Moon Kissed (Corvin Academy #1)

Chapter Three 3

“Fucking hell,” Orion cried.

Lying in a broken, crumpled heap on top of the rose bushes was Mr. Hall. We didn’t need to check if he was dead. The wrong-ways limbs and unseeing eyes told that story.

“What happened!” Orion twisted his neck looking up. “Did he jump? Why would he do that?!”

“Eh, who knows. But good news.” I breezed by, patting his incredulous, bug-eyed self on the shoulder. “Detention is over.”

THEY CAME FOR ME THREE bites into my steak and potatoes. I was groaning before they stepped up to the table.

“Get up.”

“Oh, come on. Can I get through one meal without interruption? At least let me finish.”

Dagem bared her teeth, still managing to look intimidating while holding Nia out in front of her like a human shield.

Standing right beside her were two of her staff and my fates, each exhausting all the ranges of emotions.

“Get up now!”

“All right, all right.”

The mess hall was mostly empty. The rest of the students had long since blown in, gotten their food, and went off to enjoy their little bit of free time before bed.

That left few people to witness them frog-march me through the building, out into the courtyard, and through to the administration building. I chattered the whole way.

“So what’s up with you guys?” I asked. “Having an eventful first day?”

Silence.

“I sure have. This new back-to-basics curriculum has shown me how rusty I am. I almost said ow when I punched the dummy during martial arts. I know, I know,” I sighed. “You have to practice every day. Can’t let those skills slip, but everyone needs a cheat day. Or fifty.”

The stony-faced group didn’t even look at me. Only Dagem’s ticcing jaw proved she was listening.

I swung to Nia. “What about you? How was your first day?”

“Uhhh...” Nia looked to Dagem for help as we rounded the corner out of the great hall, but the headmistress stared straight ahead. “It... uh... It actually wasn’t so great. I found out today that they took landscaping off of the approved omega job list. It’s for betas only now.”

“Oh no, that sucks. What did you like about it? Being outdoors, the creativity, or both?”

Again Nia looked to Dagem for cues. Dagem was giving her nothing, so she replied, “Both. Believe it or not, I was excited about it. I’m an earth wolf, so being a part of making nature even more beautiful is my dream.” She looked away. “Or it was.”

“Hmm.” I dropped my head back, mulling it over. “I don’t know what’s on the omega job list but... what about... Oh! Have you ever thought about set design?”

“What?”

“Set design,” I repeated. “You know for movies, musicals, and plays. It’s an indoor and outdoor job. It’s creative. And, with your earth powers, you won’t need cardboard trees and plastic leaves. You could create real, beautiful sets that bring your favorite stories to life.”

“My favorite stories?”

“Yeah. Your backpack was open this morning and I peeked inside. Les Misérables , The Phantom of the Opera, Matilda. All of those musicals are famous among Wolf Nation too. Imagine if you were in charge of creating those sets. It’s not landscaping, but it would be a pretty fun job, right?”

Nia blinked at me. “That’s... That’s a great idea. Holy crap, why didn’t I think of that? Getting to bring all of my favorite books to life would be a dream. I’ll talk to Mrs. Shard first thing tomorrow and—”

“Set design is no longer on the omega approved career list,” Dagem sliced in. “Effective immediately.”

“What!” Nia cried. “Why?”

Dagem shot her a sharp, silencing look.

“No, seriously,” I asked, a hard edge slapping the sweetness out of my voice. “Why? Is it because I suggested it? Because that’s some petty, vindictive bullshit right there.”

“And that’s a demerit, Miss Volana. I will not be questioned or spoken to in that manner by the likes of you. I strongly suggest you speak when spoken to from now on.”

I loudly rolled my eyes.

“Drop that fucking look,” Badr hissed. “You’re not fooling anyone by pretending you give a shit for that girl’s job prospects. Playing the sweet, kind, wisdom-sharing priestess isn’t going to save you.”

I just smiled at him. “I wasn’t aware I needed saving.”

We were silent for the rest of the short walk. I didn’t need my fourth demerit of the day. Although, going by their expressions, they had something else in mind for me.

