Wolf Blood: Lunar Academy, Year One

by Snyder, Jennifer

  I was halfway through the sequence of moves Professor Blades taught us when my cell vibrated in my secret pocket. Shock jolted threw me, throwing my balance off. I stumbled to the side a few steps.

  “You should focus. Not on the phone vibrating in your pocket, but on what you’re doing here,” Axel insisted as though he were my teacher.

  My temper flared. Who the hell was he to tell me what to do? He didn’t know me, and he damn sure didn’t know what I was up against right now.

  “I am focusing. What makes you think I’m not?” I snapped.

  Axel shifted to glance at me, making me the center of his attention. It wasn’t a place I wanted to be. Not right now. Not like this. Not when he was seeing me for who I was—a hot mess who was scared shitless.

  “Besides the fact you nearly fell on your ass two seconds ago, I also can tell when someone is haunted by their past mistakes.” His eyes never wavered from me when he spoke.

  “Takes one to no one,” I tossed back without much thought.

  His lips quirked into a smug smirk, but there was sadness in his eyes. “Touché.”

  For the rest of class, I refused to look at Axel again. I focused on each movement and attempted to control my racing thoughts. All I wanted to do was read my new text. I didn’t dare pull my cell out though. Professor Blades would probably crush it with his bare hands and toss it across the room. He’d made it clear multiple times that he didn’t like when someone wasted his time, and I knew being on my cell during any point in his class would be considered as such.

  The instant I left class, I reached for my cell. When I glanced at the new text from Van, everything I’d worked so hard to push away during Strength Training came rushing back.

  If you ever loved me at all, you’ll answer me.

  My heart pounded. My breath hitched. Shit. He had to go there?

  Axel

  The nightmares had returned. I’d been suffering from them the past couple of weeks. In them, all I could see was Ansley’s horrified face. All I could hear was her screams. I tried to calm myself down, but couldn’t. Everything was red. Everything was too much. My demons pulled me in different directions, leaving me unable to tell which one would win.

  And then we crashed.

  Her body flew from the passenger seat straight out the windshield. She landed on the brittle grass in front of me. Limp. A delicate flower broken.

  And then I woke.

  Each time, I bolted upright in bed. My heart pounding. My lungs starving for the air they didn’t deserve. And my insides twisted with the guilt that was always just beneath the surface, waiting to torment me. My vampire craved blood. My wolf wanted to shift.

  Both of them wanted to fight. Against me. Against each other. Against someone new.

  I stared at the ceiling, not knowing what time it was or caring. Images from the nightmare shifted through my mind, a slideshow I couldn’t turn away from. I squeezed my eyes shut, but it didn’t help. I could still hear the echo of her screams.

  My fingers grabbed hold of the promise ring hung from my neck. For the millionth time, I wanted to strangle myself with the necklace, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. Something like that wouldn’t kill me. Hell, it probably wouldn’t even hurt.

  Instead, I did what I always did—I repeated the promise I’d made to her at her funeral.

  “I’m here for you. I’m here because of you. I’m here to learn control,” I whispered into the dark room.

  The promise was easy to stick to because I was committed. The problem was that I hadn’t seen any progress in myself the past few weeks, so frustration wasn’t far behind when I thought about it.

  I’d expected more from myself.

  Disappointment surged through me. I rolled over to grab the bag of blood I’d left on the desk earlier and tore the corner open. I chugged its contents to satisfy my vampire. My wolf howled because he wanted something satisfying too.

  There was nothing I could give him though. If I shifted in the dorm house, I risked attacking someone. My wolf had already pegged a few on our floor he would love to challenge.

  As I tossed the empty bag of blood in the trash, my wolf bucked against me, demanding to be set free. The skin on my arms prickled as his fur struggled to push its way through against my will. I got up and paced the length of the room, hoping I didn’t wake Lee. My wolf nipped at me. He was an aggressive bastard tonight.

  I ran my fingers through my hair. If I didn’t give into him, he might take over and force the change on his own. It had happened before.

