Nine Dustin

The admin building rose up in front of me as I approached the entrance. I'd gotten an email from the Dean that morning, telling me to stop by his office later in the afternoon. Apparently, he had something to talk to me about.

I had no idea what that might be. Considering he'd dealt out his punishment only six days ago, I didn't expect him to take it back. It was more likely that he was letting me know that my scholarship had been revoked and that I needed to pack up my shit and leave. That also meant I'd have to tell my father what happened, and that would probably be the most unpleasant conversation I'd had in a long time.

So it was understandable that I paused at the front door, my fingers resting against the handle as I hesitated. I didn't want to go inside to be told that my entire college career was over. Neither I nor my family had enough money to keep me there at the school. What would be the point anyway? I hated my degree, and if I wasn't playing football, there was no room for advancement. I'd just end up back home in some blue-collar job like my father, every day exactly the same until I died. The only thing I'd have to look forward to was full-moon romps in the woods, but even those were hard to parlay into a reason to live.

But there was no avoiding it either. If the end of football and college was coming, there was no amount of procrastination or avoidance that would slow it down. I had to face it head-on. At the very least, that meant the hard part would be over faster, right?

Fat chance.

I took a deep breath and pushed my way into the admin building at last, fully accepting my fate. The secretary at the front desk phoned the Dean and took me back. In a matter of a minute or two, I was sitting in a very stiff chair across from him, and he didn't look happy.

"Dustin Fangborn," he said, shuffling some papers aside before lacing his fingers on the desk and looking up at me. "I brought you in here today to deliver some news I think you'll find to be of the utmost importance."

I nodded.

"Seems like there's going to be some changes around here," he continued.

My heart sank. He was about to say it, about to let me know that I was off the team and out of the university as well.

"You'll be joining your teammates tomorrow for your next game."

The breath caught in my throat as I stared at him. What did he say?

"W-Why?" was all I could manage to force out.

"Your roommate showed up here this morning, bright and early, demanding to see me." The Dean looked thoroughly annoyed. "Practically broke down the damn door until I acquiesced to see him." He glanced up, pointing a finger in my direction. "I don't know what you did to convince him of your innocence in this entire matter, but he demanded that I lift my punishment from you and your teammates. He took full responsibility for the entire ordeal."

"H-He did?"

"I see it comes to you as much a surprise as it did to me."

Since when did Mark go out of his way to do something nice for me? That was the opposite of what I expected.

"Either way, you're back on the team," the Dean continued. "And your scholarship remains intact. His, however…" he gave a small shrug. "Hopefully, he can find some way to work on his capstone without the use of magic."

"You have to lift his punishment," I urged, surprising even myself with how fast the words left my mouth. "He has important work to do!"

"That boy transported you and your friends to the middle of one of the Great Lakes in the middle of the night. You're lucky to be alive."

"It wasn't his fault! The other two… they were being terrible to him!" I paused. "And I… well, I didn't stop them either."

The Dean sighed, leaning back in his seat. "Look, Dustin. I'm not trying to be the bad guy here. Both you and Mr. Altair are on full-ride scholarships that have steep penalties should either of you fail to meet your requirements. But you need to be on that field tomorrow in order for the scouts to see you play."

I glanced up, my brows furrowed.

"Oh yes, I know all about your plans to go pro," he nodded. "Just like I know, Mr. Altair continues to use magic despite my telling him not to. Short of collaring the poor boy, which is highly frowned upon, there is no way I can stop him from completing his studies." He stared me down over his glasses. "But being his roommate, I'm sure you already know this."

I shook my head. "I don't know what you're talking about, sir."

He laughed at that. "You're a good friend, Mr. Fangborn. Now, if you and Mr. Altair would like to remain friends, I would keep your teammates in the locker room and out of your dorm room." He paused for a moment, giving me a good, hard look. "If another outburst occurs, I will have no choice but to expel you both."

I nodded. "Understood, sir."

"Good. Now, get out of my office," he said, shooing me away. "And I don't want to see either of you again until graduation. Got it?"

"Got it."

I couldn't help a small smile as I turned back to the office door and let myself out. The moment I was out of the admin building, I let out a great shout, startling a few of the other students nearby. I felt a little bad, but I just couldn't keep it in! I was back on the team! Now, I could hopefully get on the scout's radar and have a shot at accomplishing what I'd been working toward my whole life. It felt like a massive weight had been lifted off my chest, and I could breathe again.

For a moment, I started toward the stadium. But then I stopped. I could go to practice in a little bit. Right now, there was something far more important I needed to do.

Practically sprinting across campus, I made it back to the dorm in record time. Bounding up the stairs, I dashed down the hall to my door and found it standing partially open. I threw it wide, letting it crash against the wall.

Mark, who had been sitting at his desk, jumped to his feet in a tizzy, his hands held wide in a casting position. He relaxed when he saw me but wore a confused expression.

"What's going on–"

His words died away as I threw my arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Thank you," I said, squeezing him. "Thank you so much!"

He resisted for a moment but eventually relaxed. His hands slowly wrapped around my back as he returned the gesture.

The moment the ritual was complete, I knew I should pull away. But I didn't. I couldn't. With my nostrils full of that delicate jasmine scent of his, I found myself burying my face in his neck, searching desperately for more. The fluttering in my stomach turned into a veritable maelstrom of sensation. Shivers ran up and down my spine as electricity shot through my body.

I pulled back from him only slightly. Our bodies were still pressed together as we came face to face. Those violet eyes of his were too pretty to look away from. Lifting a hand, I stroked the stubble on his cheek, feeling the small gasp as my thumb dragged over his skin.

But he didn't pull away. Neither of us did.

"Y-You…" I began, my voice shaky. "You gave me my life back."

Mark blushed, his eyes darting away for only a split second. "I had to," he replied, biting his lower lip. "You saved Artie."

My hand reached around, grabbing the back of his neck as my eyes fixed on those beautiful pink lips of his. This close, the scent of him was driving me wild. I was well aware of the full hard-on snaked down my pant leg. In fact, I was pretty sure Mark could feel it pressed up against him. Any other time, it would've bothered me to have such a physical reaction to him. But in that moment, it felt natural and right.

"I… I want to…"

Mark kept his gaze fixed on mine, nodding almost imperceptibly.

Before I could form another thought, my lips crushed against his. Fireworks exploded across my body as I tasted his lips against mine. He opened up to me immediately, our tongues dancing around one another. Heat burst through my chest, and suddenly, everything in the cosmos seemed to align. All at once, I had a name for what I'd been feeling since the first day I met him.

Mate.

The moment the word crossed my mind, I pulled back with a gasp. Mark's cheeks were flushed, his lips red and swollen from the roughness of my kiss. I loved the look of it on him, but I was too distracted by the sudden sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach to think about it for long.

"Wow," another voice said from behind us.

I pulled away from Mark instantly, glancing toward the back corner of the room. There was a man sitting on the corner of Mark's bed, staring at us both. He had big brown eyes, auburn hair, and long, pointed ears on either side of his head. I immediately recognized him as Fae, although I'd never seen him before.

"That was a really good kiss," he said with a big smile. "Like even better than in the movies. I could almost hear the music playing."

"Fuck…" I muttered, glancing back at Mark. "I… I shouldn't have–" I paused, my heart racing. "I have to go."

Turning on my heel, I dashed out the dorm room door, leaving them both in my dust. However, I wasn't fast enough to miss the look of surprise and hurt on Mark's face. Guilt wracked my body as I ran.

I'd made a big fucking mistake. Again.