Chapter Nine 4
“As for Hall and Holly, what I actually said, while under the promise of telling only the truth, is that I did not kill Holly or Hall, nor do I know who did. But I do know why they died.”
“You— Wait, excuse me?” Real surprise raised her tone. She wasn’t expecting me to drop more honesty on her. “You know why they were killed?”
“Well, I don’t know know. Not more than anyone else. All I know is that the killer left clues at the scene. Something about destiny.”
Something clattered on the other end. I assumed it was a chair falling over. “What did you say?”
“Destiny.” I was very proud of myself for the innocence I put into my words. I truly missed my calling as an actress. “The first message left where Hall was murdered said Destiny . The second said Destiny is known. Destiny is dead. ”
“Oh my gods,” she whispered.
“I’m guessing those two did something. Something very bad to this Destiny person,” I chattered on. “Maybe even killed her if the second message means what I think it does. And—”
“Why was I not informed of this? I was told nothing of these messages!”
“Whoa, that’s not my fault. I’ve been the headmistress for less than a week,” I reminded. “I have no idea why Dagem didn’t tell you the killer was leaving messages, but maybe it’s the same reason why she just put more security on me instead of calling in the police to investigate. She assumed I was behind everything, and didn’t bother seeing beyond that.
“The good news is now that I’ve taken over, I have called the police. They’re on their way right now to begin a proper investigation into the murders of Mr. Hall and Holly.”
“No.”
I arched a brow. “No?”
“No,” she repeated. “The secret police are on their way to conduct a proper investigation into what has been going on in that school. Makena was given a lot of leeway in how she ran the academy, but this is beyond the pale. To not inform us of this— I simply can’t believe her,” she snapped. “We will be taking charge from here—both in finding the killer and running the school.”
“Ahh, fired already,” I moaned. “But I thought I was doing such a good job.”
“You knew this was coming. You are twenty years old and a student of the academy yourself. You wouldn’t be qualified to run it if Makena had named you her successor.”
“You don’t have to worry about if I’m qualified or not. And you’re not sending the secret police here. They’re too busy preparing for the incoming fae attack to worry about the deaths of a teacher and a lunch lady. We both know that.
“The changes stand,” I stated. “Because I’ve got a lot of encouragement to make sure they stand.”
“Those changes will not stand,” she gritted. “You had no authority to make those decisions in the first place.”
“Luame gave me the authority.”
“I have told—!” She caught hold of her tongue and took a deep breath. “High Priestess, I appreciate the heavy burden you bear as Luame’s chosen, but it is not a weight you carry alone. Tell us the details of the vision, and we will determine what she meant. You are young and idealistic. You’re being overzealous in your interpretation of a free and equal society,” she said, dripping condescension through the phone. “Let wiser, cooler, older heads step in now.”
“Wow. I’ve never been mansplained by a woman before. I’ve got to say, it felt gross.”
“I mean it, Volana. This nonsense ends now!”
I stifled a sigh, rolling my eyes to the ceiling. Dammit, she’s going to make me do it.
“ Don’t do it, ” Edric called back.
“ Stay out of my head! ”
Annoyed, my blasé tone disappeared fast. “How about this? Let’s make a deal. Last night, I bonded with one of my fates.”
“What?” she rasped. “You did what?”
“We bonded. I’ll save you the dirty details, but the first generation of wind-moon wolves is locked up. I can’t begin to guess what kind of power they’ll have, but I have no doubt they’ll be as powerful as our bond.”
“Your bond is powerful? Truly?”
“Physically, emotionally, and mentally. As powerful as it gets.”
Sunella joyously cried out. I heard an odd thumping noise that I realized was her jumping up and down. “But this is great news. It’s wonderful! We knew it, High Priestess. We knew these bonds were blessed by fate and fortune itself.”
“Yeah, it’s wonderful,” I drawled, rolling my eyes. “So here’s the deal. If the alpha council agrees to turn the running of the academy over to me while my fates and I are going here, I will bond with one at the end of every term.
