Infinite Bond Page 7

  I couldn’t be so trusting, so naïve. I had to get through my years here unscathed, and hopefully, this time, my education would lead me toward a better future.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Cade

  * * *

  Fucking hell.

  Fucking motherfucking hell.

  What in the cock-blocking hell was this… this goddamn fucking feeling in my chest? Absently, I rubbed at the ache in there but knew it wouldn’t go away, and that just pissed me off more than I’d ever been. I wanted to beat someone, kill someone, slice someone up with my claws.

  Instead, I kicked at the dirt in the outside courtyard where I’d been pacing. Dropping my hands to my hips, I glared down at the dirt like it was my real issue.

  It wasn’t.

  The real issue was a short blue-haired guy.

  A fucking guy.

  Grinding my teeth together, I pulled my upper lip up in a silent snarl as my panther paced inside me. My animal and I were warring. He wanted one thing, and I wanted nothing to do with it.

  My phone chimed. Taking it out, I read Zeke’s message wanting a meeting back in the dorm room.

  “Fucking hell,” I growled under my breath. I didn’t want to go back to the room. I didn’t even want to sleep there. Shit, maybe I could pick a woman for the night and share her room. Then I’d bedhop until the dweeb was out of my place.

  He was a dweeb too. He was the most socially awkward person I’d ever come across. He mumbled, fidgeted, and just annoyed me. I knew he’d be a bore, and when I’d glanced into his room earlier, I’d seen all the damn textbooks scattered over his bed.

  Fucking dweeb.

  My panther roared in anger inside me.

  Screw that. My animal wouldn’t get his damn way.

  He wouldn’t.

  I was the one in control.

  It was my way or no way.

  Stalking into the building where our room was situated, I noted people jumping out of the way when they saw me. Some even hid behind plants. I’d give it to them… noticing I was not in the mood for anyone’s shit.

  When I got into the elevator, two younger guys joined me. One was talking his friend’s ear off while the other saw me, stopped, and quickly covered his friend’s mouth before they both backed off the elevator. Maybe they could feel the foul mood I was in, but they weren’t shifters, and all shifters were sensitive to emotions. Hell, maybe their exit had something to do with the scowl on my face.

  Leaning against the back wall, I crossed my arms over my chest as the blood rushed through my body. Either in anger or— Nah, I wasn’t going to even consider it’d be over anything else. I was angry, and it felt like that small simmer of heat in my gut had grown to burn me within.

  Fate was a fucking cunt.

  There wasn’t another reason why Fate would throw me someone different and want me to make them mine. He never would be. I wanted a woman. I wanted the curves, the tight, wet snatch, and breasts I could cup.

  My panther snarled at me.

  You can fuck off too, I told him, but in my mind, he turned his back on me. Ignored me. The one in control of our future.

  The doors opened, and my steps ate up the floor as I approached the room.

  Would he be in there?

  Would I have to see him?

  Would I—

  I didn’t care.

  Opening the door, I instantly knew he wasn’t around, and I took a breath. Good. There wouldn’t be disappointment running through me over how I treated him. There wouldn’t be growing want when he was close. He needed to stay far the fuck away from me. I would do the same.

  “What do you want?” I clipped as I shut the door and moved to sit in the chair beside them on the couch. Hyde was on his back, his head in Zeke’s lap. I was glad they’d built something intimate together. I wasn’t and never would be against same-sex lovers. They needed the closeness they had for each other. Both had come from unloving families. Though on the outside, Zeke’s family looked and acted caring and sweet. It was a play from his parents, so no one would see their shitty attitudes underneath. Even though they were a part of the pack, Dad had worked them out straightaway and had allowed Zeke to spend as much time with us as possible while he kept an eye on Zeke’s family.

  Now it seemed Zeke and Hyde weren’t just into each other. I’d seen the ways they looked at the dweeb. Would he come between them? Would he fuck things up for my friends? I’d gut him if he did.

  That thought was accompanied by a harsh snarl from my panther.

  “Micah—”

  I groaned aloud; I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want to see him or hear about the dweeb.

