(Cole's POV)
Practice had gone on longer than it should have.
Coach never cared that we'd been at it since dawn. He always said Alpha blood didn't tire easily—that a true leader pushed through until his bones begged for rest.
Maybe he was right. Or maybe I just needed the distraction.
Rugby kept me grounded. The weight of the ball, the rhythm of running, the unity of my packmates' voices across the field—it all drowned out the restless hum in my head.
The wolf inside me had been on edge since morning, pacing, snarling beneath my skin.
And I didn't know why.
At least.....Not until now.
"Cole! You're late!" someone shouted from across the quad. "Where are you going? You just arrived.."
"I need to go to the administration building. The vice chancellor sent for me." I replied whoever it was. I seem to forget his name and end up calling something else.
As I jogged up the steps of the administration building, sweat slicking my neck, someone else called me. But I didn't stop, because if I did I will not reach Everhart's office in time. And I needed to just get it over with.
I waved a lazy hand, not bothering to reply.
The Vice-Chancellor had sent for me—something about a student representative meeting.
I hadn't planned to stay long. But the second I stepped through the doors of the administration building, everything changed.
The scent hit me first.
Sweet. Wild.
Vanilla and lavender, threaded with the rich bite of forest air after rain—alive, intoxicating.
My chest constricted. My heartbeat slammed against my ribs. The wolf inside me went utterly still.
I was still in my practice gear, sweat-soaked and unbothered. Dante could complain later, I didn't care—he was the one who had pulled me out of training.
I've always told him I didn't want to be a student president anymore, that the pack's activities lately have been keeping me busy and my hands full. But the man doesn't seem to even want to hear it. So I decided to just annoy the crap out if him.
The scent drew me forward, tugging at something deep and instinctive. My wolf surged, restless, prancing, pushing hard enough that I nearly howled.
On the way, Someone tried to speak to me as I passed. I didn't hear what they said. I didn't care to know who it was.
I might have shoved them aside hard—because I heard a startled shout—but it barely registered. I didn't care at the moment.
I was practically like a beast on a mission.
I traced that wonderful scent to Dante's office and opened it immediately like a fire was lit in my ass. I shoved the door open without knocking.
And then I saw her.
She stood in front of Dante's desk, sunlight spilling over her like it had been painted just for her. Strawberry-blonde hair caught the light, glinting with copper and gold. Her eyes—green, uncertain, curious—lifted to meet mine.
And the moment they did, the world… stopped.
There wasn't any sound, and no thoughts whatsoever.
It was just her....
Everything inside me snapped taut—fierce, undeniable—as if my very soul recognized what my mind hadn't yet named. My breath hitched. My muscles locked. And i growled.
Mate....
The word tore from my throat before I could stop it—a growl, a whisper, a vow all at once.
Dante's chair scraped sharply behind her.
"Cole," he warned.
I didn't hear him, I couldn't...
Every nerve in my body screamed to move closer, to reach out, to touch her—to prove she was real....that she was mine.
The wolf in me clawed toward the surface, desperate to claim, to protect, to mark.
She looked startled, those green eyes widening. She didn't understand, of course she didn't. To her, I was just some sweaty stranger who had barged into an office.
But to me?
She was everything I hadn't known I was searching for.
My hands trembled. I clenched them into fists, forcing air through my lungs. The scent of her made it worse — lavender and warmth, something faintly floral and devastatingly sweet— like the kind of sweetness you only taste once in a lifetime
Dante's voice cut through my mind, sharp through the link.
"Control yourself, Alpha Cole."
The title hit like cold water.
My wolf snarled in defiance, but I dragged in a breath and took a step back. Barely. I took in deep breaths, my heart thundering in my chest.
That was when I noticed the woman beside her—older, she seemed tense and protective. I sniffed her scent and found out that she was human. The way she was holding her protectively, I figured she might be an Aunt, maybe her Mother. Something like that.
I couldn't blame her. If someone looked at the girl in front of me—gods, she was beautiful—the way I had, I'd want to tear him apart too.
"Rachelle, honey, stay close to me," the woman said, her voice tight.
Rachelle.....So that's her name.
The sound of her name settled deep in my bones, like it had always belonged there.
Dante moved around his desk, his expression grave.
"Miss Monroe," he said gently, "why don't you and your aunt head to the dormitories?
Someone will help you get settled."
Aunt it is then...I thought.
She hesitated, glancing back at me again — just for a heartbeat — and something flickered across her face. Curiosity. Wariness. A faint tug of recognition she couldn't explain.
She didn't know what she was doing to me.
As she turned to leave, my wolf howled in protest. Every cell in my body screamed don't let her go. But I stayed where I was, gripping the doorframe until my knuckles turned white.
The moment the door closed behind her, silence crashed down.
Dante exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I believe congratulations are in order," he muttered. "The moon goddess has finally decided to play her hand."
My throat was dry.
"Who is she?"
"Her name is Rachelle Monroe," he said. "A new scholarship student. And, Cole… she's human."
The word hit like a punch to the gut.
Human...
The wolf inside me roared—fury, disbelief, confusion colliding into chaos. A human? The goddess had chosen a human for me?
My mind rebelled. But my heart didn't. And her scent still in the room, filled me with the greatest esctasy.
Fate didn't make mistakes.
And whether she knew it or not—
Rachelle Monroe was mine.