Moon Kissed (Corvin Academy #1)

Chapter Seven

I stumbled through the halls the next morning, dead on my feet.

Nia wasn’t walking next to me as had become our habit. I would’ve said it was because she still didn’t believe I had nothing to do with Holly’s death, but it was just as likely she was steering clear to stay out of the firing zone.

“Traitorous bitch.” An inkwell came flying at me and soared through my head.

None of it got on me since I was wearing moon clothes. I wouldn’t make the mistake of going out without them again.

“Vamp lover.”

“Psycho.”

“Murderer!”

“Ugh, stop your screeching,” I breezed, letting an entire bookbag sail through my body. “Werewolf, remember? I can hear you just fine.”

That set everyone off. Half the alpha class shouted, cursed, and threw things at me as I lazily walked past and ducked into homeroom.

Walking in, I took one look around, then turned and walked out.

The knob yanked out of my hand and slammed shut, trapping me inside with them .

“Seriously, you four are really starting to piss me off,” I snapped. “What do you want from me now!”

Nyx chuckled at my outburst. “We just want to talk, Volana. That’s why we encouraged the rest of the class to skip homeroom, and give us some time alone.”

I quirked a brow. Encouraged them? Just how much power did these four minus one have as the chosen? Since when did they have the right to order everyone around?

“Is this about Lucia?” I didn’t move an inch from the door. I stupidly promised Luame I wouldn’t defend myself from these jerks. If they started something, I’d be gone in a second before I was tempted to break that promise. “Would you like to chat her up yourself? That should put an end to your bleating that she can’t possibly be a vampire.”

“No, thank you,” Edric said smoothly, sliding out from behind Mr. Choppino’s—the new homeroom teacher—desk. “You don’t need to prove it. We have no trouble believing you’d sink that low.”

“Well, then, what do you want? Because I’ll tell you right now, we have to stop meeting like this, and I promise you, we fucking will.”

“Oooh,” Nyx hissed, expression pained. “See, that’s the problem right there. You keep talking and walking around here like you’re in charge.”

“And you’re not,” Orion finished, eyes hidden behind the glare coming off his glasses. “But we believe you, Volana. Between being the mother wolf and stashing that video away with a vampire, you’ve made yourself all but untouchable.”

“We understand that we can’t threaten you with Dagem, the council, or any of those weak-ass pussies,” Edric dropped, pinging my gaze back to him.

“So the only thing to do,” Badr said, “is to appeal to your better nature.”

My brows shot up my forehead. “My better nature? Is this a joke?”

“You’re going to come clean and turn yourself in all on your own,” Badr continued like I hadn’t spoken. “You’ll be the one to call off your vampire friend, you’ll confess to killing Hall and that lunch lady, and you’ll tell the world the true reason you killed my brother. After that, you’ll happily jump in the deep, dark pit that’s awaiting you.”

I bobbed along, lips pushed out. “Hmm. And let me guess, you’re going to encourage me to do these things by ‘making my life hell’ and ‘turning every day into my worst nightmare.’ Blah, blah, blah,” I blared. “So far you’ve been promising me a lot in that department, and under delivering. Just a peek at what I would’ve had to look forward to our mating/wedding night.”

A muscle in Nyx’s jaw ticced—the only crack in their choreographed routine.

“You’re right,” Orion said. “We have been holding back. My wolf has been holding back, but no more. He’s getting fucking sick of you too.”

“This is your one and only warning,” Badr said. “From now on, none of us are—”

I phased through the door and walked out. Those four really could burn up the patience of a Tibetan monk.

As if I’d let a few sleepless nights and videos on Loop-Garou get in the way of what I came here to do. My plans were bigger than my fates. Bigger than me. Bigger than Wolf Nation. As I told Nia, I got stronger. Now it was time to get even.

And there was nothing Edric, Orion, Nyx, or Badr could do about it.

NO ONE HAD EVER MADE me eat my words so hard or so fast.

“I’ll take untoasted bread and a banana,” I shouted through the kitchen serving window. “Anything!”

The cooks and servers didn’t so much as glance in my direction.

“Hey? Hey, are you listening to me!”

They damn sure were not.

Turned out that Holly didn’t serve me because she liked me. She did it because none of the other staff would.

They wouldn’t serve me. They wouldn’t come near me. They wouldn’t speak to me. They looked at the air around me.