We reached a large, imposing pair of double doors. Badr took firm hold of my forearm and dragged me over the threshold into the large, tasteful office.

My wolf should’ve bared her teeth at his manhandling, and she likely would’ve if she wasn’t too busy purring and twitching my fingers toward my pants button. Stripping worked on my fates once. She saw no reason why it wouldn’t again.

Get ahold of yourself, beast!

Amusement flooded back to me. She was me, so technically I was laughing at myself, but still.

My wolf was a bitch.

Badr shoved me none-too-gently in the chair placed before the headmistress’s desk.

Her office didn’t have many personal touches. No photos of family or friends. No vacation pics or cheesing grins at the camera with a celebrity by her side, but what it lacked in warmth, it more than made up for in expense.

Everything I laid eyes on screamed money so loud, I winced. Persian rugs beneath my feet. Marble plinths between the windows carrying antique vases. A desk made centuries before Wolf Nation was born. The fancy upholstered chair I was sitting on, and a two-thousand-dollar Hermes throw blanket draped over a chaise lounge.

Seriously, two thousand frickin’ dollars for a blanket. Lucia had the same one, but she was eye-wateringly rich. She could throw stacks of hundreds in a bonfire and it wouldn’t dent her net worth.

Just how much do headmistresses make?

“Is anyone going to tell me what I’m doing here?” I asked as Dagem rounded her desk and claimed her high-backed seat.

Dagem crossed her legs, then rested her laced fingers on her knee. She was the appearance of calm, relaxed, and in control. “Why don’t you take a guess?”

I swept the uncomfortable, stony, and angry faces around me. “I assume this is about Mr. Hall and what we witnessed from the detention room.”

Dagem’s dead-eyed smile made my skin crawl. “You are many things, Miss Volana, but stupid isn’t one of them.”

“That’s almost a compliment.” I flicked to Orion, catching him licking those soft, cherry-stained lips as he stared at my cleavage. Caught, he ripped away, clearing his throat. I almost giggled seeing his blush. “Did you want, like, a witness statement or something, because it’s not going to be any different from Orion’s.

“Right, baby.” I dropped my voice, purring at the tips of his reddening ears. “Didn’t you tell them everything we saw and did in that empty classroom? All the dirty”—I brushed my fingers over the back of his hand—“details.”

Orion shot across the room so fast, I was left blinking at the spot he was just standing in.

“Baby?” Edric spat. “Why’s she calling you that, man? What’s she talking about?”

“How the fuck should I know?” Orion shouted at the wall. “Haven’t we established the woman is crazy?”

“Nothing crazy about it. Orion and I were coming to an understanding when Hall dropped out of the sky. He killed himself,” I said. “I guess he just couldn’t live with being an overripe asshole for a second longer—”

Dagem punched the desk, splitting a crack in the centuries-old antique. “That’s enough,” she hissed. “You will not disrespect his name. Not after what you’ve done.”

“What I’ve done? I haven’t done anything.”

“And yet this was found on the roof.” Reaching into her pocket, Dagem pulled out a plastic baggie. Inside was a piece of paper the size of a business card. A reddish stain marred the white card, almost blotting out the inscription.

Almost.

One Down. Six To Go.

Dagem flipped it over, letting me read an even curiouser message on the back.

Destiny.

“You’re showing me Hall’s suicide note? What is that supposed to mean to me?”

“You know very well that isn’t a suicide note and his death is not a suicide. Why did you do this, Daciana? Why did you kill Mr. Hall?”

“Kill Mr.— What the fuck are you talking about!”

“Wait, hold on.”

Orion and I sounded off at the same time.

“Watch your language!” Dagem snapped.

“My language? You’re accusing me of murder and you’re worried about a few f-bombs?” I shot up. “What is this? Is this a joke?”

Everyone except Nia and Paxton shot away from me. Claws erupted and growls sounded as they readied for me to strike.

