chapter 4

Sage

I enter the library behind Jaxson. He makes a beeline to a table all the way in the back of the room and I pause when I realize when he said alone, he meant it. The table he chose is out of sight of the main entrance behind the last row of shelves.

I sigh and unwillingly follow him. When I turn behind the last bookshelf I expected him to be sitting already instead he's standing behind a pulled out chair and motions for me to sit. Everything inside me is telling me to turn tail and run right out of this room and right out of this school.

Not like I could go home to my dad. the moment I'd walk through the door he'd be on me about skipping class and I want to avoid anymore bruising.

I bite my pride and choose the safer option and take a seat in the chair Jaxson has pulled out for me. Once I'm in place he pulls out the chair next to me and takes a seat as I start stacking papers and flipping open the history book.

I am all too aware of the shifter next to me. He's so close I can smell him. Mint and honey flood my nose, it's so overwhelming my head pounds in protest. I take my glasses off again sighing as I massage my temples. "Damn migraines." I whisper to myself.

Jaxson stiffens slightly next to me and I open an eye to peer at him. He shrugs his leather jacket off and hangs it on the back of his chair. He then leans back arms folded behind his head as he props a boot up on the edge of the table. His muscles pull tightly against the button up shirt he's wearing and I catch myself staring at him.

I look away back to the book Infront of me sliding my glasses back into place. I run my eyes over the page I have flipped open and begin turning them. I've studied this way my entire life. I don't actually have to read the material to know it I just have to look at it. It's filed away in my brain for a rainy day.

"There's no way you're actually reading that fast." He says looking over at the book as I continue to flip page after page only pausing long enough to rack my eyes over the content.

"I don't have to read it." I say cooley. "I have a photographic memory." and he sits up like I just admitted to a dark secret. Everyone whose bothered to talk to me knows this fact about me and I have the ability to thank for my 5.0 gpa.

"No way." He says in disbelief taking the book from me. He flips back a couple pages and keeps the book turned from me. "Page five-o-seven paragraph six." He says and I sigh. The memory is still fresh in my head so it's not hard for me to pull it up. I recite the paragraph word for word and he drops the book back Infront of me.

"Incredible. It's like having your own super power." He says and I arch an eyebrow at him.

"Says the shape shifting boy to the human girl." I retort automatically.

He chuckles at my comment and leans back in his chair again. I glance at his motorcycle boots next to me size twelve. Great now I'm never going to forget that.

I get to work writing the essays I need to finish before the end of the period. I stop when I feel him tugging on my hair again. can a girl catch a break?

"Can you please not to that." I say swatting his hand away unprepared for him to grabbed my bad wrist. I flinch away from his grasp as fire and pain radiate down my arm. A sharp hiss escapes my lips as I recede back into my chair putting a few inches between us.

I can feel him looking at me and I don't dare to look back at him. After a moment I pick up my pen and begin writing again. letting the information in my brain run down through my arm and onto the paper. He lets me work like this for a while and I manage to finish two B+ worthy papers before he speaks.

"I wanted to talk to you about something... serious." He says and I pause before looking over at him. His eyes are trained on me with a deadly focus silver swirling in the ocean of his eyes. Shit I must have really pissed him off in class.

I shift uncomfortably as I wait for him to continue.

"Yesterday was my eighteenth birthday." He pauses turning towards me. "I'm sure you know everything about when a wolf comes of age. " He says reaching towards me his rough fingers grazing my exposed collar bone.

A slight gasp escapes my lips as fire reaches from his touch and settles in my belly. Its so sudden I flinch away without meaning to.

I only know what I had read on the subject and what I have read makes me shift in my seat uncomfortably.

He sits up at my reaction and I'm all to aware of how I'm in the corner of the library with no where to go. I'm feeling exposed even though no one else is around.

"My intention is not to scare or intimidate you in any way." He says quietly. I keep my eyes on my book Infront of me mindlessly absorbing information as I flip the pages. He must be getting impatient though because he closes it on me.

Another pang hits my sinuses and I flinch rubbing my temples once more.

"Sage look at me." His voice soft and soothing and demanding. I can't even stop myself from looking over at him and he grabs my face with both of his hands.

"Just as I thought." Flames ignite into my face and I feel the blush spread across my cheeks. "You're not experiencing migraines. Your wolf can sense me. She wants desperately to meet her Alpha, and mate."