“That way, by the time we’re all finished, not only will the bonds be complete and the new generation assured, but we’ll have given the changes a proper test run with an entire graduating class. If the test run fails and we haven’t achieved what Luame wishes, then you can put everything back. I won’t stand in the way. I won’t use my encouragement to stop you. But if it works out and everyone is happy, then the academy can continue on in a new tradition.
“What do you say?” I asked. “Fair deal?”
“Well, I... I mean, I couldn’t possibly speak for the entire council, but...” She was frumphering hard. Stuck between getting me to smash the rest of my fates and giving omegas equal treatment—Sunella was being torn in two. “We can’t force this on the students—”
“I haven’t forced anyone out of classes that they want to take,” I reminded. “Most of the alphas are still taking alpha classes. They’re still being taught the same things by the same teachers. No different than if I wasn’t here.”
“Hmm. That is a good point,” she murmured, mostly to herself. “And you will complete one bond at the end of every term under witness of the council?”
I heaved a sigh. “Yes.”
“Well, then, as long as you promise not to harm any of the students or staff, I believe we have a deal.”
“ What?! ” Edric shouted over my agreement. “ Is there no end to what this bitch will let you get away with!? ”
“ You can call me Queen Daciana now. Let your tongue get used to it. ”
“ Don’t get cocky. You and I have our own deal. You don’t make a move until you’ve given me a chance to come up with another way of stopping Destiny. ”
“—have a few caveats,” Sunella said, cutting into my mental conversation. “We will be sending the secret police to conduct our own investigation. That is nonnegotiable.”
“You will send one officer to investigate. That is nonnegotiable.”
“Very well,” she said. “And, we will appoint your vice headmistress or vice headmaster to aid you in the running of the school.”
“You will send four or five candidates, and I will appoint my new vice after interviewing them.”
“Deal,” she said quickly. “Well, this has been very productive, High Priestess.” Sunella sounded happy—dare I say chirpy. “I’m so glad we could settle this reasonably and peacefully.”
“Me too.”
Edric lifted me up and placed me back on my seat in the midst of my reminiscing. Of course that conversation was on my mind. Earlier that morning Sunella sent word that the member of the secret police was coming to begin her investigation.
The secret police were the group of law enforcement that worked for and protected the alpha council. Of course they didn’t want anyone in here who wasn’t on their payroll.
In case the officer stumbles on information that has to do with Destiny.
“That’s all for today,” Raza called. “Drop your essays off on the way out.”
Rising up, I followed Edric up to the front. “One of the secret police is coming today. They should be waiting outside the gates now. Want to come with me to talk to them?”
“Uh, yeah, actually,” he said, peering at me over his shoulder. “But why do you?”
“ Because you have to be seen shadowing and stalking me everywhere, so the council will buy that you’re the real big bad wolf. ”
“ Fuck you .”
I laughed. Lacing my fingers through his, I received another growl, but that didn’t deter me. He was fake-dating me for two million dollars and the chance to talk me out of world domination. Who knew why he was the angry one. I was the one getting the short end of the stick.
Except for the sex. I shuddered remembering what we got up to the night before.
For as much as he bitched, moaned, and told me he hated me, there was nothing fake about the sheet-shredding, bed-shaking, roof-rattling sex we had every night and twice in the morning.
It wasn’t even a part of our deal. On the contrary, every time after we finished, we swore it would be the last time. We swore with actual swears and cusses while listing the many ways we were repellant to each other. Edric, for one, could not get over what a crazy, homicidal psychopath I was. While I was getting pretty fucking sick of being judged by a guy who practiced hacking by stealing money out of the accounts of his enemies—which was easy after he spied through their webcams to steal all their private info.
Despite him being the absolute worst, we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. Such was the way when the bond was new. Our wolves went into hyperdrive, wanting to mate over and over again like... well, like animals.
