Moon Kissed (Corvin Academy #1)

Chapter Two 2

“What?” she rasped. “What does this mean?”

“Dammit, Zania,” Ava snapped. “He’s saying that if we want the bitch out, we’ll have to do it ourselves.”

I kept my gaze fixed on my nails as all eyes in the room turned on me. If I heard Edric from clear across the room, then so did everyone else. Alpha, omega, beta, and epsilon. I didn’t know what they were thinking— Well, to be accurate, I didn’t know what the silent ones were thinking. For all the ones who were whispering and hissing their threats and agreement, they were coming through loud and clear.

“You’re all alone I see.” Badr dropped on the seat in front of me. “Just how it should be.”

I didn’t look up from my nails. “Something I can do for you?”

“Yeah, I was listening to that pathetic boo-hoo sob story you were spinning for the omega.”

“Which one?” I replied conversationally. “Was it when I was moaning about Luame’s shit taste in mates?”

“No, that wasn’t the one.” Badr’s tone was just as light and friendly as mine. “It was when you were doing that piss-poor impression of a normal person and fake crying over Mommy.”

I kept my reaction off my face. That’s what he was looking for. “You think I didn’t care when my own mother was murdered?”

“You didn’t feel a thing,” he hissed, getting in my face. “How do I know? Because you’re the soul-sucking leech that rips good people out of this world. If you really knew how that felt, you’d never have done it to Castor.

“He was the best of people. We both had a claim for alpha of the clan, but our father wanted Castor. Castor fought against him.” Badr’s voice shook. “Knock-down, drag-out fights all to back me up. Said our claims were equal, and if we both graduated on top, we’d be co-alphas and he’d accept nothing else.

“Co-alphas. Can you believe that? Nothing like it had ever been done before.”

That was hard to believe. As hard as it was to believe mundane USA would ever have co-presidents. Power didn’t like to be shared.

“But Castor was willing to do it, because my brother wasn’t going to let me get anything less than my due.” There was barely a sliver of distance between us. “That was the man you killed, leech, and I swear on the goddess, you will not get away with it.”

I blew out a gusty sigh. “You know what, Badr? Let’s settle this right now, so that all the people listening can know why you’re really mad.

“It’s because I saw you piss your pants.”

Nia choked from across the room, hacking and spraying water on the table. Our many, many listeners gasped, reeled, or had to keep their bulging eyes in their head.

“What the fuck— No I didn’t!”

“That nasty, ripe yellow stain is there for everyone to see,” I breezed. “You peed yourself, I saw it, and you’re desperate that no one finds out you’re incontinent because how can anyone respect a wolf who wears a diaper?” Badr flushed deeper purple with every word. “Look, it’s not a big deal, man. Just make sure to change it out more frequently. Might feel nice to have a warm sack of piss against your balls, but that’s how leaks happen.”

“Ugh, eww,” someone whispered. “That’s gross, B.”

“It’s a lie! I didn’t piss myself!” Badr toppled his chair shooting up. “Paxton did this!”

“Oooh,” I crowed. “Paxton peed on your crotch? That’s super kinky, fate. I’m not into that, but you guys have your fun.”

His expression was terrible to behold. I could hear his hating me over Paxton’s sputters and denials.

“You think you’re funny, don’t you?” he hissed. “You think that just because you’re the mother wolf, nothing and no one can hurt you.” Badr dropped his fists on the table, leaning over me to make my eyes cross. “You’re wrong.

“I’m going to wipe that smirk off your face. Permanently.”

I looked him dead in the eyes. “And how exactly do you think you’re going to do that?”

Inexplicably, Badr smirked. “Oh, I’ve got a few ideas.” He flicked off me. “ Trip. ”

Badr shot back. I didn’t have a second to understand what was happening when my skin lit on fire.

“Ahh!” Screaming, I bolted up as the nice server hit the floor. The coffee she was bringing soaked my head, neck, back, arm, and chest—burning the flesh raw. Raucous laughter roared through the mess hall, almost as loud as my screams.

“Guess what, bitch? That is my dress”—Ava spun me around, claws sprouting from her nail beds—“and I’ll be taking it back now.”

She ripped the dress clean off my body.

I ran.

Covering myself best I could, I took off amidst raining books, pens, and notepads. Most of them didn’t have food to throw at me, so they threw everything else.

