Its Eyes Are for the Stars Ch. 04

He growled once more, refusing to lose control. "Then for what, Mate?"

She looked away coyly, feigning shyness before she spoke. "For not telling me 'happy birthday.'"

One second she was watching realization dawn on his face, and the next she was looking up at him as he slammed his mouth against hers. Her body sank into the soft mattress below her as he settled his strong, hard body onto hers.

Wearing nothing but flannel pajama bottoms, the heat from his body quickly warmed her own, and she moaned at the delicious feeling of finally having his body mold to hers. His full lips danced over hers with an urgency she had never felt from him, and when he roughly grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head, she gasped, granting his tongue entry into her mouth.

He ground his pelvis hard into her, giving her a preview of what was to come, and her inexperienced body shivered with anticipation. His left hand left her wrist but she dared not move it, curious to see where his now unoccupied hand would go next.

Lifting slightly from her body, he placed his large hand on the inside of her right thigh, tickling lightly as he made his way beneath her robe. Biting her lip, closing her eyes, and holding her breath, Carmendi drowned out the world, focusing solely on the sensation of her mate's hands on her body.

She waited for the moment that he would touch her heat...and waited...and waited. The haze lifted slightly, and it was then that she noticed the insistent banging on the door. Looking up at her mate, she noticed the annoyed expression on his face shift to the mask he wore with everyone but her. as Their own little world drifted away, and he was no longer just her beautiful mate but Alpha Otto, surrounded by all of his duties and obligations. She sighed at the loss.

"Yes?" he called out, the growl in his voice unmistakable. The gold still swirled in his eyes as he attempted to get control.

"Alpha?" The person behind the door responded, clearing her throat in an uncomfortable manner. It was obvious that the person on the other side of the door knew what she was interrupting. "There's a phone call for Miss Carmendi. "

"Take a message!" He barked out.

There was a pause as if the person on the other side of the door was deciding what to do. "Uh... It's her brother, sir. He says that it's an emergency, he needs her help."

Her mate looked at her, his gaze begging her to say no, but just as he did, she also had duties and responsibilities.

"Tell him I'll be there in a minute!" she called out, ignoring the angry look from her mate.

***

Zach had finally gotten up the nerve to leave his apartment and go to class today. He went to his two classes, met each of the professors in their office hours to discuss make up work and extra credit, and grabbed lunch with a friend from his finance class. There was still a little buzz on campus about the mysterious male student who had been hit by a car and run from the scene, but no one seemed to know it was him. That knowledge helped to appease his anxiety about returning.

It had been a good day so far and he had happily resigned himself to never running into HER, considering he hadn't ever done so before. He adjusted his backpack on his shoulders as he crossed the courtyard towards the small coffee shop where he was meeting his management professor to discuss his days missed, and what Zach would have to do to still end up with an A or B in the course. He entered the warm, eclectic café and noticed his professor sitting alone at a table by a window, grading papers. The older woman looked up and they made eye contact; she quickly waved him over before returning her attention back to the work in front of her.

He sighed, hoping that his normally stoic professor was in good spirits. After dodging a few students and chairs, he stood in front of his teacher, peeking at what she was working on: exams. He internally groaned, hoping he hadn't missed an exam in her class.

"Sit down, Mr. Shane," she said without looking up.

Because the hybrids didn't have surnames, he'd used his middle name as his last name when he had realized that it was much stranger to not have a last name than a middle name. He sighed and took a seat directly across from the perpetually cross woman.

"Glad to see that you are feeling better. I know getting over mono is difficult," she stated, her voice lacking any real sincerity.

"Thank you, ma'am," he responded, mentally thanking Ash for coming up with a plausible illness.

"You've missed six classes, a group project, and a presentation. "

"Dr. Foster, I'm willing to do any sort of make-up work or extra credit. Getting an above average grade in this course is very important to me." The plea was evident in his voice even as he rejoiced inside at the fact that the exam she now graded was not for his class.

The woman looked up then, peering at him from above her dark framed glasses. "Yes, well, I will leave it up to my advisee to explain to you how you will make up your missed assignments and lectures. She's coming in now."

The bell above the door sounded at that moment, alerting the staff that a new patron had entered. A gust of wind accompanied the new guest, her scent sailing on the breeze, and Zach froze. It was HER.