Edric and I strolled out hand in hand—me smiling and him pissed as shit. My smile disappeared too when I saw who was waiting for us outside the door.
“You two look cozy.” Paxton posted up against the bulletin board, smirking at us. The opposite expression of Badr’s and Orion’s head-melting glares. “Is that the smile of a man who’s regularly tasting something... yummy?”
Edric was far from smiling. “Hey, guys.”
“What the fuck, man?” Badr hissed. “What is going on with you? You’re ignoring us. You’re strutting around with her all fucking day. What happened to you!”
Edric flicked from me to them. “Nothing happened to me that hasn’t happened to nearly every other wolf. I bonded with my mate. Now I have to protect her.”
My brows shot up. I wasn’t expecting that response. I definitely didn’t tell him he had to say those things.
“Even if it means protecting her from herself,” Edric continued. “And this one needs protecting from herself. Her mind is a housefire. Nothing but trapped ghosts running around screaming in there.”
“ Ass. ”
Amusement came back through the bond.
“You bonded with her?!” Badr rushed him. “What the hell, Edric! We agreed to let the bonds die.”
“I’m sorry,” he said simply, expressionless in the face of Badr’s rage.
“Whoa, steady.” Paxton grasped Badr’s shoulder, guiding him back. Orion just stood there, his face a mask of hatred and confusion. Nyx should’ve been with them, but no one had seen him since they cut him down from the ceiling. Last I heard, he was holed up in his room—regretting the day he messed with me.
“Something tells me it’s not that simple,” Paxton went on. “Edric, you bonded with her for us, didn’t you.”
Edric frowned. “Excuse me?”
“The morning after you broke out, Ava suddenly walked into the storage room, released us, and let us go. It was because of you,” Paxton said. “You bonded with her and convinced her to free us. Because of you, she didn’t put us through those trials and spared us what she did to Nyx. Thanks, man.”
Edric was saved from having to reply because all eyes turned on me. To be fair, I was laughing pretty loudly.
“Are you serious?” I laughed so hard I wheezed. “That had nothing to do with you, or him. I let you three out because this little revenge game between us got boring. You are boring. You’re a waste of my time and attention, and if I’d let you take up any more of it, I’d really be crazy.”
Paxton’s smirk melted away. “We weren’t when you were bawling your eyes out over Mommy’s letters.”
“Actually, yeah, you were,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “You’ve really got to scrape the bottom of the barrel of desperate to go pawing through underwear drawers and floorboards just to find a way to get my attention, and it still didn’t work.” I dropped Edric’s hand, narrowing on Paxton. “You think I can’t see through you, Paxxy? Everyone sees through you.
“You’re pathetic. You’re a small-dick waste who’s so desperate to fit in, you’ll do any and everything you can to fit in with the cool kids. Including betraying the woman who’s supposed to be your soulmate.”
He tensed, his clenched jaw ticcing.
“That’s the reason why your clan beat you up and threw you out. Of course they thought you pulled some funny shit to get named my fate, because you’re nowhere near worthy of the honor of licking my shoes—let alone licking my pussy. If they had been forced to watch us mate and bond that night, all of Wolf Nation would’ve thrown up.”
His lips peeled back. “Back off, bitch.”
“Gladly. I want nothing to do with you. No one wants anything to do with you. You’re not special anymore, Paxton,” I whispered in his ear—more effective than a shout. “You’re not the only omega in the alpha track anymore. You’re not famous anymore. And you’ll never father the next generation of shifter wolves.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? Luame chose me.”
“Luame made your skin light up. Even a slimy, nasty fish can do that. I choose my mate, and I will never choose you.” Stepping back, my gaze pierced him through. “I swear on Luame that I will never kiss, fuck—”
“Wait,” Paxton cried, folding hands dropping. “Don’t—!”
“—screw, mate, or bond with Paxton Clarke.”
Boom!
