Chapter 4. Bookish Desires

Lia

Monday mornings had no mercy.

I groaned into my pillow as my alarm blared like and air raid siren beside my head. 7:15 a.m sharp. No snoozes. I blinked at the ceiling of my tiny off campus apartment, internally debating if skipping my 8:00 a.m. Lit class would be worth it.

I dragged myself out of bed, my sleep shirt hanging off one shoulder, and padded over to my desk. A tower of paperbacks threatened to collapse if I pulled the wrong one out, which, of course, I did.

“Ugh!” I caught a moonlight mate just before it hit my foot. My heart fluttered for a second, not from the near-miss, but from the glossy cover showing a brooding Alpha holding his mate in a forest full of fog and tension. I’d read three times already, but I was tempted to start a fourth.

Maybe just a page or two before class?

“Lia,” I murmured to myself, “you’re going to be late. Get moving mate girl.”

By 7:52 a.m., I was power- walking across campus, earbuds in, coffee in hand, and hoping my professor would be in a forgiving mood today.

Keller university’s courtyard was a mix of people I mostly ignored and buildings I knew too well. The architecture tried to be fancy, with all its red-brick tradition and curved archways, but it didn’t hold a candle to the mystical I imagined when reading at night.

“Watch it Lia!” A voice called out from behind.

I turned just in time to see Katie, jogging up with her frizzy ponytail bobbing.

“You almost stepped into campus traffic, bookhead,” she panted pointing at a cyclist swerving past us.

I laughed. “What, and leave you to inherit my fantasy library?”

She rolled her eyes. “You need and invention. You’ve been talking about werewolves since we were sixteen.”

“That’s because they’re superior superior. Mates? Bonds? Brooding alphas that will burn the world for you? Yes please.”

Katie opened the door to the lecture hall and gestured for me to enter. “You know real guys just send dry wyd texts right?”

I sighed dramatically as we found seats. “That’s the problem, I’m waiting for one who’d growl now texts.”

Lectures passed in a blur of slide transitions and half-hearted notes.

Katie peeked at my page and shook her head. “You’re beyond help”

“Shh,” I whispered, “Dr. Hill is going to talk about tragic heroes next.”

After class we headed to the dining hall. As we picked at chicken salads, Macy and Chloe, our other friends who studied psych, cornered me with their usual intervention attempt.

“Okay. Lia,” Chloe started, stirring her iced tea like she was prepping for a TED talk. “Real question. You actually believe they might be a man out there who’s fated to you? Like some wolf- dude is going to sniff your neck and say mine?”

I tilted my head. “I mean yeah. Not like literally stiff me. but… something like that. I mean even in real life people get married, they’ll say it’s fate. I just want my own fate to be a wolf. I don’t know if you’ve seen that edit, two wolves were harassing a human girl and an alpha male called her name, while she started running and shouting " Bruce run! " "He just shifted to a mighty wolf, isn’t that mind blowing?”

“No it’s not,” Katie said.

Macy burst out laughing. “ Girl, you’re living in a Wattpad story.”

“Better than this reality,” I said, waving my fork. “You guys settle for Tinder matches and frat boys. I’m holding out for a mate who feels me across the room.”

Chloe leaned in “What happens if you meet someone normal? Like,cute, smart, stable, but no fated mate vibe?”

They both looked at me as if I had grown two heads.

“What?” I asked. Romance books ruined me, okay? I want fireworks, not friendly texting.”

I was walking to my second class when I got that weird feeling. You know the one. Like someone’s watching you. Not in a creepy way. Just… present.

I glanced back.

Some guy across the courtyard. Tall, black hoodie, hands in his pockets. I didn’t recognize him. He wasn’t staring directly at me, but something about him felt… off.

Familiar?

No, that's creepy.

He turned his head slightly and for a second our eyes met.

My stomach did a little flip then he looked away.

Okay, Lia. Calm down. He probably just like your shirt.

But my shirt was plain.

Why did I feel like he knew me?

I shook it off and went to class.

Still. I couldn’t help wondering as I sat down.

I tried to shake it off.

The guy probably wasn’t looking at me. Maybe he was zoning out. Or maybe he had a class near mine. Keller’s campus wasn’t huge, it wasn’t impossible to pass the same people more than once.

Still, I found myself glancing over my shoulder more than usual that day. I told myself it was paranoia. An overactive imagination, fueled by too much late night reading and too little sleep.

But even hours later, during our group project meeting in the library, my thoughts kept drifting.

“Lia,” Chloe said, snapping her finger in front of my face. “Earth to mate-hunter.”

I blinked. Sorry. What?”

Katie sighed “we are literally talking about who is going to compile the slides.”

“Ohh,” I looked down at my untouched laptop. “Yeah. I can do it no problem.”

Chloe raised an eyebrow, “you okay?” You’ve been spacey since lunch.”

I hesitated before telling them. “I…thought I saw someone earlier. Just a guy. He looked… I don’t know. Familiar? Weird."

Macy learned interest now “wierd how? Like hot-weird or stalker wierd?”

“I don’t know, maybe a little bit of both?” I half laughed brushing it off. He didn’t even say anything just… looked.”

“Maybe it’s fate,” Chloe teased “your wolf prince has arrived.”

“Ohh shut up,” I groaned, smiling anyway. “He probably wasn’t even looking at me.”