“Sit down, girl,” Dagem ordered. “ Now! ”

My wolf knew her and her voice now. The alpha command slammed into my epsilon ability and scurried away whimpering. I easily shook off the compulsion, but I sat down anyway.

“I didn’t kill anyone—”

“Yes,” Badr said, gaze drilling a hole in my skull. “You did.”

Nyx pushed the chair beside me closer and then plopped Nia down. They wanted the wolf tranquilizer as close to me as possible.

Rolling my eyes, I heaved a sigh. “Fine. If you want to get specific, I didn’t kill Hall . No one killed Hall. He committed suicide and your little horror movie plot isn’t going to trick me into confessing something I didn’t do.” I spun to Orion who came away from the wall even though his erection was still at half-mast. “Orion, tell them.”

“I did tell them.” He frowned at Dagem and Badr. “What’s going on? You didn’t say anything about all of this crap when you asked me where to find her? She didn’t—”

“Silence,” Dagem sliced in, holding up her hand. “Not another word from you, Mr. Wheeler. It’s she who’ll be explaining herself.” Her bony finger turned on me. “I will ask you again. Why did you kill Mr. Hall, and what’s the meaning of that note? Do you intend to kill six other people?”

“I don’t intend to kill anyone,” I forced through clenched teeth. “I didn’t leave that note, and I didn’t touch Hall. I went straight from the athletic field to the detention hall with Orion. We were together the whole time. We were together when he fell. If Hall really was murdered, it wasn’t me.”

She sniffed, lips curling. Just being in my presence disgusted her. “You think us all fools, don’t you? Twenty-four hours after a murderer is forced into my school, someone is murdered. Those are easy dots to connect.”

I gave her the same filthy look. “Apparently not. Did it ever occur to you that the real killer also assumed you all would come to the same simple-minded, lazy conclusion? Everyone was supposed to be at dinner. They weren’t expecting anyone to be stuck in detention on the first day, and they also must’ve thought his body wouldn’t be found until hours later.

“By then, all eyes would turn to everyone’s favorite moonwalking murderer.” I winked at her. “Me.”

Badr’s knuckles audibly cracked balling his fingers.

“It would’ve been a good plan if it wasn’t so sloppy and stupid. Including that dumbass note. Again, if that thing actually was found on the roof, then it’s just more of the killer’s attempt to throw suspicion off themselves. Only a dumbass that wants to get caught announces they’re going after more people. That’ll just put the whole school on high alert.

“But, if what they’re actually trying to do is frame me for it, the note would force all of you to throw me out of the academy as fast as possible. You get rid of me, and when no one else gets hurt, it only further confirms the lie that I was behind it. Voila, the real killer gets away with it all.”

A sound filled the room. It was Dagem clapping.

“Wow. Well done.” She clapped hearty and loud. “That was expertly rehearsed, Miss Volana. You rattled all of that off without pause or mistake, and it was even convincing.” She reached for the phone on her desk. “Be sure to tell Sunella the same story when she comes to collect you. Blackmail or no, she cannot allow you to stay on these grounds now that you’ve murdered one of our staff and expressed that you have no intention of stopping.”

“That wasn’t rehearsed, it was common sense! It’s the only thing that makes sense because it wasn’t me. I was standing right fucking next to Orion when Hall fell. What more do you want!”

“But Orion wasn’t there,” a voice slid into my ear. “Was he?”

My brows drew together as Badr crossed into my line of sight, doing something he hadn’t done since he met me—smiling at me.

“Nice try, Volana, but you were alone when Hall was thrown off the roof, weren’t you?”

“What? No, I—”

“Because Orion stepped out of the room,” Badr continued, sliding off me to fix on his friend. “He went to the bathroom, then grabbed a smoke. He was out in the alpha courtyard when me and the guys ran into him. We were there kicking back when we heard Hall scream. Far away from the detention room... and you.”

My body went rigid. No. Oh gods, no.

“Orion forgot to mention that before, Headmistress,” Badr went on—a hard, sharp edge bleeding into his tone. “You know with the shock of finding a man dead. But he remembers the full story now, don’t you, Orion?”

