Prologue
A low growl rumbled through the halls of the third floor's North hallway. One by one the torches and candles flickered out as the dark figure crept down the hall, pausing only momentarily at each door to take a deep inhale. The growl grew more frustrated with each passing door. His mate was near and he could feel her blood calling out to him, beckoning him to find her. To find her, claim her, and mark her for all to see.
He let out another sharp growl, his eyes flashing silver, as he passed what felt like the hundredth door that night. He slammed his fist into the cold stone, ignoring the way blood trickled from his knuckles and down the now dented wall. He was running out of time. He had to find her.
He pressed his forehead against the gray bricks and dug his fist deeper into the crumbling bricks. He hissed as he felt his knuckles crack and give in to the castle's wall. Clenching his eyes shut, he forced himself to breathe. In then out. In then out. He had to find her and acting like a wild creature would neither help nor would it serve a purpose. He had to concentrate. And focus on her. In then out. In then out. In then – His eyes snapped open and he spun around to glare out at the sun making its way above the final branches of the Forbidden Forest's trees. The night was ending and he was running out of time. He had to find her and he had to find her soon.
His eyes squeezed shut and he allowed his brain to shut off, focusing purely on natural instinct. She was definitely here at Hogwarts and he was going to find her. He had to find her.
A cool breeze rushed through the window before him and the smell of coconut, caramel, and parchment flooded his senses. His nostrils flared as he took a deep inhale and his mouth began to water as need coursed through his body. Turning on his heel, he rushed to the stairs at the end of hall and raced up them three at a time, not even paying attention to where he was going. Finally, on the seventh floor, he skidded to a halt in front of a giant portrait that took up the entire height and glared. Inside the frame was a large woman snoring, her head resting at an uncomfortable angle upon her buxom breasts.
"Wake up," he hissed, slamming his hand against the canvas. The woman's eyes snapped open and glared down at him. Her eyes traveled up and down his body, taking in his naked torso and black boxers.
She raised a dainty eyebrow. "It is many hours past curfew young man. I ought to leave you out here until an acceptable hour. But, as I've always considered myself a kind, wonderful, generous, and caring pers-"
"Shut up," he all but shouted at the woman, " and let me in. Now."
The woman's eyes widened and her jaw dropped opened in surprise. "Password," she asked tightly.
He exhaled sharply through his nose and separated his lips, teeth flashing. "Let. Me. In."
"Unless you have a password, I am not able to allow you entrance. You will just have to wait for another student to come out and let you in." The woman stood up from her stool and straightened her pink dress, partially turning to the left of the portrait. . "Now if you'll excuse me, I suddenly find myself needing to be elsewhere. Good night you." Within two short steps, she exited through the frame and disappeared.
A growl racked through his body as he watched the woman leave. He was so close. He could practically taste the girl he had been searching months for. Tomorrow, he thought to himself, tomorrow.
A/N
Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed the prologue! It's my first fic, so I'm kinda nervous about it. Please feel free to let me know if you see any spelling, grammar, any other types of errors in this or any other chapter and I'll be sure to fix. I'll try to update every few days at the very least, but I work approximately 80 hours a week, so no guarantees. I may have to do it on a weekly basis instead.