For breakfast, lunch, and dinner for an entire week, I didn’t eat a single thing off a plate.

“Here you go, psycho.” Something hot and wet splatted on my back. “Eat up.”

I knew where this was going. Giving up, I turned away from the window, and phased just as the first wave of thrown food and coffee flew at me.

“What the—! Where’d she go?!”

Silently, I stepped over the mound of eggs, steak, croissants, and milky cereal, and walked out. My wolf snapped, snarled, and growled at me to feed her, and that was my only source of conversation.

Nia had been keeping a healthy distance since the entire school declared war on me. No more sitting with me during mealtimes. No more walking next to me in the hall. I was well and truly on my own.

My fates promised to make my life hell, and sadly for me, they addressed their performance issues. Every day for the last seven days, their torture had been relentless.

Edric blew my windows out every night and shattered any hope of sleep under howling, freezing winds. The first four nights I tried boarding the windows closed, propping furniture against them, sleeping with earplugs, sleeping in the windowless bathroom—everything. None of it worked, and in the end, I was forced to carry my bedding out, and sleep in the woods.

That is what the bastard reduced me to. Waking up under a tree on dew-soaked sheets with the squirrel who decided to share my pillow. Then I got to trudge inside wearing the same clothes I did the day before, because I had to wear my moon clothes at all times, and get the pleasure of the servers refusing to feed me while everyone shouted every disgusting insult that came into their heads.

After, I’d head to class with an empty belly where Orion and Edric would tear away, burn, and destroy all of my homework and assignments. Complaining to the teachers did nothing since all they’d do is shrug and say either prove it was them, or shut up and take the detention.

And then to cap off a perfect day of stumbling around as a failing, starving, sleep-deprived zombie, I got to head out to the field and get attacked, burned, and beat to shit under the guise of playing wolfball.

I’d never admit it was getting to me. My fates would never have the satisfaction but... they were.

I was exhausted, hungry, and watched twenty-four seven. Dagem still made Nia follow me around to subdue my wolf, but the day after Holly died, she introduced me to two new six-foot-tall, buff, thirty-something-year-old shadows.

She announced they were to follow me at all times, and if they witnessed a single infraction, she’d punish me to the limits of her ability. What was considered an infraction?

Phasing when I was being pelted with food, books, hot liquids, and one time, rocks. That was a month’s detention each time.

Leaving my room after curfew to sleep in the woods. Weekends spent doing manual labor around the castle.

Not turning in my assignments. Barred from all school events, especially and including the big dance the academy was throwing for the alphas in two weeks.

Yes, Tweedledouche and Tweedledumbass stalked me everywhere I went, snitching on everything I did to defend myself. But they didn’t once try to intervene or help.

“Hey!” Tweedledouche shouted, whipping around. “Where did she go!”

I walked out of the mess hall, leaving their noise and frenzy behind. Never had I been so glad that night was a new moon. Only on a new moon could I phase so completely, I became invisible.

Class started in ten minutes, but I didn’t care. I went straight to the alpha dorm wing, hiked the stairs, and stumbled to my room—straining to keep my eyes open. Only my wolf could get a good night’s sleep outside in the cold and dirt. I slept terribly, and not just because I was too creeped out being alone in the woods with staring, silent Tweedles to fall into a deep sleep.

Falling on my doorknob, I half tripped into my room.

Paxton looked from his hammer. “Oh, hey. You’re back early.”

I might’ve summoned shock and outrage if hunger hadn’t devoured those emotions long ago. “What is this?” I rasped. “What are you doing here?”

He pointed. “I noticed your windows were broken, so I’m boarding them over until maintenance can fix them.”

The man was no liar. Plywood, nails, and a hammer got to work covering up Edric’s handiwork.

“Might as well not bother. Edric will just blow those off tonight, and maintenance is never coming to fix it.”

“Well, if he blows them off tonight, I’ll just put them back up tomorrow— Oh, wait.” Paxton jumped off my armchair and crossed to the desk. He picked up the plate I hadn’t noticed and handed it to me. “Ham sandwich, chips, and beer. It’s not as good as what they serve the alphas, but at least it’s—”

I pounced on him, nearly eating his hand whole in my haste to devour everything on that plate. Fuck the flouncy shit they serve the alphas, right then, that ham sandwich was the best thing I ever tasted.

