upstairs in the lounge area, but being the first day of school, odds were that it was filled to the brim with new students.

It didn’t take long for me to see Carlos waving from the far left corner in an area all to himself.

Even from that distance, I could see his bright wide smile at spotting me.

I weaved through the tables and passed by students enjoying their time away from class.

“I got you a burrito bowl!” Carlos said excitedly as I took a seat across from him.

“You’re a lifesaver.”

I dropped my bag onto the table with a thud that made more noise than I meant for it to.

“You good? What’s going on?” Carlos asked as he furrowed his brow.

“It’s a long story, and I don’t even know where to start.” I leaned in close to make sure no one could hear us.

My phone buzzed before I could speak and my father’s name lit up the screen. I looked down to read his message:

‘I know you’re finished with class, Luci. It’s time we talked.’