I blasted off my feet, landing hard on the soft, squishy bodies of the nosy peekers who hung around to watch the show. Clutching my head, I screamed through my clenched teeth.
Pain. Head-exploding pain wracked my skull, singeing agony through every limb in my body. A hole had been driven through my skull and flames poured in. A hammer had been taken to my forehead. A steamroller ran over my brain. All of that, and it still didn’t come close to describing the pain.
I was put back on my feet. Swaying, I squinted through blurry eyes to see Paxton falling out of the hole he made in the wall—clutching his head the same way. The truth of what just happened nearly knocked me over again.
“The bond...”
“Did you just...?” Edric rasped. “Did you just break the bond?”
“Oh my gods.” Paxton struggled to stand upright. “What did you d-do? What did you do!”
“I... put things right.” I tipped over and Edric had to catch me. “You can go back where you belong now, Clarke.” I was already walking—stumbling—away. “In the trash.”
Badr shouted after me. “If you want to go breaking bonds, Volana, break ours! I’ll never be with you. I’ll never forgive you, and I’ll never stop until you’re in the ground! Do you hear me?”
Edric and I rounded the corner.
“Never!”
I leaned heavily on Edric, my head pounding. “We have to go... out to the gate. Meet the officer.”
“You need to lie down. Let me help you to your room, and then I’ll talk to the—”
“Save it,” I snapped, and regretted it. It felt like there was an open wound in the back of my skull and everything was falling out. No one said this is what it felt like when a bond broke. No wonder wolves weren’t eager for the experience. “I can hear your thoughts, remember. You plan to betray me the second you get them alone.”
He shrugged, not even bothering to deny it. “Like I said, it’s not a betrayal if I’m saving you from yourself.”
“You’re an ass and I’m in too much pain to argue with you. Just get me outside.”
Edric did what I asked without further discussion. Together we made it to the front gates. Two figures were waiting for us.
“Oh, gods...”
I straightened, my face shuttering closed. I wasn’t about to let this man see me in pain.
He gazed at me as I approached the gates, his lips peeled back in a perpetual snarl. Beside him, a woman wearing the insignia of the secret police stood shoulders back and fists balled.
“Hello, Daciana.”
I shivered. Something about the way he said my name would always unsettle me. “Hello, Councilman Tahan.”
“Father?”
I turned as Badr blew out the front doors, striding down fast. “Father, you’re here. Thank goodness.”
Cygnus Tahan’s frown deepened. “You will address me properly in public, boy.”
The snap made his second, disfavored son clench his jaw. “Of course, sir. Sorry, sir.”
“And you”—Castor’s father fixed on me—“will open these gates.”
I didn’t move. “I told Sunella only one person would be allowed past these gates, and that’s her.” I pointed to the officer. “We had a deal.”
“Sunella promised you a number of things without consulting the rest of the council. She had no right to do so, and you have no right to make deals with the council. You will let me in, and I will tell you the terms as decided by us.”
I felt Badr’s smirking satisfaction oozing on me. Someone had finally come to deliver the vengeance he’d been waiting for.
I just smiled—though it may have been more of a grimace with the pain in my head. “Fine, but you understand that if the council isn’t holding up their end of the deal, there’s no way I’m holding up mine.”
“Open the gates.”
Reaching out, I brushed a finger over the lock, and it fell away—gates swinging open to Cygnus’s flash of surprise. These gates were the creation of a famous, powerful, and ancient metal wolf. They opened only at the headmistress’s command, and for all of Cygnus’s superiority complex, he just saw that was me.
The officer stepped forward first, standing between me and Cygnus. She clutched a large case in her left hand. “My name is Arabella Costas,” she stated, showing me a badge to prove it. “You will show me the crime scenes, and then you’ll stay out of my way. I will question who I please. I will go where I want. No arguments.”
I jerked my head at Badr, and immediately regretted it. “Badr will show you.”
“Fuck that.”