“Paxton, what is all this?” I asked after I polished off the last chip. There wasn’t room for talking until then. “Why are you boarding up my windows and bringing me food? And while you’re answering questions, where have you been the last week?”

Sighing, he plopped down in my armchair. “I’ve been with the omegas in the omega wing, yummy. The guys got me kicked out for standing up for you.”

My lips parted, but nothing came out. I did wonder if the guys did something to him after the guy up and disappeared, but that was not the answer I was expecting. “Oh.”

He shrugged. “I did tell you. No such thing as an alpha and an omega having a difference of opinion and letting bygones be bygones. In the end, we’re always punished for saying no when they demand yes.”

“That’s awful,” I replied, and meant it. “But why haven’t I seen you in the mess hall? Mealtimes are mixed now.”

“For everyone but me. I now sit alone in the hall during the omega mealtime,” he said. “The guys told Dagem I needed to be kept away from you, and she agreed.”

“Gods, they’re a bunch of shit-brained assholes. They didn’t have to take their crap with me out on you.”

He shook his head. “I knew what I was doing when I stood up for you. Badr doesn’t let anyone live who doesn’t hate you as all-consumingly as he does.”

“Still, you shouldn’t have come. The Tweedles are going to smell your scent in my room, and report it to Dagem. She’ll just rain even more punishment on you.”

Paxton gave me that crooked, wicked grin—shooting my internal temperature up ten degrees. “I know what they’ll smell, and I know what she’ll do. I just don’t give a shit. I’m a grown man. I’ll take my licks like one.

“Seriously, yummy, when are you going to stop worrying about me?”

My cheeks caught fire. “Stop calling me yummy!”

“Stop liking it when I call you yummy.”

I twisted and went directly for my bed, leaving his laughing butt behind. “I’m exhausted,” I announced. “I’m getting some sleep while that wind demon is in class. Although, he’ll probably be able to sense it from there, and send the winds anyway.”

“Edric can’t sense when you’re awake or asleep,” Paxton said, coming over. “He’s not Santa Claus. He just waits until you turn your lights out.”

I froze, blinking dumbly at my pillow. The truth of that was so frickin’ obvious, I could’ve died from embarrassment right then. “It’s the lack of sleep. It’s dropped my IQ one hundred points.”

“Uh-huh.” His knowing smirk deepened my humiliation. Is this what it’s like to be around your soulmate? To constantly feel like the other sees right through to your soul?

If yes, then it sucks.

“Sleep,” Paxton said. “I’ll keep watch. Neither the winds nor the Tweedles will mess with you.”

Tears sprung to my eyes, and that was it—the cherry on top of my most humiliating day. I was prepared to be attacked, shamed, bullied, and put down every day that I walked the academy. But I didn’t think what would finally make me cry... was kindness.

“You’re doing all this for those sexual favors, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely and without shame.”

I laughed as I wiped my eyes. Laughing—another thing I’d never thought I’d do within these walls.

“Thank you.”

Paxton just smiled as he reclaimed his seat on the armchair. No more words needed to be said.

Because I passed out before my head hit the pillow.

THAT NIGHT, I WAS WIDE awake after passing out for a solid nine hours.

When I awoke, Paxton was gone, the Tweedles were standing outside my door, and a plate of chicken fingers and fries rested on my nightstand. I assumed the Tweddles used their beta powers to convince him to leave, but that didn’t stop Paxton from coming back and bringing me dinner.

The tiniest smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I pulled the plate on my lap and started eating. And that was a problem.

I couldn’t like Paxton.

I couldn’t like Paxton because that would lead to mating with Paxton. My wolf would make sure of that. And I couldn’t mate with Paxton because if there was one thing that would screw everything up worse than all—it was completing the bonds.

This wasn’t true for every mate and every bond, but for the truly strong bonds, mates are connected through their souls, and their minds. The gist being that those buggers would be able to see into my mind...

...and discover everything.

The truth of what Castor did. The reason I ripped his throat out. Why I abandoned Wolf Nation. And why I came back to burn it all down, and build my throne on its ashes.

Of course, one could say I’m being overly cautious. How did I know our bonds would be so strong that our minds would become linked? For most wolves that wouldn’t be the case because Luame’s first choice mates are whoever will produce the strongest offspring.

As everyone knows, you can have strong, beautiful babies with someone, and that doesn’t stop them being a raging asshole. A bond that’s based on the physical connection alone never gets stronger.

