New Moon (Alpha Wolf Academy)

by JJ King

  Hmmm, I dunno. I typed slowly, making sure there were no typos. Where will this party be?

  I pressed send then had a small panic attack. What if he didn’t get that I was joking? What if he gave up and uninvited me? My fingers itched to write a new text, but I knew I’d only make it worse if I did. When my phone dinged a moment later, I grabbed it and read quickly.

  In the woods. Not afraid of the dark, are you?

  I choked on a laugh and my fingers flew. Depends. Will we be alone?

  I’ll make sure of it.

  My mouth filled with saliva at the thought of finally being alone with him. The attraction between us was growing with each encounter. If I could just get him alone…

  Sound like fun. What time? I was done with playing coy.

  I’ll meet you on the quad at 11:30 p.m.

  I frowned, remembering the announcements that had been annoyingly made every hour on the hour all day informing the student body of the 10:00 p.m. curfew that was being enforced. It had sounded pretty serious. I knew we were in university and all, but I’d assumed we’d be taking campus security seriously, especially after someone had died.

  I hesitated, not wanting to come off as naïve but also not wanting to be expelled. What about curfew? I typed, then waited for a response.

  That’s nothing. This party happens every year. It’s mandatory for new students. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe. He ended it with a winky face emoticon.

  Mandatory, huh, I mused. I’d snuck out plenty of times back home, so it wasn’t as if I were a prude. I just kept picturing mom’s face if I were sent home for breaking rules and losing my scholarship. Girls like me couldn’t afford to be flippant about things like this. I wasn’t rich and my dad didn’t roll with the big wolves.

  Still, I needed to live my life, I decided. I’d mostly kept to my small group of friends for most of my life and, finally, I was being forced to step outside my comfort zone. Wasn’t it time for me to try new things? Didn’t I owe it to myself to broaden my horizons? I smiled crookedly and typed my answer. See you then.

  I jumped up and grabbed my stuff. If I was going to a party tonight, I’d have to figure out what to wear. It was still warm enough to wear shorts but the only ones I had were the cut off jean variety. I did have that one cute summer dress that Sara had bought me in Montreal. I chewed thoughtfully on the last bite of my sandwich while agonizing over party dress code and berating myself for being so self-conscious.

  By the time I got back to my dorm room, I’d decided on the dress. It was short, which would show off my legs, and a deep green, which would compliment Bash’s eyes. I jumped in the shower with thoughts of naked flesh and soft end of summer breezes on my mind. It wasn’t until I was out and drying my hair that I remembered I was supposed to hang out with Rory tonight.

  I glanced at my phone. It was 8:52 p.m. now and we’d planned on binging Netflix around 9:30 p.m. I couldn’t stand up my only friend at AWA but I really wanted to go to the party. I knew it was ridiculous and hard-core first world problems, but stress made my stomach acid flair. I plopped down on my bed and decided to just be honest.

  Hey, I typed to Rory, so Bash told me about this party that happens every year in the woods. Kind of a welcome party for new students.

  I sighed and started to type out that he’d asked me to go with him and I knew it was a shitty thing to do but could we watch Shadowhunters tomorrow night instead when her reply popped up with a cheerful ding.

  That sounds awesome! What are you wearing? What time do we need to go?

  Fuck.

  I collapsed back on the bed and stared at the ceiling for a moment. I was winning at life today. First, I’d made a friend. Then, I’d gotten a date. Then, I’d invited my friend on my date. Ugh.

  Well, what was done was done. I wasn’t going to embarrass Rory by telling her what I’d actually meant, so I was going to make the best out of the situation. I told her what I was wearing then pulled up Bash’s text.

  Hey, so I told my friend Rory about the party and she thought I was inviting her. You don’t have a friend who appreciates smart girls who look like fairies, do you?

  I held my breath, hoping he’d understand, and let it whoosh out when his response came quick. I have just the friend for the job. See you both soon.

  I chewed my lip for a moment, then wrote him back. Oh, and can you ask your friend to not make it super obvious he’s there for her? I don’t want her to feel awkward.

