58. Riley
Riley
Istood under a tall tree, bathed in opalescent moonlight. It took me far too long before I realized the stupid white dress I wore made me a beacon. The last thing I needed was the wolves following me out here, so I moved back into a puddle of shadow next to the perimeter wall.
Fifteen minutes later, my tiger shifter friend appeared carrying a small bag.
“Are you okay?” she demanded, examining me from head to toe. “Did that feral wolf hurt you, babe? If he did, I swear I’ll chew his nuts off.”
I snorted out a laugh. The idea of anyone daring to chew Tank’s wolf’s nuts off was hilarious.
“I’m fine. He…” It was hard to explain, given how scary the giant alpha wolf was in beast form. “He’s like a little puppy with me.”
“A puppy?!” Kasia’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline in surprise. “That wolf is feral. Like, seriously out of control. We all thought he’d eaten you. And not in the fun way,” she clarified with a faint smirk.
“Honestly, I’m fine,” I repeated, electing not to mention how the wolf nuzzled my legs and stuck his nose up my dress. I was still embarrassed about that. Fucking horny wolf.
My beast preened and chuffed, happy he liked our scent.
“Are you guys alright? Tate’s alpha dominance bullshit was full-on.”
Kasia shrugged. “We were far enough away not to suffer any ill-effects. Bree and Raquel were outside, and Haley and I got the fuck out of the ballroom as soon as Tank shifted.”
“Has the ball ended?”
Kasia nodded. “Yeah. I heard Principal Harrow wasn’t happy about being dragged out of bed to deal with the mess.” She thrust the bag at me. “You better get going, babe. The buses are leaving shortly.”
“What about your dress?” I gestured downward. It wasn’t like I’d be wearing the angel costume slash fetish outfit again. Not unless I ever hit up a mage sex club.
“Keep it.” The tigress smirked. “We’ll have to go clubbing before you leave Moonfall.” Then her smile faded. “I hope that’s not for a while, Riley. We enjoy having you around.” To my surprise, she yanked me into her arms for a brief but rib-crushing hug, and I melted.
I was unaccustomed to having female friends, but the more time I spent with my kitty cats, the more I adored them. Feline females were loyal, kind, and way better company than stupid wolf assholes.
“Since I’ve made no headway on finding my sister, I’ll be here for a while longer yet,” I admitted, depression rolling over me like a sulfurous cloud.
“Hey, we’ll figure it out, babe. You have me and the other cats on your side now,” she reminded me. “Let’s meet at the Witch’s Brew on Sunday and discuss it, yeah?”
I nodded. Until I talked to Tate Montes, I had no clue what my next steps were, but if the felines wanted to help, then I’d let them, because right now, I needed all the help I could get.
“Message me tomorrow with a time, and I’ll be there,” I promised while making a mental note to tap Felix up for more money. Paying out for Ubers and baked goods had left me broke.
Unfortunately, I had no way to earn money here, and although my place at Moonfall included books and other supplies provided by the school, it didn’t cover miscellaneous out-of-pocket expenses.
After hugging me one last time, Kasia jogged off back to her dorm. I checked the time. The parking area was a ten-minute jog away, and I still needed to change out of my dress and become Riley Scott once again.
There was enough time, but pretending to be a male was irksome, and the thought of listening to all the misogynistic assholes crowing about their sexual conquests all the way back to campus made my skin crawl.
By road, Moonfall Academy was around ten miles away, but on foot, taking a more direct route through the forest between the two schools, it was much closer.
I made a split-second decision to walk back. The moon was bright enough, and with my enhanced shifter vision, I could see just fine.
I dropped the bag and tried peeling the dress off, but it was too tight and the latex had stuck to my skin. The only way this thing was coming off was if I cut it. Ugh. I hated the idea of ruining the dress, but I also hated the idea of having to wear it for the rest of my moon-cursed days.
Cursing softly under my breath, I rolled the dress up my thighs to make walking easier and put my boots back on. Then I pulled my hoodie over the top and added the jacket I’d stolen.
The night air was chilly, but by the time I’d found the hidden gate and started walking back through the forest, my hands and toes were toasty.
The pendant rested between my breasts. Goddess, it felt good to shed the weight of the glamour magic.
I hadn’t appreciated quite how oppressive the glamour spell was until I removed it for the evening.
Still, at least it had given me a useful insight into life as a male. Honestly, I felt sorry for male shifters. They barely had one brain cell between them, and those of above-average intelligence and power appeared to spend their lives fighting dominance battles.
I couldn’t wait to get back to my mediocre life. Yes, I had jack-shit and would be homeless, but at least I didn’t need to worry about pack politics and being attacked by more powerful shifters.
The forest grew denser as I pushed on. With every footstep, small animals scurried out of my path. I occasionally checked my phone’s GPS to make sure I was heading in the right direction, but mostly I let my thoughts wander and enjoyed the smells and sounds of the forest.
City life was unnatural for a wolf shifter, but my wolf had mostly been asleep since she manifested. Now, though, she was very much awake and alert. The encounter with Tank’s wolf had left her buzzing with excitement, and she had yet to settle down.
She remained annoyed with me for leaving him behind but also happy he’d protected us from another inferior male.
None of those beasts are ours, I reminded her for the millionth time. They’d each have to pick a full-blooded mate. Alpha heirs couldn’t choose a hybrid as a mate. The shifter world would clutch its collective pearls in horror if that happened.
My wolf sniffed, unconcerned. She didn’t understand pack dynamics. All she cared about was being with her fated mates, which I disputed because the goddess would not gift me mates I couldn’t have; she wasn’t that cruel.
I tried not to think about the way Tank’s wolf nuzzled me so gently, or how Tobias’s lips had felt against mine when we kissed. Yeah, that was something else I needed to process.
Kissing Tobias again had felt so right, like fate had created him for me. Which clearly wasn’t the case, I reminded my delusional self.
Tate had looked pretty damn hot as well. And Simba, with his long golden hair all shiny and smooth. Unlike my bird’s nest under the red wig, which I hadn’t bothered removing because I missed having long hair and it looked sexy as fuck.
I was so busy ruminating on all four males that I failed to notice the forest had gone deathly silent. Nothing moved or made a sound. All I could hear was my heart thudding in my chest.
My wolf sat up and growled. She’d sensed something beyond my field of vision. A predator stalking us.
I froze and listened. Somewhere behind me, a large creature crashed through the undergrowth, growling and snarling. Fuck, was it a wild wolf? I could shift, but my animal half wasn’t powerful enough to protect me against an adult wolf, or worse, a pack of hungry wolves.
They’d tear us apart.
Fear of what would happen if a wild wolf pack crossed my path propelled me into motion. It was less than two miles to the edge of campus from here. If I sprinted, I might just make it back in one piece.