“Really?” I taunted. “You’re going to miss your chance to whisper in her ear, influencing her investigation to lead back to me.”
Badr and Costas shot back at the same time.
“No one is influencing me.”
“I go where you go.”
“Go with Inspector Costas, boy,” Cygnus sliced in.
“But, sir—”
Cygnus slid a withering look at his youngest child. “Did that sound like a request?”
Badr flashed him a glare with just as much loathing. For all that I despised the man, Badr wasn’t some soft bitch who took it lying down. A part of me—the part with fur and claws—found that very sexy.
Get over yourself, I snapped at my wolf. You took one for yourself. You’re not getting any more.
If my wolf was a separate person with her own thoughts, I would’ve sworn she replied, Try and stop me, bitch.
“You go with them as well,” Cygnus told Edric. “Daciana and I will speak alone.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, sir,” Badr said, ever the stubborn one. “She’s dangerous and she has allies hidden all over the academy. We had no idea all the epsilons were under her spell until they tied us up and threw us in a broom closet.”
“Gods, are you still whining about that?” I rolled my eyes. “We let you out, didn’t we?”
“I will be quite safe,” Cygnus said, looking nowhere but at me. “Run along.”
“Now,” Arabella barked when no one moved. “Two people have been murdered and enough time has been wasted. Show me the first crime scene.”
Stiffly, Badr and Edric peeled off, leading the way into the school. Badr didn’t take his eyes off me or his father until the doors swung shut.
I turned back to Cygnus. “Let me get this out of the way before the threats start. The changes I’ve made to the school and the curriculum aren’t going anywhere, and I’m staying on as headmistress.” I snapped my fingers, driving my point home when the gates swung shut and locked. “I hope those two things weren’t what you came all this way to discuss, because that conversation is already over.”
“After you,” he said, gesturing to the walking path leading around the school to the forest. He gave no sign that he heard, or cared about what I said.
“No.” I backed away, putting a healthy distance between us. “After you.”
Inclining his head, Cygnus set off without a word. He had no fear of me walking behind him. He had no fear of my allies. Cygnus Tahan stopped fearing everything and everyone when he became head of the alpha council—the most powerful alpha in all of Wolf Nation.
“What is it you hope to accomplish here, Daciana?” He spoke casually as if we were off on a genial stroll.
“I told Sunella this. Luame sent me a vision,” I replied. “I am her chosen. I have to heed her word even if everyone else doesn’t like it.”
“Ahh. This supposed vision.” Cygnus watched two birds chasing each other across the sky as if he actually cared about the beauty of such things. “What was in this vision?”
“War.”
Cygnus halted, turning back to me with a frown. “Excuse me?”
“War. Since the beginning of Wolf Nation we’ve never had a civil war. That tradition is about to come to a brutal and bloody end. In the vision, the epsilons, omegas, and lost clans rise up against the alphas and betas.”
“Lost clans?”
“Made up of shifter wolves that were thrown out of their clans with their ears cut,” I said. “Did you know they’ve been gathering and organizing in secret?”
He frowned, brows crumpling. He did not know. “That’s a lie.”
“It’s not. The vision didn’t come with a count of their forces, but from the horrid scenes of burning towns and rotting corpses—there are enough. Our way of life will end in total slaughter.”
“The slaughter of the omegas, epsilons, and traitors.”
Meeting his eyes, I shook my head.
Cygnus’s eyes blew. “The slaughter of the alphas and betas? That’s impossible!”
“It’s not impossible. Apparently someone somewhere finds a way to nullify your powers of command and persuasion, which is the only real power you’ve ever had over us. Without them, why wouldn’t you fall? Why wouldn’t you die.”
“I don’t believe this,” he cried, tossing his head. “Nothing you’re saying can be true.”
As serious as the situation was, I had to admit I enjoyed seeing the icy bastard agitated. As much as he strutted around pretending otherwise, his hackles went up just like every other wolf.