Moon Kissed (Corvin Academy #1)

Chapter Nine

T he next morning, I surveyed my domain.

Classes were suspended while the professors were confined to their rooms—awaiting the inevitable moment they realized fighting me was pointless, and serving me was so much better. But the same couldn’t be said for all of the staff.

Pretty much everyone else from the kitchen staff to the janitors were omegas, and they suddenly got over their hangups when I offered them shorter hours, better accommodations, and three times their salaries.

I stood back a few feet from the dais, watching Melisent work her earth magic. Stepping back, she swept out her hands, presenting me with my throne.

“Gorgeous.”

The throne was a masterpiece. Intricate, carved creations transformed the simple wood. Butterflies flew up the high back. Flames consumed the legs. Waves crashed over my head. The moon shone on my seat. The sun beamed on the back, and the swords crowned the head. All in all, they were the elements of the wolves, and I their queen.

I was reclining on my throne, sipping oolong tea and nibbling on a croissant when the first wave of students shuffled in. They looked like they didn’t know where to go or what to do, but almost all of them sat down. Which they didn’t have to do, because I told them anyone who didn’t want to watch or participate in the trials could get their meals to go.

They wanted to see this.

“—the fuck off me, Ava!” Nyx was hauled inside by Ava and Melisent. His chains were covered in vines, moss, splinters, and forest debris from his useless attempts to break free. Carried in behind him were a still gagged Paxton, Edric, Orion, and Badr. “What is wrong with you? We were friends. You can’t actually be on that psycho’s side.”

Ava’s response was to dump him on the accuser’s chair, and stroll off without a word. My other fates were seated in the back.

Nyx glared at me fit to set my hair on fire. Even with the hatred glowing in his eyes, the man was five-alarm hot. The chains wrapped around his bulging muscles. My metal wolf ally strategically molded and bent the metal around his naughty bits to give him some privacy—way more decency that Nyx and his allies ever showed me—but the result was the guy looked like the chain gang pinup poster boy. I was fairly sure that Nyx could dye his hair orange and pop on a red clown nose, and he’d still be the sexiest man alive.

“You must be feeling pretty proud of yourself.”

I shrugged. “Gotta say, I’m not feeling too bad.”

“What do you think you’re going to accomplish with this bullshit? I get it. We hurt your narcissistic psychopath feelings when we tried to hold you accountable for murder, but I didn’t do anything wrong, and you’re not a fucking victim. So why don’t we skip the show, and we get to you doing whatever it is you’re going to do to me.”

I arched a brow. “You mean like you guys did to me.”

“You lied to the community and promised the judges world domination! The trial was stacked in your favor before we carried you through the door!”

“But this won’t be,” I remarked, taking another delicate sip. “You’re right, Nyx. If I wanted to punish you, I don’t need a sham trial to do it. Right now, everyone is looking to me to see what kind of queen I’m going to be—”

“Queen of my ass!”

“Maybe one day, sweetie, if you behave.”

Nyx growled, but downstairs where only a wolf’s hearing could pick up, his rising cock thudded against its metal prison.

My gods, he still wants me? His wolf is a persistent bugger, isn’t he.

“As I was saying,” I went on, raising my voice over the slight stirrings of interest in my core. Cut that out!

I swear my wolf laughed at me.

“No one trusts a tyrant who delivers their own justice as it suits them. No one follows them,” I said. “That’s not me.”

Nyx’s eyes narrowed to slits. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“It means I’ll be providing the evidence, but otherwise, I’m staying out of this trial because I can’t be impartial. Your fellow alphas, your friends, are going to sit in judgement on you. Not the epsilons,” I announced, setting off murmurs. “If they find you guilty, the community will decide your punishment, not me. And unlike you, asshole, whatever they decide, I respect.”

Nyx was beaming wide before I put a dot at the end of my sentence. “This is truly one of your stupider decisions, and last night you took over the school and admitted to treason.”

“What school would that be, Mr. Harmon, because it most certainly wasn’t mine.” Dagem blew into the mess hall with Raza trailing hot on her heels.

“Ahh, you must be a moon wolf too,” I said to Raza, “because I distinctly remember having you chained to a bedpost.”

“That is enough!” Dagem roared. “Come down from there now! You’re expelled, Miss Volana. Get out of my school. You can pick up your things from the trash heap where you belong.”