  No problem.

  I let the phone drop to the bed and closed my eyes. Drama, drama, drama and I only had one friend so far. Well, one friend and one hot guy. I shook my head and grinned then rolled over and pushed off the bed. I had to get ready for a party.

  ♀♀♀

  The night air was soft and balmy on my bare legs as Rory and I moved through the shadows towards the quad to meet Bash and his friend. Rory walked beside me, not saying much. After a few minutes of relative silence, I gave into the feeling of awkwardness and decided to just ask.

  “You’re pretty quiet.” I said softly, half certain we’d be caught at any moment. “What’s up?”

  Rory scuffed her Converse clad toe on the gravel and didn’t say anything for a minute then she sighed. “I got caught up when you told me about the party but then I realized you probably meant you were going with Bash.” She let out a self-deprecating chuckle. “I was going to cancel but then you texted that he was bringing a friend and I got embarrassed.” Even in the shadows I could see her cheeks were a bright rosy color.

  I stopped and turned to snag her arm, hating the fact that I’d made her feel uncomfortable. This was all my fault. “Okay,” I began as my mind swirled with anxious thoughts. “I’m not really good at this friend thing.” I swallowed and figured honesty would be the best policy here. It had always been integral in my relationship with Sara and Bethany. “I have two best friends back home but we’ve known each other since we were in diapers and I’ve never really made any friends outside of them.” I half grinned and dipped my head to catch her gaze. “I mean, you might not know it yet, because I’ve been the epitome of elegance here, but I’m actually kind of a spaz.”

  Rory’s lips quirked for a moment then she let out a snort that made her already big eyes go huge with embarrassment. I assumed an expression of mock disgust and lightly smacked her arm then burst into giggles that I had to cover my mouth to hide. She grinned and began to laugh. I started walking again and let myself bump into her, feeling like we’d just passed some kind of new friend test.

  “Anyway, I need you there,” I said in a quiet voice as we got closer to the quad. The last thing I wanted was for Bash to hear me. “This thing between me and Bash is really intense and I’m pretty sure I’ll need a buffer to keep me from going full porn star at the party.”

  Rory’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously? It’s that hot?”

  I just shook my head, reliving the wonder of how intense his kiss had been back at the library. “I can’t even wrap my head around it. The guys back home were like puppies compared to Bash. Cute and fun to watch, but mostly childish.” I sighed and hated myself a little for being such a girl. “It’s different with him. I can’t seem to think straight or catch my breath when he’s around, and when he touches me…” I blew out a breath.

  “Do you think maybe he’s your…” Rory trailed off and I snapped my head in her direction, shocked by what I knew she’d been about to say.

  “No,” I whispered adamantly. “I don’t know if I even believe in that, anyway.”

  It was Rory’s turn to smack my arm. “What? How can you not believe in it? Are your mom and dad not soul mates?”

  I frowned and shrugged then slowly shook my head. “I don’t think so. They aren’t all lovey dovey or anything. I think they’re more like best friends to be honest.”

  “Huh. Well, my parents are definitely soul mates. They’re actually embarrassing with the kissing and whispers but we all got used to it.”

  “How m
any of there are you?” I asked, trying to change the topic since thinking about my parents that way made me feel oddly guilty and sad.

  “Seven,” Rory said with a grin. “Three girls, four boys. I’m the oldest.” Her face fell a bit. “Lucky me.”

  I wanted to ask what she meant but we were just about to the quad. I stared into the shadows, looking for Bash and his friend and nearly had a heart attack when a hand touched my shoulder from behind.

  “It’s me,” Bash’s resonant voice whispered as my heart thundered so loud, I could hear nothing but the blood in my veins. I gasped in a breath and laid my hand over my heart, trying to calm my pulse as my cheeks flushed.

  “You scared the crap out of me.”

  “Sorry,” he apologized as his lips twitched. “I thought you’d heard us.”

  We should have heard them but we’d been caught up discussing how incredibly hot I found… oh, sweet Old Ones. My skin felt as if it were on fire and I was glad for the darkness.