  Zeke glared, and even Hyde shot me a dirty look before dropping his head back on Zeke’s lap. “We’ll get to why you dislike the guy so much, but for now, we need you to know he’s Hyde’s mate.”

  The shock had me jumping from my seat. “What the fuck?”

  Was this serious?

  He was Hyde’s mate? Hyde’s and— Yeah, I wasn’t even going to let that run in my head.

  How could the dweeb be that for Hyde and—

  Shit a fucking grenade. Stop brain, just fucking stop. I won’t think it. I won’t say it. I won’t let anything form between us.

  “Which is why you need to stop being a damn dick—” Zeke cut off his words as he suddenly straightened before he pushed at Hyde’s head. As soon as Hyde was out of the way, Zeke stood.

  Christ, had he caught on?

  “He’s yours as well?”

  Fuck me, he had. He was too smart for his own good.

  “No.” I shook my head, sneering at my friend, silently begging him to drop it.

  Hyde uncurled from the couch. Crap.

  Before Hyde could say anything, I did. “Look, you can have him. I don’t want anything to do with him.”

  “Why?” Hyde demanded, his voice a low growl.

  “Why?” I laughed humorlessly. “Why the fuck would I when all my goddamn life I’ve been with women? I love women. I prefer a woman’s body. I’m not gay or anything else but straight. I won’t allow some dweeb to come in here and—”

  Hyde’s wolf shone in his eyes, and the green flashed to yellow. Then through Hyde’s lips, he let out a snarl. “You disrespect—”

  “Hyde, calm down, and let’s talk about this.” Zeke slipped in front of Hyde, breaking his gaze from me.

  Shaking my head, I took a step back. “I’m not ready for this, and I doubt I’ll ever accept him. Doesn’t mean you can’t and be happy.”

  Zeke said something softly to Hyde before he slipped behind him and curled an arm around Hyde’s neck supporting him, and probably a move to help me in case Hyde wanted to lunge for me. Zeke had come between us over stupid shit many times because Hyde and I were both alphas.

  “I won’t accept him.” Hyde’s confession had me gaping.

  “Why?”

  Hyde growled under his breath, looking away from me. For some reason, his action reminded me of the dweeb.

  Fucking ass.

  “You know my past. I won’t tarnish him—”

  “That’s fucking bullshit,” I yelled, throwing a hand out. “There isn’t anything wrong with you. You had a fucked-up life, but you survived. You got away from that motherfucker, and we killed him. You deserve happiness.” Anger spiked inside me. I hated when Hyde talked shit about himself. There was nothing wrong with him. He’d been abused every damn day, and that crap would do things to your mind. It didn’t mean the way his brain acted was wrong. He was a good guy, fought for what was right, and I wouldn’t have anyone I didn’t trust as my second and top enforcer.

  “Don’t fucking say any of that shit to me,” Hyde ordered.

  “How about,” Zeke, the peacekeeper, started loudly, “we take a breath. We all know there’s nothing that needs to be decided right now. Micah’s been here one day. One day. And knowing Micah a little, I’m sure if he found out he had not one but two mates, he’d freak and run or hide or have an anxiety attack. It’s obvious he’s had a terrible life before arriving here. We all need to be patient and calm around him.”

  Scrubbing a hand over my face, I took a deep breath and moved back to the chair to sit down. “You’re right. I near pissed myself when I scented him for the first time and realized he’s….” I shook my head. “Still, I’m not backing down from my decision. I don’t want him.”

  Hyde growled.

  Zeke kissed the side of his neck and tugged him over to the couch to sit back down again on his lap. Didn’t think two guys their size could sit like that, but there it was. Lucky Micah was the size of a pea, and he’d fit—

  Clenching my jaw, I sighed. I didn’t fucking care about the dweeb.

  “There might be a small problem,” Zeke admitted, tightening his arms around Hyde. I wanted to join their pile. Shifters liked comfort and contact, but I didn’t.

  I tipped my chin toward Zeke. “What?”