I tripped coming out the door, slid on my heels, and crashed into the opposite wall. The pain was blinding. Laughs pounded my sensitive ears. I peeled myself off and kept running, not stopping. Not looking back.

AN HOUR LATER, I FOUND myself walking through the lecture hall—searching for my classroom.

It took time before my wolf healing repaired my scalded, burned skin. I couldn’t stand a hot bath until it did.

When I was finally healed, I washed, changed into a simple pair of jeans and a blue sweater, then... I stood there.

I stood there—stock-still and barely breathing—staring at the letter I taped to the vanity mirror. I wanted to see it in the morning when I woke up, and every night as I fell asleep. I wanted the words singed on my soul where nothing would ever heal it.

I wanted the pure rage and hate that fucking letter gave me to seethe and weep like an infected sore, rotting my heart from the inside out and reminding me why I killed Castor Tahan—

—and why I’d fucking do it again.

I consulted my schedule as I walked, gaze flicking from door number to door number.

I already knew from being the mother wolf what I’d be learning if I was doing the priestess track. That track was heavy into learning the history of Wolf Nation, psychology so that we could become the de facto advisors and counselors of Wolf Nation, and martial arts so that both our forms—woman and wolf—were lethal weapons.

I assumed the alpha track would be similar in many ways, and I was wrong.

7:20-7:50: Homeroom

8:00-9:00: Leadership & Diplomacy

9:10-10:10: History of Wolf Nation

10:20-11:20: History of The Dominions

11:30-1:30: Lunch

1:40-2:40: Economics

2:50-3:50: Strategic Thinking

4:00-5:00: Special Lessons

5:10-6:10: Martial Arts

6:20-7:20: Athletics

7:30-9:30: Dinner

The schedule was intense. We were in classes all day, and I didn’t even know what they were all for. Athletics? Strategic Thinking? Special Lessons? What did all of that even mean?

My father was alpha of the Volana Clan, another name for the moon wolves. He never told me his time in Corvin was this intense. But then, Father hadn’t told me a great many things. He was always a quiet, introspective man, but after Mother died, he retreated into himself. Any conversation about the past just made him think of her, so we stopped talking about life before.

We stopped talking period.

My eyes lit on Room 115. Homeroom. Tucking my schedule away, I pushed inside.

“—what you’ve decided for—” The speaker cut off, his gaze flying to me along with everyone else in the room. He stepped out from behind his podium—revealing all six feet of his long, muscled legs, tight suit, broad shoulders, and scowling, handsome face. “Ah, Miss Daciana. How nice of you to finally join us.”

“Sorry, sir, I was—”

“I’m not interested in excuses. That’s a demerit for being late. Sit down.”

My eyes bugged. A demerit for being two minutes late?! Was this guy for real! “But, sir—”

“Would you like another?”

I snapped my jaw shut, internally screaming. Nia did say they were harder on people in the alpha track than they were anyone else. If I complained about my treatment, Dagem would no doubt use that strict treatment as an excuse until she finally booted me out.

Silently, I shook my head to titters and laughs from the class.

“Good,” he growled. “Sit.”

I looked around, taking in the modest classroom. It was small and windowless with shining hardwood floors, loaded-down bookshelves lining the side walls, and the instructor’s desk, podium, and chalkboard. The one thing that set this room apart from other classrooms was that each student had a proper mahogany desk with drawers, pull-out writing tables, pencil holders, backpack hook, and plush swivel chairs made to cradle the spine to sleep.

Seeing everyone with these fancy, expensive desks made it easy for me to tell which was mine.

The class laughed outright when I made for the busted-up mound of splintered wood and broken plastic that used to be my chair and desk. I glanced at the instructor but he was pointedly not looking in my direction.

I was on my own.

Plastering a smile on my face, I hung my bag strap on half a broken desk leg that was sticking out, crossed my legs, and dropped on the floor. “Ready to begin, sir.”

The laughs dried up, and I got disgusted glares in return. Obviously they were expecting more of a scene, but what the hell did I care about a desk and chair? Wasn’t like I bought the damn things. If my classmates wanted to destroy academy property, that was their own business.

Badr, Orion, Nyx, and Edric glared at me hardest of all—proving that this little stunt was their idea. They’d even gone through the trouble of getting front-row seats to watch my meltdown.

Or at least I assumed that was their plan since Badr’s and Orion’s desks were right in front of me, Nyx and Edric were on either side of me, and Paxton was right at my back—boxing me in.