But a bond with someone that is your true love and equal always gets stronger until you’re sharing everything—body, soul, and mind.

For a long time, I hoped my connection with Paxton, Orion, Edric, Nyx, and Badr was the first one. That Luame was just throwing some hot guys at me so that our babies would be supermodels. But as months, and months, and months went by and our incomplete bonds didn’t fray a single thread, I knew the wolf jerk in the sky screwed me.

She had to go and give me guys that were my perfect match in every way. Even as enemies they were high and above better at getting to me than anyone else. They could dig out my weaknesses like truffle pigs. Just like Paxton knew all the right things to do and say to make me swoon.

Nothing would stand in the way of my revenge. No one was going to stop me, because no one would ever see it coming. As twisted and wrong as their actions were, my fates had done me a favor by putting distance between me and Paxton.

From now on, I wasn’t talking to him, I wasn’t looking in his direction, and I wasn’t flirting with him. Any hopes I had of making use of his power to win my fight was dead.

Paxton Clarke was nothing but air to me.

The boards blew off my windows, as if summoned by my thoughts.

Edric couldn’t see if the lights were on or off, so he erred on the side of caution.

“Would you give it a rest, you saggy-balled dickhead!” I shrieked, running to the window and flinging it into the night.

Edric laughed from his picnic—yes, picnic! The shit-licking son of a hamster kicked back on a thick fleece blanket with two chilled beers on one side, and a plate of Tuscan salmon pasta on the other. The plate I threw went wide, shattering six feet from him.

“I absolutely will,” he called up. “As long as you have something for me.”

“Yeah, I’ve got something for you.” I flipped him off. “And there’s two million more where that came from!”

More laughter from the dickhead. Everything in me wanted to rain more projectiles on him—like the entire fucking wardrobe—but he’d just blast it away with his powers. Worse, if it hit him, I’d be smacked upside the head with the pain too.

“This ends when you say it does, Volana.” Edric kicked back, sipping his beer. “Give me my money, then turn yourself in and get out of my life. I promise you, I’ll let you sleep in peace down in your pit.”

Fury set my eyebrows alight. I took it back. I took it all back. There’s no way this prick was my soulmate. Even if we were on good terms, I wouldn’t have made it a week with him without strangling him!

I inhaled a deep breath and held it. Calm down and think, Daze. You’re not spending any more nights cuddling in the dirt with a squirrel. It’s only the cover of being alone in your room that lets you move about freely, and because of him chasing you out every night, you’re way behind on the plan.

This has to stop. You have to make him stop—for good.

My internal scolding did nothing for me. Of course I knew I had to make him stop. The question was how.

I gazed down at him, eyes narrowing. “Hmm... maybe...”

“What’s that, Volana?” The shitbrick was enjoying himself immensely. “Did you forget Sunella’s number? No worries. I know it by heart. It’s nine three—”

“No,” I sliced in. “I was actually thinking that you better leave now, or I’ll have no choice but to make you.”

Edric paused with his beer pressed to his plump, kissable lips. “Make me?” He laughed out loud. “How do you think you’re going to do that?”

“Easily. I have ways of making you do what I want.” His mocking laughter only got louder. “I’ve held back until now because I wanted to save you the humiliation of realizing you’re nothing but a puppet to my whims, but honestly, my goodwill’s all dried up now.”

Edric fell over guffawing. “Luame help you, woman. You’ve done it. You’ve finally lost your mind. There’s nothing you can do that—”

I yanked my top over my head and flung my bra across the room after it.

Edric cut himself off so fast, he choked.

“Oooh, Edric, yes, baby,” I moaned, wining and rubbing my hands down my body. “Ah, touch me there.”

“Wha— Wha— What are you doing?” he croaked, shooting up on his hands and feet as if preparing to run. “Stop that.”

“I’ll stop if you don’t, baby.” Fingers skating up over my stomach, I cupped my breasts and smooshed them together, jiggling them over the windowsill.

Sweat beaded on his brow, as stark as the impressively thick bulge straining to get free of his pants.

“Touch me, Edric. Make me yours. Make me c—”

Edric beat it across the lawn so fast, he crushed his beer bottle underfoot, cut himself, and left a trail of bloody footprints to mark the coward’s retreat.

I smirked at the heavy door slam in the distance. “Wow. That was easy. Sleep-deprivation really has made me stupider. I should’ve done that a week ago.”

