Page 63 of In the Mouth of the Wolf

And I would definitely never look at my desk the same.

“That’s great, because I have you for Anatomy next semester, and I think I’m going to be coming to your office hours every day for help.”

31

MARLOWE

Irolled up my sleeve and winced.

Archer tsked. “This is just the rubbing alcohol. You need to relax.”

I dug my nails into my palm as he prepared to draw my blood. “Are you sure you’re qualified to do this?”

“When did I say I was qualified?” he chuckled darkly.

“Wait, wha— Ow, you son of a bitch!”

Blood filled the tube sticking out of the crook of my elbow and I grimaced, turning my face to the side. “That was mean,” I hissed through gritted teeth.

“Mean, but necessary. The longer you think about it, the more likely you are to faint. Is it needles or blood you don’t like?”

He tugged on the end of the rubber band on my bicep, extracting the needle and pressing a cotton ball over the pin prick hole. “Hold this.”

“Needles I think,” I replied. “I mean, nobody likes needles, right?”

He labeled the small vials and then stuck a piece of medical tape over the cotton ball to keep it in place. “If you say so. I’ve never minded too much myself. But I’ll keep the draws to a minimum, then.”

The thought of getting pricked again made my face pale, but I knew how important this research was to my scientific alpha. “I’m happy to help if I can. Have you thought about getting samples when I’m in my wolf form?”

His eyes twinkled, and I should have known he’d already run through all the tests he wanted to conduct. “Yes, but first we have to see if we can even get you to shift again.”

He put away the vials of my blood, and I bit my lip at the sight of him working in his lab coat. Sexy professor, sexy doctor… My pulse raced with the promise of all the games we could play.

Unfortunately, not only could shifters scent arousal, but the bond I had with my pack meant even my private thoughts and feelings weren’t so private anymore. Archer gave me a knowing look as he walked back over. “Ms. Linden, is there something you’d like to share with the class?” he asked, his voice low and sultry.

I crossed my legs tightly and then my arms. “That depends, will it get me out of running?”

He nipped me playfully on the nose. “I’m afraid not.”

Our next stop would be the Exercise Science Department, so he could conduct a treadmill test. He wanted to see if stress was the key to my ability to shift, which meant I needed to run while he measured my heart rate and blood pressure. And, possibly, induce a shift.

It didn’t seem safe to do so on a college campus, but Archer assured me the building would be empty. Apparently, the dean of that department was also a shifter, and had locked it down that afternoon as a favor.

“Besides, it’s not going to take too long,” he said. “Surely, you can endure fifteen minutes of cardio?”

Surely not. A co-worker had once convinced me to sign up for a 5K charity run with her, and the only thing that had propelled me over the finish line had been the thought of killing her.

I gave Archer my saddest whine and he groaned, his face contorting as he fought the urge to give in. “Come on, that’s not fair. I don’t use my alpha bark on you.”

A snort erupted from my chest. “Alpha bark? What the hell is that?”

He shot me a very evil grin, running his tongue along the bottom of his teeth. His hands in his pockets, he leaned over, taking a moment before he finally spoke in a commanding tone. “Up.”

My body moved of its own volition, hopping out of my chair and standing at attention.

“Ten jumping jacks.”

Once more I obeyed, and my mouth dropped open in shock at the total and complete control he could wield over me. “How are you doing this?”

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