Dianne's heat had been over for a week now, but she was still avoiding Tristan. She had resumed classes like usual though she would always skip Tristan's lectures. Dianne knew she was being immature, but she couldn't bring herself to face him.
She was the sort who would always retreat into herself, when faced with problems, the first thing she would do is to avoid it if possible. Though this wasn't a problem she could avoid, she would rather delay confronting Tristan.
And whenever she remembered the look of pure horror on his face, she would feel a stabbing pain in her chest. It felt even worse knowing she had been the reason.
If only there was a way she could make him forget whatever he had seen that night or what had happened afterwards.
She had really complicated things.
Dianne couldn't avoid him forever, she would have to deal with the problems she had created before The Council got any wind of it. Although Dianne thought that, the first thing she thought of doing after seeing Tristan was to run.
The sun was setting, leaving a beautiful orange colour in its wake. Yet no one payed attention to this captivating view, not even Tristan who was waiting patiently by the door for Dianne's class to end.
He hadn't seen her again after that day, it was clear she was avoiding him. He would find his eyes seeking her out among the throng of students in his class, and he would feel inexplicably irked when he was unable to find her.
He should've been scared and unnerved to find out about the existence of creatures he had believed to only be myth, but he hadn't. Then again little frightened Tristan.
He had given her space, hoping she would come to him on her own.
But she hadn't.
So, he had finally decided to seek her out. Finding out her schedule had been no big deal for him. Now here he was waiting for her.
He took a glance at his watch.
The students started to come out, all taking a glance at Tristan who was busy searching for Dianne in the crowd.
He saw her. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, her slender body clad in jeans and a green hoodie. There was a small smile gracing her features as she spoke. It was then that Tristan noticed the guy beside her.
His lips, which had originally been tilting up into a smile, froze.
It was the same guy from the other day, the one who had assaulted her.
Tristan's brows wrinkled.
How could she be smiling and calmly talking with a guy like that?
"Dianne." The smile vanished from her face when she caught sight of him.
Tristan felt even more irked when he noticed her trying to escape. She could be smiling at the guy who had almost assaulted her, but she would run from him?
Though he had also done the same. He had no idea what had happened that day. Tristan admitted Dianne was attractive, but not so much so that he would disregard all rules and just kiss her. He had very good self-control.
Tristan shot a glare at Dianne, daring her to run away. He stepped forward and captured her hand, dragging her with him; totally ignoring the guy beside her.
"Let me go," Dianne bit out, looking around anxiously to see if people were watching.
Thankfully there weren't many people, but the people present were all looking in Tristan's and her direction.
"So you can run away?"
Tristan glanced at her. He continued on and only stopped when they reached his car. He let go of her hand then. "Get in."
"Where are you taking me?" Dianne asked, but she had already started opening the passenger door.
"We need to talk." He only answered when they were both seated. He started the car, and concentrated on driving.
"That does not answer my question," retorted Dianne.
Tristan stole a glance at her and did not reply.
No words were exchanged between them after that. They arrived at their destination in less than ten minutes. Tristan helped Dianne out of the car as she looked up at the high rise building in front of her. He led her to his apartment which was on the fifth floor.
Tristan returned from his study to find Dianne standing in the same place where he had left her in the living room.
"You can sit."
He couldn't help but stare at the timid girl sitting on the couch, who was a direct contrast to the bold girl who had kissed him.
"What can I offer you?"
"I'm good, thanks." Dianne raised her lowered head to look Tristan straight in the eye, "Why did you bring me here?"
"Privacy," he took a seat. "And I couldn't have you running away in the middle of our conversation."
Dianne accepted his explanation. "I guess it's too late to say whatever you saw that night was just a figment of your imagination."
Tristan gave her the pictures he had taken that night, "A little too late for that."
Dianne took a look at the pictures. They were of her before and after her shift, she had to admit they looked pretty good. Even though he had probably taken the pictures in a hurry, they still managed to look beautiful.
"These are really good."
"Just a hobby," Tristan replied.
Dianne's brows knitted. How could the course he taught just be a hobby to him?
Tristan realized he had misspoken when he saw her reaction, but he didn't dwell on it. He looked at her, as if to say "stop trying to change the topic".
Dianne sighed, knowing she couldn't evade this, "What do you know about werewolves?"
"Half human, half wolf. Turn into wolves every full moon whilst still retaining human intelligence-
Dianne interrupted, "That's where you're wrong, we can shift into our wolves any time we desire. But we are stronger during a full moon." She gestured for him to continue.
"Live in packs with the Alpha as the leader. Extraordinary healing ability. Advanced senses. Immortality. Inhumane speed and strength."
