Chapter One
One Year Later
I sat in the crevice of the tree branch, watching the steady line of students new and old flow through the gates.
Corvin Academy .
It’d been my dream to go there for so long. The place where Papa met Mama. The haven where every young wolf from every clan came together to discover their place in the world, and make lifelong friends and lovers while doing it.
It was said the idea to do away with separate packs and become one under the banner of Wolf Nation was born within these halls. Five shifters doing the alpha track were captured by vampires while out on a run. During the awful months they were demeaned, interrogated, and tortured, they banded together. Fought for each other. Protected each other.
Eventually, they overpowered their captors, killed them, and got free, but after going through something like that together, they couldn’t fathom becoming the alphas of separate packs and being expected to go their separate ways and barely tolerate each other. So they didn’t.
It was because of them that even though we had different clans and different powers, we were one pack—always and forever.
It was also because of them that Corvin Academy went from alphas-only to a school and home for alphas, betas, omegas, and epsilons. A commitment to unity upheld every day.
“And they’re about to get some more fucking unity,” I muttered, sighing. “Everyone in that school is about to unite against one cause they’ll want more than world peace, vampire extinction, and all the riches in the world.
“Killing me.”
“No point fucking whining about it,” Lucia snapped. She couldn’t help it. She snapped everything. “I told you a million times you don’t have to go to that fucking school.”
“And I’ve told you a million times that I do.” My curious eye cast over the small, shifting faces going through the gates—wondering if any one of them were my fates. Wild that after all this time, I knew only their names and not their faces. “My fates were put into hiding after I killed Castor. For some reason, the alpha council thought I was going to hunt them down and kill them one by one,” I sang, making Lucia laugh.
“But they, whoever they are, will be here. Today. Now. There’s no way they’re going to delay entering the academy, because they wouldn’t even think they need to. Corvin is protected and locked down tight. There’s never been a successful attack against the school. They think they’re safe,” I said, gazing upon the students. “They all do.”
“They are safe. Because they outnumber you hundreds to one,” she snapped again. “You’re such a fucking idiot, Daze. They’re going to rip you to shreds before you put two feet past the gates.”
“It’s your sweet words and optimism that spur me on and brighten the day ahead.”
I could feel her rolling her eyes from the other end of the phone.
“As long as you hold up your end, I’ll be fine.”
“You’ll survive,” she corrected. “You won’t be fine. You’ll be very far from fine, Daze.”
I didn’t argue with her. I couldn’t.
“Where are you now?” she asked.
“I’m sitting in a tree, waiting for the right moment to make my grand entrance.”
“All right. Just do me a favor and keep the phone on and in your back pocket. Seeing as they’re most definitely going to slaughter you before you get a word out, I want to listen to you die. Hopefully it’s slow.”
“You’re a real sick bitch, you know that, right?”
Lucia laughed out loud. “Damn right I am. That’s why I’m your only friend.”
I shuddered. Not because it wasn’t true, but because it was. “Bye. Try not to drop dead before your usefulness to me runs out.”
“Same to you, mutt.” Click.
Shaking my head, I stuffed my phone in my pocket and resumed my silent vigil. Finally, the crowd began to thin out and most of the returning students ceased their screaming, hugging reunions and headed inside.
Quieter than a chipmunk, I climbed down the trunk and hit the dirt. This was it. After a year on the run, I was returning to wolf society—whether they liked it or not.
Head held high, I emerged out of the trees, stepping on the cobblestone path to Corvin Academy. The castle was even grander than my father’s stories led me to believe.
Ivory marble captured the sunlight and threw it back, casting glittering sunbursts on the verdant lawn. Soaring spires pierced the skies. Massive oak doors stood twenty feet high, more than big enough to welcome man and wolf. A short distance behind the main castle were a collection of smaller buildings—likely dorms and training rooms. And beyond all of that were miles and miles of forest.
My wolf stretched and paced inside of me, eager to burst free and run wild through those woods. It had been so long since I’d had a good, long cleansing run with nothing but the wind whipping through my fur.
I was three steps inside the gates by the time the first cry sounded. Take that, Lucia.
I grinned at the faces that whipped around me, eyes blowing wide before snarls ripped from their throats.
“Surprise,” I sang. “I’mmmm baacccck.”
“You!”
“Quick!”
“Get her!”
“Kill her!”
“Now, now,” I called. “Before anyone does anything rash, you might want to listen to—”
A hard force slammed into my back, popping me off my feet. My shout was cut short by a hard, vicious crack on the head.
Darkness took me.
“WAKE UP.”
Pain exploded in my cheek.
“Wake up!”
I blinked blearily, squinting under harsh, stabbing light. “Wha... What happened...?”