"Over here, Simone," Dr. Foster called out and he only hoped that SHE and the TA weren't one and the same. As the scent became stronger and stronger, he knew that luck was not a friend of his on this day.

He contemplated getting up and running away, grades be damned, but he knew that that wasn't an option. He had been running and hiding from her for way too long, and he didn't think his soul would allow him to flee this time. Plus, he was dying to finally look into the face of his soul mate.

The peace granted by giving in settled over him as he turned his head in HER direction.

"I hope to see you in class tomorrow morning, Mr. Shane," he heard distantly as the world fell away and all that was left was HER.

She was tall for a woman, at least 5'10", and her skin was a radiant shade of copper. The front of her black hair was styled with long bangs, swept to the side while the back was cut short, above her ears. The short length of her hair drew all attention to her face. And what an amazing face it was.

Those eyes, those whiskey colored eyes were crescent shaped, pointed up. "Sparkling" was the word that came to mind, and he almost laughed at the fact that he never thought he'd use such a unquestionably feminine word in his life. High, round cheekbones framed a wide but seamlessly fit nose and cupid's-bow lips topped off what was a decidedly perfect, flawless face. Anna was far from his mind as he took in the woman who was made for him.

A leather jacket, white t-shirt, and dark skinny jeans covered what appeared to be a thin, willowy frame. She was slim for sure, but her posture and graceful movements screamed 'dancer.' He watched as awareness took over her expression, and he knew that she recognized him. Not as her mate, but as the man she had hit with her car nearly three weeks ago.

She eyed him with both surprise and suspicion as she moved to take the chair his professor had vacated unnoticed. "It's you!" rushed from her mouth in a whisper, obviously not wanting anyone to overhear.

It took him a moment to regain his ability to speak. He only wanted to stare at her forever, admiring her beauty for the rest of his life. However, he never go the chance to utter a single word.

"You have no idea how worried I've been! I stayed up nights imagining that after you STUPIDLY ran off before you could go to the hospital, you died in some alley from internal bleeding! And look at you just sitting there," she gestured towards him, "in perfect health while I've been worried sick that I'd murdered you!"

She used her boot covered feet to push back from the table and stand, the sudden movement snapping him out of the haze her presence surrounded him in.

"You, Mr. Shane, are an inconsiderate crazy person!" she said, her whisper taking on an angry edge. "I'm too angry and confused to be around you right now," she huffed.

He watched her, still speechless. She was gorgeous in her anger. His eyes followed her as she began walking towards the door only to pause near where he sat. "Meet me back here tomorrow, same time," she muttered and left.

Only when she had exited the café did his brain resume full function. He sighed as he stood, refusing to dwell on what had just happened, refusing to let Simone take over his mind again just yet. One thing was certain, however: he was in deep trouble.

The rest of the day was spent going through the motions, and he now lay in bed alone. Anna had picked up the overnight shift, and he was thankful for the solitude. Every thought was plagued with a brown-skinned beauty with the longest legs he had ever seen. Those whiskey-colored eyes offered him no reprieve and he knew that sleep would only bring dreams of HER.

Glancing over to the digital clock that sat on his nightstand, he realized that it was after midnight and officially Carmen's eighteenth birthday. He grabbed his phone, his intentions to wish his baby sister a happy birthday. While listening to the phone ring; he suddenly wanted to confide in someone, the urge too insistent to ignore. His actions and the events of the last few months weighed so heavily on him and the stress of a lie that lasted too long would soon cause him to break.

Her voicemail greeting sounded and he hung up. He scrolled through his contacts list and found the number of the Otto compound, where he knew she was staying for the month. He knew he should have waited until morning, but his resolution to confess and set everything right was unwavering in that moment. He wasn't sure if he would ever feel that courage again.

He waited restlessly as whoever answered the phone fetched his sister. Abandoning his bed, he began pacing the room.

"Zach? It's me. Is everything alright? What's going on?"

The sound of his sweet sister's voice calmed him slightly and before he lost his nerve, he told her everything. He told her about Anna... Aislyn. He told her about Simone. And when he was finished, he waited to see what she would say.

The line was silent for a long moment; he assumed Carmen needed time to absorb and process everything he had just thrown into her lap.

"Tell her," she finally said. The anger and sadness evident in her tone. "And then you send her home."

***