51. Riley
Riley
Ipulled my hood up and jogged down the drive to the campus gates to meet my Uber. Tonight was the Halloween ball at Moonrise Academy. There were buses waiting to transport the students from Moonfall, but I needed to arrive early so the feline shifters could fix my costume.
None of them would tell me what it looked like. Only that I’d love it.
Hmm. I wasn’t so sure about that, but if it helped me question the remaining suspects on my list without them realizing I was Riley Scott, hybrid wolf shifter, then I’d suck it up.
The pendant felt warm against my fingers as I shoved a hand into my pocket, double-checking that I hadn’t dropped it.
I was excited to party as a female. Having to act like a male had worn me down over the last few weeks.
Male shifters were dumb. Most had barely evolved, and the vast majority of idiot shifters at this academy had nothing intelligent to say.
Worst of all, at least half of them viewed females as little more than willing orifices for their stupid, and most likely tiny, dicks.
Honestly, it was disappointing, and I worried about the future of the shifter species. Any female worth her salt would surely think twice about mating with these pricks.
Headlights gleamed farther down the lane as a vehicle approached. The fox shifter guard on the gate looked up but soon lost interest when he spotted the rideshare logo. Considering this was an elite academy, the security was surprisingly lax.
Still, I wasn’t complaining.
I spent the trip to Moonrise Academy planning how I was going to approach each of my suspects.
Tobias was going to the dance—he’d made a big show of asking me to accompany him yesterday—and had acted butt-hurt when I said no.
Tank had been AWOL since he took me back to the alphas’ apartment, much to my relief. The big wolf stole all the oxygen from my lungs, making it hard to breathe.
Tank might not be here this evening, but Tate Montes was the shifter I was most interested in talking to or at least observing while he let his guard down. The discovery that a Montes pack beta wolf had taken Lorna somewhere made him my prime suspect.
Getting him alone was risky, but if he drank enough fae wine, perhaps he’d open up to me. It wasn’t the best plan, but it was all I had.
The Uber spat me out half a mile from Moonrise Academy. Kasia had informed me there were guards stationed at the main entrance, so she said to enter via a small gate at the back of the campus. She promised it would be unlocked.
I followed a narrow trail through the thick forest that bordered the school, grateful for my sneakers. My wolf pricked her ears when we heard a faint howl, but evidently she decided it was no threat because she soon went back to sleep.
Fifteen minutes later, I passed through a small gate and then stood in the shadow of a large tree, working out which way to go.
The school layout was almost identical to Moonfall, with smaller red brick buildings scattered around a much grander, central building that looked a lot like a castle. Pathways snaked around buildings and across a central plaza area, illuminated by hundreds of twinkling lights.
It was surprisingly pretty, but I wasn’t here to admire the architecture or aesthetics. I needed to find the feline’s dorm.
There were already people scurrying along the main pathways, which was going to make it tricky. It was much too early for me, a male student, to be here. The only way to avoid detection was to use my pendant to remove the glamour.
I pulled the pendant from my pocket and slipped it over my head, sighing with relief as the glamour lifted.
Me: I’m here. Where are you?
Kasia: Dorm 2 on the far left, near the black tree.
Black tree? I scanned the buildings and then spotted a charred tree that must have been struck by lightning.
Me: On way.
Kasia: Will meet you outside.
“We’re so happy you’re here!” Bree and Raquel threw their arms around me the minute I walked into their apartment behind Kasia. They squeezed me so tightly I feared for my newly healed rib. These felines had no idea how strong they were sometimes.
Like the wolf alphas, the four felines shared a small apartment with separate bedrooms around a central living space.
It was way nicer than my single room. The felines had added cute little decorative touches—fluffy throws, pretty cushions, and colorful artwork on the walls—and the walls were pale yellow rather than my boring white room.
“Raquel painted those,” Bree told me when she saw me admiring the paintings. “She’s super talented.”
“I just paint for fun,” Raquel said with a faint blush.
“They’re amazing!” If only the goddess had blessed me with a talent like Raquel’s. Sadly, the only thing I excelled at was pissing people off. Specifically males.
Kasia clapped her hands. “Come on, ladies, we have work to do. Riley needs her red carpet moment.”
The felines had already changed into their costumes.
Bree wore a cute little cat suit with matching pink cat ears and a fluffy tail.
Haley had squeezed her curvy body into a sexy red devil dress with glittery horns poking out from her curly blonde hair.
Raquel’s costume was more low-key—she’d chosen a classic witch outfit with a green wig and creepy makeup—while Kasia looked amazing in a black corset cut so low it was a wonder her breasts didn’t pop out.
“I’m a vampire,” she explained, flashing a set of fake white fangs. “Now it’s your turn. Please remove your shapeless and unattractive clothes. They offend me.”
I huffed in annoyance. “I have to dress like this. It’s a male thing.”
“No, it’s not,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Even the rat shifters on campus have better taste than you, and they go dumpster diving for their clothes.”
“Don’t judge me for being unable to afford decent clothes.” I wasn’t kidding. Everything I owned came from the local thrift store in my neighborhood. I’d also raided Felix’s closet; so if anyone had shit taste, it was him.
Nudity was a natural part of being a shifter, but I rarely shifted and never with an audience, so being half naked in front of an audience made me uncomfortable.
The last time I’d had sex, the guy hadn’t bothered removing my clothes or his.
Which was just as well, given he lasted all of thirty seconds.
And yes, it was the most disappointing thirty seconds of my life.
“That’ll need to come off,” Bree said, pointing to my chest binder.
“And those,” Kasia added, examining my gray boxers with a horrified expression.
“I’m not going to this ball without underwear!”
“We’re shifters!” Raquel winked. “Underwear is always optional.”
“For you, maybe, but I’d feel more comfortable if I wore some boxers.”
“Not an option.” Kasia pulled a bag out from behind the sofa. “This dress is way too tight. Underwear would spoil the line.” She grimaced while pointing at my boxers. “Especially those hideous things.”
My jaw dropped in horror when I saw the white latex dress she held up for me to admire. There was no way I was walking into a crowded ballroom wearing that!
“I’ve seen more fabric in a napkin,” I spluttered.
“Nonsense. Now put it on and Bree will do your makeup.”
I eyed the dress with deep trepidation. “I’m not sure I can squeeze into it. And if I do, I might be stuck in it for the rest of my life.”
The felines all rolled their eyes. “Hurry, there’s a bottle of fae wine calling my name, and I plan to get laid tonight.” Bree pushed me toward Kasia.
Realizing this was a battle I wouldn’t win, I grabbed the dress and shot into the nearest bedroom. It took me ten minutes, but eventually I squeezed my tits into the dress while thanking the goddess I didn’t have boobs as big as Kasia.
The dress was tight but stretchy, so once on, it was more comfortable than I expected. If I wore my sneakers, I might even stand a chance of running in it should the need arise.
“No, don’t even think about it,” Kasia snarled when I wiggled back into the living area and went to pick up my sneakers.
“I can’t go to the ball in bare feet!”
“No need, sweety! We have shoes!” Raquel held up a pair of sky-high spike heels that were more suitable for a strip club than a Halloween ball. Then she plucked a set of gossamer-thin wings and a halo from a second bag. “Tada! You’re going as a slutty angel!”
Stars, I needed a fucking drink.