Adrain
The sun is brutal, the kind that bakes the track until the air ripples above it. Sweat stings my eyes, my lungs burn, but in the best way possible, and my teammates are laughing about something I missed.
Normally, I'd be in it. Focused, present, competitive.But not today.
Because he's here.
Jamie.
He's sitting on the bleachers, backpack slung over one shoulder, headphones in. He's pretending to study, or maybe just trying to appear not to be watching me. Either way, my focus is gone.
Every time I hit the curve, I feel his eyes. Every time the wind shifts, his scent cuts through everything else, human, yes, but tangled with that same wild undertone I still can't explain.
"Bro, you good?" Luca jogs beside me, grinning. "You're running like someone replaced your lungs with mashed potatoes."
I grunt. "Fine."
"Uh-huh." He smirks. "Then why do you keep glancing at the stands?"
I ignore him and push harder, but he laughs anyway, the sound echoing across the field.
When practice finally ends, I yank off my jersey and dump a bottle of water over my head. It doesn't help. My pulse is still too fast, my senses too sharp.
He's still there.
Jamie
Scribbling something in his notebook.
Luca nudges me. His direction to Jamie and his friend. I didn't bother to learn his name.
"New fan?"
"Shut up."
But I can't not look. There's something about him that draws my attention like gravity, the way he sits too stiffly, the little frown when he concentrates. He doesn't even notice the sun burning his neck. I know there's more going on, but this is not just about the scent in the woods anymore. This is not just about the thought that he could have been bitten by one of our own. I want to get to the bottom of things, but there's more going on with me and my wolf, and I can't explain it. Maybe I don't even want to dwell on it right now.
I grab my towel, pretending to wipe my face while my wolf stirs beneath my skin, restless. Curious.
When I turn again, Jamie's packing up, clearly done pretending to study. He glances my way, quick, uncertain, and our eyes meet for half a second.
Half a second too long.
It hits like static, a spark low in my chest. He blinks, startled, then looks away fast, mumbling something under his breath before heading down the bleachers.
I watch him go, every instinct in me screaming to follow, to ask, Do you feel that too?
But I don't move. I can't.
"Earth to Adrian," Luca says, tossing me a towel. "You're staring again."
I throw it back at him. "Shut up."
He laughs. "Dude, if you start writing poetry about your mysterious bleacher boy, I'm calling an intervention."
I smirk despite myself, but my chest is tight. Because beneath the teasing, the humour, the easy campus life, something's shifting.
When I head towards the locker room, I nearly crash into someone rounding the corner. A backpack falls before I recognise who it is.
"Shit," his voice echoes. "Sorry, I wasn't— I didn't see you," he says, grabbing my arm to steady himself. His touch is warm, inviting, and there's a fuzzy feeling inside me that I can't explain.
Jamie.
His words trail off when our eyes meet.
Up close, he smells like rain and coffee and something that doesn't belong to this world. My wolf lunges against the edges of my control, sharp and eager, but I force it down.
"It's fine," I manage, voice lower than I intend. "You okay?"
He nods too fast, still holding on to my arm like he forgot to let go. His heartbeat thrums against my skin, quick, nervous, alive.
"I was just... uh, watching practice. Needed air."
"Air," I repeat. "Right."
He realises then that he's still touching me. He drops his hand like it burns. "I didn't mean to... I'll just—"
"Jamie."
He freezes when I say his name. I don't even know why I do it. It just slips out, instinctive. The way it sounds in my mouth feels right.
He blinks, confused. "Yeah?"
I almost say be careful. I almost say I've been thinking about you. Instead, I say, "You should get some water. It's hot out."
He huffs a small laugh, running a hand through his hair. "Is that your track star medical advice?"
"Something like that."
The corner of his mouth quirks, and that stupid spark hits again, the one that makes my pulse stutter like I'm seventeen and not supposed to have emotions. This is ridiculous. He's a man. One I'm not even fucking attracted to.
For a second, it's just us, caught in a silence that buzzes too loud.
Then Luca's voice cuts through from across the field. "Yo, Adrian! Quit flirting and hit the showers!"
Jamie turns scarlet. "Guess that's my cue to go."
I don't look away. "Guess so."
He nods, awkward smile tugging at his lips, and walks off toward the main path.
