14

It had been two weeks since the incident in the canteen and although no one told me anything, I knew exactly what had happened to me.

The jet black hematomas on my stomach had all healed on the outside, but not the pain they left behind.

Esme was at my door every morning now, before the triplets arrived. Neither of them addressed it, nor did they need to. I knew myself what had happened to me.

Either my mate or Caspian was cheating on me, which I couldn't or wouldn't imagine the latter having spoken to him shortly before. I wondered if it would hurt less if it was the other way around. On the one hand I was glad he was alive, on the other hand I wondered how I was going to endure it.

I was standing by the door every morning when Esme knocked. She was punctual to the second. And by the third day, I realized I wasn't going to get rid of her.

"Hey, Tara. How are you today?" Esme walked in and asked the same question she did every day and threw her things on my bed. A few seconds later there was another knock and the triplets stood silently in front of the door. They always looked at me a little embarrassed, it didn't get better a day.

Even our conversations drifted into insignificance. We concentrated on our studies and everyone avoided talking about what had happened to me. In the end I was okay with that, who would want to talk about something like that with four strangers.

Whenever the four of them were alone because I was the first to sit down at a table in the cafeteria or just left again with the excuse that I had forgotten something, I always saw them blossom a little and joke.

I made it a habit to give them and myself space to take a deep breath and walk away from them as often as possible. I discovered two favorite places for me where it worked best. The library and my combat training with Jade.

For the past few days I've been expecting it to happen again, I've been training harder and believing it won't be as bad next time if I was prepared. It was like a craze in my head that I could somehow stop it through training.

"I hope you remember what I taught you." I looked at Jade Fenton, who I had grown to love so much over the past year. She was an outstanding fighter, not just technically, she was strong and confident and after everything she had been through it was amazing how committed she was to everyone here.

"I know all the checkpoints, the terrain and I know how to do it without my wolf." I had helped Jade last year to provide them with food, tents and extra clothing. I didn't think at the time that I would really need them.

"Hasn't she answered you yet? I mean your wolf." I shook my head. It was unlikely that she would return after such a long time and I felt myself getting weaker every day without her. Training had therefore become a priority for me.

"We both know that after a year it's more than unlikely."

"Maybe, but you don't know that. You can still do the hunt, Tara." She threw me over her shoulder and I landed hard on my back. She put me down almost gently, but the impact hurt my bones, more and more each time.

"Zu grob?"

"No," I mumbled.

I didn't want anyone to know and I would talk to my brother as soon as possible. He would understand that I wanted to leave and never come back. I just wondered why I hadn't already.

Jade nodded understandingly and helped me up. But she didn't wait and immediately threw me back on the floor.

"You're distracted. Has it something to do with the three handsome wolves? The whole university is talking about it, even the tutors are blown away by them," she laughed at me.

"If you mean that they annoy me, then yes."

"What are they doing here? They seem to be focused on you all the time."

"Someone sent her to protect me," I gritted my teeth.

"I'll give you a tracker for hunting," Jade said surprisingly.

"That's not allowed," I murmured breathlessly.

"But we can talk like this." Jade looked around to see if anyone was listening. But everyone around us was concentrating on their combat practice.

"That's not allowed, Jade. If this gets out--"

"I'm rid of my job, not so bad." She patted my shoulder and we went to get a bottle of water.

"I know Elisane. She has plans. She flew the route yesterday."

"Mir dem Heli?"

"Hmm. She's made a few stops. She's up to something. Be careful," Jade warns me.

"Okay," I mumbled. Yes, I defied her, but I couldn't see why my professor would make it harder for me than it already was.

With a lycan chasing me, I'd barely have two hours before he found me, even with the head start a fox got.

"I think we're done for today." Jade looked past me and I saw Grayson waiting. He's been unusually silent the past few days, even keeping his scathing comments to a minimum.

"What about our run?" Exercising on the run at the end of each lesson had become one of my priorities.

"Not with me, today," Jade was suddenly in a hurry. I went to the locker room and put on my thermal underwear, some comfortable pants and my jacket. There was no way I would let that go.

When I came out of the locker room, there was a guy I knew from my class, but I couldn't remember his name. I glanced at Grayson, who was leaning against a wall and watching the others fight.

"You still going for a run?" the guy asked and my attention went back to him.

"Looks like it," I murmured. There was nothing wrong with the guy, like nobody else here, but with Grayson just a few feet away, it was impossible to flirt with anyone.

"Looks like Jade doesn't have time today. Mind if I -- today?" Before he could finish his sentence, Grayson appeared behind him. He towered over him not only in size, but also in width.

"She did," he growled, now stepping between him and me.

"Well, she didn't say that," he replied, ruffling his hair nervously.

"Fuck off, Matthews," Grayson growled at him. Either the two of them knew each other or Grayson had memorized every name of my fellow students within a very short time.

"Never mind, Grayson. He was just--" Before I could finish my sentence, Grayson wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me a step back.

"Now, Matthews!" he growled at him. The guy whose name was Matthews looked at me again before taking a few steps back and I just hung my head.

"What was that, Grayson. He just wanted to run with me."

"Won't happen, Tara," he growled at me now.

"You're a bastard."

"Never claimed otherwise." His grip on my waist was still strong as he watched Matthews disappear.

"I'm still going for a run," I said to him and took another sip from the water bottle in my hand.

"I see." He cocked his head without letting go of me and gave me a look that said he didn't agree.

"Good, then you know where I am." I zipped up my jacket and fumbled in my jacket pocket for my hat. We wolves didn't mind the cold anywhere in the world, but here it was minus fifty degrees even in summer.

"I come with." He dropped his arm from my waist and confidently stalked towards the exit, as if he didn't have to ask if I even wanted it. He stopped just before the door, turned around and I stopped just behind him.

The heat it radiated not only warmed my clothes, but also my skin, which was buried under all the fabric.

My focus shifted to his mouth and I expected his lips to say something else. There was complete silence between us for a few minutes and neither of us seemed to mind.

His lips curled up in a small grin and when I looked into his eyes they almost seemed to shine. I mean, here Grayson was still standing in front of me. He never looked happy and compared to what I had seen of him over the past few weeks he seemed downright happy.