Chapter Twelve

We ran back together, the four of us. I forced myself to go slowly because I was hesitant to return to the realities of the academy and student life.

A few more moments was all I needed.

Once we shifted back and dressed, the other students had begun to leave and the teacher sat on a bench writing something down.

"Cleo?" Jude asked. He kept my gaze as he walked closer until he was so close, I could see the thickness of the hairs on his brow. "How are you so fast?"

Miles and Pax came over. I had the feeling they were close because this conversation wasn't meant for the ears of others, but other students had seen my wolf. They were the only ones asking questions.

"I've always been fast," I answered.

"Your wolf is beautiful, Cleo." Miles lightly touched my elbow as he spoke the words and even though it was a soft touch, I felt the weight of the connection through my body.

I ducked my head. No one had ever called my other half beautiful. Angie had been the only one to ever call me beautiful but, to my female ego, that didn't count. "Thank you," I mumbled.

"You don't smell like a wolf," Pax said. His low voice dragged my attention away from my shyness and back to them.

"I stink?" I said, letting a laugh come through. They laughed with me. Laughter was always a good tension breaker.

"Of course not, Cleo. But you don't smell of wolf only. I'm not getting this right, guys," Jude said.

"I don't even understand what I'm about to say. You smell like a shifter and a female for damned sure but not like any other wolf I've encountered, almost like more than one animal. Do you know why that is?" Miles cocked his head. He looked like he was trying to figure things out for himself.

"I…I'm not sure." The lie flowed so easily from my mouth, and I didn't like it, not one bit. My father would've picked up on it immediately, which was why Angie gave me as few details as possible, and I did the same with her. If caught, we wouldn't be lying on the chance he grilled us. "You each smell different to me."

Jude's eyes flashed from green to gold, his wolf right there under the surface. Were they angry with me? "Is that right, female?" he purred and reached for my hand, linking our fingers.

I gulped as my stomach did flip-flops at his touch. All of their touches, actually. "Yes. I mean, everyone has a scent."

Way to backtrack, Cleo.

"But you smell particularly sweet to us."

I opened my mouth to say something. Nothing. At this point, who knew what was going to fly out of my mouth around these three tempting males. The teacher cleared her throat and made a move-along motion with her hands.

Oh yeah. Next class. Huh. Every experience here was so huge, it was hard to believe it was just ordinary for all the rest.

"We'd better get to class." I prayed to the gods that my knees worked after this conversation.

"Can we eat dinner with you tonight? In the dining hall? We'll save a table. Unless you have plans to eat with your sisters. We've been trying to give you some space and time with them."

How sweet!

"I would like that," I admitted, feeling a bit bold. How would I be able to lift a fork or eat a bite sitting with all three of them?

"Good. We will see you then. You coming, or do you know how to get back?" Miles asked with a smile.

I cocked my hip out, feeling feisty. These men had turned something on inside me and I liked it. Or maybe now that I was not under my father's control, I was simply allowed to speak my mind. "I'm not going to get lost. Go on."

They chuckled, but as they entered the elevator, Pax looked over his shoulder several times. Checking on me. He'd done that in several classes and in between as well. He was my bodyguard of sorts. A part of me hoped he always was.

As I looked down at the city, the wind picked up and I caught the scent of someone else. The musk. The deep cypress and potent earthiness of it.

The scent of my father.

The hair on the back of my neck rose.

I closed my eyes and took a long drag of air, determined to catch the scent again and figure out how close he was, but as I inhaled, I smelled nothing but the leaves and grass and the borderline citrus scent of the sun.

No more Rohan smell.

My chest tightened but quickly released as I didn't sense him over that one whiff of scent.

He would come for me. I knew it down deep in my heart.

It was only a matter of time.