"We live in packs with the Alpha as the leader and the most powerful individual in the pack, and then the Beta as the second in command. There's also The Council which presides over matters that might threaten our existence, it consists of all Alphas."
Dianne furtively took a glance at the man sitting opposite her, his face remained unchanged. She debated whether she should tell him the next part...
He was her mate, she should trust him.
"There are only few things that can harm us. Silver affects our nervous system and affects our healing and other abilities, basically we become like humans. And wolfsbane is lethal to werewolves."
She looked for any sign of change in his expression, there was none. Dianne secretly breathed a sigh of relief, Earth knew the the amount of harm he could cause with that information.
Tristan unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt pulling the collar to reveal the mark at the base of his neck, "What is this Dianne?"
She felt a shiver run down her spine. There was no change in his tone of voice, so why did Dianne feel like a different Tristan was sitting in front of her? And not the gentle and amiable professor she knew.
"It is The Mark," She explained.
Once a werewolf finds their mate, they mark them to let others know he or she is taken. This is done by biting the base of the neck with one's canines, which leaves a mark forever. It strengthens the bond between them, allowing them to feel each other's emotions and it also activates the mind-link; they can communicate telepathically.
"This doesn't turn me into one of you?"
"It doesn't," Dianne reassured him. "Each werewolf has a mate. They are our destined soulmates, our other half. We can only find our mates after our first shift which usually happens at the age of sixteen. Some find their mates soon after their first shift, while others have to wait a long time. No matter how far apart, fate has a way of bringing two mates together."
"And how do you know when you find your mate?"
Forest green eyes left the spot on the floor, which they had been concentrating on, to meet Tristan's inquisitive ones, "You just know. The instant your eyes meet, you'll know. Just like I knew you were my mate, the instant our eyes met." A small smile played on Dianne's lips.
"So you're absolutely sure I'm your mate?"
The smile left her lips.
Yes, she was absolutely sure!
Dianne had always wanted to find her mate, to her having a mate meant she wouldn't feel so alone, she would have someone to call family.
You can imagine the happiness she had felt when she found her mate. Unfortunately he turned out to be human, her professor, and engaged.
Tristan somehow felt the shift in her emotions, was this what she had meant when she had said they would feel each other's emotions?
"Why did you kiss me?"
Dianne's heart shook. That statement managed to bring her out of her reverie. Why did he bring it up? She had been trying to avoid talking about it.
"I didn't kiss you, you kissed me." Dianne said, fully knowing it wasn't the truth.
Was it true?
Tristan wasn't really sure who had made the first move. "It doesn't matter. The question is why?"
Simple. She had lost control and had kissed him, despite knowing it was wrong.
It had felt right.
Dianne pushed the thought out of her mind, he was engaged. "I was in heat."
Outside, the stars shone brightly casting their light below as Tristan and Dianne talked, unaware of the passing time. Whilst elsewhere, in the outskirts of the city, a group of men assembled all with rigid postures as they watched a black car slow to a stop before them. They all trembled when they caught sight of the figure in the back seat, face hidden in the shadows, features indiscernible.
The passenger door opened.
The men focused their eyes on the emerging figure. Long legs, slender torso, cold but handsome face, sharp and piercing eyes hidden behind spectacles. The men did not dare let down their guards even though he was the one who emerged.
His eyes glanced at the men before landing on the figure closest to him. "Report."
"W-we found out about the her University. We took some girls which we thought might've been her, but they weren't her. We recently infiltrated the school and have placed our people there, we have already locked down on a few targets. It'll be easier to find her now." The man who had been called out reported cautiously with his head down.
"How long have you known where she schools?"
"About a few months s-sir."
"And you still haven't found her." The man in glasses said.
"The cops have been paying attention to this case, so we have been cautious in carrying out our operations," the man reporting shivered as he felt a sharp glare being thrown his way. "An accident occured and one of the girls was k-killed."
The air dropped a few degrees once those words were said.
"Very good."
Those two words sent a chill down everyone's spines.
They did not see how it occured, the man in glasses moved very swiftly, it was all a blur. They only saw the body of the man who had been reporting drop to the ground.
The man in glasses opened his mouth, "You have a month to find her."
The men each let out a breath as they watched the car drive away, already dreading the fate awaiting them if they failed to accomplish their task.
The atmosphere in the car on the other hand was quite relaxed. The figure in the backseat of the car slowly opened their eyes as they spoke languidly, "Patience Clark. I've waited for years what more a few months."
Clark turned to look at his boss, whose eyes were once again closed. He adjusted his glasses and turned away, knowing this was the end of the conversation.