Chapter Four
E dric and I stood off -stage in the alpha auditorium, watching as the new Vice Headmistress Ash introduced herself to the teachers, staff, and students, and received a roaring, standing ovation from every alpha and beta in the room.
“Order and sanity will return to the halls of Corvin Academy,” Ash called over the cheers, beaming wide for possibly the first time in her life. “This, I promise you.”
I peered around the stage curtain, observing the scene with interest.
I never had reason to be in the alpha auditorium before, but it was a marvel much like every room in the building with the name alpha stamped on it. All the seats were covered in plush, red velvet cushions, there were private balcony seats above, and painted on the walls were scenes from famous werewolf plays throughout time. The Big Bad Werewolf— we get those fucking pigs in our version. Death of A Werewolf, A Streetcar Named Wolfsbane, and A Midsummer Night’s Howl.
“Everyone will be placed in the classes they belong. Fairness and equity will be the order of the day.”
More raucous cheering and carrying on.
“ Are you sure about this? ” Edric asked in my mind. “ Anyone with the stench of Sunella on them can’t be trusted. ”
“ Believe me, ” I thought back, eyeing that self-satisfied smirk. “ I don’t trust her worth a damn. ” I glanced back at him. “ Speaking of Sunella being a treacherous bitch, is your sister safe? Is she home? ”
He nodded. “ She told Sunella she was quitting yesterday, and when she handed over the damages fee in cash like it was nothing, Sis said her eyes about popped out of her skull and rolled down the hall. I only wish I was there to see it. ”
“ Good. I’m glad she’s free of her now. ” I flicked back to Ash, who had launched into the details of the new classes, meals, and dorm assignments. “ Did you tell her about Lucia? About the resources, support, and loans that she offers to survivors? She even has a stash of emergency funds for women that need to relocate in a hurry. Sunella might not be done with your sister after all. Tell her Lucia is waiting for her call, and will give her anything she needs. ”
“ She doesn’t need help from a vampire. ”
Edric heard the uncharitable thoughts coming back at him loud and clear.
Amusement trickled down the bond. “ I’m not a stubborn, bigot jackass, thank you very much. I’ll have you know, I did tell Idalia about Lucia, including that she stumped up the first two million. Idalia is thankful, and believe it or not, so am I, but she still has dreams, Daze.
“ It’s like you said, many werewolves want Wolf Nation to become the haven it pretends to be. Idalia plans to be the first omega clan leader of the wind wolves. She wants to enact real change. It’s already next to impossible for her to lead a clan as an omega. She’s got no chance if her enemies ever find out she accepted help from a vampire, ” Edric replied. “ I appreciate what you both are trying to do, but this has to be her choice. ”
I backed down, nodding. “ You’re right, it does. Sorry I went on the attack. I’m just a bit on edge today. ”
“ An agreement and an apology? Wow. You’re definitely not feeling well this morning. ”
I flipped him off.
“ Is it because of Ash? ”
As much as I wanted to deny it, I had to tell him the truth. “ Yes. She’s a puppet of the council—no matter what she says. They’re planning something, but I have no idea what it is. They can’t possibly want any of the changes she’s made, so why did they send her here to make them? ”
“ Maybe they’ve seen sense. ” I felt his presence behind me. Edric grasped my tense shoulders and dug in, kneading the hard, tight knots between my shoulder blades. If I was any kind of cat, I’d purr. “ You don’t fuck with Luame’s will. You just don’t. You know the saying, ‘she’s not as strong as she was—’”
“ '—but she’s always strong enough to punish disrespect,’” I finished. “ I know the saying, but if they’re going to fight for the vision, they’d have to believe in it in the first place, and I’m not sure they do.
“ I may not know enough about Wolf Nation, but I was smacked with some hardcore culture shock when I was hiding among the mundanes. A lot of the lost packs have protected themselves by living in plain sight among them, so I had to as well,” I admitted. “ One curious thing I learned about them is that they twist their religions to suit their own prejudices, not the other way around.
“ But are we any different? At no point in Wolf Nation history did Luame ever indicate through gruff, growl, or vision that she wanted the alphas and betas on top, and the rest of us begging and scrambling for their scraps. But even though that’s true, alphas still shout from the mountaintops their supremacy is their Luame-given birthright.
“ If they truly believe they were born to have everything, and they’ve believed that for thousands of years, are they really going to trust me when I pop out of nowhere, saying they’ve been bad and Luame wants them to give up their toys? ”
His massaging slowed. “ I... I don’t know. I honestly can’t say I would’ve believed you if I hadn’t seen into your mind and got the full blast of that vision myself. Wolf Nation is about to become every horror movie combined, and I’ll burn my fucking toys to stop it from happening, but if I didn’t have proof and I was going on nothing but the word of the psycho priestess that betrayed Wolf Nation... ” We both fixed on Vice Ash. “ I wouldn’t believe it, and I wouldn’t give up shit. ”
I couldn’t even get mad at him for saying it so bluntly. He was only confirming what I deep down knew was true. I did believe that Ash’s changes were good ones, and I also believed that she loved her sons enough to want them to live in a better world.