  When he bucked against me hard enough to bring me to my knees, my decision was made. I’d have to break rule number one and shift when it wasn’t sanctioned. I couldn’t hold out any longer.

  Even without the nightmares, my wolf would have needed to shift—to run—soon. There was too much here causing him to bristle.

  Faith, and her gorgeous body, was one of them. And, that damn coconut vanilla scent she wore. That was what was driving my wolf to his breaking point lately.

  I picked up my jeans from the floor and put them on. My ID was still in the back pocket. Next, I slipped on my boots, and then grabbed a shirt and cracked the door open to let myself out. My eyes drifted to Lee before I closed the door behind me. He was still sawing logs, hugging his pillow.

  Creeping through the Wolf Blood dormitory at night was eerie. Mainly because I knew I wasn’t the only one wide-awake. Others were staring at their ceilings or screwing around on their cell phones. Noises sounded from a few of the rooms as I passed, but I didn’t pause. I kept walking toward the stairs. Once I made it down the four flights, I paused. There were people in the main lounge. A few were playing pool. I could hear the balls cracking as someone broke the setup. I chewed the inside of my cheek and headed for the door, hoping like hell no one saw me and claimed I wasn’t allowed out of the house past a certain hour because I knew my wolf would free himself and tear into whoever it was. I wouldn’t be able to stop him.

  Once I stepped outside, the thrill of what I was about to do sank in.

  I was about to shift.

  The woods in the distance came into view after a few steps, and I quickened my pace. They called to me. My heart pumped hard and fast as anticipation rushed through my veins.

  I felt alive, and both my demons loved the sensation.

  I soon broke into a jog, feeling as eager as my wolf to shift. Not shifting had been hell for both of us. It left me unbalanced. Normally, I shifted daily. If that wasn’t possible, then I damn sure shifted every other day. That was the only way to keep my wolf happy. Same as feeding daily was the only way to keep my vampire happy. It was how I worked. Take either away and my sanity suffered.

  This was where I was at. It was why the nightmares had started again. I needed to find my balance. My emotions couldn’t be out of whack at the same time my demons were being deprived. That was when shit went crazy.

  That was when I went crazy.

  As I crept deeper into the woods, I tried to pinpoint what might have triggered the nightmares of Ansley to start up again. Was it being at Lunar Academy and all the stress that went with it? Was it not being able to shift like I normally would? Or was it something else? Someone else, maybe?

  Faith popped in my head.

  My body jolted to a stop. It was her. She was the reason my nightmares had returned. There were too many similarities between her and Ansley I’d noticed lately. I’d made a mistake in thinking they were like night and day, but they weren’t. Time had shown as much to me.

  Images of both flashed through my mind.

  The way they carried themselves. Their creamy skin. The way they looked at me—as though they knew I was dangerous, but didn’t give a shit.

  My wolf howled, begging me to set him free. I didn’t fight him, not this time. Besides, I couldn’t even if I tried. I was disgusted with myself. I’d just compared a girl I barely knew to Ansley. My Ansley.

  I peeled off my clothes in a hurry and tossed them to the f
orest floor.

  My wolf broke free. His fur forced its way through my pores. My bones bent and broke, morphing into his form. The force of the shift was primal. It was raw and emotional.

  It was me running from both my past and present.

  My skin rippled one last time as my wolf finished his swift change. I let my mind wander as he took over. His paws scratched at the ground, his excitement getting the best of him. The damp scent of earth filled our snout, and I fully expected him to let out a howl, but he didn’t. He knew it might alert someone to us, and then we’d be in trouble. Instead, he bolted through the woods, running full speed. Leaves and debris kicked up behind us.

  All was right… until he caught the scent of another wolf lingering in the air.

  My wolf came to a halt. He pulled in a deep breath, gaining as much information about the other wolf as the air could hold—male, heavily dominant, slightly older, and… close by.