It had occurred to me while in the middle of considering all of my violent options that Edric didn’t want to mate with me as much as I didn’t want to mate with him. If I was running from Paxton to ensure I didn’t give in to temptation, then Edric would run from me.

“And you proved me right, dickhead.”

Ducking back inside, I reboarded my window with the nails and hammer Paxton left behind, then got cozy on my bed with a stolen book.

Edric and his winds didn’t bother me again for the rest of the night.

THE NEXT DAY, I BOUNCED on the balls of my toes, doing my dance with the practice dummy.

I was feeling good that morning. I had gotten a good night’s sleep, and since the Tweedles had to stay posted outside of my room, I got that sleep without their eyes crawling all over me through the night. The best part was I woke up that morning to scrambled eggs with ham and cheese resting on my nightstand, and the smell of Paxton in the air.

He’d gotten up early just to make sure I got something to eat, which had the added benefit of taking away my reason to go into the mess hall. Now the staff didn’t get the satisfaction of refusing to feed me, and the blessed students didn’t get to insult me to my face while the presence of the Tweedles stopped me from punching them in their mouths.

It’s a shame I couldn’t have anything to do with Paxton other than his food delivery. It’s been a while since anyone took care of me. I kicked the dummy harder than I needed to. Exactly one year.

“You almost had it, Nia, but this time, you need to open your hips, pivot on the balls of your feet, and strike with your instep. Not your toes,” I said. “Because that’s how you break them.”

Nia winced from the floor. Grimacing, she rubbed her foot, looking at the practice dummy like she’d pay to never have him as her opponent again. “How did you learn all of this stuff? You know moves I’ve never heard of.”

Nia was back on speaking terms with me, at least for this class. Our martial arts instructor, Allard, took one sniff of the omega and benched her, saying that she didn’t need to learn martial arts, and he wasn’t going to waste his time teaching her.

While I took one look at him , and said I knew more about fighting and self-defense than he ever would, and he’d be smart to sit back and learn something. He’s ignored me ever since, which left me and Nia to our own devices.

The entire class was out on the field, practicing with dummies or on mats. My fates were paired up with each other. Nyx against Orion, and Edric against Badr. Unfortunately for Edric, he was getting his ass kicked because his gaze kept drifting to me and my ass in my athletic pants.

“I’m the mother wolf,” I replied to Nia, shifting the dummy so my back was to Edric. The man looked like a warrior with those glistening muscles and tight, ripped pants. He was distracting me too. “Vampires have been trying to kill me since birth. The first thing my parents did after I learned to walk was break out the video camera, and then sent me to training.

“You think this is hard? Imagine how hard your instructors ride you when you’ve got to learn how to kill people who are already dead.”

She whistled. “Wow. Intense. I always thought being the mother wolf made you the luckiest wolf alive, but I guess... some days it didn’t feel that way.”

I tensed, falling out of my stance. “It didn’t feel that way the first time vampires kidnapped my mother to force my father to trade me for her. And it fuck sure didn’t feel that way when they killed her the second time to prove they were serious.”

“Oh my gods,” Nia breathed, clapping her hand over her mouth. “I didn’t... I didn’t know that’s how it happened.”

“The alpha council didn’t want people to know. Couldn’t have Wolf Nation knowing a major threat got that close to me—twice—and nearly ended the entire werewolf race. You might stop thinking they’re infallible.” I punched the dummy harder than I needed to—snapping it back and bouncing it off the floor.

“I’m sorry, Daze.”

I looked away. “Yeah,” I whispered. “Me too.”

Shaking myself, I drew back from that well of grief inside of me, and reined in my tongue. I knew better than to talk about Mom. I got a little too honest when I did, and no one here was ready for the truth, or what would happen when I told it.

“Okay, your turn.” I stepped to the side, motioning for Nia to take my place. “I know your toes have healed, so you’ve got no excuse. I want a perfect roundhouse kick three times, then five times, then ten times, then three times again. No more than thirty seconds rest between sets.”

“Fucking hell, Daze. Has anyone ever told you you missed your calling as a drill sergeant?”

“Anybody ever told you flapping your gums is a weak stall game? You want to get out of these sets for real, woman up and break something else. Otherwise, get to it.”

She mumbled a string of filthy words under her breath, but Nia got up and settled into her position. Despite her moaning and groaning, Nia did everything I said and listened close to my instruction. The first step was getting stronger, and she was committed to it.