But I damn sure didn’t fucking believe that her vision of a better world—or the alpha council’s vision—would come close to mine.
“ They’re just placating me. Stringing me along for a few months or years until I’ve completed the bonds, and they don’t need me anymore. These changes will never go farther than Corvin Academy. ” I shook my head, knowing in my bones it was true. “ We can play at being equal all we want within these walls, but out there, the alphas and betas are on top. And they’re not giving up their toys. ”
“ Sorry to say this, Daze, but that’s one hundred percent what they’re doing, but you had to know that already. ” His hands skittered down my back and up under my shirt, popping goose bumps on my flesh as he rubbed my lower back.
My lids lowered unbidden, a soft sigh escaping me. When Edric said he planned to turn off his jerk switch, and become a sweet, worshipping boyfriend, I blew a raspberry in his face. I was convinced his fake and phony efforts would be the biggest lady-boner killers, and it would turn me off worse than guys who say they hate reading.
But then the stupid, irritating fart-fuck had to prove he was good at that too. In the last two days, he’s had lavender bubble baths waiting for me when I returned to our room. He requested, and paid for, the kitchen staff to make me a special batch of butterscotch muffins because he plucked out of my head that they were my favorite sneaky treat. And he found a mundane woman online who makes crochet dolls of mythical creatures. She had a white werewolf with markings eerily similar to mine in her stock, so he had that shipped to Incepe Din and Hope.
The night before, Lucia turned the camera on my baby and she was bouncing in her bouncy seat, waving the little wolf around, and giggling her tail off.
It was so freaking cute and sweet, I tackled him the minute we ended the video call.
Yes, Edric was proving to be an amazing, thoughtful, sweet fated husband... and all he asked for in return was my continued brutal rejection of Nyx.
“ It’s not fair for you to ask that of me, ” I snapped at him, me a heady mix of relaxed and annoyed. “ I wasn’t the one who chose the asshole in the first place, and going by the tantrum she pitched when I rejected Paxton, Luame will explode my head if I turn down another one of her chosen mates. ”
“ Tough. ”
I swung on him but he was already dancing away, laughing in my face.
“ Surprise attack doesn’t work when I can read your mind, baby. ” He winked. “ Gotta try harder than that. ”
“ I’ll get you while you’re sleeping, then. ” I gave him a shit-eating grin. “ Might even write a few choice phrases on that pretty face too—in permanent marker, of course. ”
“ Nice try, I’m not moving out, ” he threw back, sending my eyes rolling. “ And also a nice try on trying to distract me, but I want an answer, Daze. Why are you pretending to be worried about Ash or the council, when it doesn’t matter how long they want to drag this out? We’ve got three months to achieve our goal, and we plan to. ”
“ I’m not pretending, Edric. Ash is a snake in the grass. For as fast, strong, and agile as a wolf is, it only takes one venomous bite in the right place to bring us down. ” My eyes narrowed on her. “ Ash is that viper, and I’d be stupid not to see her as a threat. She’s already taken half my power from me, and she did it in one interview. ”
“ You don’t think intercepting her texts and emails is enough. ” It wasn’t a question.
“ I don’t. ” I sighed, rubbing my temples. “ I told you, Luame never gave me a vision of us winning, only what happens when we lose. If you want the quick and dirty plan, lover, here it is: force alpha voice killer down a councilmember’s throat, blackmail said councilmember into giving up the shadow, murder that fucking lurking bitch, force the councilmembers to pass new laws and stronger protections for everyone—giving equality and freedom to everyone. And then kill the voice, or kill the person, of anyone and everyone who fights back or tries to stop us. ”
Edric just looked at me. “ Wow. ”
“ What? You disapprove? ” My brow bounced up to my hairline. “ Need I remind you my first plan started and stopped with killing and muting everyone. You threw a tantrum about it, and swore to stop me, so I’m trying to be more diplomatic. You’re welcome. ”
He snorted. “ Thank you, baby, I appreciate you thinking of me. But you’ve already ticked off step one. You’ve taken Cygnus’s voice, so why isn’t he here now? Spilling his guts about the shadow? Or taking notes on all the new laws we’re going to force him and the council to pass? ”
“ Because I had to let him go that day. Badr was on me like brown on rice. That secret policewoman was crawling all over the castle. Plus, we were out in the open. It wasn’t the time or place to grill him on the shadow. No, ” I thought, shaking my head. “ I didn’t have a choice then, but it was still a mistake.
