by Jayme Morse
So, since my life completely relied on Javier’s ability to drink my blood, I still put out my blood for him to collect once a month. When Milos and Iris had kept me locked inside the dungeon for three months, they had even made sure to draw my blood and mail it to Javier so that I didn’t die.
See, that was the thing about Milos. Even though he had his own plans for me, the last thing he actually wanted was for me to die. That would have gone against everything he had wanted.
At least, at that point in time, he wanted me to stay alive. But now?
Well, now I was pretty sure he probably wanted to kill me.
“Good afternoon, class,” Caroline Wickburn began, snapping me out of my thoughts and right back to her classroom. “And welcome to Deadly Lunar Magic. Something you should all be aware of is that this is one of the most important classes that each and every one of you will ever take during your time as a Crescent at Werewolf Academy. Deadly Lunar Magic is something that all werewolves are capable of, but you, my dear Crescents, are more naturally able to perform this type of magic than other werewolves are. This is because, unlike other werewolves, you all have darkness written in your DNA.”
Professor Wickburn moved across the classroom. Her eyes locked on mine, and she smiled at me.
Returning the smile, I breathed the slightest sigh of relief. If she was still seeing Javier, I was pretty sure she didn’t know that I was his blood mate. Otherwise, I highly doubted she would be smiling at me.
“But what’s most important is for you to learn how to control your dark lunar magic. As you already know from your previous Crescent classes, you are naturally more prone to use your magic for evil. Your mind doesn’t work the same way as a Descendant, a Marked, or a Lupine. You are more naturally inclined to think about ways you can harm other paranormal beings and humans. It’s just a part of your personality. Something you might not already know yet is that you also tend to be less in control of your magic than other werewolves are. This is because you think more with your heart than you do with your head—and most of the time, you don’t even think at all. You see, the moon can also throw you a curveball. But there’s another factor, too, that can complicate things even further. Even if you’re in control of your dark magic, the full moon can make it nearly impossible for a Crescent to contain it.
“Now, as many of you know, it is against the rules for you to use dark magic on the Werewolf Academy campus. But here’s where things can get tricky, at times. I’ll let you in on a little secret because there’s a chance that you might end up in a situation where you might find yourself getting into trouble for a spell you’ve casted using your dark magic on campus. And there is technically a way out of it. In order for you to actually get in trouble for using your dark lunar magic, someone needs to prove that it was premeditated. But it’s not always easy to prove that dark magic that’s been casted during a full moon was actually intentional,” she explained. “As werewolves, our powers are always amplified by the moon. Since your magic tends to be on the darker side to begin with, the moon only amplifies and sharpens that. Therefore, you very well may cast spells during a full moon that you may not even realize you are casting—irrevocable spells that you might not be able to undo.”
Professor Wickburn glanced around the room for a long moment before her eyes finally settled on mine. “If you aren’t careful enough, you just might end up killing someone under a full moon without even realizing what you’ve done.”
I could have sworn there was a pointed look in her eyes, which didn’t move away from mine. I might have only been imagining it, but I didn’t think I was.
No, I was pretty sure she was trying to tell me to murder someone during the full moon so that I could get away with it.
The only question was who? Which of the werewolves on my own personal hit list did Caroline Wickburn think I needed to get rid of?
Chapter 4
After all of our classes had ended, I made a beeline off the campus.
The last thing I wanted was to have an awkward run-in with Iris and Vince. And truthfully, all I really wanted was to just be home with the Darken.
After the three months I had spent being held as prisoner in Milos’s dungeon, the withdrawals that I felt from being away from my mates were more intense than ever before. Even though I had gotten to see each of them throughout the school day, I missed the others when I was with only one of them.
I just wanted one-on-one time with them… all at once.
And knowing that I felt that way—knowing that I needed them so bad—made me feel weak. In fact, I felt weak a lot of the time. Here I was, the Princess of the Werewolves, the first natural-born werewolf to ever exist. The first girl Alpha of an all-male pack who had ever existed. I was supposed to be this strong, completely badass werewolf.
But the reality was that I wasn’t. As strong as I supposedly was, I still hadn’t even been able to rescue myself from Milos’s dungeon. I hadn’t been able to escape… not on my own, anyway. Not without the guy who had rescued me. If it weren’t for him, I probably would have still been locked in that dungeon, still trying to figure out a way to get out.
Even though I hated him with every ounce of my being, the truth was that I loved him, too. Because when it came down to it, I owed him everything.
He had saved me once before, and now he had saved me again.
The only difference this time around?
He was one of the five werewolves who owned a piece of my heart.
“Okay, we need a game plan,” Aiden said as my mates and I sat around the living room later that night.
“None of us are comfortable with you being so close to Iris,” Colton commented, running a hand through his longish blonde hair.
“Fortunately, one of us is with either with you or not too far away from you for most of the day,” Rhys said. “But it just isn’t enough.”
“If something happens, I’ll obviously let you guys know through mind-speak,” I told them.
