Eyes in the Night

@ Sweet.Persephone
It seemed that Charlotte didn't catch on to things in the paranormal realm. A wolf getting hurt, and a human turning up with a similar injury. Sure, he wasn't seen by Charlotte. Only heard, but surely her friends came back with at least a limp or something. Right? He had done some sort of damage to the two of them, he was an Alpha. He was the strongest in his pack. He needed to be able to protect them and himself in any situation.

Slowly, Vince ran his tongue along his lips as he listened to Charlotte. "I manage." He murmured quietly as he looked at the screen of his laptop. Slowly scrolling through things as he looked for the newest saved file for the project. He had to delete some of the older files to hide that he'd already completed this course a couple of times already. "Pretty sure I heard the cops got called to that party," Vince murmured quietly, his eyes focused on his screen as he clicked around the keyboard mostly one-handed.

"Not enough in abundance to say yes to," Vince murmured quietly as he looked at the list that he had created through studying up online and from old things that he had on his computer and laying around. "I do have these though." Then he started to name a couple of the minerals and rock types that he had. Then glanced up to look at his group partners, hoping to god that he could work alone on this because if he had to work with Joe, he was going to bash his brains out.

@ FallenHope95

As Vincent started to name what he had in his area, Charlotte glanced down at her own list to match up what they had. Though as he started going through them, the woman knew that they were going to have to work together. Who would have thought their two areas had such similarities? "I have all but one of those on my list." The woman told him as she tilted her computer a bit to show Vincent her own research on the area.

Joe let out a sigh and leaned back into his chair. "I don't have those on my list." He said before looking over at Chad, who also seemed a little disappointed with how things developed. Charlotte, on the other hand, was not loving this outcome. She had really just wanted to work on her part of the project alone. It was just easier that way. Though, at least, Vincent seemed nicer today but who knew if the man was going to be giving her emotional whiplash or not.

"It looks like we are going to be working together." Charlotte told Vincent as she turned her computer back to herself. Her eyes then shifted over to Joe and Chad. "And it sounds like you both can just do your own parts?"

"Yes. Though I'll just message you if I run into any issues." Chad said with a grin on his face. "We are all still partners on the project, right?"

"Uh, right." Charlotte responded back, dearly hoping that Chad was not going to take too much advantage of that. She definitely did not want to get a million emails from him.

@ Sweet.Persephone
Glancing towards Charlotte, Vincent nodded his head in agreement. Working with the female who might be his mate was a thousand times better than working with one of two idiots who Vincent was almost certainly couldn't find their ways out of a paper bag. Although, if either of them manages to actually finish their part of the project on their own, then Vince would gladly take away the idiot remarks he's been mentally making since the start of the assignment.

Sensing how uncomfortable Charlotte was getting by the question that Chad asked. "Why don't we have a group chat, that way we can all help each other instead of relying on one person to answer the question?" Vince glanced at Charlotte, hoping that she was feeling a little bit relieved in the least bit at his suggestion. "After all, it's a group project. Right?" Vince looked back towards Chad and Joe, giving him one of those looks he gives his packmate when they're getting on his nerves and not listening to him.

Once the two idiots nodded their heads, Vince looked back down at his screen. Satisfied that the two gave in so easily. It meant that they could focus on their work finally. "Let's get started then, We have a little while to go, so it's best to get what we can do and not waste any more time on just talking. We can exchange numbers at the end of class." Vince murmured, already focused on trying to do some research before they had to split up for their next classes if they had any.

@ FallenHope95

Charlotte felt like she was able to relax a bit once the three men agreed to having the group chat. She had not really wanted to deal with all of the messages that Chad and Joe already seemed more than happy to send to her. It seemed like the type of thing that would quickly get exhausting and annoying. Though Vincent had taken care of it for her with the mention of the group chat. At least that meant she wouldn't have to answer everything that was sent in there as others would have the opportunity to say something. After all, the paper wasn't her sole responsibility.

As Vincent mentioned starting work on the project, Charlotte went ahead and set up their paper through google docs. Once everyone had access to it, she split the pages up into sections that they needed; the title page, bibliography, and etc. The other three were reviewing their researching or talking about some of the rocks and minerals that they had in common. At that point, it seemed that the class was going by pretty fast and soon enough, it was the end and they were getting dismissed.

