I exited the building and stopped short when I saw Lydia coming towards me. She walked with a bounce that made her breast jump with every step, no doubt purposely, hoping I’d notice. Her hips swayed as she approached me, no doubt doing what she could to draw my eyes to what she considered her finest assets. I lowered my eyes, hoping she’d pass. The girl got under my skin for the wrong reasons. But that was the problem with the women of Canis Falls. Every woman was the same. Athletic, tall, hard. No real curves unless they were blessed with a decent rack, and even then I’d give my right nut for something different. Something that didn’t scream cocky and entitled. It wasn’t unusual to see a girl with multiple partners, considering the decline in the male shifters’ population, but I wished it didn’t make the girls so damn insufferable. As if they didn’t have to try, as if they didn’t have to worry about being vulnerable or allowing the men to simply be men. No. They wanted men to grovel at their feet like a pack of wild animals and I would never be one of those.
I continued walking, holding my breath. If I were lucky, she’d pass right by.
“Colton!”
I let out a string of curse words. Luck wasn’t on my side.
I stopped and turned to face her. She stood there, running a hand through a curtain of straight blonde hair she pulled away from her face, her blue eyes trained on me.
“Have you been avoiding me?” she asked, pushing out her bottom lip in what she must have thought was a seductive pout.
Like the plague, I wanted to tell her but bit back those words. She placed a hand on her hip, pushing her chest forward. I kept my eyes focused on hers.
“I’ve been trying to but you seem to sniff me out everywhere I go,” I grumbled.
She placed a hand on my shoulder and I tensed beneath her touch. “Awwww. Do you hate me that much?”
“Yes.”
My answer was simple and I didn’t care if it hurt her feelings. If it would get her to leave me alone, all the better. I shrugged away from her and she dropped her hand to her side.
“Look, I didn’t want to tell you this but the professor is concerned about you. She thinks your lack of interest means you’re a danger to everyone here, and you know what that means.”
I knew all too well what that meant. Being a Cobalt, I was expected to live up to certain standards required by the academy. Certain standards that included taking on a mate and building a bond that would solidify my position outside of the academy once I graduate. Because that’s what Cobalts did. Outside of fighting their wars against the Nephrites, we bred like dogs, trying to build strong lines of Cobalt fighters.
My father had told me as much between drunken episodes where I’d find myself cowering in a dark corner to shield myself from his rage. As a Cobalt, I had duties to fulfill which would see him placed more prominently in the community, and he refused to hear of anything different. But I wasn’t a normal Cobalt, a fact that had taunted me throughout my life. Born on a blood moon, fully shifted, I was considered a danger to everyone around me. My violent birth which had taken my mother’s life made me volatile, dangerous, unable to cope with the real world until the day I lost my mind. At least that’s what they thought.
The council was under the impression being bonded would make me less of a danger to the shifter community. But I was determined to prove them wrong.
“My lack of interest in you has nothing to do with…”
I balled up my fists so tight my nails dug into the flesh of my palm. Blood seeped from the wounds and I could tell by the look on her face she’d caught the scent of it.
A smirk played on her lips as she glanced down at my hands. And there it was. The very thing I hated the most. She thought she had some power over me but she was wrong. They all were. No matter what they said, or what they thought, I was different than anything they’d known before. I was stronger than any other Cobalt, faster, more in tune with my shifter abilities.
My mind flitted back to a confrontation I’d had with my father just before entering the academy. The man was a mess, as he had been since his mate was taken from him by me. Entering the academy had been my way of escaping broken bones, black eyes, and anything else my father had wanted to subject me to after consuming enough vodka to kill a normal human.
No one there knew where I’d come from. No one knew the torture I’d endured at the hands of a father who mourned the woman he’d mated with for life. No one knew the heartache I felt at having been the cause of my mother’s death. The pain of her loss before I was old enough to understand, and the longing for the person I’d never come to know. It was something I kept heavily guarded, afraid someone would use that information against me, and rightfully so.
If Lydia had discovered the details behind my birth, I was certain she’d use that to her advantage.
I looked her in her eye. Instead of a young woman, all I could see was a petulant child who was refused candy on Halloween. I leaned into her, only stopping when my lips reached her ear.
“I know it tears you up I don’t want anything to do with you. You lay awake at night, trying to figure out what it is about you that makes my dick soft in the worst way. Do you want to know what that is?’
“What?” she asked in a whisper.
“You disgust me. Now get the fuck out of my face.” I stepped back, ready for her hysterics, ready for her to cause a scene as she normally had. Instead, she walked away.
Maybe luck was on my side.
I pivoted and directed my steps towards the faculty office. I needed to change my dorm assignment if I was going to survive this place without putting a bullet through my brain. Just as I was about to step into the building, the door opened and, just as with the first time I’d seen her, Brinley’s body smacked directly into mine.