“As I was saying,” the instructor continued. “I am Mr. Hall. You may call me Mr. Hall or sir. Now, you all should’ve received your class schedules. If you’ve got questions, ask them now.”

Hands went up all over.

I hyper-focused on the Q&A to get my mind off my wolf. She was going crazy. All of my fates were within touching distance, and oh my wow, did she want me to touch.

It’s not going to happen. It’s not going to happen. Let it go and let the bonds die already, it’s not going to happen!

“Sir, what is Athletics?”

“Exactly what it sounds like,” Hall replied. “We’ve added mandatory physical education to your rosters.”

“But we’re all twenty to twenty-four years old,” someone remarked. “Since when do adults go to PE?”

Murmurs of agreement broke out. Hall called for silence.

“That is a fair question. A lot of these classes may seem basic, and that is by design. It was the decision of the headmistress and the staff to bring everyone back to basics, and begin with a clean slate.

“Recent events have called our ways into question. For years—centuries—we’ve allowed power to be something one is born in to. It is now we’ve come to realize that it should be earned.”

“What does that mean?” Edric asked, breaking his staring contest with my forehead.

“It means that you all entered this academy with letters of recommendations from your clan alphas and betas, and from those recommendations, we assigned you different rankings. Those at the top were eligible to become clan alphas or members of the alpha council. Those ranked toward the bottom would have their pick of jobs with law enforcement, diplomacy, etc.”

Edric’s eyes narrowed. “You said were .”

Hall smirked. “That’s right. Starting today, we’ve thrown out the ranking system. You’re all starting at zero.”

“But, sir!” They all argued, yelled, barked, and shouted over each other.

I rolled my eyes amidst it all. If this small, petty change was the worst thing to happen to them today, they clearly hadn’t had a quarter of their skin burned off before breakfast.

“Enough,” Hall barked. “If you can prove to your clan alphas and betas that you’re worthy to be here, you can damn sure prove it to us too. Clean slate! All of you,” he gruffed. “Equal footing. Level playing field. Excel in all of your classes, then it’s only the headmistress’s letter of recommendation you need to worry about, because she’ll back you for clan alpha on her word and your merit. A recommendation you’ll know you earned, because you beat out everyone here to get it.”

Dark, glittering eyes swept over us. “Now what say you, alphas, or have I accidentally wandered into an omega classroom?”

The class laughed—except for the lone omega sitting behind me.

“Nah,” said some guy kicking back in the front row. “Beating out all these fools sounds good to me.”

The atmosphere shifted as their natural competitiveness took over. Groans and moans were suddenly replaced with smirks and excited grins, and why wouldn't they be excited? If their letters of rec weren’t good enough to get them to the top, they now had another chance to claw their way up.

“I have a question,” I broke in. “If everyone is on equal footing, why are we still separated into different tracks? Omegas and betas can learn leadership, diplomacy, and martial arts just as well as the rest of us,” I said. “Let the entire school and everyone in it compete together on the same playing field, and then we’ll know who’s truly the best.”

A chair scraped the floor behind me. “That makes sense. We—”

“No, it doesn’t,” Hall snapped, “and don’t either of you forget your place and speak out of turn in my class again.”

Paxton quieted while my eyes narrowed to slits. Everyone else spoke out of turn and he hadn’t barked at them. But then, everyone else was an alpha. Asshole.

“Why?”

“Excuse me?” Hall whirled around.

“Why?” Nyx repeated. He reclined back in his seat, his leg slung over the desk. He had lost his shirt sometime between breakfast and homeroom, and no one was asking him to find another. “Why doesn’t that make sense?”

Hall’s brows crumpled like he didn’t understand the question.

“You just said power should be something you earn, not something you’re born in to,” Nyx continued. “So why can’t the betas and omegas earn it?” Nyx looked to Paxton and tipped his chin at him. He was backing up his friend, not me, but that was fine if it got Hall to answer the question.

“Okay, there seems to be some confusion here,” Hall said, clutching his podium. “The ranking system has also been done away within the beta, epsilon, and omega tracks. So, they in fact, will be learning and working based on merits within their own tracks as it should be, Mr. Nyx. You know as well as I do that an omega cannot lead a clan. It would be cruelty, not fairness, to have them waste their hope on the fantasy that they can. Understood?”

Nyx just tipped his chin.