Once it was time to leave, she passed her notebook around for the three of them to provide their phone numbers so she could start the group chat. Part of her was considering getting a fake number app so she could turn off the notifications in case the two bozos still decided to be annoying.

After she had the numbers and Chad and Joe were heading off, Charlotte turned to Vincent. "Thank you again for letting me borrow your jacket." She said as she shrugged it off and offered it back to him. "And it looks like we should set up some time to talk about the project since our sections are so similar, if you're okay with that."

@ Sweet.Persephone
Thank fuck everyone went along with the group chat idea. The last thing Vincent wanted was to have to think up a way to tell Chat and Joe to leave Charlotte alone without having to kill them or reveal himself to them. Both options were things that he didn't want to deal with, both would force his hand in ways that he wasn't interested in going. He had his pack and he couldn't put them in that much trouble for one female who had the possibility of becoming his mate if he chose to confront her about it.

Closing his laptop as the class ended, Vince glanced up at Charlotte as she tried to hand his jacket back to him. "Keep it, it's still cool outside and you're wet." He said as he shifted his hazel gaze away from her and looked down as he placed his laptop back into his bag. "I'll be fine on my own." He zipped up his bag and stood, looking down at Charlotte as she spoke to him. His lips pursing at the idea of spending time alone with her. It was a risky thing, especially since she often smelled like other males of his kind. Although, if he could get her away from them, then it wouldn't be bad. IF she was with him, then he'd be less inclined to be rude to her.

"When were you thinking of meeting up? My schedule's pretty open." Vince waited by the table for Charlotte to grab her things. Wanting to walk her to class, and let that other pack know that he was starting to make a claim on her. He wanted to see how they'd react to his scent on Charlotte. To see him guarding her, to know that he was going to take something of theirs. "I can walk you to your class or car, or something, I'm done for the day."

@ FallenHope95

As Vincent told her to keep it, Charlotte gave him a bit of a sheepish smile. She was actually glad that he was still letting her wear it. It was the only thing she had on that was keeping her warm and the woman was sure that it was still raining, or at least, drizzling outside. Plus she also did not have an interest in showing off her breasts to everyone as she walked through campus to get back to her dorm. "Thank you. I'll make sure to bring it back next time."

Turning back to the desk, Charlotte started to collect all of her items. She hadn't gotten the chance to put her things away yet. Though she noticed how Vincent still stayed with her. It was strange how quickly Vincent seemed to flip. But this chance she definitely did not mind. Once everything was back in her backpack, the young woman turned back to him. "Oh, let me look." She said as she pulled out her phone to look at her calendar. "I have availability tomorrow and the day after past 3? Or we could meet on Sunday? Does any of that work?"

"Oh, that's nice of you! Though I am actually heading back to my dorm now. I live at Jonis. I wouldn't mind the company though if you don't mind the walk?" Charlotte knew that it wasn't the closest dorm from where they were. It was only about a 15 minute walk but who knew if Vincent actually wanted to do that. She started to head out of the lab with him at her side.

@ Sweet.Persephone
A raise of his shoulder was Vincent's answer when Charlotte mentioned giving him the jacket back the next time they met. Honestly, as long as she smelled like him then she could keep the damn thing for as long as she wanted. Hell, he hoped she didn't wash it before giving it back to him. Her scent on him would certainly make him relax more at home, especially as it'd help him get comfortable with her and be able to track her easier if he memorized her scent.

Slowly, Vince ran his tongue along his lips as he watched Charlotte putting her things away. Then standing up with him. "Let's do Sunday, we can mean earlier that day and get more done. Sound good?" Plus it'd help keep the scent of that other pack off of her for the rest of the week. Hopefully. "Just pick a place and time, and I'll meet you there," Vincent said as he watched Charlotte, just taking in her features. He was mad at himself for being so rude on the first day of class, but well, that was before he got a whiff of her natural scent.

"I don't mind," Vince said as he moved to follow Charlotte out of the building. His eyes glancing up towards the sky. Seeing that it was just dark clouds out now, although the scent of rain was still heavy in the air. A drizzle or sudden downpour was going to be upon them doon, Vince could sense it. Although he could really care less. As long as he was with Charlotte. "Have you lived here your whole life?" Vince asked as they started to walk the path to her dorm, wanting to see if he could learn anything persona; about Charlotte as they walked.