  “Earlier, I saw Micah in the hallway with his friend Tanika.”

  “Who the fuck is she?” I clipped.

  Both stared at me, and Zeke had the audacity to smirk.

  I waved him off. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

  “Sure. Anyway, Tanika was a friend before coming here.”

  Hyde grunted. “Met her. No scent of arousal from her when he was near.”

  Damn lucky there wasn’t, or Hyde would have gone ballistic. Even when he was being a fool and not claiming him, like myself—not that I was a fool—but we would still feel the need to protect the dweeb from others who would want him.

  Jesus, if I had a heart, I would care that Micah was fucked when he had two mates who didn’t want him but also didn’t want anyone else with him. It was something Hyde and I would have to somehow overcome, or Micah w
ouldn’t have a life.

  “Now we have it settled that she’s not into him, can I move on?” Zeke shifted Hyde to sit beside him but took his hand. “Tanika questioned me about Hyde hanging out with Micah.” Zeke bumped his shoulder with Hyde. “It got noticed how you were around him. She was on the track of you being his mate. I didn’t think you would want Micah to know yet, or ever, so I told her you were there because I asked you to. I don’t think Micah liked that. Actually, from the way he closed off, it upset him. He may have felt like I was forcing you to hang with him or to be nice to him.”

  Hyde’s wolf growled from within. He didn’t like the thought of Micah being upset. Even my panther bared his teeth.

  “I—”

  The door opened, and we all looked there when Micah stepped into the room with his head down. A blush worked its way onto his cheeks as he closed the door and clutched his bag to his chest. It looked too heavy and big for him to carry. I locked my body down so I didn’t get up to help him. When Zeke stood, I could see the way Hyde held on to the couch cushions to stop himself. The couch groaned under his grip.

  Zeke smiled softly. “Micah, hi. How did it go with the dean?”

  Micah shrugged, nibbling on his plump bottom lip when he looked to the side and back down to the floor in front of him. “Fine. Um, sorry if I interrupted again.” He started for his room.

  Zeke took a step toward him, and Micah stumbled to a stop. The scent of fear, along with unease, filled the room. “Do you want to grab dinner with us later?” Zeke offered.

  “I-I’ve already eaten. Sorry. I’m, ah, just going to….” He nodded toward his room, all while still not looking at any of us.

  What had happened to him to cause him to be so timid?

  A lump formed in my gut. I hated that something had obviously happened, but I also hated that I cared.

  Fucking Fate. Why did you throw a guy for a mate at me? What the fuck did I do to deserve that?

  Zeke’s shoulders dropped. Hyde’s jaw clenched.

  “Okay, well, we might play the Nintendo Switch later, if you want to join us?”

  A brief scent of excitement washed through him before it was replaced with unease. “Um, maybe.” He quickly walked the rest of the way to his room and entered, shutting the door behind himself.

  Hyde jumped up. “I’m going for a run.”

  Zeke reached out before Hyde could leave and took his wrist. “Don’t worry about it, okay? Micah will eventually see we want to be his friend.” I doubted it. The guy was a bundle of nerves and fears. Zeke’s hard gaze moved to mine. “We’ll all try, won’t we?”

  Snorting, I shook my head and stood. “Don’t expect much from me.”

  “Cade—”

  “I’ve got shit to do.” I walked off to my bedroom and closed the door after me. They could worry about the guy all they wanted. I wasn’t going to let him, or the bond, get to me, because I would never finalize the connection.

  He wasn’t even my type. The fact that he had a dick cemented that.

  Stalking to my bed, I fell back on it and placed my arm over my eyes. My panther hissed and growled inside me. He wanted me to barge into that guy’s room and claim him. But it didn’t stop there. My panther wanted me to treat the guy with care. Wanted to hug and rub our scent all over him so no other would try anything.

  I doubted anyone would. He wasn’t anything special.

  My mouth suddenly tasted sour. Fucking bond. I wasn’t lying to myself, though; a guy didn’t get me hard when I thought of him. His smooth skin didn’t appeal to me. His ridiculous blue hair that hung over his damn eyes was nothing nice. His plump lips that seemed to hold a reddish tint to them, like he’d been kissed thoroughly, were—

  Standing, I glared down at my dick. It had thickened, and knowing it was because of him pissed me the fuck off.

