You tapped your pencil against the table impatiently as you watched the door to the lab. It was about five minutes past the designated meeting time with this “Z” person and yet, there you sat, alone at the workstation. Five more minutes and you were going to walk out of here. Part of you was contemplating pulling a favor out of Jace in the front office just to get “Z”’s information and give him a piece of your mind for wasting your time.

When you checked the doorway for the millionth time, your eyes nearly bugged out of your head. Tao walked into the lab, searching the room like he was looking for someone. Your instinct was to immediately sit your textbook up while slinking down in your chair to try and go unnoticed. Hopefully he’d find his tutor soon and not catch even a glimpse of you, although you weren’t sure exactly why you were hiding from him. You didn’t do anything embarrassing that night, but you still felt the need to make yourself disappear until the coast was clear.

“That engrossed in equations, huh?”

You groaned. Not even internally, you let that irritated sound out for the world to hear. With a loud, attention-grabbing slam, you let the textbook fall to the table and looked up at Tao, giving him the most unimpressed look that you could muster. “Actually, these particular problem are expressions since there isn’t an equal sign present.” Why were you being so hostile? You weren’t normally this snappy. Leaning back in your chair, you folded your arms. “Can I help you with something?”

Tao just smirked at your attitude. “I came here for my tutoring session.”

“Excuse me?” No. No. There was no way. “Last I checked, I was waiting for a ‘Z. Huang’ and I’m pretty sure ‘Tao’ doesn’t start with a ‘Z’.”

Tao slid into the chair opposite you. “Tao is just a nickname. My full name is Huang Zitao. But I’m glad to know you’ve already heard of me.”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve heard of you,” you drawled as you leaned forward. “Especially, after you dumped my friend in the middle of your date last Saturday.”

That seemed to catch the player off guard. He swallowed visibly and shifted in his chair. “I had an emergency come up.”

“What kind of emergency?”

“None of your business.”

The two of you were in a standoff, neither walking away when that probably would have been the smart thing to do. But Tao just kept staring at you, a taunting smile in his dark eyes. Your heart was beating at a pace that was simultaneously rapid and timid. You wanted to run out of there, but at the same, stay right where you were.

“So, wait a minute,” Tao said, finally breaking the silence, “were you there at the restaurant to spy on your friend while she was out with me?”

You scoffed, probably with a little much offense added in. “No. Why would I ever-” you huffed. It was way too obvious of a conclusion that he’d reached and you didn’t really have a good argument beyond the fragile “coincidence” stance. “Okay, fine. Yes, I was there to make sure that the guy whose so-much-less-than-honorable reputation precedes him treated my friend with the respect that she deserved.”

“And how did I do?” he asked.

“Not too bad,” you shrugged, hating to admit the truth. “Until you bee lined it out of there, leaving her high and dry.”

“Hey!” Tao snapped. He didn’t seem to take too kindly your description. “I paid for the meal and made sure she got home safe. I didn’t leave her stranded there with the check. Some things I just can’t control, okay?”

You sighed, a little guilty that you riled him up so much. It was plain to see that he didn’t want to talk about it anymore and you couldn’t really argue with what seemed to be a legitimate emergency. Besides, you were supposed to be focusing on math, not verbally swinging at him for not being interested in your friend. Isn’t that what you wanted anyway? For her to have a date that wasn’t notorious for getting with every other girl? “Okay, clean slate. Since you’ve signed up for all my time slots, let’s just focus on what you need help with.”

Tao pulled out his textbook from the fancy, high-end bag he was carrying over his shoulder and moved his chair so he was now next to you, elbow to elbow.

You raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you have to sit that close?”

He smoldered at you and no amount of denial could change the fact that your stomach did a summersault right then and there. “Does it bother you if I sit this close?”

“Yes,” you deadpanned.

For a moment, he didn’t move. His eyes remained steadily on you and so you continued to stare pointedly back. Tao sighed heavily before shuffling a few inches over. “Better?”

“Much.” You took control of the tutoring session once again, sliding the textbook over to your side in order to get a better look. “Okay, business statistics. Not too big of a deal.”

Tao snorted. “You some sort of math genius, then?”