  “Um…” I searched for words to cover my mortification while Bash just smiled down at me with too much knowledge in those emerald eyes.

  “Hi. I’m Rory.” Rory stepped forward and stuck her hand out to Bash, taking all the pressure off me. I decided right then and there that I loved her. She turned to the guy standing next to Bash next and extended her hand.

  I hadn’t noticed him in my panic, I realized, but also because he blended with the shadows so well. His skin gleamed like polished obsidian under the light of the moon, deep but warm. His smile was wide and sweet, inviting as he took Rory’s hand in his and shook. “Hey Rory, I’m Darius.” His long fingers wrapped around Rory’s petite hand, enveloping it. His eyes widened, just a bit, as he held her hand, then he let go and reached out again.

  I shook his hand and made note to ask Rory about that little pause. He’d definitely reacted to her touch. “Elena,” I said, even though I knew he’d know my name. Or, at least, I hoped so. Having Bash talk about me with his friends made my stomach feel jittery.

  Bash moved to my side as we started forward, still sticking to the edge of the quad. The proximity of his body to mine set little fires racing over my skin and my fingers twitched, wanting to reach out to take his. I kept them at my side, barely. As we walked, his arm swayed, touching mine, and my head swam.

  “You look beautiful,” Bash murmured quietly, leaning in closer so the entire length of his arm pressed against mine.

  Heat moved swiftly up my body into my head and the world seemed to waiver. I breathed as quietly as I could manage and managed to say, “Thank you.” Flirty responses filled my brain, jumbling together so I couldn’t pick just one. I said nothing and kept walking.

  Beside me I could hear Rory and Darius chatting and registered that they seemed to be enjoying one another. Beyond that, I had no awareness outside of Bash and the way my body was urging me toward him. I sucked in fresh night air and tasted my own pheromones on the soft wind.

  His fingers brushed mine and the dull ache in my core intensified. I let out a small gasp.

  It must have been all the confirmation he’d needed, because Bash’s fingers slipped through mine then, twining together, pulling my palm to his. His thumb rubbed over my skin, eliciting desire in me so deep it felt endless.

  Connor made me feel like this. I dipped my head and forced the thought down.

  “So,” Bash said, squeezing my hand slightly, “tell me about you.”

  I tensed. We didn’t know anything about one another other than the fact that something in our genetic makeup drew us together physically. What if he didn’t like my personality, where I came from, my perception of this world he thrived in? I chewed on my lip for a moment, knowing whatever this was between us would go nowhere if I didn’t show him the real me.

  “I suppose you already know I’m here on scholarship.” Thanks to your sister, I thought bitterly.

  He nodded. “It takes a lot to get a scholarship from AWA. You must be brilliant.” His thumb stroked my hand again, soothing me, relaxing me.

  I chuckled. “Not according to my creative writing prof, Xavier. He’s torn apart everything I’ve passed in so far.”

  “Xavier Davidson?” Bash asked. When I nodded, he made a dismissive sound. “He’s been going through a really public divorce, so I wouldn’t take his bad mood personally.”

  “Rory said the same thing. I guess I don’t get the same gossip you guys do.”

  Bash was quiet for a moment. “You’re from Newfoundland, right?”

  I nodded and let the pride I’d always felt for my home province push away the unease that seemed to be my daily companion here. “Yeah, have you ever been there?”

  “No, but I’ve been to Ireland a bunch of times and I’ve heard it’s very similar.”

  “Parts of it are. Some areas are more French than Irish, though.” She thought of her father’s slight French accent and smiled, missing him. “My coast has more of the French but get me tipsy and the Irish comes out.” I grinned up at him.

  His eyebrow shot up. “Well then, is that a challenge?”

  I laughed and didn’t bother covering it up. We’d moved from the open quad to the forest and had the cover of trees to stop our voices from carrying. “Screw it,” I said, throwing caution to the wind. I needed to relax and have fun. “Let’s call out the Irish.”