  I nudged my wolf to the side. Not fully, but enough to let him know I was paying attention. I’d have to take over soon. If I didn’t put him back in his corner, he’d track down the other wolf and fight for this territory. It was in his nature. My wolf was as much of a fighter as I was. If that happened, there was no way I would be able to rein him in, and then I’d definitely be up shit creek without a paddle when it came to the trouble I’d be in.

  He seemed to understand that he was at risk of being shoved to the side and made his way back the way we came. Still, I could tell how worked up he was. Questions tumbled through my mind about whether we’d been followed. When we reached the area where I’d stripped, I forced my wolf back into his corner. He didn’t go easily because of the potent scent of the other wolf in the air here.

  Shit. Had someone followed me?

  Once my shift was complete, I quickly dressed. The other wolf could be anyone—a teacher or student. Hell, it could be a werewolf security guard who patrolled the academy at night. I had no clue if that was even a thing, but it might be. They had to enforce the rules somehow, right? I just hadn’t seen anyone do it yet.

  I pulled my boots on and jogged to the edge of the woods. When I reached them, I glanced around, searching for anyone who might see me. There didn’t seem to be anyone around. I exited the woods and made a move to cut across campus to the Wolf Blood dormitory, but something caught my eye. No, not something… someone.

  There was someone leaning against the building, shrouded in shadows. I could feel their eyes on me. As I neared, I took note of their height and build. A low chuckle slipped from the guy, and it was all I needed to know who it was watching me.

  Bryant.

  My wolf bristled with excitement. My vampire stared with suspicion, his fangs ready to fall. Was this how I got the official invitation to join fight club, or was this when the initiation would take place? I continued toward him, ready to find out.

  As I neared him, it became easier to see his face. A smirk twisted his features.

  “Out for a midnight run, I see,” he said.

  “The same could be said about you.” I instinctively knew the wolf in the woods with me had been him. I could sense it.

  “True. One of the things about this place is that they don’t give you enough sanctioned run times. And even if they did, they’re all in packs. For those who prefer to be alone in wolf form, it’s a bit of a raw deal.”

  It was unsettling the way he seemed to know this about me. Either he was observant as hell, or he’d been watching me.

  I wasn’t sure I liked either scenario.

  Bryant pushed himself off the wall. His arms remained folded across his chest. The dude was taller than I’d thought, more ripped too, but I still wouldn’t back down from a fight against him if that was where this was about to lead. “I figured you were a rule breaker, though.”

  The light hit his scar just right, and I tried not to stare.

  “What gave you that idea?” My hands flexed into fists at my sides, ready to throw a punch if needed.

  “I can sense it in you. Takes one to know one sort of thing. And then there’s fight club.”

  “About that,” I said, trying my best to keep my attention on him while still paying close attention to my surroundings. In situations like this, you never knew if someone might jump out at you and start a fight. This wasn’t the first fight club I’d been a part of. I knew how things worked. “I’m still waiting on my invitation to my first fight. So is my roommate, Lee. Is this thing happening, or what?”

  Bryant laughed. “Listen to you. Of course it’s happening. These things take time. We have to scope out all candidates first. Especially the ones that come to us instead of us to them.” He arched a brow. “Gotta vet you first.”

  So, he had been watching me.

  “Did I make the cut?” I was curious to know.

  “Maybe. Maybe not,” he said before walking away.

  I pulled in a deep breath and hesitated before I followed him into the Wolf Blood house. My demons wanted me to make sure we weren’t about to be jumped first. When nothing happened, I headed inside. Bryant wasn’t hanging around the main lounge like I thought he might be. Relief trickled through me. Now that my wolf had his fun, I was exhausted.

  A light was on inside my dorm room when I reached the door. I grabbed my ID and inserted it. When I swung the door open, Lee was seated at the desk, hunched over his cell, scribbling on a notepad. I closed the door behind me, and slipped off my boots.

  “Couldn’t sleep either I take it?” I made my way to my dresser for a change of clothes. I knew these reeked of the woods and the change. I could smell it on me.