A mop of chestnut curls tossed about her head as she fell on her ass.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I yelled, running my fingers down my shirt to straighten it.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”
She stood up and for the second time I was shocked by how different she was from any other female in Canis Falls. She was short, exceptionally so, probably around five feet, two or three inches. Hell, I didn’t know. I didn’t have an internal tape measure in my head, but I did know she looked a lot smaller than most. Instead of a lean muscular build, she was curvy, not thick or fat, but she did have curves that had my jaw dropping just as bit as I glanced her over. Her green eyes pinned me with a nervous glance and I had to swallow back the desire that rose up in me as her full lips formed a playful pout.
“I really am sorry,” she said, snatching her duffle bag from the ground and pulling the strap over her shoulder.
She gave me a smile that felt oddly genuine and quirky at the same time and damn if it wasn’t the hottest thing I’d ever seen. She lowered her gaze, a timid expression hitting her face and I realized, at that moment, I’d been staring.
Without thought, I grimaced. “Watch where you’re going next time.”
A frown tugged the corners of her lips down and I marched past her.
Once at the faculty office, I shoved open the door, walked past the receptionist and straight into Professor Stallion’s office. Without so much as a greeting, I gave her my demand.
“I need another room.”
The professor quirked a brow at me but otherwise didn’t say anything. She folded her arms over her chest and leaned back in her seat.
“I’m not playing this time. I’m sick of being cast out of my own damn room while the fucker gets laid. And I’m sick of running into Lydia every other day. I need you to rework my class schedule to keep me as far away from the woman as possible.”
“I’ve already told you,” she began reciting the same lines she’d given me before. “I can’t make special concessions on your behalf. If I do, I’d have to do the same with everyone here.”
I stepped closer to her desk, placing my hands on the polished wood before pressing my weight forward. “I don’t
give a flying fuck what you have to do. Stick me in the girl’s dorm in my own room. There are plenty of those empty. But if you don’t do something about this right now, I’ll be in your office every damn day until you do.”
And I’d meant it.
She pursed her lips in that way she always did when considering what I’d said. After a few moments of thought, a sly smile crept across her face. “Fine. I’ll relocate you to the girl’s dorm in your own room. However, I’ll need something in return. I have a special interest in Miss. Cooper.”
I rolled my eyes. Whatever interest she had in the girl had nothing to do with me but I listened anyway as she gave her instructions. If it would get e as far away from Lydia as possible, I’d do whatever was asked of me.
Chapter Four
Brinley
The air blew cool against my skin as I trailed through the wooded area behind the school. It was something I’d loved about grandma’s home back in Colorado. The wooded area just beyond the house had been my place to refocus and relax, with no one there to bother me or ask anything of me. Today, I needed that. I needed it more than anything as I thought over everything I’d learned the past few days.
Being at Canis Falls was far different from what I’d expected. While I was used to a normal schedule, waking up early in the morning and going to sleep at night, the wolves of Canis Falls were more nocturnal, preferring to stay up and conduct their businesses at night. Which was fine with me. I’d always appreciated night, and the way the moon lit the sky above me. Though it was much colder at night, I always found a peaceful bliss with the silence of it as the world stood still and the sound of traffic dwindled away.
I didn’t have to worry about that here, out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the woods and hills around us. I could hear the rumble of a lake ahead, the scurrying of creatures as they went about their night, gathering food and finding a safe place to rest.
I ventured over toward the lake, sticking to the shadows. Not because I feared anything, but because it was something my grandmother had always taught me to do. I’d often wondered why she was so cautious but after what happened a few days ago, I had my answer. She was worried someone would come for me and wanted me to be prepared.
A shadow of a figure shifted by the lake and I ducked behind a tree, watching as the familiar shape stretched up to its full height. Dark curls danced where the breeze slid through the strands as he picked up a rock and skipped it across the lake. I watched him do this several times before he paused, turning his head to the side.
“I know you’re there, Brinley,” he said, before picking up another rock.
I wanted to ask him how he knew, until the breeze hit my back again, blowing passed me toward him. I’d made that mistake often as a child, trying to creep up on my father while he was hiking. But over the years, I’d grown so comfortable living among humans I hadn’t had to worry about it.
I stepped around the tree. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was here.”
He laughed, a deep rich laugh that sent tingles down my spine. He turned to face me, a smile playing on his full lips. “You really aren’t used to be surrounded by so many wolves, are you?”
“Not really,” I said with a shrug, coming to stand a few feet from him.
He closed the gap between us. “How are you adjusting to your new surroundings? I wanted to pay you a visit earlier but Amber felt you needed a little more time to gain your bearings here.”
That was odd. Amber never mentioned Sergio asking about me before. I tugged up my shoulders in a shrug. “It’s very different from what I’m used to, but I think I’m getting used to it.”
“Well, if you need any help with that, I’d be happy to…”
I rolled my eyes. I’ve been hearing that a lot lately but what I needed help with the most, no one could help me with. I thought back on the past few days. After my talk with Grandma, I’d asked around, searching for information about my mother but no one knew anything about what had happened with her. And the ones who knew always advised me to talk to my grandma which wasn’t exactly easy. Every answer she provided was vague, as if she was concerned that telling me too much would place me in unnecessary danger and I was getting sick of it.