“I’ll tell you exactly what happened. You made your last and stupidest mistake, Daciana Volana.” My vision cleared on a tall, severe woman with short hair, thin lips, and a pantsuit that repelled wrinkles. “The alpha council is on their way. Your execution is at dawn.”
Groaning, I rolled my neck—feeling the thin trickle of blood running down it. Whoever clocked me got me good. Points for the quick-thinking. I never saw them coming.
Pantsuit was still running her mouth but I ignored her while I took stock.
I was tied to a chair, that much was clear from the thick bands around my wrists, cutting off circulation to my fingers.
We looked to be in a small meeting room. Big enough for the no less than seven figures surrounding me, but not so big for me to shift.
Not that I need to, I thought, eyeing the guarded door. I’ll be walking out of here soon enough.
“Thank you,” I broke in, cutting off her crowing. “Kind of you all.”
“You—! Excuse me?” the woman said, arching her brow. “It’s kind of us to gather every clan and every wolf so that they can share in the joy of watching your head torn from your body?”
“No,” I drew out. “It was kind of you not to grope me while I took my forced nap. Supposed enemies or not, there’s really no excuse for that kind of behavior toward women.” I inclined my head to her furrowed-brow confusion. “Your basic decency toward me is acknowledged and appreciated.”
“Decency?” she cried, sharing a look with the other men and women in the room.
“That’s right. And it’s because you granted me the basic respect of not pawing me while I was unconscious that I’m going to say this with much less gloating than I planned.” I flashed her a beaming smile. “There’s not going to be an execution because of what you didn’t see when you weren’t looking.
“I still bear the mark of Luame,” I dropped.
The smirk wiped clean off her face. “You’re lying.”
“Nope. I am the mother wolf, and if you kill me, you’ll end the wolf race with one slice of your claw.” I grinned wide, laughing in her face. Okay, I was gloating a little. “Forever.”
“Lies!” one of the men shouted. He pounced on me, ripping my shirt up.
Clear for all to see was the crescent moon birthmark where a belly button was supposed to be, but never was.
“This isn’t possible! It’s a trick. It’s makeup!” He vigorously rubbed my stomach, making me burst into giggles.
“Stop that!” Pantsuit pulled him off. “No wolf mistakes the mark of Luame for makeup.” The weight of her glare bore down on me. “It’s real.”
Whispers broke out. Whispers I heard clear as a church bell. They were actually debating if they should call the execution off, and if there was a way to kill me without ending the wolf line for good.
They whispered, but Pantsuit didn’t. We locked in a long, measuring stare.
I could sense it. Everyone else was decoration. The true power in this room... was her.
And me.
“Very well,” she gritted. “We cannot kill you, but the dark, dank, dirty hole you’ll live in for the rest of your life will make you wish you were dead. You will pay for Castor’s murder and the betrayal of our people, traitor. That I promise you.”
I hummed. “Mmm, nope. Wrong again.”
She laughed. “Is that so?”
“It is so, and it’s not me saying that. It’s my friend on the outside who will release a video to the world that shows me shifting.” I trapped her widening gaze. “Unless she hears from me morning and night, confirming that I’m safe, free, and happy. She’ll drop the existence of werewolves on the planet.”
I shrugged. “Not big news for the vampires, demigods, or fae, but the mundanes are in for a surprise. And you know what mundanes do to people they don’t understand.”
“You’re lying,” she rasped. “You’d never do such a thing. You’d be putting all of Wolf Nation at risk. The hunts, the slaughter, the capture and experimentation. We’d be persecuted until the end of everything. You wouldn’t do that to your own people.”
My grin was wicked. “Just like I wouldn’t rip my fate’s throat out in front of my own people?”
It was chaos. People shouting, threatening, and partially shifting—their wolves begging to be free to slaughter me. But amidst it all, Pantsuit and I locked eyes.
“What do you want?” A short, sharp question, but it silenced all the whispers.
I smiled. “See? I knew you were the smart one. Please.” I phased through the ropes, letting them drop harmlessly to the ground. “Sit.”
Growls, snaps, and the man who tickled me jumped to attack. Pantsuit stopped it all with a raised palm. “Calm yourself, Kellan. She’s not just a moon wolf, she’s the moon wolf. Those ropes were never more than an accessory.” Pulling out the chair at the end of the table, she sat—maintaining a healthy distance between us. “I repeat,” she said. “What do you want?”
“I would’ve thought that was obvious. I will attend Corvin Academy.” I didn’t make it a request or a question because it wasn’t one. I was Corvin Academy’s newest student whether anyone had a problem with it or not. “Oh, and, just in case this wasn’t clear, I will do so as a free wolf of the Nation with all the rights afforded me.
“No imprisonment, no probation, no executioner’s axe hanging over my head. When the alpha council arrives, they will stand with me before all the packs, and give me a full pardon.”