@ FallenHope95

"Yeah, that sounds great." Charlotte responded. She liked the idea of doing Sunday. It just gave her more time to prepare and it also meant that if they needed some extra time, they would have it. After all, not much happened on Sundays. "And I'll message you with a place and time tonight." She needed a moment to think about what would work best for her. And it seemed that Vincent was up for anyplace and any where. Part of her thought of a coffee shop but... well it could get so loud in there. Besides, Charlotte could stop by to get coffee before meeting up with him.

As they walked out of the building, Charlotte tightened the jacket around her body in an attempt to stay warm. She swore she could feel the moisture in the air. Plus the young woman didn't welcome the cool breeze that was coming along with the storm. Being wet and cold wasn't really up her alley but it was what was happening now. She zipped up the front of the jacket and then hid her hands inside of it.

"No, I only moved onto campus a few weeks ago." Charlotte teased gently as she let out a warm laugh. "Though to really answer your question, no. I moved to this state freshman year of high school. But I liked it so much that I decided to stay here for college even though the rest of my family was moving out." She looked up at the sky for a moment, a large smile on her face. "I just really like it here. How about you? Are you from around here?"

@ Sweet.Persephone
Good, Vincent was glad that charlotte had taken the bait. Sunday he'll try and keep her with him for as long as possible. The more she's away from that other pack, the better. "I'll be waiting then, I guess," Vince said, offering Charlotte a small shrug. Not really sure if he should have said anything or not. It's been ages since he'd tried to date, anyone. Usually, he'd just picked a woman up at a club or bar, fuck them in a bathroom and then leave them. It was as simple as that. Charlotte wasn't simple though, she was far from it,

"Oh, so you don't just repeat the same year over and over?" Vince asked, playing along with her little tease. The right corner of his lips twisting into a small smirk before he went back into his normal neutral self. His head nodding ever so slightly as he listened to Charlotte. Making a mental note of what she was telling him so that he could remember it for a later date. "Where are you originally from?" Vince asked, glancing sideways towards Charlotte as she spoke. Wanting to take in her features as she spoke. The way she said certain words, pronouncing them cutely. Charlotte was someone Vince had just met and he already felt his heart beating for her.

Then, before Charlotte could see him watching her. He looked forward and then let out a small hum as the question was redirected at him. "I'm not from here, no," Vince told her, his eyes looking up towards the sky as he remembered his home. "I'm from Hawaii, haven't been there in ages though. Father was in the army so we moved once I turned six. Just sorta ended up here on a whim with some friends." Vince told her, half lying to her.

@ FallenHope95

"Definitely not." Charlotte laughed. "Sounds like a pain to be in an infinite loop of being a freshman in college. Taking all the same classes, getting sent all of the same freshman information." She shook her head a little at the idea. It was a funny idea but definitely not one that Charlotte wanted to do. Hell, she didn't even want to become a transfer student. Starting up at one school had been enough work for her. Plus the freshman week had been long. It was just the school's way of stuffing as much important information into one's head as fast as possible.

Taking a strand of chair, Charlotte tucked it behind her ear as she looked up at him. Though her eyes shifted back to the sidewalk in front of them as she continued to navigate around the other students who were making their way around campus. "I'm from Maine. I liked it there, don't get me wrong but... I don't know, I feel like the people are more friendly here. And I really enjoy the weather. Hopefully it'll snow soon as well."

"Oh so you don't remember much from Hawaii then, do you?" The young woman asked him. "And it sounds like you have not been around her much either? But that must be fun, going to college with your friends. You all must be roommates then?"

@ Sweet.Persephone
Pursing his lips together, Vincent forced the corners of his lips to arch and make it seem like he was smiling at what she was saying. Charlotte had no idea that she just described what he's got to do. To blend in, he's got to restart living his life over and over. In the past, he used to be able to go to high school for a year before going to college, but. Now that he's a couple of years older, he's no longer able to. He's in his prime, he's too well build to act like a typical high schooler now. So, college and then a year or two of working before having to move.

Glancing away from Charlotte for a moment, Vince looked around to make sure that they weren't going to get hit by a car or walk into someone. Especially one of those pricks who were trying to make a move on his mate. "You like the snow?" Vince asked as he glanced down at Charlotte once more. Offering her an actual small smile as he noticed her looking at him. Then followed her lead as she looked away, watching where they were walking and shifting a bit so that Charlotte and he didn't get pushed away as they passed by a couple of people. "What about snow do you like? It's so cold."