I shook my head, trying and failing to hold back another eye roll. The way Wolf Nation was set up seemed complicated to outsiders, but it wasn’t. It was actually absurdly simple.

As was our creed, we were all one people under the banner of Wolf Nation. Wolf Nation was the official pack that made up all the clans and all the shifter wolves in North America. Making up Wolf Nation were the separate clans of the elemental wolves. The moon wolves clan. The water wolves clan. The earth clan. The fire clan. The sun clan. The wind clan, and the metal wolves.

Each clan had their own territories and piece of land where they called home. Those territories tended to align with their elements. Warmth and sunny weather for the sun wolves. Homes along rivers, lakes, and beaches for the water wolves.

There were also the different elemental powers for each wolf. Water wolves controlled the element like a puppet master tugs the strings. Wind wolves can both summon gale force winds and snatch a whisper out of the air. Fire wolves wielded fireballs. Sun wolves could summon light as bright as the sun—blinding all in their path. Metal wolves can cover their entire bodies in a metal coating, making them indestructible. Earth wolves can move a boulder with their mind.

And then there were the moon wolves like me— Actually, no. There were no moon wolves like me.

Every moon wolf had the power to phase. Walking through solid concrete was as easy as dipping a toe in water. But I was different.

My phase power was linked to the phases of the moon. On the night of the full moon, I was as solid as anyone else. But as the moon cycle claimed me night after night, my body faded and faded until the new moon when I could disappear completely—wielding the power of invisibility too.

All of that sounded amazing, especially because for everyone besides me, the strength of their elemental power had nothing to do with being alpha or omega. A fire omega could wield flames a hundred times hotter than an alpha of their clan. But in our world that meant nothing. That same weak fire alpha could order that omega to jump in a lake, and then the real power would reign once again.

With that being true, only alphas were allowed to apply for and occupy leadership roles, important positions, or even the highest-paid positions. Clan alpha, engineers, doctors, law enforcement, scientists, politics, or promotion to the highest position of alpha council—the council that led and ruled all of Wolf Nation.

Those jobs were for alphas and alphas only, and they competed for those jobs right here in the academy.

Epsilons had only one career path available to them—priestess. As for betas, they got to be nurses, firefighters, paramedics, teachers, writers, musicians, artists, and more. One could say betas were the ones to envy. While they were locked out of the leadership roles and could only rise as high as an alpha’s second-in-command, if a beta wasn’t interested in any of that crap and wanted to pursue a more creative path, they were free to do so.

No one ever encouraged an alpha or epsilon to roam the European countryside painting the scenery. I wasn’t even allowed to go two feet past my front door without six bodyguards, because they had to protect the mother wolf from the vampires. Killing me would wipe out our race in one swoop, giving those ice-cold rats what they’ve always wanted.

No, the people who really had it bad in Wolf Nation, were the omegas. Those poor bastards were only allowed to have the jobs that no one wanted. The grunt work, the dirty work, the worst-paid with the lousiest hours. And there was nothing they could do about it. Every time they tried and protested their treatment, an alpha made an example of them.

Not a violent example, but a humiliating one.

The last spectacle I witnessed—years ago—was of an omega dissenter that had gathered a big following. They were protesting in the streets day and night—demanding equal treatment.

My father was clan alpha at the time. He came out to the square that day, holding tight to my hand. I followed behind him as he faced the crowd, and placed a red, rubber ball on the ground.

He had the omega leader step forward... along with a five-year-old alpha girl. The crowd was already howling with laughter before he spoke. Father said whoever picked up the ball first could have whatever they wanted—including his position as clan alpha.

The omega protestor leaped for it, and then the little girl told him to go away.

He spun on his heels and raced out of the square without hesitation. The little girl then picked up the ball, squealing and jumping with glee to have her request granted—two scoops of chocolate chocolate chip ice cream.

The rest of the omega protestors just slinked away—the air of humiliation so thick and cloying, I cried to my father that night, demanding to know why he was so horrible to them.

“No one who’s easily swayed by others is fit to lead, Daciana. That is true of all people, in all dominions, and throughout time. There is no point calling such person a leader... when the true power is held by the one controlling them.”

That belief has carried on through the centuries, becoming the mantra that smacked down any beta or omega who dared to reach for the top. If a little girl can take your ball... she won’t take your orders.

Corvin Academy hasn’t changed anything, I thought, peeking back at Paxton. They put the same shit in a different toilet, and expect a treat for it.