  “Nope.” The edge to his tone made me pause. “But you don’t see me going off, breaking rules because of it.”

  I smirked at him. “Breaking rules?” I was eager to hear what he thought I’d done. He seemed worked up.

  He shifted in his chair to glare at me. “Yeah, breaking rules. Don’t even try to deny it, dude. You reek of woods and having shifted recently.”

  I held my hands up, waving my athletic shorts in the air as a flag of surrender. “Yeah, I shifted. So sue me. I don’t understand why you’re pissed about it. It’s not like I forced you into going with me.”

  “You didn’t, but you might as well have.”

  My brows pinched together. “What does that mean?”

  “It means that whenever whoever the hell in charge of checking these things out comes asking who it was shifting in the middle of the night during an unsanctioned time, I’m going to have to lie. I’ll have to pretend I don’t know it was you. You’ve put me in that position. You and your selfish ways.”

  Jesus. He was freaking out. I didn’t understand where his hostility was coming from. Who the hell cared if someone asked who had snuck out and shifted? Saying you didn’t know was a simple lie. It wasn’t like they would be able to know. It wasn’t like they were going to go door-to-door asking either. At least I didn’t think they would.

  “I’m not asking you to cover for me.” I grabbed a clean shirt and a towel. “And, I don’t think anyone will be able to pinpoint it was me in the woods tonight unless someone saw me come in. Even so, I doubt they’d ask you. Besides, I wasn’t the only one out there tonight.” I started toward the door, ready to head to the communal showers.

  “Great. So, somebody probably does know it was you, and you’re going to get in trouble for it. Awesome. Then when you get kicked out, I’ll get another roommate who won’t be half as cool as you are.”

  I flashed him a smirk from over my shoulder as I gripped the doorknob. “You think I’m cool? Aw, little buddy. So, that’s what this is all about? You’re worried I’ll be canned, and you’ll get some shitty new roommate?”

  “Don’t let it go to your head.” Lee rolled his eyes. “But, yeah. Plus, I’m starting to think of you as a friend and I don’t want you getting in trouble. Can you please just abide by the damn rules?”

  “Says the guy who opted into joining an underground fight club with me, which als
o breaks the rules.” My grin grew, because I knew my comment would get under his skin.

  “Hey, you practically twisted my arm about that.”

  “Keep telling yourself that, and maybe you’ll believe it.” I chuckled. “You want to join almost as much as I do. A busted-up face gains attention from the women. Trust me. I know from personal experience.”

  It would also help him gain confidence in himself, but I left that part out. It was something he would have to learn on his own, not something anyone could tell him because he wouldn’t believe it.

  “I’m not getting into this with you.” Lee shook his head, although amusement shone in his eyes. He liked what I said, even if he didn’t want to admit it. “Go take a shower, dude. You stink.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Go back to drawing your comic book characters, or whatever the hell it is you’re doing over there.” I stepped out into the hall. Lee said something under his breath, but all I heard was the word research.

  What the hell was he researching? None of my professors had given out an assignment.

  Faith

  I answered the text. How could I not? He’d said if I ever loved him. I had loved him. Deeply. For a time. My gaze drifted over the words I replied with.

  I’m fine. Leave it alone. Leave me alone.

  Admittedly, it wasn’t the nicest thing I could have said, but it was what needed to be said because it was what needed to be done. Van needed to drop it. I knew he wouldn’t, though. There wasn’t anything I could say or do that would make him.

  I knew this—I accepted it—but that didn’t mean I liked it.

  My teeth sank into my bottom lip as I worried over what his next response might be. I knew one was coming. It had been hours since I’d sent mine. Radio silence wasn’t something Van did. Unless he was up to one of two things—digging deeper into the whole situation to uproot the truth or he was coming for me.

  “Why don’t you call whoever it is you’re waiting to hear from?” Nora asked. She was on her bed, typing away on her laptop. “It would be better than torturing yourself, wondering when they’ll reply. That is what you’re doing, right?” She glanced at me.