Rise of the Banished She-Wolf Chapter 88

Evelyn

The sun spilled through the windows of my lecture hall, but I barely noticed its warmth. My mind was still trapped in last night's failure – the searing pain when Devon had attempted to mark me as his mate. My wolf, still weak and not fully awakened, had rejected the bond.

"Miss Gray, are you listening?" Professor Wilson's voice cut through my thoughts.

I blinked, focusing on his expectant face. "Sorry, what was that?"

He sighed, the kind of exasperated sound reserved for brilliant students who weren't paying attention. "The programming competition. We need our best coders, and the computer club nominated you."

"I'm not interested," I said flatly, gathering my books. The last thing I needed was another commitment, especially one as pointless as a college programming competition.

"It's not optional, Miss Gray. The department has already submitted your name," he said, handing me a folder. "Practice starts today at four in the computer lab."

I took the folder without opening it, tucking it into my bag. "Fine. I'll be there."

Walking out of the lecture hall, I felt hollow. Even this – coding, the one thing I could always lose myself in – felt like a burden now.

The computer lab was already filled with students when I arrived. Most were hunched over their keyboards, testing code for the competition. I scanned the room, my mood darkening further when I spotted a familiar face.

Samuel sat at one of the terminals, his golden hair falling over his forehead as he typed. He looked up as if sensing my presence, a smile spreading across his face.

"Evelyn," he called out, loud enough to draw attention. "I saved you a seat."

I felt my lips thin into a hard line. Samuel seemed to be everywhere these days, his attention focused on me with an intensity that made my skin crawl.

"I'll sit somewhere else," I muttered, moving toward an empty station in the corner.

He rose from his chair, blocking my path. "We're supposed to be working in pairs. Professor Wilson assigned us together."

"Bullshit," I said, loud enough for others to hear.

Samuel's eyes gleamed with something I couldn't identify. "Ask Kate if you don't believe me. She's organizing the teams."

I glanced across the room where Kate was distributing assignment sheets. Her smirk told me everything I needed to know. Of course she would pair me with the student who clearly made me uncomfortable.

"Fine," I said through gritted teeth, sitting at the terminal beside him. "But touch my keyboard, and you'll pull back a stump."

Samuel laughed softly. "It's an honor to work with someone of your...talents, Evelyn."

The way he emphasized "talents" sent an uncomfortable chill down my spine.

After thirty minutes of half-hearted typing, I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. The code was elementary, barely challenging enough to keep me awake. Between my emotional exhaustion and the mundane assignment, staying conscious was becoming my greatest challenge.

"Sleeping on the job, Evelyn?" Kate's voice dripped with false sweetness as she approached our station. "Some of us are actually trying to win this competition."

I didn't bother opening my eyes. "I'll finish the entire program in ten minutes when I feel like it."

"Sure you will," Kate scoffed. "Your arrogance is showing, sister dear."

I cracked one eye open, feeling a flicker of silver flash across my iris. Kate took an instinctive step back.

"I could write this entire program in my sleep," I said, straightening in my chair. "Your assigned task is child's play."

The other students had stopped working, watching our exchange with undisguised interest. Programming rivalries were the closest thing to spectator sports in the computer science department.

"Prove it," Samuel said suddenly, his voice soft but carrying across the now-silent lab. "Show us what you can do, Evelyn."

All eyes turned to me. I glanced at the screen, then at Kate's smug face, and something inside me snapped. Fine. They wanted a show? I'd give them one.

My fingers flew across the keyboard, lines of code appearing on the screen faster than most people could read them. I didn't just solve the assigned problem – I optimized it, added security features, and built an interface that would make any tech company salivate.

Ten minutes later, I hit the final keystroke and turned to Kate. "Done. And I added a neural network component that would've taken your team weeks to develop."

The room was silent. Samuel's eyes were wide with what looked like admiration, while Kate's face had turned an unflattering shade of red.

Without another word, I deleted the entire program with three keystrokes, grabbed my bag, and walked out.

"Evelyn, wait!" Samuel's voice echoed down the hallway as he jogged to catch up with me. "That was incredible."

I kept walking, my boots clicking against the tiled floor. "I don't need your validation."

He matched my pace easily, his long legs giving him an advantage. "Why do you hide what you can do? Someone with your skills should be celebrated, not pretending to be average."

I stopped abruptly, turning to face him. "How would you know what my skills are? You've been here for what, two weeks?"

Samuel's expression shifted, something calculating replacing his usual charm. "I know talent when I see it."

"What are you really doing here, Samuel?" I asked, suspicion creeping into my voice.

"Perhaps I simply appreciate extraordinary things," he said, stepping closer. "And you, Evelyn Gray, are extraordinary in ways you don't even realize."

My heart pounded. Did he know about Aurora? Before I could press further, my phone chimed with a text from Lily.

[Devon and Jack are here to pick us up. Parking lot B.]

I stepped back from Samuel, relieved for the excuse to end this conversation. "I have to go."

"We'll talk again soon, Evelyn," he called after me, his voice carrying an unsettling certainty. "Sooner than you think."

The cool evening air was a welcome relief as I pushed through the double doors into the parking lot. Devon's black Audi was idling near the entrance, Jack's truck parked beside it. Lily waved enthusiastically from beside Jack, her golden-brown hair catching the last rays of sunlight.

"Finally!" she called out.

As I approached, Devon stepped out of his car, a lit cigar between his fingers. Even with the lingering pain from last night's failed marking, my heart skipped at the sight of him.

"Sorry I'm late," I said, reaching for his cigar and extinguishing it against the nearby ash tray. "You should cut back on these. Bad day?"

Devon's blue eyes softened as they met mine. He pulled me closer, his arm wrapping around my shoulders as he guided me toward his car. "Just business complications. Nothing I can't handle."

I looked up at him, seeing the tension in his jaw. "Is it about last night?"

His arm tightened around me. "I'm sorry," he whispered, so softly only I could hear it.

Those two simple words broke something in me. My eyes stung with unexpected tears, but I blinked them away quickly. "It wasn't your fault," I murmured, leaning into his solid warmth. "We'll figure it out."

Jack cleared his throat loudly. "If you two lovebirds are done whispering, Lily and I were thinking we could all go to Lydia's for a late dinner."

Devon looked down at me, a question in his eyes. I nodded, grateful for the distraction.

As we settled into Devon's car, his hand found mine, fingers intertwining. The gesture was simple, but it spoke volumes. We might have failed at the marking, but this – this connection between us – was real. And for now, that was enough.