Zeke looked at the offerings set out for the buffet with disappointment. Though all of it was quality food, as was expected at this academy, considering the amount of money most of them had to pay to be here, none of it smelled as amazing as whatever had been prepared earlier.
“Have you changed your mind?” Derek asked as he loaded a plate full of food.
Sighing, he picked up a plate and put something on it without paying much attention to what it was. He seemed to have lost his appetite without the delicious offering he had been looking forward to.
When he picked up a bottle of water as well, he looked over at his usual table and saw Myles already sitting there with a group of girls—Claire’s group of friends. The three girls went everywhere together and always forced their company on them, as if Claire was trying to pair up her friends with his, too. They turned up at every single place they went—like magic. The girls never ate in the cafeteria, so he could only guess that somebody had told them they were there.
With another sigh, he walked over to his table, nodding at some of his counterparts along the way. This school taught them how to be diplomatic and maintain relationships, and he thought he did that quite well. It didn’t matter that some of them rubbed him the wrong way or that he sensed a lot of fear in them; it was his job to maintain the peace.
“Hi, babe,” Claire smiled brightly.
Babe? He frowned at her as he took his usual seat at the head of the table and then opened his bottle of water without answering.
Maybe it was time he thought about ending this relationship. Even before his father arranged his mate, he had always known he and Claire wouldn’t go beyond a few tumbles in the sheets during the semesters. But Claire had become so comfortable with him that she constantly used these pet names. His father would lose his shit if he ever heard her call him that.
“Is that all you’re having?” Myles asked, nodding at his plate.
“Turns out I’m not hungry after all,” he answered.
He could sense Claire’s feelings. She hadn’t liked being ignored, but he was pretty sure it was something he did regularly. Why she still stuck around was beyond him. No, actually, it wasn’t. She wanted the honour of being called the next Luna of the Blood Moon Pack, even though he had never put that offer on the table.
She was beautiful enough for that role. She was all chest and butt, and she was strong enough, as proved by how well she did in their combat classes. Those had been, and still were, the only reasons he had picked her in the first place. But he wanted a little more in the brains department for his future mate. And he didn’t want a girl who would worry more about her wardrobe than being the mother of the pack. The woman his father had picked for that role ticked all those boxes.
“Did you hear what happened today?” Claire asked as she peeled a banana.
“No, but I’m sure you’ll tell us,” Myles said with a tight smile.
“There’s a human enrolled in the school.”
Zeke paused what he was doing to pay more attention to what she said.
“That’s impossible. No humans can find this place, and the Council doesn’t make mistakes like that,” he pointed out.
“And yet she’s here,” Claire grinned, her green eyes twinkling now that she had his attention. “You should have seen her. She looks like they picked her up from a homeless shelter. I bet she’ll be dead within a week.”
“She must be something. You know how things work. Maybe she’s a weak witch,” Derek said as he dug into his food.
“No, the stench of human was undeniable. But she’s been put in the Omega dorms, so maybe that’s true,” Claire said with a shrug. “I guess we will know for sure when the lessons start tomorrow.”
He ate a bit of the pastry on his plate as he thought about this. The Academy was no place for a human, and Claire was right; she probably wouldn’t last the week. How did an invite end up in her hands? Had she taken someone else’s place?
He decided to put those thoughts aside. It was not his place to question the Council.
“Are you going to the party?” Claire asked after a while.
Sometimes, he was sure she talked only because she liked the sound of her own voice. Otherwise, she would think first before she opened her mouth.
He pushed his half-eaten pastry away and looked at the woman beside him. For three years, Jared had thrown his obnoxiously loud parties every first night of the semester. So his parties had, for some reason unknown to him, become the only parties thrown the day they all got back.
Claire had better not be thinking what he thought she was thinking because he would end things with her right there. He felt his wolf stir as he looked at the traitor.
Claire looked down in submission, unable to hold his gaze.
“I’m sorry. I forgot,” she whispered.