A small hum escaped from Vince as he glanced up towards the darkening sky. "I remember the smell of the ocean mostly. The rest could be compared to living in California or Florida. Warm weather and nice beaches." Vince shrugged his shoulders. "It's fun traveling with friends, but sometimes they can get on my nerves." A small smirk played along the right corner of Vince's lips. "We do, we actually live in a house a couple of miles out of town. Nothing surrounds us but vast woods and beautiful foliage for miles. It's calming, peaceful."

@ FallenHope95

Charlotte let out a warm, melodious laugh as Vincent mentioned that the snow was so cold. "Yes, I suppose that it is." She responded in agreement. "But it's more than just cold! Snow is so beautiful. I love the look of it and how it just covers everything. It makes me feel so cozy, sitting inside, watching it fall. Like I should be by a roaring fireplace or drinking hot cocoa." She let out a long happy hum. "I also like going to play in it. You know, snow angels, snowball fights and skiing. Snow is really great. And I don't mind the cold that comes along with the weather as long as I can always go warm up inside quickly. Do you not enjoy it then?"

Once Vincent started to speak, her head lifted up and she looked over his face, trying to read his facial expressions. Though his face was tilted up to the sky, which caused the young woman to do the same. It was definitely going to storm again. Hopefully she would not be the reason that caused Vincent to get caught in the rain. "It looks like it is going to storm again soon, doesn't it?" Charlotte said as she started to pick up the pace a bit. She really didn't want to get caught in it either.

"Well it can be hard not to get on each other's nerves. After all, you're living together! I am sure that you see a lot more of them now than you used to in high school." She pointed out to him. "Though it does sound like a lot of fun. Being able to spend so much time with your friends...hmmmm... And it sounds like it's a lovely place as well. But I can assure you that it doesn't compare to the dorms on campus." Charlotte joked.

@ Sweet.Persephone
A raise of his shoulders is Vince's first answer for Charlotte as he looked towards her once more. "I don't mind it, but living in mostly warm areas, it's a harder change for me to accept," Vince explained as he slowly slips his hands into his pockets. Acting casual as he walked with Charlotte. "Can't really remember the last time I played in the snow, I was usually inside watching movies or playing video games in my youth." In reality, Vince couldn't really remember if he ever played in the snow.

"It's going to be a heavy downpour, probably," Vincent smirked a little bit at the thought. "I enjoy storms, the chaos that they cause. The lightning and the thunder. It's like its own form of art, in a way." Vince could smell the coming rain. Feel the electric current as it charged and got ready for the storm to hit and cause destruction and chaos. To remind the world that mother nature is the one that is in charge, not the humans.

Listening to Charlotte, Vincent smirked as he looked down at her. "Actually, they're like my brothers. We were always at each other's houses growing up, so we see each other about the same amount." He half lied once more. They always lived together, Vince's parents being the ones in charge at the time. "But you're right. It's fun to have them around." Then, for the first time. Around Charlotte anyway, a small chuckle escaped from Vince as he listened to her talk about the dorms. "Hmm, you're probably right. Nothing can beat the greatness of sharing a cramped room with people you might not like for months on end."

@ FallenHope95

"Well you better get prepared for it then because it should be snowing here soon." Charlotte told him with a grin. "And then you'll have a chance to go play in it. Though don't come to me to complain if you nose ends up getting too cold after the fact. That's on you." She let out a light laugh at the thought of it. Though she doubted that Vincent would go out and enjoy the weather just because she said so. It was clear that he wasn't a huge fan of winter.

"I enjoy storms from inside." Charlotte responded. "I wouldn't want to be caught in them. Though I like watching and listening to it. Just, you know, in a safe dry place." While the woman did enjoy storms and rain, she didn't exactly want to get soaked and have the wind blow her around. Plus it they did get a little rowdy, then Charlotte got scared. But she wasn't going to admit that to him.