Nia kicked the dummy square upside the head.

“Okay, good,” I called. “Just remember to use your arm as a counterbalance.”

“Like this?” she asked, swinging her arm out in time with her leg. “Oh, wow. I felt the difference! That’s so much better. Thanks, D—”

“Isn’t this cozy.”

The hackles would’ve risen on my wolf’s back if she was out, but since she wasn’t, my body settled for standing my neck hairs on end.

“A couple of best friends,” Badr drawled, coming up beside us. “Looks like you’ve gotten over your hangups on getting buddy-buddy with a murderer, Nia.”

Nia stumbled back, losing her smile. “It’s not like that, Badr. No one’s forgotten Castor or what happened to him—”

“What she did to him,” he snapped, correcting.

“—but Dagem ordered me to stay with her at all times. You can’t blame me for making the best of it.”

“Are you sure? Because I think I can. I like you, Nia, but no decent person laughs, and jokes, and plays mentee to a killer. You say you’re forced to hang out with her, but the least you can do is not enjoy it so much.”

“And what are you going to do about it, Badr?” I stepped between Nia and Badr. “Get her kicked out of the alpha track like you did to Paxton. Funny how your loyalty dries up fast when you’re not getting your way.” His frostbitten eyes seared into mine. “Remind me because I forgot, but is that how decent people treat their friends?”

Badr scoffed. “Oh, please, spare me. If you’re so worried about that guy, why don’t you join him? Matter of fact, that’s a great idea. You never belonged in the alpha track in the first place. Fuck off out of my class, out of my dorm, and out of my life.”

“You first,” I growled, rearing up on him. “It’s you who doesn’t belong in the alpha track, and that’s not my hatred for you talking, it’s a fact. Alphas are supposed to respect their pack if they’re to command respect. While you treat everyone from your friends to your enemies like shit. You let personal grudges cloud your judgement. And, you’re a grown man who still pisses himself.”

A snarl ripped from his throat.

“You’re wasted here.” I put a finger on his chest, just a finger, and moved him back. “You’re not fit to lead a pack, Badr Divan, bastard son of the Sun councilor’s epsilon mistress—and you never will be.”

Silence fell on the field as everyone stopped kicking, punching, fighting, and breathing. They all gaped at me in disbelief.

Alpha wolves were born to lead. That fact was written on their souls. Telling one that they weren’t was like telling a bird they’re not meant to fly, or a rattlesnake that he would never grow up to terrify all in his path. To an alpha, there was no worse insult.

“Hmm.” Humming, Badr nodded slowly. “I see. Thank you so much for sharing your true thoughts with me, Volana.”

The hackles rose higher, crumpling my forehead. What was this? Why was he taking that so calmly? The guy flipped out on Paxton for trying to stop him selling my naked ass on t-shirts, but I tell him he’s destined to be a failure and he’s cool?

“So how about a challenge?” he asked, backing up farther. “A fight. If you lose, you’re out of the alpha track. If you win, I’m out.”

Slitted eyes beheld him. “Why would I agree to that? Of course I’m going to lose. I had to swear to Luame that I wouldn’t hurt you just to get into the alpha track. I can’t win a fight when I’m pulling my punches.”

“No one said you’d be fighting me.” Badr turned on our audience. “Anyone? Anyone willing to be my champion. You’ll have my eternal respect if you do.”

“I’ll do it,” Liza said, stepping forward. She was a short, stocky woman with freckles all over her body, wavy loam hair, and a large brown spot in her right eye that mesmerized you if you stared too long—and she’d punch you before you did. “But I want more than your respect.”

“Name it.”

Liza fixed on me. “I want her, the precious sainted mother wolf, to get on her knees... and bark.”

Laughs and howls battered my ears. I flicked to Allard who leaned against a practice dummy, grinning as he watched the show.

“Nope,” I said, cutting that shit off immediately. “I only get on my knees for Edric.” I blew him a kiss. “Right, baby?”

“What! No!” He shot back like I was going to chase him. “That’s not—”

“But if you get to pick a champion, so do I,” I continued. “I want Nia.”

“What? Who? Me?” she cried. “Daze, what are you saying! I can’t go up against”—she eyed the grinning alpha—“her!”

“Yes, you can, because that’s not the enemy you’re trying to beat.” I pointed to the rubber dummy man. “This is the part where you get stronger, Nia. Right here, right now.”

