Chapter Fourteen

With everything going on, I wanted some time to myself to think, and in a school as busy as this one and with a roommate who never was ready early, the best choice seemed to be getting to the class a bit early. I tossed and turned anyway and lay awake well before dawn at which point, I hopped out of bed and padded into the shower. Grateful for my easy hair-care routine, I slapped on a little makeup, just mascara, blusher, gloss, and about half as much eyeliner as Dahlia, then dressed, grabbed my heavily laden backpack, and slipped into the hallway.

My sisters had harems, three hot guys each. So why did it seem so impossible that I could also have three men who cared for me? It did not help that I'd never felt particularly loved by anyone. Unlike some others I encountered in foster care, I had not been subjected to physical or most other forms of abuse. But neither had I been exposed to love, and while I always hoped for a mate, I wasn't sure how I would do with three.

If they truly wanted me. They had each indicated an interest in one way or another, but surely it could not be so easy as to have relationships with them all. For one thing, I didn't know how to go about it. Minx and Ava made it look so easy and natural, but from our conversations, they had lots of experience being loved by their mothers and the fathers who reared them.

What if I did have the opportunity to be with the three hottest, funniest, nicest guys on campus and maybe in the world? How long would it take me to blow it?

The dining hall had just opened, and I was able to get an iced latte and baked oatmeal bar to take with me. The classrooms were never locked, here at the Werewolf Academy, making it possible for me to go inside and sit in the silence of the room where math class would begin in a half hour or so.

The oatmeal bar smelled amazing, like cinnamon and vanilla, and it was studded with dried cranberries, raisins, cherries, and blueberries as well as some kind of nuts. I took a bite and savored the richness. The food here was always good, and coffee to die for.

But my breakfast was not helping me to resolve the big question. The one that had been in my mind when I opened my eyes: Should I even be considering romance or was this time to build family connections?

My sisters and brothers-in-law had embraced me, but it would take time to get to know one another. Also, by observing their happy relationships, I could learn to have my own eventually. Sipping my coffee, I came to a decision. It was too soon for me to be seeking my mate or mates. If they were the right ones, the time would come, but for now, I had a new school, a new family, and that was a lot.

It was enough. More than I had any right to dream of.

Oh, but those guys…

"Hello, teacher." Ian's voice sent me flying out of my seat. He grabbed my cup as it tipped toward the front of the desk. "Whoa, I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't," I lied.

"Okay." He set my cup down in front of me and sat in his seat. "My mistake."

The guilt that accompanied every falsehood suffused me. I'd had to tell the occasional lie to survive in my past, especially in the group home, but I'd never been comfortable with it, and Ian's easy acceptance of what I said shamed me.

"No, you really did scare me. I don't know why I said you didn't."

He grinned. "I know, but it was all right to deny it."

"I know better. Maybe you should wash my mouth out with soap."

Ian grimaced. "Only if you like the taste. Are you always this hard on yourself?"

"In fact, yes." Although I hadn't realized it, he was right. "That's probably not good, huh?"

"Your wolf deserves better." He reached for my hand and held it between both of his, stroking the back with a thumb. "And so does the rest of you."

"That's very sweet of you to say."

"No. It's honest."

The other students began to file in then, and soon after, the instructor arrived and strode to the front of the class. I'd managed to get some time in with Ian, and as a result, his confidence had grown, and he participated in the discussion with enthusiasm. It hadn't taken much to get him out of the mental hole he'd dug for himself. As the class broke up, we gathered our things to leave.

"You did great, Ian," I told him.

"Thanks to you."

"No way." I squeezed his bicep, encouragingly, trying not to focus too much on how taut it felt. "You did the studying. You just needed someone to help you get going."

He walked me to my next class, as had become our habit, but outside the door, he stopped me. "Are you free tonight?"

"Yeah, want to study together?"

"No, I had something more like dinner in mind. Off campus."

Like a date? But I didn't say that, suddenly shy. "Uh, sure. What time?"

"Pick you up at six thirty." He winked at me. So much for giving up on dating until I got the family and school thing down. I wasn't about to say no to this man…