A warm smile came over her face as Vincent started to explain that his friends were like his brother. It was actually pretty sweet to think about. Having others that were that close to one without actually being family. "I was actually pretty lucky and have a single dorm room. So at least I am not sharing my own room with someone else. Thanks to one of my friends, they were able to get it for me." Charlotte stopped once they were in front of her dorm. "Though I'll admit that it's not as nice as a house." She motioned to the building behind her. "But this is me. Thank you for walking me back."

@ Sweet.Persephone
Walking Charlotte to her dorm was a good idea. Vincent managed to learn a little bit from his possible mate. She was a lot brighter and sweeter than what he had originally thought. Although, he wasn't mister perfect on their first meeting either. With his scent on her, things seemed to be a lot better between them. Calmer you could say. Less territorial on his part. A small hum escaped from Vince as he thought about snow coming soon. He was not looking forward to it. As that means that it'll be harder to sneak around if he decided to try and follow Charlotte.

As they arrived at the dorm, Vince stopped a step behind Charlotte and looked up towards the tall building. "Your friend managed to get you, your own dorm room?" Vince repeated, wanting to make sure that he had heard her correctly. "Aren't these dorms supposed to be kinda expensive? Do they work for the school or something?" Vince asked, genuinely curious because in actuality, he had looked into the place's dorms before they went back to the house and the dorms here weren't exactly cheap. Especially the ones that were on the single room floor plan.

Lowering his gaze, Vincent just offered Charlotte a small smile as he felt the first raindrop. "I think it's time for me to head out." He murmured as he turned to head back towards the way that they had come to not seem suspicious. "I'll see you later, Charlotte," Vince said as he started to walk towards the school once more. Fully planning to shift once he was out of ear and eyesight of the young human girl.

@ FallenHope95

"Yes." Charlotte responded to him. "Their neighbor actually works for the University here so he was able to save me one of the rooms although they normally go up for auction. I've known him for years, he's a really nice man." A warm smile came over the young woman's face at the thought. It would have been a lot harder to find a nice dorm room and she hadn't been very interesting in sharing a room with another person.

"See you around, Vincent." Charlotte said before she turned back and headed into the dorm. It was later that day when Charlotte mentioned Vincent about where they should meet. She thought that one of the study rooms in the library would be perfect. So she put them on the schedule.

---

When Sunday morning came around, Charlotte made her way towards the study room in the library. She had stopped by the coffee shop to get some caffeine. It had been an eventful Saturday night. More than what the young woman had originally expected, as she had planned to head to bed at a reasonable hour to be ready for her meetup with Vincent but her friends had other plans.

As she walked into the door of the study room, she smiled warmly at Vincent and closed the door behind her. She smelled faintly of forest, smoke, her lavender shampoo and a mixture of both Vincent's and her friends scent. "Good Morning," Charlotte said sweetly, although a little tired. She shrugged off Vincent's jacket from her arm and handed it to him. "Thank you for letting me borrow it the other day."

The jacket, on the other hand, only smelled of Charlotte.

@ Sweet.Persephone
A small yawn escaped from Vincent as he leaned back in his chair. It was a nice relaxing weekend for him. He got a lot of homework done and some studying, even though he didn't have to. Still, though, it felt nice to refresh his memory and see if anyone's updated the information online and in books. It would be quite a big deal if he was spewing knowledge that was debunked way back when he was a young pup.

Reaching out, Vince grabbed the iced coffee he picked up from the store and took a few sips. Vince knew it wasn't real coffee, with all of the sugar and shit that was in it, but damn did it pick him up in the morning. Giving him more of a sugar rush than anything else. Then, as he set his drink down on the table, his eyes went back to the sight he was reading. Getting all of the info he needed for something before exiting it and going back to his word doc to edit a couple of things. He was a few min early, so he had time to do a few things before he and Charlotte spoke about the project.

Hearing the door to the study room open, Vince looked up from his typing and glanced at Charlotte. The hairs on the back of his neck raised ever so slightly as he caught a whiff of multiple scents on her. "Hey." He murmured quietly, as he watched the young girl come into the room. "Long night?" He asked, eyeing her for a moment before slowly taking his jacket back and then placing it onto the back of his chair. The pure smell of Charlotte was reassuring to Vince, but it didn't help that she smelled of other wolves on her person.

"I've written a couple of things down that could be key points on what sort of minerals and things that are in my area. Want me to send them to you or do you want to just read them from my laptop?" Vincent glanced at his word doc and then towards Charlotte as he waited for her reply.