You shook your head, not looking up from the textbook. “No, I struggle with some theorems and equations like everyone else. I just enjoy it a little more.”

“You enjoy math?” There was a hint of disgust sprinkled in with adoration. The usual mix you got when you voiced the unpopular opinion that you enjoyed math, but - you had to admit - the adoration seemed a little stronger in his response.

“Yes, I do,” you grumbled. “I know that makes me a freak, so let’s just move on because of one us here is actually trying to help you.” Right now, you were not in the mood to be gawked at. But the words on the page were started to squish together into illegibleness, throwing off your concentration.

Why was it such a big deal if you actually appreciated this mostly-hated subject? Everyone was allowed to have their own interests. This was a fight that you had with Wyatt, the musical theatre major, and Kendall, the human resources specialist on a nearly regular basis. They were supposed to be your best friends since middle school and yet, even they tended to cross the line of teasing into maliciousness.

Math was an essential part of society’s backbone. It’s what helped create skyscrapers and subway systems and amusement parks. If there weren’t people like you interested in the subject, imagine how drastically the many things people took for granted every day would die out or simply disappear. Bye-bye cell phones and cars and computers. You doubted Kendall would enjoy living like the cavemen.

“You’re not a freak.”

Your eyes snapped up.

The expression on Tao’s face was shocking. Gone was the teasing and the smirking. His eyebrows were pulled together, the corners of his lips drifting downwards. Slowly, as if he didn’t want to scare you, he lift his hand and reached for you. The tips of his fingers came within a hair’s breadth away from your skin. You could practically feel the heat radiating from his hand.

Before he could touch your cheek, however, you pulled away, letting your eyes fall back down to the table. What was that all about?

You heard his hand fall limply back into his lap. He adjusted his chair for a better view of the book, all hints of flirting and obnoxious gestures long gone. And yet… your breathing still wasn’t evening out. It was coming in and out as shallow as a children’s pool. Maybe if you just kept your eyes down you’d be okay.

But your eyes immediately disobeyed and flickered up to Tao’s face, studying it like it would hold all the answers for the final exam for your life. How could his profile be so sharp? You were fighting the urge to reach out and trace the outline of his jaw with your finger just to see if it would cut the pad of your finger. From his nose to his lips was one perfect smooth line. His ears and cartilage were pierced, something that you’d never found attractive on the male species, but somehow it seemed apart of Tao, like he’d look… off if he didn’t have those studs sparkling in the florescent lighting. Even though his hair had to be bleached to no end, it still seemed to keep a silky appearance, soft enough to run your hand through-

You blinked. What the hell was going on in your head? This boy was a flirt from the very second he stepped into the lab. And you hated guys like that.

Math. Math. I need to concentrate on math.

Keeping your focus on your favorite subject had never been this difficult, even when you had Kim Minseok as your GTA for Calculus freshman year. Plenty of your classmates were swooning over his youthful looks and, to be honest, you, too, were paying close attention to every word he was saying. But you could still recite approximately what the lesson of the day had been about.

Right now, though? You were barely able to interpret the words on the page or what Tao was describing that he was having trouble with. Please, let these three hours go by fast so you could get the hell out of here.

**

Tao wasn’t sure whether to be smug or frustrated.

From the way your body was reacting to his closeness – the way your heart was pounding your chest, the raggedy way you your breath was escaping your lips – he knew you were feeling the pull. The pull that was overwhelming him right now.

It was mindboggling how quickly all his feelings and apprehensive thoughts faded in such a short amount of time. Kris had described how quickly the instinct to protect and be with your mate took over to the point of being unable to fight it. Nor did Tao really want to, he discovered.

He liked the way it felt, being next to you. It was an elated feeling, like his feet weren’t touching the ground. But he wanted to know what it was like to touch you. Would the feeling be the same? Would it be even more addicting? Some of his brothers talked about a pleasing electricity that flowed when they met their mate’s skin. Would both of you feel that, too?

Apparently, Tao was going to have to take it slow. Too slow. You were blocking or dismissing every advance he was throwing your way. His usual weapons were powerless against you. It didn’t help that Kendall was still sour about that date. Tao couldn’t help it. Even if he hadn’t ended it so abruptly, all that would have happened was him dropping her off at her door and driving off.