  He asked me about my favorite books and movies as we walked, moving further away from the stone buildings that made up campus. It was fun to discover our common likes and dislikes, and to challenge each other over things like Marvel vs. DC. I don’t know when it happened, probably when he confessed to loving Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but all my nerves floated away, leaving behind a sense of wholeness and excitement that filled me with joy. Rory’s question about soul mates flitted through my mind more than once but I swatted it away quickly.

  We heard the music from the party long before we arrived. It wafted out on speakers placed at the four corners of a large meadow that opened out of the forest. The scent of grass and wild flowers perfumed the air and the tinkling sound of a nearby brook set the scene for fun and romance. I wanted both.

  Bash was met with loud calls from friends while I was met with so many side-eyes, I couldn’t keep count. Gazes moved over me and down to where our hands were firmly clasped together, then the whispers began.

  I paused, uncertain of my place in the social order here, but Bash wouldn’t allow it. He tugged me closer and leaned in to my ear to whisper, “Ignore them. You belong here.” His lips brushed against my earlobe, making my entire body shudder, then he was pulling back with a wicked grin that made me want to smack him. He knew exactly what he was doing to me. From the scent coming off him, I was doing the same to him. “What would the Irish like to drink?” he asked, still looking at me with mischief in his eyes.

  “Vodka and soda,” I said with a cocked eyebrow, letting him know I was more than ready to play. He and Darius wandered off to get drinks, leaving Rory and me alone in the midst of gossips and unfriendly faces.

  Before I could turn to Rory, she grabbed my arm and pulled me close. “Holy crap, Darius is freaking gorgeous and I think he likes me!”

  I laughed at her expression of shock. Keeping my volume low, I said, “Of course he does. You’re beautiful, and funny, and smart,” I added. “He’s be a fool not to like all that. And yeah,” I glanced over to where he was pouring up a beer from a keg that had somehow made it to the middle of the forest, “he’s gorgeous.”

  Rory’s cheeks bloomed with color. “And Old Ones, you were right about you and Bash. You’re both pumping out pheromones. If anyone here had any doubt about the two of you, it’s gone now. He’s got it bad.”

  “I do, too,” I admitted with a grin.

  I was too busy watching Bash pouring up drinks to pay attention to my surroundings, which is why I never saw Daniella coming.

  I stumbled back as her hand shoved hard against my shoulder, knocking me into Rory who fell to the ground. My head whipped a
round to see who had hit me but I already knew from the scent of fury and perfume wafting from her. The look on her face was pure rage so I did the one thing I knew would piss her off the most. I turned my back on her and helped Rory to her feet.

  “Are you alright?” I asked quietly as my blood began to boil. Rory wiped blood from her elbow where it had connected with a rock.

  “I’m fine,” she whispered, her eyes darting over my shoulder to where I knew Daniella stood. “What are you going to do?”

  I didn’t really know. All I knew was that Daniella had pushed me too far this time. I could take a lot of shit but hurting my new friend? That drew the fucking line. I turned on my heel and was met with the palm of her hand.

  The slap sounded like gun fire in the suddenly silent meadow. From across the space I heard Bash’s voice ring out, yelling for his sister to stop, then his feet hitting the ground as he ran towards us.

  But it was too late, I couldn’t stop myself. My hands balled into fists and I pulled back, too fast for anyone to stop.

  And when I heard the crunch of cartilage as Daniella’s nose broke under the force of my punch, my blood sang and one thought echoed through my mind.

  Oh, fuck!

  Chapter 7

  I jumped as a loud knock interrupted my staring at the ceiling time.

  Everything in me froze, just like it had every time I’d gotten a text, a phone call, or a knock in the days since I’d broken Daniella’s nose then raced away from the party with Rory on my heels. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, for Donahue to call me to her office and inform me that I was being expelled and my scholarship rescinded because I was a menace to society. I’d made it through Sunday and Monday without getting the bad news but it was only a matter of time.

  Rory opened the door and poked her head into the room. She frowned at me and glanced at her watch. “You’re going to be late for class if you don’t get up.” She marched in as if she owned the place, our shared drama over the weekend having bonded us, and grabbed my arm to tug me up. I allowed the indignity.