“ Because Cygnus has disappeared. ”
“ What! Disappeared? ”
I gazed at him, wondering if my expression was as grim as I felt. “ I’ve tried to contact him every day since I sent him off without a voice. Nothing. No reply. Not even a text telling me to fuck off, ” I told him. “ Melisent did some checking and found out he’s taken a leave of absence. He sent an email to the rest of the members, claiming that he had a terrible case of laryngitis and didn’t want to risk passing on a bug. ”
“ Daze, whatever the fuck he’s out there doing won’t be good for us. ”
That I knew. I knew it big-time. “ Whatever he is out there doing, he can’t risk pissing me off because he needs his voice back. I’m holding on to that fact right now, because there’s nothing good about Cygnus running around loose out there, and Ash being in here. ”
Edric put his arm around me, gently rubbing my shoulder. “ We need more help, Daze. Outside help. We’re too limited behind these gates. ” An idea occurred to him, and came down the bond before his words did. “ What about members of the lost packs? They can track Cygnus down for us. ”
I was shaking my head before he finished. “ They’re on the same side as the omegas. They’re not risking themselves until I’ve proven myself. They’re damn sure not going after the Sun councilman just because I ask them to. Even without his voice, Cygnus is incredibly dangerous. The man is the strongest sun wielder in all of Wolf Nation. ”
“ You’re right. ” He blew out a breath. “ Of course you’re right, but we have to do something. If the omegas and the lost packs need to see something big to get off their asses, let’s give them something big. ”
“ My biggest batch of alpha voice killer will be ready in a few weeks. The plan was to pick a place with the douchiest alphas, poison their water, and let the ensuing chaos make my point loud and clear. ”
“ Hmm. This is good, baby. ”
I blinked. “ You really think so? ”
“ Oh, yes. I love that you’re getting all the crazy, madwoman, never-going-to-happen ideas out of your system so that we can get back to reality even faster. ”
“ Asshole. ” I shook him off, sniffing. “ If you’ve got a better idea, let’s hear it. ”
“ I do have a better idea actually, and it should be sliding down the bond right about... now. ”
I frowned, brows crumpling as the vague notion of a plan came together in his head, and then mine. I cycled through all the emotions as a glimpse of the man who blackmailed his fated soulmate, and then the most powerful people in Wolf Nation, reared his handsome head. Luame did throw this guy at me for a reason after all.
I settled on an emotion by the end—wicked glee. “ I don’t think I’ve ever been more attracted to you than I am right now. ”
He winked, his full lips curling up and tickling free his dimple. “ As long as nothing goes wrong for the next couple days, we can pull it off easy. ”
“—and now, students, one final announcement,” Ash called. “There’s been a lot of upheaval among the student body over the last week. I assure you, I will be reviewing every expulsion and suspension to confirm they were fair and justified.”
My head snapped up. What? What is she talking about? We never discussed that.
“I’ve already begun that process by welcoming back a student that was unfairly—nay, criminally—ejected from the grounds. Please welcome him back.” Ash stepped back from the podium, clapping heartily at someone at the other end of the stage.
My nose got a whiff of his scent before the shadows released him. “What?! No!”
Orion stepped out before his audience, his thick-framed, stylish glasses capturing and reflecting the stage lights—making them glitter so bright, they hid the malice in his eyes.
“Thank you, Vice Headmistress Ash, and thank you, everyone, for welcoming me back to the academy.” Orion spoke to the students, but looked right at me—his nose telling him where I was even though darkness concealed me. “First, I want to assure you that I’m not a threat or danger to anyone. I didn’t kill anyone. Our sainted and illustrious headmistress killed Mason. The guy was a serial rapist, so good fucking riddance. She killed him to protect someone, and I helped cover it up for the same reason.”
I stilled, eyes wide. That was a fair and accurate retelling of events. I thought for sure Orion would have nastier—
“As for Dagem, that psycho killer priestess obviously murdered her so that she could steal her job, and she framed me to get away with it. If you all haven’t figured that out by now, you’re dumb as shit and you definitely need to take these basic proficiency tests.”
And there it is.
Ash gasped. “That is a serious and disturbing allegation, young man. As you know, right of conquest only applies to alphas, so if this is true, our dear high priestess would be arrested and tried to the fullest extent of the law.”
I stiffened, jaw clenching. “So that’s your play,” I hissed, knowing Ash could hear me loud and clear.
Flicking over to me, she found my eyes through the shadows... and smirked. “I’m certain these allegations cannot be true, but in the interest of justice, I’m sure you all will welcome the secret police tomorrow. They’ll be returning to the grounds to conduct a thorough search, investigation, and interrogation of all suspects.” Her stare pinned me through. “They will not rest until they discover the truth.”
***