My speech crashed into her anger and died. “No! No way.” She tossed her head hard, backing away. “Fight your own battles.”

“Nia,” I hissed sharply, advancing on her. “You need to cut out this mouse shit, and start acting like a wolf.”

She flinched, body shaking.

I understood her fear. I truly did. Years on top of years of it being ingrained in her that challenging an alpha was the worst mistake she’d ever make. But Nia kept looking to me to get stronger, and somewhere along the way, I started caring if she did.

“Nia, I promised you I wouldn’t make you do something you don’t want to do—”

“Exactly! So why—”

“—but I didn’t make that promise for things you do want to do. And you and I both know, this is one of those things.”

Lips pressed tight, Nia just shook her head.

“I understand that before no one had ever fought or hurt you. You never knew what that felt like,” I said, voice softening. “But I’d also bet anything that no one ever respected you, and you damn sure felt it.”

Balling her fists was her only response.

“ When you beat her, you will not only have the respect and/or shit-eating envy of everyone on this field, but you get back what that shit took from you,” I said as she snapped her head up, eyes wide. “Your faith in yourself and your wolf.”

“Get strong,” she whispered, “and then get even.”

“And when that doesn’t work...” I slipped her something, then backed away—winking.

Nia looked from me to Liza to Badr, back to me, and then Liza again. Making up her mind, she stepped up to the mat.

“Ready,” Orion called, stepping up beside them. The white slash of his scar shone starkly on his sun-kissed cheek. “Take your stances.”

Nia planted her feet and raised trembling palms. With her mahogany skin and butterfly clips in her hair, the girl looked like a tiny, bare tree shaking in the breeze.

“As you know, everything goes on the mat as it does in nature,” Orion said. “No mercy.”

Liza’s grin was terrible. “No mercy.”

“Begin!”

“Argh!” Bellowing, Liza charged Nia—fist raised high—and pulled up so fast, her feet tangled and she dropped, falling flat on her face.

Nia blinked at her—shaking fists still bumping her chin.

“What the fuck are you doing!” Badr shouted. “Get up!”

Tossing her head, Liza shoved up on her feet, confusion riddled on her face like she had no idea what just happened. She looked at Nia through narrowed eyes, confirming my suspicions.

Seemed it wasn’t until someone tried to harm Nia that their wolf was tagged in the ass by her super-Nia-omega-wolf tranquilizer. Until then, they assumed she was like any other omega. They never saw her coming.

I cut eyes to Badr. It also explains why he was laughing when I chose her to be my champion, but he’s not laughing now.

“ Don’t move! ” Liza commanded, her alpha power washing over all assembled. “ Stand there and take it, bitch! ”

Liza rushed Nia again, then braked so hard, she looked like a mime who crashed into an imaginary wall—her arms comically up above her head and legs spread and planted.

“Nia!” I barked, flapping my hands at her.

She jerked—not in the least bit affected by Liza’s command. “Oh, right.” Quick as a snap, Nia’s leg flew up and busted Liza across the temple—the most beautifully executed roundhouse kick I’d ever seen—and it dropped Liza dead on her ass.

“Ahh!” Nia shrieked. “I can’t believe I did that! Daze, did you see that? Oh my gods.”

The smile she gave me was as bright as the one I returned. I wanted Nia to overcome her fear and reconnect with her wolf again. Years as a priestess showed me what happens when a werewolf doesn’t.

Our wolf was half of our soul. Losing trust in our wolf, or even fearing them, was like your right arm being so afraid of your left that it cut it off. Sure, you’d survive and continue on, but you’d never be the same as before.

Werewolves who couldn’t get over the hangup eventually lose their ability to shift. Their wolf is still inside them, but they can’t reach them anymore. And in Wolf Nation, if you’re not a shifter, you’re a mundane, and mundanes don’t belong in our world.

Liza got her arms and legs under her, and Nia kicked her again—catching her right in the stomach with another shrieky screech of surprise.

Doesn’t look like that’s in Nia’s future anymore.

“Liza, what are you doing?” Allard shoved to the front of the pack, falling in beside Badr. “The joke is at an end now. Fight for real!”

“I’m trying!” Finally on her feet, she shook herself as she bounced side to side on her heels. “Argh! ARGGHH!” she roared, golden wolf eyes beaming lamplights. Narrowing in on Nia like the lion narrows on the gazelle, she leaped and—

—and fell at Nia’s feet, doing a whole lot of nothing.