Her expression was unreadable, but her body language wasn’t. She clenched her fist so tight, her claws pierced her palm and stained the table red. “Such a high price for a video you claim to have made, and a mystery person supposedly waiting to release it. How do we know you’re telling the truth?”
I said nothing. Simply took out my phone and hit redial. Lucia picked up on the third ring.
“Oh, what a shame. You’re still alive.”
I bit off a sigh. If Pantsuit didn’t think I was punished, she was wrong. Knowing Lucia for five fucking minutes was punishment I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. “Dear sweet friend, I’ve got a request for proof.”
“Ugh, whatever. Give me a second.”
Pantsuit frowned. “What is—?”
Half a dozen phones trilled, chimed, and rang. I watched their faces while they all pulled them out. Confusion, shock, surprise, and there it was, anger. Their priceless expressions while they watched the video that would be a viral hit within twenty-four hours of hitting cyberspace were everything.
I kicked back, crossing my legs. “As you can see, the video does exist and my associate is ready and willing to unleash it.”
“How did she do that?” Pantsuit demanded. “You don’t know my number.”
I winked. “Exactly.”
Her grip tightened on her phone until her knuckles went white. She was aching to punch my grin out through the back of my skull. “I see,” she gritted. “So, in exchange for not unleashing this video, you want a pardon for your crimes and admittance to the academy? Is that all?” Her voice said that had better be all.
Too bad it wasn’t.
“There’s one more thing. I want on the alpha track.”
Her forehead crumpled. “Excuse me? Why on earth for? You’re a high priestess. What possible purpose would it serve you to do anything other than the priestess track?”
“What purpose would it serve me to do the priestess track?” I replied. “I’m not like the others here. I was raised, trained, and put on the path to high priestess from birth. I know everything and more than my instructors could possibly teach me. If this isn’t going to be a boring waste of my time, I’ll have to study something else.
“Alpha,” I pressed. “It’s not a negotiation.”
Pantsuit’s eyes narrowed. “No. That’s not the reason. You want to join the alpha track because somehow, someway, you discovered that your fates were moved from their safe house and brought to the academy to begin their study.” She punched the table, shooting up. “That’s why you’re here! To kill them!”
The fury in her eyes would’ve boiled my head. “No,” she barked. “Make your threats. Send your videos. You will not be given free rein on my campus to murder my students. Out,” she cried. “ OUT! ”
I gripped my chair, jaw seizing and clamping down on the pained yowl my wolf almost forced up my throat. An order from an alpha wolf. It was only because I was an epsilon that I could weather it. If I was an omega, I’d have run so fast, there’d be a me-shaped hole in the wall.
“Calm down, woman,” I snapped. “I’m not here to murder anyone—let alone my fucking fates.”
Growling, she scoffed. “Like I’d believe a single word out of your traitorous—”
“1435 Dunston Street, Jasper, New York.”
The rest of her speech died on her lips.
“That’s right.” I slowly peeled my fingers off the chair, sending waves of calm to my wolf. She was starting to get restless—quickening my pulse and making my heart beat faster. “The address to the blessed safe house. I’ve known where my fates were for almost seven months. I even dropped by to peek on them. I didn’t see them but I did see the two measly beta wolves left to guard them.” I shrugged. “If I didn’t take my chance then, why would I try it here on a locked-down campus while they’re surrounded by much stronger allies?”
“Likely for the same reason you killed Castor in much the same circumstances.”
I sighed. “I swear I won’t touch a hair on their chinny-chin-chins. I’ll even swear it on Luame if that’s what it takes.”
A hush fell on the room. Swears to Luame were serious. She didn’t stand for false promises or trickery in her name. Like most of the old gods, she was weaker in this new age. Without the hundreds of thousands of worshippers she once had, she had to sustain herself by living on in her creations.
The werewolves.
But even though she wasn’t at full power, she always had enough strength to punish disrespect.
“I swear on Luame that I will not kill, maim, or harm my chosen fates. Well?” I prompted. “Does that satisfy you? Do we have a deal?”
“No.” Pantsuit turned her back on me. “I will be making no deals with you, or listening to another syllable of your lies. The alpha council is on their way. They will take over interrogating you, and in the end, decide your sentence.”
“You—”
She swept out of the room, taking her entourage with her.
I stared in disbelief that they were leaving me alone until her figure darkened the doorframe. “ YOU WILL NOT LEAVE THIS ROOM!” she boomed, throwing me back in my chair with a gasp like my chest was being caved in. “If you do, it is I who swears to Luame that I’ll tear your head from your shoulders.”