In the present moment, no other solution was coming to his head. He didn’t know how to approach you without his usual suave aura. You didn’t respond well to it, but it always worked before. What was he supposed to do? Be himself?

He wasn’t even sure who that was anymore.

Tao watched you out of the corner of his eye, careful to make it seem like he was absorbing any of the words that were leaving your lips. He wondered what they tasted like. Not like the others he’d caught before, certainly not.

Maybe he wasn’t so lost in the water after all.

You were staring at him.

Don’t look up. Don’t scare her off.

He fought to keep his gaze down at the blurry pages. He wanted to know what was going through your head right now, what was causing you to stare at him. If only he could look at your eyes to try and read whatever you were hiding behind them.

The next three hours were torture for Tao. He didn’t really pay attention to whatever you were trying to explain he was doing wrong in his homework. It didn’t matter, anyway. He’d correct it to what he knew was right as soon as he got home.

“Welp, times up,” you smiled at him. Were you really waiting for him to have to leave so excitedly?

Tao smirked at you as he put his textbook away and stood up. “Seems like it is. See you on Friday.”

The grin on your face slipped away. “Wait. What?”

Now he had you. If you thought that this was the last you would see of the wolf, you were wrong. Leaning down so he was face to face with you, he whispered, “I signed up for all your sessions on Friday as well. I really need to get caught up on this class.” He couldn’t help it. He added a little wink at the end before sauntering on out of the math lab.

He knew he’d left you stunned in that seat behind him and that’s exactly how he wanted it. Sure, his usual tactics might be suffering, but taking you by surprise like that was a good way to make sure he lingered on your mind.

Out in the parking lot, he met Sehun, who was already sitting in the passenger’s seat of Tao’s convertible. The maknae didn’t like driving himself around. If anyone refused him, he’d just shift and run around the forest with a bag on his back, getting dressed on the outskirts of town out of sight. Tao didn’t mind having Sehun ride shotgun, though. The two were best friends, even more so since they got back, and besides, he was the best wing man when it came to grabbing the attention of the girls in a bar on a Friday night. But those days were no more.

“How is the ‘wooing’ going?” Sehun asked monotonously, not even looking up from his phone as Tao slid behind the wheel.

“It might be time for a strategy change,” Tao sighed.

Sehun snickered, “Or maybe you’re just an idiot and she’s not actually your mate.”

Tao growled at that snide remark. He wasn’t wrong about this. The instincts were too strong, too… there for him to be. Besides, what kind of dumb wolf couldn’t discern random attraction from the mate pull? Tao may have his idiotic moments, but he wasn’t that stupid.

Peeling out of the parking lot, Tao sped down the road, letting the wheels in his head take a much needed break. It wasn’t an easy task. You plagued every corner of his consciousness and there was nowhere to find solace. He’d spent so long running from the idea of finding his mate that he never expected it to be this overwhelming. Or hard. He almost wanted to apologize to his brothers for giving them such a hard time before.

Almost.

After pulling into the garage and parking the car in Tao’s self-designated spot, the former dynamic duo sauntered into the farmhouse. Passed the parlor in the living room was Mei surrounded by the already-claimed mates, minus Evie. The girls must be babysitting so the parents could have some “alone time”. As if the pack really needed another pup running around here.

At the sight of the two uncles, Mei giggled and pulled herself up onto her unstable feet, wobbling to and fro as she made her way towards them. Sehun crouched down, arms wide open to scoop the baby up, but she bypassed him to Tao instead. The latter cackled uncontrollably as he picked Mei up.

“What can I say? The ladies love me.”

Sehun stood back up. “Except only one of us can accept that love now.”

Tao frowned, fighting to bite back a growl. He didn’t want to scare Mei and make her cry.

“How did the tutoring session go, Tao?” Lanie asked in a teasing voice. They all knew he didn’t need the lessons, but it was best plan to get to know you that he could come up with at the time.

He was still a little shocked that Kris had been right; he did like what he saw in you. While you were a little prickly towards him, overall you seemed to have a kind heart. And, to him, that was the most important thing a person could own.