“Yeah, man,” Edric spoke up. “That’s exactly how it went down. You ran off after you heard the scream, and found Volana standing over his mangled body.”

“All right, enough,” I snapped. “Joke’s over.”

“What joke? It happened exactly like they said.” Nyx loped over next to Badr—the smirking judge condemning me in his eyes. “We were hanging in the courtyard when Hall was killed, and Volana sure as fuck wasn’t with us.”

Paxton stepped forward. “Guys, I know why you’re doing this, but this isn’t a game. You can’t—”

“Paxton wasn’t there,” Badr cut him off, raising his voice over him. “He was off with his omega friends, so he doesn’t know what happened. We do know, and we’re not playing any games. Murderers belong in a prison, or in a grave.” He saw through my eyes and straight into my soul. “And we won’t stop until she is.”

Dagem cleared her throat, rising to her feet. “Thank you, gentlemen, for your clarification of events. It’s perfectly understandable that in the shock and horror of what you saw, Mr. Wheeler, you forgot the true events leading up to the trauma.”

What the hell is she saying?! She can’t do this. They can’t do this!

Nia just sat there, eyes wide and hands shaking as she looked where everyone else was looking... at Orion.

If there was anything still alive in our feeble, mangled bonds, I called upon it then. Silently pleading with him, I dropped all my smirks and taunts, I gazed at him with open need.

Don’t do this, Orion. Please don’t lie. Please!

“Amend your statement,” Dagem said, holding out a pen and paper. “Put it in writing.”

“Don’t forget about the video,” I burst out, holding up my phone. “If Lucia doesn’t hear from me morning and night, saying that I’m safe, free, and in the academy, she’ll show every mundane in the world that werewolves exist. You’ll be breaking the third law and bringing the fae down on all of our—”

“Argh!” Ripping the phone from my hand, Badr flung it at the wall. It smashed into a dozen pieces—one of them pinging off my slackened jaw. “You don’t need to worry about the fae attacking us. You’ll be rotting in your hole.”

I could only sit there bug-eyed and panicking. Of all the things I expected them to do, call my bluff and unleash Lucia on the world wasn’t one of them. Despite what Badr said, werewolves were worried about fae. They ended a centuries-long war in two weeks. They so obliterated our warriors, that the first alpha council of five was born because there were only five alphas left. Anywhere. In the whole world. They were the only five still living to hear the fae’s commands for new laws and forced peace.

No sane man, woman, or wolf wanted a war with the fae, and Badr just brought it on... to win his war with me.

Once again I underestimated my fates, and their hatred. There was one thing a sane man wanted more than anything, and that was his brother’s killer in the ground. Which is where I will be. They’ll lock me up somewhere cold, dark, and dirty where not even my moonwalking can get me out of. No mitigating circumstances. No excuses. No mercy.

“Orion, don’t do this.” This is what I was reduced to. Begging. “This is wrong and you know it. I didn’t lay a finger on Hall. I didn’t—”

“I’ll call Sunella and tell her we have our culprit.” Dagem actually smiled as she picked up the phone. “I will also have to tell her we’ll need to redouble our efforts to find this Lucia. In the future, young Badr, it’d be wise for you not to so casually disregard the safety of Wolf Nation.”

“Nothing casual about it. You never should’ve let her get away with that blackmail shit in the first place.”

No. No, no, no. I sank low in my seat—lower than my sinking heart. Everything I did. Everything I sacrificed, and it’s over on the first day. How is this happening? This can’t be happening.

“If people found out she got away with murder by threatening to expose the werewolves, every fucking psychopath, murderer, thief, and omega is going to do the same.”

“Hey,” Nia barked. “Nice group of people you’re lumping me in.”

Badr arched a brow at her like he forgot who she was or why she was there. “No offense meant,” he tossed at her as he hauled me out of my seat. “Orion, finish writing your statement while I’ll take care of her. No point tying her up, but if she tries to run, I’ll blind her.”

