Chapter 2 - Clay

After lunch, we followed the Assistant Headmistress back to the foyer and up the grandmaster's staircase.

"To the left are the boys' rooms, and to the right are the girls'," Said Miss Tocho, "Dorm leads, come forth, please."

Four boys and four girls stepped forward, each wearing a different colored lanyard around their necks.

"Your dorm leader will share the same colored lanyard as you with a golden name tag; find your dorm leader, then head to your rooms to settle in. Dinner will be served at five; I will leave your dorm leaders to help you from here." With a nod, she turned and went back downstairs.

With a quick hug and kiss, I reluctantly parted with my mate, then followed our dorm leader, who said his name was Brendyn Nelowie. Brendyn was a Sophomore like us, but he was a polar bear shifter from Alaska. He was tall and stocky, with black hair cut into a short crew cut, dark brown skin, and brown eyes.

Each grade was on a different floor; the first floor was for the Freshmen, the second was for the Sophomores, the third for the Juniors, and the fourth for the Seniors… So, we followed Brendyn up a metal staircase that corkscrewed up and up until we reached the second floor.

Stepping off the staircase, we entered a small lounge with couches and a magnificent-looking chess board with wooden chess pieces that looked like animal totems. I smiled when I noticed the king and queen were both wolves.

I followed Asher down the hall until I found room number three. We entered to find a huge pentagonal-shaped room with two large black sectionals and five individual bedrooms; each room came with a wardrobe, a desk, and a trunk.

How they thought five Guardian males could get along in one room was beyond me; thankfully, we all had separate rooms with doors that locked.

The first guy to enter after Asher and I was Brendyn, our dorm leader. The third person to walk in was a tall, skinny guy with auburn colored hair, green eyes, and lightly tanned skin; his lanyard said his name was Tyler Irving, a fox shifter from Ohio.

The last guy was Malachi Brown, who was a little shorter than Asher, lean-muscled, with long black hair and brown eyes. He was a bald eagle shifter from North Dakota.

"Hey, Asher, you are Evelyn Denton's sister, right?" asked Malachi.

"Yes, she is my sister but also Clay's mate," Said Asher, crossing his arms, "I would watch what you are about to say because we are both very protective of our loved ones."

"Sorry, won't bring it up again," Said Malachi.

After selecting our rooms, I used my connection with Eve to see how she was doing.

"Little Bird"

"Hello, Fuzzy Butt; I miss you already."

"I miss you too, my love. How are you doing?

"I'm doing okay so far.

"Contact me if you need me; I will check on you again later. I love you, Little Bird."

"Okay, and love you too, Fuzzy Butt."

I sat up with a sigh... This was going to be difficult… Even though we completed the bond, I still felt like I was missing a part of me when she wasn't next to me.

"How is Eve doing?" asked Asher, who plopped down on my bed as I ran a hand through my hair.

"She's holding up alright. By the way, how did it go with that blonde?"

"Her name is Waverly," he spoke with a distant grin on his face, "She was lovely," he murmured while staring out the window.

"Oh, just wait, my friend," I stated, "the mate pull is strong." 

Asher's eyes widened with shock, "What do you mean?"

I shook my head, smiling, remembering the first time I saw Eve. Finding her was the best thing that has ever happened to me.

"Wait.. are you telling me that Waverly is my true mate?"

With a nod, I said, "The way you reacted earlier when you saw her for the first time was similar to what I felt when I first saw Eve."

"Oh, crap," mumbled Asher, "What should I do?"

"Just take it slow and get to know each other; you will know what to do when the time comes," I explained.

Asher nodded, "Thanks, Bro."

A few hours later, we met Eve and Waverly in the foyer and then headed into the dining hall together. I wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to my side, glaring at anyone who got too close.

I told Eve to sit down while I went and grabbed our food. When I returned to the table, I growled when I spotted the pretty boy from this morning sitting across the table from Eve, who was fidgeting in her seat, obviously uncomfortable but too sweet to tell him to fuck off.

I set our plates down and took my seat next to Eve, my eyes never leaving the pretty boy's face. I could tell he was trying to impress Eve with his charm, but it just came off as slimy to me.

"So, Evelyn, how do you like the academy so far?" Gray asked, flashing her a smile.

"It's been interesting," she replied, her voice unsteady.

I could feel my anger building up inside of me, and I knew I had to do something before I lost my temper. I placed a comforting hand on Eve's knee and said, "She's enjoying it just fine; thanks for asking."

Gray raised an eyebrow, "And who might you be?"

"Her mate," I answered, my voice low and dangerous.

Gray's eyes widened in shock, "Oh, I didn't know that," he said before standing up from the table and addressing Eve, "Farewell for now," he winked in her direction and then strutted off.

I bared my teeth at the slimy asshole before returning my attention to Eve, "Are you alright?" I asked, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"I'm better now that you're here, Fuzzy Butt," she said, laying her head on my arm.

I kissed the top of her head, "You need to try to eat some; I don't want to see you getting sick again." I warned her, cutting up the steak that I got for her, "Try to eat some of this steak, please," I said, stabbing a piece with the fork.

When she took a bite, I felt pleased even though her face was red from embarrassment from being fed where everyone could see. I honestly don't really give a flying shit what they think. My mate's health was more important to me than anything else, so I stabbed another piece and continued until it was gone.

"What do your classes look like?" Asher asked Eve.

"First period, I have Language Arts with Mr. Pat; second period is Waken History with Mrs. Tasuke… What is Waken?" She asked me.

"Waken is what we call all supernatural creatures," I explained.

"Oh wow, I didn't know that. I still have a lot to learn about the supernatural world."