“No, that’s not enough. We need more of a system in place. We don’t want you going anywhere alone. Ever,” Theo told me.
“Fair enough,” I replied with a shrug. It wouldn’t have been the first time one of my mates had followed me around to protect me. Considering I was afraid of Iris and Milos, and I had no idea what their next move would be, I wasn’t about to protest.
The truth was that having one of my mates with me all the time was actually pretty comforting. Not that I would have told any of them that. I didn’t want them to know how weak I was. Not after all of the time they had spent training my weakness out of me last year.
“We don’t even want you hanging out with Maddie by yourself,” Theo informed me.
“There’s a party this weekend,” I informed them.
“No,” Theo said firmly.
I shot him a look. “I already promised Maddie I would go. Branden’s throwing his annual back-to-school party. It wouldn’t be the same if I don’t go.”
“The risk of you running into Iris is just too big. Since the party’s not during school hours, there are technically no rules in place,” Theo replied.
“Technically, there are rules in place. We’re not allowed to harm anyone or use dark magic on campus,” I insisted. “Besides, I can’t live my life in a bubble just because Iris decided to show her face on campus this year.”
It still blew my mind that she had the audacity to come here even after she tried to kill me.
The worst part about it was that she probably would have killed me.
If it weren’t for him.
I had survived her once. I wasn’t about to nearly die because of her again. Even if that meant not going to the party.
“Fine,” I said with a sigh. “I’ll tell Maddie I can’t go and break our tradition of going together.”
“Actually, I have an idea,” Colton said then. “What if one of us just goes with you?”
“Yeah, that seems like our safest bet,” Rhys agreed.
&n
bsp; “Better yet, why don’t you just bring all of us?” Aiden asked.
“Okay, let’s be real. I can’t bring even one of my professors to a party for students, let alone all of you.”
It was like they had forgotten all of the lectures Headmaster Black had given me in the past about not broadcasting the relationships I had with them on campus. Not that I really cared to follow Headmaster Black’s rules anymore when he couldn’t even do me a favor.
“Actually, you can bring us.” Theo insisted. “No one has to actually know we’re there.”
I glanced over at him with raised eyebrows. “What, exactly, are you suggesting?”
“That we use an invisibility spell to stay hidden from the other students but still be there so we can keep an eye on you.”
Well, that wasn’t the worst idea he’d ever had.
“Okay,” I agreed with a nod.
“Really? You’ll let us spy on you?” Aiden stared at me curiously from behind his honey brown eyes.
“Is it really spying on me if I’m letting you do it?” I countered.
“Touché.”
I wasn’t going to lie. I felt so much better about going to the party knowing that my mates would be there with me. Even though I wouldn’t be able to see them, knowing that they were there would make me feel a hell of a lot safer.
The next few days of class were a blur. Vince kept heading over to me. I knew he was trying to talk to me, but every time he did, I ducked into the girls’ bathroom or headed into one of my mates’ offices until the next bell rang. I just couldn’t bring myself to talk to him about Iris, even though I hated not being able to tell him the truth.
I had a really hard time paying attention in any of my classes. Even though I tried to learn all I could—especially in Advanced Weaponry, Lunar Magic 301, and Deadly Lunar Magic—but my mind just kept wandering to other places. Like what Milos and Iris had planned.
Speaking of Iris, I kept catching her staring at me when she thought I wasn’t looking, and honestly? It creeped me the hell out. Sometimes, her looks were full of hatred; other times, they were full of amusement. But all of the time, one thing was clear.
Iris Frost really hated me.
Well, the feeling was mutual.
Towards the end of the week, I grabbed the hall pass and headed to the bathroom during one of our classes.
Once I was finished, I flung the stall door open—and found myself staring at Iris’s back as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror.
I froze in my tracks, my heart pounding against my chest.
I couldn’t believe this was happening. This was the closest I had been to Iris since classes had resumed for the year, and we were all alone.
If she wanted to do something to hurt me—if she wanted to kill me—I was close enough for her to do just that.
You can try to kill her first, my own voice whispered at the back of my mind.
I needed to stop viewing myself as so weak. I had been trained by the Darken, some of the most powerful werewolves in the world. I was the first biological werewolf.
I was Princess Fallyn.
But I couldn’t let myself forget the truth, either—and that was that Iris Frost was far more powerful than me.
Iris’s eyes locked on mine through the mirror, and a sly grin hit her lips. “Hey, Raven.”
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t respond. I couldn’t even bring myself to move, let alone speak to her.
Iris chuckled as she continued to wash her hands. Once she was done, she grabbed a paper towel and then turned to face me.
“Cat got your tongue?” The amusement swirled around in her eyes devilishly.
When I didn’t respond to her, she twisted her lips into a kissy face.
“Smooches, darling,” she said, blowing a kiss in my direction.
Anger flooded my veins, and my heart pounded against my chest as she walked past me.