She slammed the door, leaving me glued to the seat. Even if I could leave, and I could, I wouldn’t. My wolf was strong but she needed time to recover from a direct command from an alpha of Pantsuit’s obvious strength. Besides, I didn’t need to run from the alpha council. I was more than happy to give them a big dose of blackmail too.
“Calm down,” I whispered, rubbing my chest with the heel of my palm. “What’s wrong with you? Alphas in hideous pantsuits don’t scare you.”
My racing palms and heart didn’t stop. If anything, it was getting worse. My heart was pounding out of control like it was under attack.
“You gotta chill out,” I whispered. “We’ve waited a year for this. We’re so close. Don’t get weak-kneed on me now.”
The blood rushed to my head, sending my hands flying up to my temple. My wolf form wasn’t a separate being from me, of course. I was her. She was me. But my personality when I shifted was so different, it was hard not to see that version of me as my badass, brutal, throat-ripping twin. As a wolf I was all fury, fire, and instinct. I jumped without thinking. Struck without hesitating. Killed without remorse. My wolf form was fearless—
—except for now.
I was lightheaded and dizzy. My stomach twisted so hard, it forced my breakfast up my throat.
“What are you doing?” I hissed.
“Destroying you.”
My head snapped up, chest heaving. One—two—three—five guys walked into the room.
“Or at least that was the plan.”
I dropped my hands—my fuzzy head suddenly clearing up. “Ah,” I dropped, brow rising. “You’re not scared. You’re horny,” I said to my wolf as I raked the newcomers up and down. “And who can blame you.”
Honestly, no one could. I didn’t know who was who to match their names to their faces, but these guys were my fates. Without doubt or question. The hard, furious tugging in my chest was proof of that. My wolf was eager to burst free, tear their clothes from their bodies, and do what we were supposed to do all those months ago on a dirty rock in front of thousands of people.
Fuck.
I tried to stand and found I couldn’t. The alpha’s influence still glued me to my seat. The guys saw the move and were around the table in a blink, towering over me.
“Well, hello,” I gushed, kicking back in the seat. “We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Daciana, but those who have seen me naked, or want to, call me Daze. I’m the hot piece of tail your souls have been waiting for.” I winked. “Go on, you can say it. I’m even more yummy in person.”
Four growls ripped the air... and one chuckle.
One of the guys pushed to the forefront. My core tightened like the mutt in heat I was.
Short, wavy raven locks swept from his forehead, leaving dark amber eyes free to pierce me through. The man was tall and stacked like a library. Most wolf guys went shirtless to have less clothes to take on and off when they changed. Thank Luame he was one of them.
A collection of wild, indecipherable tats crisscrossed his hard, ripped chest. The kind you’d spend all day tracing and exploring until you woke the hell up and realized what was on his body wasn’t nearly as tantalizing as his body itself.
He captured my chin between two fingers—grim amusement shining in those jeweled eyes. “You are a hot piece of tail, and I have been waiting to tear that ass apart”—he nipped the tip of my nose—“but not in the fun way.”
“Well, let’s not leave it off the table,” I purred. “We can do it the fun way too.”
“Afraid not. You see, I wouldn’t fuck you if it’d save the wolf race—” His jaw dropped comically. “Oh, wait.”
It was my turn to chuckle. “Cute, but I suspect you’re vastly overestimating your willpower.” I stood and they shot back—five growls hitting the air. “Something tells me if I do this”—I popped the top three buttons, letting my breasts and the lacy red bra holding them pop out—“and this”—I unbuttoned my jeans —“you’ll be more than happy to bolt that door, bend me over, and make a super wolf baby.”
My wolf was going crazy—keening and pawing inside me for exactly that to happen. But the problem was... theirs were too.
Rapid heartbeats. Shallow breathing. Dilated pupils. Tensing muscles . My wolf senses picked it all up as easily as human eyes would’ve noticed the bulge in their pants.
Interesting. A year later and the bond incomplete, but I still have such power over them. That’ll come in handy.
One of the guys pounced, leaping over the table to get to me. Chuckles and two others tackled and wrestled him down.
And hello, weakest link. I didn’t bother to hide my smirk.
“You can wipe that fucking smile off your face because it’s never going to happen!” The only blond one in the group snatched the weak link by the arm and leg, and bodily flung him across the room.
He hit the wall with a crack that made me hiss. “Ouch.”
“This is all some fucking joke to you,” he growled, erasing the distance between us fast. “But let me tell you how this is actually going to go down. We sensed you close by and came here for one thing and one thing only. To chain your worthless ass up, and drop you in some godsforsaken pit for the rest of your short, miserable life.”
I was a reflection in his cold, icy blue eyes. Everything about him was cold and sharp from the slicked-back hair that didn’t dare to have a strand out of place; his sharp, glasscutter’s cheekbones; and his full, rosy lips twisted into a vicious snarl.