Everyone watching flicked from me to her—Nyx with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.

My grin was no less wide. “I won’t be going anywhere, Miss Dagem... because I know.”

“Excuse me?” she sputtered. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“I know.”

“What are you rambling about? Get down from there, or I’ll make you get down.”

My smile melted away, eyes hardening. “I know.”

“Enough of this! Get out of my school! ”

The command washed over me, having no effect. “I know, Dagem.”

“What?” she burst out. “What do you know!”

“Everything.”

She frowned at me, the slight crack in her bluster appearing. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Makena,” Raza hissed. “Don’t give her the satisfaction. Drag her out of here if you must.”

“Yes,” I said. “Go ahead and drag me out of here. The whole way I’ll shout about how you afford all those nice things in your office, and the even nicer things you’ve got stashed away in your private quarters.”

Her jaw slackened. “You’ve been in my private—? How dare you!”

“Is that really the headline of what I just said?”

Dagem bristled. “I have no idea what you’re implying. I’ve been smart with my savings. I’ve invested wisely.”

“Oh, yes, you were very wise to invest in blackmail.”

Dagem went very still. “Blackmail? What are you talking about? I have never—”

“Stop.”

She stopped.

“We’re not going to play this game where we pretend not to be talking about what we both know we’re talking about.”

“What are you talking about?” Nyx demanded. “What the fuck’s going on, Headmistress? Get me out of these!”

Someone held up their hand to silence him. It was Dagem.

“What is it that you believe we’re talking about?” Dagem asked softly—carefully.

“Do you really want me to say in front of all these people?” I swept out my hands. “What me to get into all the gory details? Because the last time you were asked to do that, you took the money instead.”

She flinched, eyes widening. I could hear the thought going through her mind as if my wolf’s hearing penetrated her brain. “ My gods, she does know. ”

“So you do want everyone to know? All right.” I turned on our audience. “Everyone, a year and a half ago, Headmistress Dagem extorted five—”

“Stop!” Dagem launched at me, but it wasn’t anger in her eyes. It was desperation. “What do you want?”

My smile returned. “What else would I want? I want you to do exactly what you did before. Take the money and look the other way.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the card. “This is a debit card linked to a bank account containing eight million dollars. The account information is taped on the back.” I held it out. “All you have to do is take this card, hop a plane to France, and live out the rest of your days in your chateau by the sea. With the caveat, of course, that you tell no one that you’ve retired and handed over the school to me. No need to trouble anyone else with the news. They’ll find out soon enough.”

Dagem fixed on the card. “But... how do I know the money is really there?”

“Makena!” Raza shrieked. “What are you saying!”

“Headmistress?”

“You have to stop this!”

“Do something!”

Dagem and I locked eyes amid the noise. This was between me and her.

“See for yourself,” I said, handing the card over easily. “The money is all there, and it can be all yours if you pack your bags and leave right now.”

Dagem took the card. Raza shouted curses and obscenities at her back, but Dagem was hardly listening in her haste to pull up the account on her phone. One look and her eyes bugged out of her skull.

“What’s it going to be?” I asked.

Dagem glanced at me, but only for half a second. She flicked back to the money quick. “Just... promise me you won’t hurt the students.”

“Oh, please, who are you putting a show on for? You don’t have to pretend you care about the students.” I stuck my hand out. “Do we have a deal or not?”

She hesitated, looking from me, to the students, and back to the debit card clutched in her sweaty hand. “Deal.”

“What!?” Raza looked ready to burst out of her skin and attack. “Makena, what is wrong with you! How can you do this!”

“Everyone, say hello to your new headmistress,” Dagem called, beating it out the door. “Heed her well, and good lu—”

The rest was cut off by her slamming the door shut in Raza’s purple face and taking off to book that flight to France.

Raza whirled on me. “Fuck that bitch!”

My brows shot up. She didn’t sound like a kindergarten teacher now.

“Don’t think you’ve won, because you haven’t, Volana! I’m contacting the alpha council right now.” She whipped out her phone. “The men with straightjackets will be along shortly to carry you away.”

I laughed. “You could do that or you can take three times your salary to continue your job working for me, and I won’t tell anyone about your affair.”

She froze. “A-affair?”