As I heard the sound of the restroom door closing behind her, I found myself completely consumed by a memory. It was a memory that I often tried to forget about, but one that was ingrained deep inside my mind. It was a memory that often haunted me, and there I was, getting lost inside it all over again.
The days in the dungeon passed by slowly.
Every day, my wolf would take control and try to find a way out, but it was just no use. My magic wasn’t strong enough inside this dungeon, and I could feel myself growing weaker by the day. I was growing tired from trying to get out without success. My mind was always looking for a way out, so my thoughts never turned off.
The exhaustion of being away from my mates for so long was also setting in. I felt all of the withdrawals, all of the emotions that came with being away from them. I was terrified that I would never see them again. I just kept wondering if they even knew that I was missing or what they were feeling about it. I kept trying to reach out to them through my thoughts, but it was just no use. I knew it was because Milos had spelled the dungeon, making it impossible for me to communicate with my mates through my thoughts.
Still, I kept wondering if they missed me. If they were looking for me. How they hadn’t found me yet.
I also wondered if something may have happened to them. I hoped that nothing had.
One day, I heard the sound of feet pounding their way down the stairs that led to the dungeon and the door being flung open. I was able to tell that the feet belonged to a male.
It was Milos. Even though I had been here for what felt like an eternity now, I had still barely seen him.
As his figure emerged from the darkness, appearing in front of me, I could see him smiling down at me. “Raven. My sweet Raven.”
I let out an animalistic grunt, even though I was in my human form.
“Aw. You’re pretty pissed off at me, aren’t you my love?” Milos asked. “I can understand why. No one wants to be kept in a dungeon.”
“Then why are you doing it?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“Why am I doing what?” His voice was just dripping with amusement.
It made me want to punch him in the face.
“You know what you’re doing.” I sighed. “Why are you keeping me as your prisoner?”
“I’m merely doing what’s best for you right now, Raven. I know you might not see it that way, but the more you cooperate with me, the sooner you’ll get to leave.” Milos’s black eyes locked on mine. “How does that sound? Will you cooperate with me?”
I half thought about telling him that I would cooperate with him. The truth was that I would have done just about anything to get out of this dungeon—away from him and back to my mates.
But judging from the stupid cocky grin that I could see through the dark, I knew that agreeing with him would have only meant giving him his way. And that was the absolute last thing I wanted.
So, I shook my head. “Why the hell would I cooperate with the person holding me captive?”
“Werewolf,” Milos corrected. “I loathe humans.”
“You were human once yourself,” I commented.
“That’s irrelevant.” Milos sighed. “Well, since you aren’t going to cooperate with me, it looks like I’m going to have no choice but to compel you.”
“Compel me to do what?” I asked him.
“You will do exactly as I say,” Milos told me then, a look clouding his dark eyes as he stared into mine. “Do you understand?”
I tried to fight against him, but it was just no use. He was stronger than me, more powerful.
I couldn’t control myself as I nodded my head; it was as if my head was moving entirely on its own.
“Iris, you may come in now,” Milos called loudly.
I heard the sound of the dungeon door opening, followed by the sound of heels clacking as Iris made her way downstairs.
Great. I wasn’t sure what Milos was about to compel me to do, but the absolute last thing I wanted was to even face my now ex-best friend. As far as I was concerned, she was just as much my enemy as Milos was.
As Iris came into view, she smiled at me. “Hello, Raven.”
“Raven, you will remain in your cell,” Milos said as he pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door.
Even though every part of me wanted to run right past him, I couldn’t, of course. I was stuck there, my feet rooted to the ground, unable to move… despite how badly I wanted to.
It was in that moment that I realized he had me under his spell, fully and completely.
Whatever he was about to make me do, I would do. And that scared the ever-loving shit out of me.
Iris stepped into the holding cell with me. I wanted to take a step back, but I still couldn’t seem to move.
“Move forward, Raven.”
At his command, my feet carried me entirely on their own. I wanted to be as far away from possible from her, but now we were standing close—far closer to her than I ever wanted to be again.
“Now, I want you to kiss Iris,” Milos instructed.
What.
The.
Fuck.
My heart pounded against my chest. Kissing Iris was the absolute last thing I wanted to do. It was just wrong on every level. First of all, I liked guys. And not just any guys, but my mates. They were the only ones who I wanted to kiss period. But even if I had to kiss a girl, I didn’t want to kiss Iris, my enemy.
And yet, I found myself moving closer to her.
I couldn’t even seem to think about what I was doing as I pressed my lips to hers.
Her lips were soft. Sweet. But still, they belonged to Iris.
“Raven, I want you to kiss her like you mean it,” Milos added.
Even though I was screaming out inside my mind, my body did exactly as he told me to do: I deepened the kiss.
And I hated every second of it.
“That’s enough,” Milos finally said before turning away from us.
As he walked across the dungeon towards the stairs, I broke the kiss. But I didn’t move away from her. My body and mind felt sort of frozen, and completely traumatized, by what had just happened.