I stumbled over the carpet, heart lodged in my throat and choking out anything I could’ve said in my defense. What could I do? How would I get out of this? Yes, it was extraordinarily difficult to keep a moon wolf captive, but that didn’t mean it was impossible. Blinding me would do the trick just fine.

“I told you I’d make you pay for what you did to my brother,” Badr hissed in my ear. “Oooh, look at that. You’ve finally lost that stupid fucking grin.”

“Wait,” I gasped. “Don’t—”

“Stop.” Someone grabbed and tugged me free of Badr. “Volana didn’t kill Hall. We were together in the detention hall the entire time—”

“What the fuck are you doing?” Badr bellowed.

“—and I’ll swear that to everyone and anyone who asks,” Orion plowed on. His hands were firm and warm pushing me behind him—protecting me. “If Hall really was killed, she’s the one person in this school who couldn’t have done it, so stop wasting time going after her and find the real killer.”

A heavy, smothering silence filled the room... then shattered like a Ming vase.

“What the hell!”

“What’s wrong with you!”

“We were almost rid of her!”

“You stupid fucking fool!”

My wolf whined inside of me, deeply pained by our fates’ vicious words and rejections. All except one.

I tipped back, staring up at the hard line of Orion’s jaw. He weathered their anger without flinch or apology. A mere hour ago the man was on his knees before me, whimpering for want of me.

But that didn’t make him anyone’s bitch.

“Are you certain this is the statement you wish to give?” Dagem asked tightly.

“I was never uncertain about my statement. Volana didn’t kill him, so go find the person who did.”

“Demerit, Mr. Wheeler.”

“Are you serious? For what!”

“Smoking on school grounds,” Dagem snapped back, slamming the phone down. “All of you, out. Nia, escort her back to her dorm and make sure she stays there.”

I was already out the door before she finished her sentence. I had enough of this clown show and wanted away from it as soon as possible. Nia hurried after me.

We were only halfway down the hall when a slammed door and raised voices smacked our ears.

“What is wrong with you?” Badr gritted. “All you had to do was say you were with us!”

“Back off.” That deep growl could only be Orion. “You assholes never should’ve put me in that position. Framing an innocent person so that a killer can go free? That’s insane!”

“She’s not innocent!”

“She is of this!”

Nia cut me a sideways look. She heard their conversation just as clearly as I did, but I didn’t give her the pleasure of expressing my reaction.

“Use your head, Orion,” Edric said. “Just because we got that killer out of our school, doesn’t mean we were going to let Hall’s murderer go free. Did it penetrate your fucking skull that we could’ve done both!”

“Did it ever penetrate your skull about how it would look if a guy like me goes around giving false alibis and lying to help murderers!”

I winced. No, I’m going to bet it didn’t penetrate their skulls that they were putting Orion in a terrible position. I didn’t know the story of his father or the serial killer among the fire wolves, but I did know the toll it takes when you wake up one day and discover someone you love is a monster.

A sharp, derisive laugh hit my ears, and there was no trace of sympathy in it. “Real nice, Wheeler,” Badr mocked. “Of course this is all about your daddy issues.”

“You would fucking know, bastard.”

Flesh crunched cartilage, making me cringe. A roar, then one of them hit back. Curses and flying fists beat against my sensitive senses as the fight got worse, and my other fates waded in to stop it.

“Guys, let up!”

“Badr, get off of him!”

I just shook my head as we rounded the corner. That many alphas in one place and fights were inevitable. Honestly, I was surprised that after a year stuck together, they weren’t all a mess of crooked noses, missing teeth, and broken limbs.

“Get over it,” Orion bellowed. “It’s done!”

“It’s not done! You’re real fucking high up on that horse, pretending you’re too good to lie, but you lied to all our faces about what you and Volana were really doing in that detention room. You reek of her!”

“It— It’s not— It wasn’t like that! She just started taking off her clothes. What the hell was I supposed to do!”

“Uhh, not fuck her, for one.”

Nia’s face was flicking through every variation of shock and astonishment. Our little adventure in detention hall would be all over the school by morning.

