Asher.
He smelled heavenly. I felt my wolf bristle as he walked by me. My heightened sense of smell could still pick up the alcohol from last night on his breath and the dried-up pee in his pants that he hadn't bothered to change.
And the fear. The fear smelled delicious.
I didn't want to think of him as prey. It was generally in every werewolf's interest not to think of humans as prey. But him? Him I wanted to hunt down. I wanted to box him into a corner and watch him cower and beg. Then I'd draw close enough that he'd feel my breath on his neck. He would shiver in equal parts delight and terror as I ran my hand up his chest and wrapped it around his windpipe.
His lips would be soft, drawing me in. Begging for more. His hard…
"Aw Goddamit, Dean!" I spoke to my wolf internally. Those were all his thoughts, not mine.
I groaned and threw my bag on my bed.
"What? He's our mate. I can't help it." Dean whined. I could feel him pouting. The mental image made me smirk.
"Your mate, maybe. But not mine." I grunted and tried to push him back down into my subconscious, where he belonged. He constantly refused to stay.
"Our mate. When would you learn to accept that you and I are one?" His gruff voice answered
"You are you, and I am me. And right now, you need to stop fantasizing about that nerd." I angrily plopped myself onto the bed.
"If I'm the one fantasizing, why are you hard?" He teased.
"Oh shut the fuck up." I snapped, but there was no need to. He was gone from my conscious mind.
I hated that I had very little control over him. It was infuriating. Not to mention dangerous, like what had happened last night. It wasn't the first time, of course. I can't control the shift, and it happens at random. At first, I tried to fight it. Tried to learn how to control and master it like every normal werewolf did. But as time passed, it became clear all my efforts were in vain.
My wolf had a mind of its own. I'd named him Juniper when I first transformed. Later, it changed to Dean. No reason for it. The name just seemed more befitting for a wolf that wouldn't be tamed. This was why I couldn't stay on campus for long. I could shift anytime. It could happen during class. Or on the field. Or in the library. Or in my dorm room with a clueless roommate.
He was cute. But he looked stupid. Acted stupid, too. Who trips while they are on the run from an unknown creature?
Answer?
Every stupid horror movie character ever.
He wouldn't last two seconds if he were to come in contact with the rogue hunter. Which was another reason I was staying away. The hunter was more wolf than human and would kill anything that stood in the way of getting his prey.
There were already bodies turning up that raised questions in the media. Made people feel unsafe, thinking there was a serial killer on the loose. But there wasn't. It was just a ruthless rogue wolf hunter leaving evidence and threats in his wake. This was why, as much as I knew Dean wanted to be as close to this nerdy boy as possible, I couldn't risk it. I'd have to leave the room.
As I packed my bags, I tried to tell myself I wasn't doing this because of the boy specifically. Had my roommate been any other person, I would have done the same. Right?
Right.
I would have to lay low on campus for a while. I'd been hoping the hunter wouldn't be able to track me here. The smell of humans was overpowering, so being in crowded places helped me stay hidden for years.
Humans like to think they don't have a collective smell, or more likely, a lot of people don't know. The same way they say dogs have a peculiar smell or cows or horses, it is the same with humans.
Put them all in one place, and to a wolf or other creatures with heightened senses, it smelled the way a kennel would to humans.
It had served its purpose through the years. I never lived in quiet or thinly populated neighborhoods, and this was my second time going through college. Because what other place on earth could boast of the daily, overpowering stench of sweaty, horny drunk humans?
I could only think of one place, and it was still within the campus: A frat house.
I'd go there and lay low for a while. My buddy Todd usually let me sleep in the attic if I wanted to. And Todd was also the guy to go to if you needed to find a guy who knew a guy who could get you anything, from drugs to exotic animals.
Which reminded me, I patted my breast pocket, feeling the comforting weight of the jasmine powder. Except, it didn't have much weight anymore. I needed to replenish my stash. Todd would be able to get some.
I dialed his number as I walked out of the room. He answered on the third ring.
"Ash! My man!" He yowled over the phone. I shook my head in disbelief. It was early in the morning, and they were having a rager. Typical.
"Hey Todd. Need to use your attic for a few weeks. Cool?" I turned to gaze sadly at the room I was about to vacate.
"Sure thing, bro. Anything for you." He cooed over the phone, clearly drunk.
"Thanks, man. And I'm gonna need some J. Think you could fix me up? Preferably today." I closed the door behind me and started down the hallway, making sure to look around and make sure I wasn't being followed.
"Indubitably! What do you always need that shit for anyway?"
"Nothing important. Thanks Todd. I'll be there in five."