“You forgot?” he asked with a calm he did not feel.
How could someone who wanted to be part of his life forget that Jared was his mortal enemy, the spawn of the bastard who had killed his mother and several members of his pack? How could she not know that every day was a battle not to rip him apart?
“I’m sorry, Ezekiel,” she whispered again.
He stood without another word. He couldn’t stand to see Claire’s face anymore. People may have sensed his mood because they kept out of his way as he left the dining hall.
Two semesters. Two semesters and he could gut that asshole like a fish. Shadow tried to push his way out, and this time he let him. Another run was probably what he needed to calm himself down. He didn’t think twice as he stripped before he had even arrived in the woods, and then it was Shadow’s giant paws thudding on the ground as he sped through the thick trees.
He didn’t know how long he ran, but when he decided to head back towards the creek behind their house, it was dark, and he was in control again. He didn’t shift back as he had a drink of water and then lay on a patch of grass to enjoy the peace.
As he dozed off, that amazing scent filled his nose again. He was on his feet in a shot as he sniffed the air. That scent... Was it dinner time already? No, that was not coming from the same direction as the kitchen. Shadow took the lead as he followed the scent. He would find it this time. He didn’t think he would get any rest until he figured out where it was coming from.
He heard loud music and remembered the asshole’s party, but even that was not enough to distract him from following the scent. It felt almost like a compulsion. Like he had to find it, or he would go crazy.
Ava woke up with a start and looked around the dark room. She felt disoriented until she remembered the nightmare that had become her life.There was a lamp on the table next to her bed, so she felt her way in the dark and put it on. When she looked around, she realised she was still alone. It looked like her dorm mates hadn’t arrived yet, which was weird. She was sure they said everyone needed to be on the premises by three in the afternoon, and it was long past that now. There were three other beds in this room, each with a side table on one side and a desk and chair on the other. On her desk was a laptop and what looked like a tablet. Those had to be the electronics she had been told about by Mrs Benton. Then, separating each space were big wardrobes. On the other end was the kitchen area, which didn’t look like much at all. Just a counter with a microwave on it, a small fridge under it, and a small sink to the side. There was a small table and two chairs in front of it. She woul
Zeke shifted in the woods behind Jared’s house and snarled with frustration. What he wanted... What he needed was on that dick’s property. The scent was so strong here that Shadow was going crazy trying to cross the boundary.He usually had a tighter grip on his wolf than this, so it occurred to him for a second that maybe he needed to worry. It had taken years of work to get that unstable beast under control.But that scent... He was with Shadow on this. They had to find it.So he jogged back to his house and entered through the back doors. Myles and Derek were in the lounge with a group of girls who were definitely not wolves. He ignored their questioning looks when he strode past them naked. He didn’t give a shit that his junk was swinging all over the place in front of strangers. Other wolves wouldn’t have cared, but he felt the girls eyeing him as if he were their next meal. Derek found him as he was putting a shirt on.“Are we going somewhere?” he asked. “Just me.”He didn’t wa
Ava didn’t feel even a bit self-conscious as she wolfed down the food on her plate. It hit the spot; all the spots. She was sure she moaned as the juicy steak went down her throat. It was better than any steak she had ever eaten. Okay, maybe this guy had the right idea by getting his party catered. She was a convert.She peeked at him from under her cap and found him watching her, tracking her movements. Like the wolf he was. She suddenly remembered where she was as she looked around for a napkin. But there was no point. She was still eating; it was inevitable that it would go all over her face.“I’m sorry. I’ll wipe my face after I finish eating,” she said.The wolf laughed, a hearty sound that brought more attention to her. The party guests hadn’t stopped watching her since this Alpha had brought her out here.“Eat however you want, Red. As you can see, nobody gives a shit around here.”When she looked around, she noticed that even though the others kept looking at her, they were al