@ FallenHope95

"Yes, longer than I was planning." Charlotte said with a laugh. "But it was fun." Once Vincent took his jacket, she settled down in one of the chairs. Before she had a chance to pull out her laptop, Vincent was mentioning the work that he had on his laptop. "I actually did the same thing as well. You send me yours and I'll send you mine?" She asked him.

As she waited for an answer, Charlotte opened up her bag and pulled out her laptop as well as her notebook and pen. But as the laptop started to boot up, she leaned back into the chair for a moment and took a long sip of her coffee. She really needed to get her mind going this morning. Once they were done talking about the project, Charlotte could make her way back to her dorm and lay down for a bit. They really did wear her out last night.

When her laptop was completely on and ready, Charlotte set her cup down and navigated towards her documents. "How was your weekend? Do anything fun?" Her eyes shifted over to the tall man for a moment, curious as to what he considered fun. She really knew nothing about him so really anything could come out of his mouth.

After she sent Vincent the document she was working on, Charlotte took a scrunchie from around her wrist and put her hair up into a bun. Though, unknowing to Charlotte, the young woman had a symbol on the side of her neck towards the back. It was the mark of the clan that Charlotte was friends with. The blood wolves.

@ Sweet.Persephone
A small hum of approval escaped from Vincent as he agreed to Charlotte's idea. It was the best that they could really do. That way, they both had each other's information on hand and could see if they were getting the same or similar replies on their things. Vince worked on getting to his email and sending the couple of pages of research that he's had on hand to send to Charlotte.

"My friends and I found a waterfall on the land our house is on, so we went cliff jumping off of it," Vince said casually like it's what every sane person does. "A little cold, but we warmed up with a few deers and a good dinner." A small smile played along Vince's lips as he thought about his weekend. "Then wrapped things up with studying and homework." Reaching over, Vince grabbed his iced coffee and leaned back in his chair as he watched the little loading icon on his laptop.

The strong scent of Charlotte met Vince's nose as she started to play with her hair. Glancing up to catch a peek of her putting her hair up, Vince's whole body went rigid for a moment. His eyes narrowing slightly as he eyed the mark on her neck. "What about you, did you do anything... fun?" He asked, shifting his gaze back towards Charlotte's mismatched eyes and tried to relax. Doing his best to act like nothing was wrong when in reality he was more than ready to rip a couple of wolves' heads off. That mark should NOT be on Charlotte's skin. It was to damn dangerous, she was unmated, yet marked. The chance of survival if she was to be gifted with the transition is low. Wait, shit. Glancing down at his left wrist, Vince spotted the mark of his pack. Only those who were of the shifter species could see them. Charlotte was human, they wanted to make her a shifter? "Fuck." Vince murmured quietly and ran his fingers through his hair. His head lowered slightly as he tried to think about things. This wasn't good, it was bad. Very bad. Charlotte was in danger.

An Vincent just might be the only one to save her.

@ FallenHope95

"Cliff Jumping?" Charlotte asked, surprising entering her voice as she looked over at the man. "That sounds dangerous. But I suppose you survived it and enjoyed yourself." She said with a laugh. Cliff jumping wasn't exactly her cup of tea... It was something that Charlotte probably wouldn't do at all unless it was not a particularly large cliff. Or she was reassured there was no way of passing out on impact.

Her eyes shifted back down to her computer, beginning to look over the information that the both of them had. There were definitely similarities on their lists as well points that were exactly the same. Though that was sure to happen with they both had some many minerals and rocks in common in their region. "Hm? Oh, yes I did." Charlotte said as she looked him in the eyes for a moment, smiling gently. "I saw some friends. Just a small party at their house but it was a lot of fun. Managed to go into the woods to enjoy a small campfire as well. It's actually a reason why I am a bit tired this morning. I was planning on having an early night yesterday but they were way to excited to drink and plays some games so they managed to convince me to stay up."

Charlotte glanced back at the two documents and started to work on combining the two of them. She figured it would be easier for them to view it that way. "Let me make us a shared document and we can just start putting all of our research on there." Charlotte told him as she sent him the link to their own document, separate from the paper that was shared with the whole group. It seemed best to keep it from the other two. "Luckily we have an even amount of minerals and rocks so I think we can actually split it up that way, if you think that is a good idea as well?"