“My wolf?” she cried. “She won’t— She won’t come out!” Liza shook and waved her arms like a madwoman, clearly trying to summon forth her claws. “What did you do to me!”

“Hiya!” Nia kicked her in the chest, sending Liza flopping and rolling head over heels.

“Liza!” Allard never looked more incensed in his life. “If you lose this fight, it’ll be you who’s knocked down to the omega track! Get on your feet and kill this fish! Now!”

I shook my head, tsking. Pretty sure instructors weren’t supposed to use slurs against their students, or encourage one to kill the other. Where did Dagem find this guy? Her hiring choices were as shit as her morals.

Liza goggled at the mat, and the pool of blood her dripping nose was making on it. She was obviously shaken. Werewolves could shift as babies. This was the first time her wolf had let her down, and she couldn’t handle it.

The only ones handling it worse than Liza, were my fates. Edric had finally braved getting closer to me and stepped up to join Badr, Nyx, and Orion. The four of them huddled up beside the mat, angrily whispering back and forth and gesturing wildly at me.

I couldn’t hear what they were saying. Too many people shouting abuse at Liza and Nia for my wolf hearing to pick their whispers out of the noise, but they were mad.

And worried.

I caught the glare Badr tossed my way and winked back. “Have fun in the omega track,” I called.

“Argh!” Nia bellowed, finding her war cry like the warrior goddess she was.

“ Stop! ” Liza commanded. “ Stop, stop. STOP! ”

Racing across the mat, she yanked the still dazed Liza by the collar and punched her once, twice, three—

“Draw!” Allard rushed in, pulled Nia off, and tossed her aside. “Time,” he panted. “Class is over, so that’s time. Neither opponent won, neither lost. Draw,” he insisted again.

Nia stumbled over to me, taking out the earplugs I handed her before the match. “Draw? But I won, didn’t I?”

“You won, Nia. There’s absolutely no question.” I clapped her on the shoulder, giving her my first true smile in a long time. “I’m pretty sure you made omega history today. Well done.”

Nia beamed so wide, I counted all of her teeth. Behind her, three alphas carried Liza off the mat, with Allard berating her the whole way. The words “embarrassment,” “disgrace,” and “fucking fish” came through loud and clear.

“That felt amazing, Daze. Is this how people who win fights feel all the time?” She admired her bloody knuckles. “I always knew my wolf was strong, but not that strong. Liza might as well have been a mannequin for how much of a threat she was to me.” A shriek burst from her lips, setting off a little happy dance. “None of my friends are going to believe this! I beat an alpha!”

“Spread it around, girl. Tell everyone. Brag,” I cried, making her laugh. “Enjoy the looks on all of these alphas’ faces for as long as you can, because I tell you what”—I winked—“they’re not looking down on you anymore.”

“Thank you, Daze.” Nia jumped and hugged me, breaking rule number one. “I never would’ve done that without you. Paxton was right. Everyone is wrong. Deep down, you’re really nice—”

Something glinted out of the corner of my eye. Soaring faster than I could follow, it came straight for us.

“Ahh!” Pain exploded in my right hand, searing straight up my arm and bursting out my throat. “Ahhh!”

My scream snapped all eyes to us, and then they were screaming too.

“Nia!” Orion burst out, rushing to us.

Nia slumped in my arms, her weight bringing us both down. We collapsed on the mat in a tangle of limbs, agony bleeding my soul dry. Orion pulled her off me... and I saw.

Five daggers buried in her back, as deep and viciously sharp as the sixth dagger that missed her and buried in my hand.

“Holy fuck!” Kitty screeched. “Who did that? Where did those come from?!”

“Quick, get help!” Orion bolted up, holding Nia tight in his arms. “Get her to the infirmary.”

I could only sit there dazed and bleeding as everyone screamed, looked for the attacker, rushed around, and raced to get Nia help.

“You,” a heavy, menacing voice hissed. “You did this.”

I snapped up, shocked to find Badr and Nyx standing over me. The expressions on their faces sent shivers up my spine.

“What? Me?” I whipped around as if they could be talking to anyone else but me. “What are you talking about! I didn’t do this! I can’t have done it! I—”

“Nyx,” Badr sliced in. “Take her.”

“Take me? What—?” Pain bloomed in the back of my head.

Falling forward, darkness took me before I hit the ground.