“And he’s so young too.” I winked. “Naughty girl.”

“He’s of age,” she snapped back, pinking. “It’s legal.”

“Yeah, that’s going to be my caption when I post the photos all over Loop-Garou. He’s of Age. It’s Legal. ”

“Photos?” she rasped. “You can’t— You don’t have photos.”

Saying nothing. I pulled out my new stolen phone and tip-tip-tapped. Raza’s cell chimed a minute later.

My awful, biased, unprofessional teacher took a look, paled, and quickly shoved her phone back in her pocket—leaving the number to the alpha council half dialed. She cleared her throat. “Did you say three times my salary?”

My smile shone bright. “I did.”

“Make it four.”

“Done.”

“What?” Nyx sounded off. “Professor, not you too. You can’t be serious!”

She paid him no mind. “And the photos?”

“I’ll keep your secret as long as you keep mine,” I replied. “Also, a new curriculum is being typed up and will soon be sent to all the teachers. From now on, students will be choosing a track based on their interests, not their wolf.”

Raza dipped a nod in my direction, then walked out.

My beaming smile turned on Nyx. “All righty then. Sorry for the delay. Let’s get this trial started. I need ten alphas to volunteer to sit in judgement.”

Forty hands went up. I picked out ten, and they all marched to the judge chairs, giving me a nasty look as they passed, and a supportive one to Nyx. Of course they did, everyone liked the guy.

“What are the charges?” Kitty asked as she sat down as judge. I don’t think it was possible for her to put more mocking into her tone. “Hanging your bony ass from the ceiling? Kicking your butt in wolfball? Because he’s definitely guilty of that.”

I didn’t react as the crowd laughed louder than that joke deserved. “Nope. As I said, I’m not the one bringing the charges. The charges against Nyx were brought forward by Patrick Hearne.”

Nyx’s head snapped up. His grin vanished in a blink. “Patrick?”

“Patrick couldn’t be here today,” I continued, gaze piercing Nyx’s soul, “but he sends his love.”

“Who’s Patrick Hearne?” Kitty asked.

“And what are the charges?” asked Andre.

I purposely chose alphas who had the most to say against me the day before. The wool was coming off of everyone’s eyes if I had to rip it off myself.

“Those are good questions,” I remarked. “Nyx, want to take over from here?”

Nyx didn’t move. He didn’t speak.

“Aww, that’s all right, sweetie. I can handle it.” I turned on the watchers. “Patrick Hearne is an omega wolf from the Pinewoods Earth Wolves community where Nyx grew up, and he’s charging Nyx with attempted murder and a hate crime.”

“What?” Andre laughed. “A hate crime? Attempted murder? That’s ridiculous. Nyx would never.”

“You’re making this up, aren’t you?” Kitty scoffed at me. “Pathetic.”

Their noise went in one ear and out the other. “My first day at the academy, Badr was kind enough to give me some info.”

Said Badr frowned at me through his gag.

“Because Nyx had to delay joining the academy for a year, his brother finished before him and was named alpha of their community. I got to admit, I found that a bit strange because their father is clan alpha. Why would he rip his eldest son’s birthright away from him just because he was taking a short vacation? Not to mention Nyx is now the most famous earth wolf in Wolf Nation. You’d think the man would exercise some patience.

“After giving that a ponder, it occurred to me that maybe there’s no love lost between Daddy Nyx, Little Bro, and my fate,” I said. “So I called Nyx’s brother, Sol, and he gave me Patrick’s name. I then called Patrick and he sent me a video. The very first NyxNight production.”

“What! The video?” Nyx cried. “You have it? How do you have that!”

“Everyone is about to have it in three, two, one—”

Chimes, dings, bells, and ringtones sounded off all over the room.

“Wait, turn that off! Don’t look at that!”

They merely pulled the video up faster, morbidly eager to see the video. But I wasn’t. It made me sick to watch it the first time. I didn’t need to see it again.

Nyx’s voice hit my ears from a dozen different directions. “Guys, what do you think? Think fags can fly?”

“Stop it! Put me down!”

My memory recalled the video unbidden. Nyx stood on the edge of a roof, dangling a red-haired, freckled-face teenage boy over the ground. Patrick was clearly beaten to shit. He was covered in bleeding cuts and bruises all in various stages of healing.