“Ok. Tell me about it,” Sergio said, tugging me toward a fallen branch. He took a seat on it before pulling me down with him. “What’s on your mind?”
I thought about it for a moment. Though he’d given me no reason not to trust him, I wasn’t sure I could given what my grandmother had told me about trusting those around me. Instead, I settled for something else that had been bothering me.
“Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong here?”
He let out a huff of air before responding. “Why do you ask?”
“Professor Stallion seems concerned I haven’t shifted yet, and I’m beginning to wonder if I ever will. Grandma used to tell me it was because I’ve been far away from the magic in this place, but I think it's more than that.” I let out a heavy sigh before continuing. “I think there’s something wrong with me. I don’t look like everyone else here.”
“You’re right about that.” He let out a nervous chuckle as his eyes grazed over me.
I’ve noticed most people doing that when I was around, studying my features as if they’d never seen anyone like me before. Maybe they hadn’t. Maybe everyone in Canis Falls was freakishly large, but what did that mean for me?
Perhaps sensing my concern, he offered a smile that softened the hard planes of his face. “There’s nothing wrong with being different, Brin. And if you’re worried you don’t fit in because you haven’t shifted yet, don’t. There are plenty of late shifters here, and those who’ve shifted way before their time. There really is no set time for it.”
“What was it like the first time you shifted?”
The question came out faster than I’d had time to think but it was a fair enough question. At least that’s what I thought at first, but the look he pinned me with told me otherwise. Sorrow filled his expression as his shoulders slumped forward, and I instantly regretted having asked.
“You don’t have to…”
He held up a hand to stop me. “It's not that I don’t want to tell you. It’s just,” he let out a huff of air, “complicated.”
I could understand that.
“Well, I need to go meet up with some of the Citrines. Considering you’re currently classified as one, would you like to come meet the group?”
I shook my head. Not that I didn’t want to meet them at all but with how overwhelming things have been the past few days, I needed time to really get used to everything before meeting anyone knew.
Sergio gave me a light tap on my knee before standing up. “Well, the offer still stands. If you need help with anything at all, please let me know.”
With that, he disappeared into the trees on his way back to the campus, leaving me alone by the lake.
I allowed my gaze to fall on the lake, mesmerized by the way the moon light shed its shimmery rays over the top of the water. It was a remarkable site and I could understand why Sergio had picked the spot. The air carried the fresh scent of nature, a calming scent that had me relaxing as I gave into nature itself. Though I missed my home in Colorado, I was beginning to feel as if this could be a second home for me, at least until I graduated the academy. After that, I wasn’t sure what I’d do. Most stayed in Canis Falls where they were free to roam and work their magic as they saw fit. But for me, I wasn’t sure that’s what I wanted. I’d thought about going back to Colorado to build my life there. It was familiar. Something I’d known and loved. Not that I’d been able to make many friends there.
As the water began to slowly climb up the hill, a breeze pushed past me and I caught a familiar scent that had the hair on the back of my neck standing at attention. Looking up, I could see a shadowy figure on the opposite side of the lake, barely concealed beneath the low hanging branches of the trees that surrounded him.
A lump formed
in the back of my throat at the sight of him. From what I could tell, he was the same creature who’d just days before attacked me and my grandmother in our home and the thought brought chills to my spine. I stood, keeping my eyes trained on him. The lake was large enough he’d have one hell of a swim to get to me, but they’d risked more than that before. If they wanted me back enough, I was certain they wouldn’t let something as small as a lake get in their way.
I took a step away from the lake, praying he wouldn’t follow me. If I was able to disappear into the woods, he’d have a hard time getting to me before I made it to the school, at least that’s what I’d hoped as I took another step backwards. He shifted his weight forward, stepping from the shadows of the trees around him and into the silvery moonlight. He stopped then, cocking his head to the side as if trying to determine the best course to get to me. Either that, or he was confused by my actions. Like he’d expected me to run the moment I saw him.
Maybe I should have. But there was something about him, the way he studied me, the way his eyes scrunched in concentration as if he were trying to do something. His jaw dropped slightly beneath his snout before he shook his head, his muscles tensing as he tossed his oversized hands in the air. He looked frustrated. Like whatever he’d been trying to do was failing. More than that, he looked defeated, tired, and desperate.
My grandmother’s words crept into my thoughts. My mother had been trying to save them before her death, but why? If the academy hadn’t been able to reverse the process, what could she have done to save them?
The crunch of leaves and broken branches behind me pulled me from my thoughts.
“Is that? Brinley, get out of here!”
Someone yanked my hand and I stumbled back, nearly falling on my ass as a large black wolf rushed past me and toward the left, sticking close to the lake. Before I could collect my thoughts, another set of hands grabbed my shoulders, pulling me back into the cover of tree and brush.
Canis Falls Academy- Year One Page 3