  I couldn’t just switch up like that.

  Change wasn’t something I liked; in fact, I despised it, which was another reason I wouldn’t fly into this bond, this connection, easily. Not when I knew myself.

  Pulling out my phone from my back pocket, I hit the number to the one person who could do something about this.

  “Cade, what can I do for you?”

  Sebastian answered smoothly, and I scowled harder at the ground when I bit out the words, “I need you to move the new kid out of here.”

  “Has something happened?”

  “He pisses me off.”

  Sebastian hummed under his breath. “How does Micah annoy you, Cade? Also, he’s not a kid. He’s only a few years younger than you.”

  I threw a hand up at the good point he’d just made. I stayed on the topic instead of biting his head off for using his name so casually. Like he knew him. Like he liked him. Annoyance twisted my gut as I got back on track. “There you have it. Shouldn’t he be rooming with people his own age?”

  Sebastian laughed, and if I had the ability to reach through the phone to strangle him, I would have. Instead, I allowed my panther to show through with a snarl. Sebastian tsked under his breath. “Now, Cade, no need to get testy. Micah was placed in your rooms because the others are full. Give me a justifiable reason you want him gone, and I’ll see what I can do. Though, Tanika, Micah’s friend, mentioned she’s willing to put him in her room.”

  Lifting my head, I stared at the wall where his bedroom was. If he didn’t stay there, where I would have to deal with seeing him more, then he’d be moved into a girl’s room.

  Hyde said he hadn’t scented arousal from her, but… there was a chance other women around her room would be interested in him.

  Fuck me.

  Fuck me and fuck Sebastian.

  I wasn’t supposed to care. The hot stabbing heat of jealousy wasn’t supposed to burn over at the thought of him with another.

  Stupid motherfucking bond.

  Then again, I could just go to a hookup’s room for the night. I’d thought it before, and the idea wasn’t a bad one. At least I’d get off and take some tension away.

  Sighing, I scrubbed a hand over the back of my neck when my panther wouldn’t quit his snarling and spitting over the thought of being with another.

  Fucking Fate.

  “Cade? Do you have a good reason why you’re requesting the move?”

  “No,” I bit out, and ended the call. I’d put up with him being in my space. I’d put up with Fate messing up my life, but it didn’t mean I had to be happy about it.

  Micah wasn’t meant for me, and soon Fate would see the mistake and do something about it.

  Micah.

  Christ, even how his name suited him pissed me off—so much so, I wanted to punch my fist through the wall.

  Micah.

  His name was too goddamn cute.

  Fuck.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Micah

  * * *

  Two weeks and I managed to dodge them.

  What helped was Tanika. She met me at my dorm room every morning, and we’d eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. The only nights she couldn’t meet me was when she worked, and on those, I stayed in my room, fearing it would somehow trigger Zeke or Hyde to feel sorry for me, and then they’d step in to keep me company.

  What was strange, and made my head spin, was how I missed them. It didn’t make sense, as I honestly didn’t know them. They were polite—except for Cade—if our paths crossed, and many times I declined Zeke’s offer to play video games or go eat with them. But it was as if something yearned inside me and had me wanting to be close to them.

  Even Cade. And that was after I’d lost count of the times I’d heard him mutter, “Fucking dweeb.” I didn’t understand why he still hated me when I had stayed away from his friends.

  Still, no matter, I kept focused on my studies; they were harder than I thought they’d be.

  “Micah, no, not with your hands. Use your mind. Your power comes from your mind. Keep your hands still.” It wasn’t the first time Professor Lynch had said that.

  Didn’t he think if I could use my power by thought alone, I would have done it already? If I tried with only my mind, my power sputtered and misfired. There’d been many, and I meant many, times I’d dropped something or just knocked it over instead of moving it. When I added in my hands as a guide to where I wanted the item to move, it helped.