When we were on the phone, Patrick said it all started because their team was visiting a state over and staying in a hotel for the wolfball championship game. Nyx and the team threw a party in the penthouse suite Nyx’s daddy bought out for them. Everything was good until Nyx and a couple of the other guys walked in on Patrick giving the bellhop a blowjob in the closet.

They dragged him up to the roof, beat him up, and then... Nyx.

“Whoa, Nyx, easy, man,” someone off-camera slurred. “Pull him back over.”

“Can’t pull him back over. Not before we settle this thing. Can this dick-sucking fag fly?”

“No!” Patrick scratched and scrabbled at Nyx’s arm and chest trying to heave himself back over the ledge. “This isn’t a fucking joke! Pull me ba—!”

Nyx punched him in the face, spurting blood from his twice-broken nose. Roaring, Patrick lashed out, claws ripping from his fingertips, and slashed Nyx down the arm—raking open four wicked gashed.

Nyx dropped him.

“Ahhhhhh!”

“Oh shit!”

“What the fuck, man! What did you do!”

The video spun wildly, flashing the night sky, then thudded on the ground—going black.

Such deep, profound, living silence filled the room. Even beneath their chains and gags, my fates looked at Nyx in disbelief.

“As you all know.” Nyx flinched at my voice. “Patrick survived, but not unscathed. His right leg was so mangled from the fall, not even his wolf healing could save it. Doctors had to cut it off.

“And with that, let the trial begin.”

The community, another name for the peers who asked the questions and picked apart his story, pounced on him.

“What the fuck, Nyx! How could you do that?”

“I’m sorry,” Nyx rasped, voice ragged. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to drop him!”

“You never meant to drop him?” Tracy shouted. “You were dangling him off a roof saying you wanted to see him fly! What exactly were your good intentions, you homophobic shit!”

“I’m not a homophobe! I mean, I know how that looks, but I was messed up back then. I hadn’t accepted myself yet, and Sol was there. He was filming! If I went easy on Patrick, Sol would’ve ratted on me to my dad. My dad is the homophobic shit! I was afraid that—”

“I, I, I, I, I,” Tracy taunted. “Of course this is all about you and your feelings, alpha. What about Patrick!”

“Are you even sorry?” Nicole, another omega, accused.

“Of course I’m sorry! I’ve never been sorrier about anything in my life.”

“Then what did you do to make it up to him?” Devin flung. “How did you apologize? How did you make it right?”

“I—”

“Don’t lie,” I sang softly, ripping another flinch out of Nyx. “I can get Patrick on the phone right now.”

“I... told him that...” Nyx looked like he was about to be physically ill. “...I would finish the job if he t-told the truth of what happened that night.”

“You bastard!” Tracy shouted.

Even the alphas gaped at him. A fair number of alphas abused their power, but that didn’t mean they went around terrorizing queer people, throwing them off buildings, then going back to threaten them in their wheelchair. Even for someone struggling with his sexuality, that was dark.

“What’s wrong, Nyx?” My smile was nasty. “Aren’t you all about killers being held responsible? Isn’t that why you so fervently went after me? Tearing me up on the field? Hanging me from the ceiling? Beating me with bats? Filming it and putting it online? Destroying the only thing I have left of my mother?”

Nyx glared at me through red-rimmed eyes.

“It was all so an innocent person would receive justice, and I know my clever, charming, handsome fate holds himself to the same standard, doesn’t he?” Steel belied my sweet tone. “Or are you exactly what you look like, Nyx? A self-hating, gay-bashing, power-abusing hypocrite.”

“I’m s-sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t you fucking buy his crocodile tears,” Devin shouted at the judges, making Kitty jump. “You all were real fucking proud of yourselves, beating Volana in that video for what she did to Castor. You better bring that same lust for justice against him, or you’re fucking hypocrites too.”

“Wait, why does he get to be judged by only alphas?” Tracy demanded, shooting up. “They’re just going to go easy on him.”

“They’re going to let him off!”

“It’s not fair,” someone shouted. “Daciana said—”

“Queen Daciana,” I called, “if you please.”

“Queen Daciana said the victims’ voices will be heard.”

Dang, she actually called me queen. Are all coups this easy? Why do the history books make it out to be so hard?