“It could have gone better,” Tao admitted. “But don’t worry, there’s plenty more charm up my sleeve.”

“We don’t doubt it, Tao,” Dana chuckled softly. Tao always liked Dana, ever since he met her. She had delicacy about her, not as much bite as the other mates. Not to mention, she was always bringing treats back from the bakery for him.

Just then, Jongin stepped into the living room and Mei went wild, squirming in Tao’s arms until he finally let her down so she could stumble over to the baby magnet. As soon as Jongin started the baby talk, Tao made his getaway, taking the steps upstairs two at a time.

Inside the safety of his bedroom that he shared with Sehun (neither of them particularly liked sleeping in a room alone), Tao flopped down the bed, staring up at the ceiling as he put his headphones over his ears.

Through the small speakers, he allowed himself to drift through the melodies of his favorite ballads, eyes closed and cutting him off from the world, if just for a little while. The soft tinkling of the piano keys paired with the soothing voice that sang of lost love and trying to forget gave him the peace that he’d been searching for. How many times had he listened to this particular song and thought of Lyn? Where was she now? Were there any remnants of her left in his mind?

It seemed that indeed, every last piece of her was gone. Did he remember what she looked like?

Okay, it wasn’t that extreme. He could picture her eyes, her hair, the way she smiled. But its potency was gone. And he didn’t mind one bit. He didn’t feel like comparing you and her; there was no competition. Tao felt… lighter, somehow. He’d been running in the opposite direction for so long, now he was able to stop and breathe again.

When the song came to its end, Tao opened his eyes, only to find a face floating above him. He let out a yelp, crashing down off the bed and onto the floor while Luhan laughed his off.

Yanking the headphones off, Tao jumped to his feet. “What the hell?”

“It’s not my fault you didn’t hear me knock,” Luhan threw his hands up innocently. “Sehun told me to go ahead and come in.”

Tao looked behind Luhan, but the punk wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Luhan must have bumped into him in the hallway. “Did you need something?”

Luhan shrugged. “Just checking on you. Heard you spent some one-on-one time with your mate.” There was a hint of jealousy in his voice, but Tao didn’t take any offense.

The poor guy was always looking around the corner for his mate. It would happen for him, someday. Tao just hoped it would be sooner rather than later. If this was how Tao was feeling, he could just imagine how high Luhan’s cloud nine would rise after yearning for it for so long.

Tao shrugged. “I wouldn’t necessarily call it a success. But I’ve got time. She hasn’t outright told me no, yet.”

“Good for you,” Luhan nodded, a strained smile on his lips.

Staring at one of his favorite pack members, Tao tilted his head to the side and asked, “Is everything okay?”

The fake smile suddenly became a little too bright. Luhan was putting on a good act, but Tao had spent too many years by his side to be fooled. “Everything’s great. But I should probably be heading out. I picked up an extra shift tonight at the bar. No idea why,” he snorted. “It’s going to be dead. I’ll see you later.” Before he could be stopped, he was out the door.

Deciding that it wasn’t worthy trying to fight it out of Luhan, Tao let it go as he lied back down on the bed. For once, he wasn’t hungry and when he closed his eyes for the second time, he let the music playing in his ears drift him off to sleep….

**

Tao was doing everything he could to not break out into a sprint towards the mathematics building. His class had let out late and – while on Wednesday showing up five minutes after the meeting time had been a strategy play – he didn’t want you to think he was flaking out on you. Fifteen minutes had already gone by and he had to make sure that he didn’t miss you, but his supernatural strength gave him a faster run than even the track star and he couldn’t risk bringing that kind of attention to himself.

When he finally reached the lab, he eyes searched around frantically for you. Every table was occupied, however, none of the taken seats were being warmed by you.

“(y/n)’s sick today.”

Tao turned to the front desk where Jae was sitting. “What?”

“She called about a half hour ago,” Jae explained. There was definitely a little taunting in his voice. Idiot was still sour that Tao had swooped in and taken up his date time.

Sorry, , but she’s my mate and would never give you the time of day anyway.

With a roll of his eyes, Tao stomped out of the math lab. Sick? Yeah, right. You were avoiding him. It didn’t matter. He was going to squeeze in his tutoring time today whether you liked it or not.