“Don’t give me that, Nyx. All she did was touch you and you creamed your pants. You have no idea how hard I had to hold my wolf back. You have no idea how—how—how good her pussy tastes!”

Heat bloomed in my cheeks, and the fire was only stoked my Nia’s brows shooting up. Despite my colorful past, I didn’t have so much sexual experience with men to know how to handle it when they said things like that .

Silence spread through the group. Until a tentative voice spoke up.

“How... How good does it taste?” Paxton asked.

Floor, if you want to open up and swallow me, that would be great.

“Like a cherry fucking sundae,” Orion ground out like the words physically pained him. “And her breasts are the perfect shape. Big enough to get a good handful while they smother you to heaven.”

Nia’s gaze had the audacity to flick off my face and travel down. I bared my teeth at her and she quickly looked away, but neither of us said anything. If we spoke, they would hear us, revealing that we could also hear them.

“And what else?” Nyx asked, hostility bleeding out of his voice.

“Her body is gorgeous.” It was all tumbling out of him. “Whatever you’ve been picturing, it’s a thousand times hotter. She looks so soft and breakable, but when you get ahold of her, it’s nothing but hard steel. She’ll more than take it when I pound that pussy—”

“Snap out of it,” Badr sliced in, saving my flaming cheeks. “You’re not pounding anyone’s pussy. None of us are. We’re letting the bonds die. We agreed.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Orion sounded like he was coming out of a fog. “Right.”

“But why you?” Paxton demanded. And not me was left out of his question, but I heard the subtext.

“And why didn’t you get the fuck out of there?” asked Badr.

“She said she would take off her clothes for every question I answered about myself. I had no choice.”

Murmurs of agreement and sympathy passed through the fivesome. They didn’t disagree in the slightest that getting my clothes off was the only rational choice in that situation.

“All right, man, I get it,” Badr said. “She got in your head, because that’s what she does. It’s what all psychos do. They lie and manipulate and use to get what they want, and what she wants is to divide us... and then kill us.”

I heard footsteps. They were moving away.

“He’s right,” Nyx said. “She told all of Wolf Nation that we won’t be cooking up any super babies in her magic womb. She killed Castor to prove it. She’ll kill all of us too.”

“Next time she pulls something, you—”

A door slammed and cut off Badr’s sentence.

It was a weird and silent trip back to my dorm room. Even though I told her multiple times to scram, Nia followed me back as ordered.

Relief was too small a word for what I felt when I finally closed and locked my door behind me. I was sliding down onto the floor when a thought occurred to me.

“Oh, shit!” Sprinting across the room, I seized the bag under my bed, rescued my second phone and turned it on.

Lucia: Two Missed Calls

My phone lit up again that second, flashing her name. I answered it immediately. That was our system. If she called me three times and I didn’t answer, she’d hit the doomsday button.

“Lucia, it’s cool,” I cried. “Badr broke my other phone, but I’m fine now. The psycho’s loose.”

“That’s a pity,” she drawled. “Fuck’s sake. What’s it going to take for them to kill you already? Knowing you for five minutes should’ve proved that the wrath of the fae is worth shutting you up for good.”

“Will you shut the hell up, please! Five minutes with you and Badr would know I’ve been punished enough for a lifetime!”

Lucia laughed unrepentantly. “So how’d it go? Is Warren Hall dead?”

My scowl wiped away in a blink. Moving to the vanity, I flipped the revolving mirror and turned my grin to the paper taped to its side. “Oh, yeah, he’s dead,” I said, laughing as cold and unrepentant as Lucia. “And it wasn’t even a challenge. Not like the others will be.”

“Did you make sure to secure an alibi?”

The blush rose unbidden to my cheeks. “I had to result to drastic measures, but yes. My alibi was secure and, surprisingly, held up. No one will ever suspect it was me.”

“Except for absolutely everyone who suspects it was you.”

I shrugged, searching for a pen. “Correction: no one will ever prove it was me.” I found one in the top drawer. “Look, all that matters is that except for the alpha council, there’s one down”—I crossed out Hall’s name—“and only six more to go.”