Ava looked around to see if anyone else was around before she looked at the angry man in front of her. Jared’s car was long gone; there would be no one to hear her screams. She should have asked Jared to wait until she was inside. She should have remembered what always happened when she was cornered alone. Challenging a wolf in unfamiliar territory was a bad idea. She looked down as her brothers had always taught her to do. With her cap on, she couldn’t see him at all. This man was clearly an Alpha; there was no mistaking the aura of danger surrounding him. Her heart hammered in her chest even though she tried to calm it. Fear always made Alphas crazier, like it was an aphrodisiac. “Did you hear me?” he growled. “Yes,” she answered quickly. The door to her dorm was right behind him, but she knew nothing would prevent a determined werewolf from ripping it off its hinges, even if she managed to escape. She couldn’t run from a wolf.“Phoenix Academy is no place for humans. Don’t unp
Of all the things that could have happened to fuck up his final year and his life, his wolf snarling that the human was theirs was the last thing he had expected. What the fuck?Zeke paced back and forth in his bedroom, his shoulders tense, fists clenched, and eyes glowing on and off as he tried to tame his beast.True mates were practically unheard of. There hadn’t been any reported in his father’s time or his grandfather’s. And when those rare meetings had happened, it was never to a fucking human! How the hell would that work? They broke so easily! He would be the Alpha of the biggest, strongest pack in all of America. His arranged mate came from the second biggest pack and had been carefully vetted. The Luna of his pack had to be strong enough to hold everything together. Not a human. Not something so fragile.Fuck!He could have punched something, but he knew Shadow would grab his chance to take control the moment he let his emotions take over. The beast was fighting to go and
The woods were scary, but she had to be brave. It was long past her bedtime, so it was dark. She had been fast asleep in the back of the car when she woke up to the loud bang. Then she saw them. The monsters.The monsters standing over her father’s body.She did what her father had taught her to do in this situation. She quietly slipped out of the car and started running.“Hey! Someone’s seen us!”It didn’t take long for the loud footsteps to follow her through the trees. The darkness and shadows cast by the full moon looked like predators ready to pounce on her, but she couldn’t close her eyes to make them go away. She had to survive. She tried to stay quiet as her dad had taught her. Step lightly. Change direction. Try not to leave too many tracks. But their long strides were fast and quickly catching up to her little ones. The forest was eerily quiet. All she could hear was her thundering heartbeat, harsh breaths, and the monsters behind her. It was like everything in the forest
Ava tried to suppress the dread filling her as she sat in the back of the taxi, but she knew she was failing miserably. The taxi driver was some sort of supernatural, so he could probably sense everything. She knew that not because she had suddenly developed any enhanced senses overnight but because they were the only ones allowed to ferry the new students from the airport. Phoenix Academy was in some super-secret location that humans were not allowed to enter. She almost snorted at that. If that was true, they should never have insisted on her attendance. She should have been allowed to go to a regular college like any other nineteen-year-old human who’d survive the torture of high school. But no, she had to attend this place with all sorts of supernatural species who could kill her without a second thought if it wasn’t for the fact that it was forbidden.There were several branches of this academy all over the world to accommodate all of them, and she still didn’t know which one sh
Zeke Michelson buttoned up his shirt and tried to tune out Claire’s voice in the background. He didn’t give a shit about whatever she was complaining about. They had only been here a few hours, so only the Moon Goddess knew how she had found so much to complain about in the first place.He put his tie on and straightened it before he ran a hand through his still-damp hair.“Are you even listening to me, Zeke?” Claire whined.“No,” he answered as he turned to pick his blazer up. He held her gaze, daring her to complain about that. But Claire lowered her eyes and kept her mouth shut. Her blonde hair fell over her face as she sat naked on her bed. For a moment, he considered rejoining her because the woman knew how to use her body to please him. But she was already too clingy; he didn’t want to give her any more ideas.He left her room without a word, ignoring the shocked looks he got from the female residents of this dorm. But none of them would dare to report him. He was the future Al