Only when he's gone do I realise I'm still standing there, staring after him like an idiot.
Luca jogs up beside me, smirking. "Something's going on, and I will get to the bottom of it."
"Shut up," I say again, but my voice isn't as firm as I want it to be.
Because the whole time, my wolf's still pacing beneath my skin, restless, curious, alive.
The drive back to the compound feels longer than usual. My head is scrambled and I need to get in check. Something has happened that I need to get to the bottom of, and I can't be thinking about the boy with the blue eyes, even though he has something to do with it.
His scent clings to me. I can smell it over the clean bite of the wind through the open window. It shouldn't be possible. Human scents fade fast. But this one? It sticks.
By the time I pull into the driveway, I've replayed that encounter a dozen times in my head. His hand on my arm. The way his eyes widened, like he felt whatever the fuck this is, too.
The compound is loud tonight. Laughter fills the open doors, and music plays low in the background.
Shit.
Dinner night.
How did I forget?
Walking into the main house, the long table in the dining room is already packed. Plates piled high, conversations already overlapping, and that sound of energy that always fills the room when we're together.
"Alpha!" someone calls, and a few heads bow as I walk past. The respect is automatic, but it still grates sometimes. Tonight especially.
At the far end, Marissa is seated with Bev. Tall, blonde, beautiful in a way that gets attention. A couple of days ago, it would have gotten my attention. She spots me instantly and smiles that cheeky smile that would get my dick hard in the past.
Not today, though.
"Adrian," she purrs, standing to greet me. Her hand finds my arm, nails brushing lightly. "You're late, and I missed you. It seems like you've been avoiding me."
Usually, I sneak in to get at least a fuck or two from her daily. Right now, I have other things to worry about, and the beautiful blond isn't one of them.
"I was busy." I sit, motioning for her to do the same.
She doesn't. She leans down instead, too close, voice dropping low. "You've been busy a lot lately.
A few members of the pack nearby exchange looks. She thinks she is being subtle, but I can already see her father glaring at me. Dom thinks Marissa is innocent. he doesn't know the things she is capable of, and I don't want it to look like I'm taking advantage of her or whatever.
I glance in his direction, and his jaw is tight, eyes like steel. "Marissa," he says sharply. "Sit down."
She rolls her eyes. "I'm just saying hello."
"This is not the time," he snaps. His gaze flicks to me. "Alpha, my apologies. My daughter sometimes forgets her place."
The room quiets a little after that, but I can sense the tension. I meet his eyes evenly. "There's nothing to apologise for."
Marissa smirks, triumphant and that only makes Dom's frown deepen. I pick up my glass and face. "But maybe next time, we keep this kind of personal business outside the dining hall."
Her smirk falters, just slightly. Dom looks a little bit satisfied, barely, but the conversation around us slowly resumes. Marissa sits back down, crossing one leg over the other. "You know, you could've just told me to shut up."
"I'm not in the mood to repeat myself," I say.
"Or maybe you just don't like being seen with me. I don't get what the big deal is; my dad will get over himself."
I look at her then. Like I really look. Marissa is beautiful, yes. And strong. She is a solid member of the pack. But whatever we had was convenient, never real. And no, for the first time, it feels wrong.
"I don't like being the reason you argue with your father. He is right. You're not my mate, so there's no point wasting the time we've been."
She studies me, eyes narrowing. "Something's changed with you."
Maybe.
Because even now, while she talks, my mind keeps drifting back to someone else entirely. To a pair of wide brown eyes and a scent that won't leave me alone.
Dom clears his throat loudly. "Alpha, if I may," he says, voice edged with authority. "The Council's still waiting for your decision regarding the next hunt. It's been postponed twice."
I nod once. "Tomorrow night. Everyone meets at sundown."
He seems satisfied with that, though his gaze lingers on Marissa. Sharp, warning. She glares back, then pushes away from the table with a muttered excuse and stalks out.
Dom sighs. "She's headstrong. Gets it from her mother."
"She's loyal," I reply, though my tone's distracted. "She'll learn."
He nods slowly, clearly unconvinced, and turns back to his meal.
I stay quiet after that, half-listening, half somewhere else. The pack eats, talks, and laughs. Everything looks normal.
But in my chest, my wolf's pacing again, restless and hungry, whispering the same damn word I've tried all day to ignore.