by Tamara White
Funny, I thought the same thing after I turned.
They came in the middle of the night and attacked us because they wanted to turn my little brother. If we had known they existed, maybe we could have protected ourselves better. Perhaps we never would have gone camping at all.
Once the Fae girl has finished whatever she’s doing, she leaves the desk and goes into a back room before appearing again with a large white envelope. She hands it over with a shaking hand, still unable to meet my eyes. “Your ID is in there and now loaded with the appropriate funds. Your ID also doubles as your key to certain areas, such as your room, the library, and the gym. If you lose your ID, you will be fined for a replacement.” She pauses to lift her gaze a little, not quite meeting my eyes, but trying to. “I’ve also put your class schedule inside, as well as the cafeteria menu, a map that shows you which of the three dorms you’ll reside in, and a copy of your enrollment forms on paper in case an instructor should require them. The dorm buildings are not attached to the school building and are not gender oriented. Nor are they regulated to just potential students. The instructors and guest speakers may, at one point or another, live in your dorm if there is space available.”
I nod, not quite sure what to make of the gender shared dorms, especially with instructors residing in the same area. But I guess people of all ages are turned, so maybe it’s a security measure. If most of the students attending are all newly turned, then it would be beneficial to have someone with more experience reside in the dorms.
“I also wanted to advise you that your schedule may change. You have the required classes selected, which is basically an intro to pretty much every species in existence, and the instructors for those classes only stay on campus if there is a minimum of three students in each class. Otherwise, they pass you on to a professor who knows the basics of that species as well as their course work. I’ve highlighted the ones most likely to be cut. I hope you have a good day,” she finishes, effectively dismissing me from her window.
“Thank you,” I reply with all the sincerity I can muster. She’s nervous as hell from dealing with me, even though to her I’m simply a nobody, just another supe whose dominance oozes from my pores.
I leave the office, ensuring the door closes softly behind me this time. I already draw enough attention just by being me and emitting the type of energy I do, but if they ever find out exactly who I am, I’ll bring even more unwanted scrutiny. For now, though, all I can do is try my best to remain under the radar. I won’t be able to stop the hunting and feeding, but I highly doubt anyone will think their Supreme Alpha is a vigilante who feeds on the death of others.
Once I’m out of the administration office, I hurry out of the main building and follow the covered path until I’m out of view from most people. I lean against the wall of the structure, resting my head on the stone side. I take in a deep breath and let it out slowly. I have to remember that I’m here to get answers about what exactly I am. Sure, I could learn a little more about supernaturals in general, which is why I enrolled myself in a few classes, but the fact of the matter is I just want to know why the Alpha before me targeted my family.
No matter how much the council tried to convince me it was out of the kindness of their hearts, that they thought they were rescuing Jarrod from some abusive family, it just doesn’t sit right with me. Something was always off about their explanation.
Once I’m over my little moment and a little more level headed, I dig in the envelope for the map to my dorm. I frown when I look down at the drawing. According to this, there are three dorm buildings, each between the sections of the main building—one on either side and one at the back. My dorm is in the back, so I waste no time following the path there.
When a large, wooded area comes into view, I can’t fight the smile that surfaces. At least there is a place for me to run in while in animal form during my stay.
Rather than an outdated dorm, like I was expecting, the structure that holds the housing appears more like an apartment building than anything else. I wonder if it was designed like that for a reason. Maybe to help those of us who have been turned adjust easily or something like that.
I’m still not too sure what to think of the whole gender share situation right now. I mean, I’m not promiscuous, at least not in my mind, but according to many of the people who studied me after I turned, I’m a lot more hormonally charged than any of the other previous Supreme Alphas they had encountered. It’s gonna make it extremely hard to keep myself in check being around other males, especially the dominant ones. I’m drawn to them like a moth to a flame.
I lean against the wall of the school, thinking back to when I first started showing signs of being uncontrollable. It got to a point that when I shifted back from my animal form, I made sure to lock myself away because desire ruled my body. But the time that was hardest was while I was still in animal form, especially during certain phases of the moon.
Jordan and Drake always came with me when I shifted, and my horny animal simply wanted me to bend over backward and let them fuck me, but the human side of me held out. I made sure there was an emotional connection before I gave in to any of those desires. My concern now is the fact that since leaving Drake and Jordan six months ago, I’ve become even more sexually charged.
I’ve been able to get by simply because Jordan happens to show up when the need reaches its peak but how long will it be until he shows up in my life again?
Last night was great, and it may get me by for a few days, but there’s going to come a time soon when my animals are going to start emitting pheromones in the hopes to draw in worthy mates to satisfy my needs. It’s how Drake and Jordan figured out just who I was to them, their mate.
There is another problem I have to think about, I ponder as I take stock of all the supe energy in the area. I have other appetites to maintain, and if one appetite is not met, then the others grow stronger. Something we found out the hard way.
I started to grow angry randomly, but neither Drake nor Jordan could figure out what was going on with me. They said I was acting like a hungry vamp, but blood didn’t appeal to me at that time. So they took me above ground to let me run and burn off whatever steam was building inside me. As luck would have it, that evening, a vampire snuck past the compound guards and tried to kill us.
Seeing this rabid vamp attack both Drake and Jordan set some major protective instincts off within me and I snapped. My fangs descended for the very first time and I charged the vampire, jumping on his back and practically ripping its throat out as I eagerly fed.
They both watched on in horror as I drained the life from the supernatural before letting its body drop to the ground. But even more surprising was the fact that it turned to dust before it hit the earth. When the council came out, Drake and Jordan both lied to them. They told them the vampire had simply run away when they had fought him off. I was lucky it was a clean kill, one that left no residual evidence of the monster I’d shown the guys.
When I questioned them over it, Drake admitted that no one had ever reduced a supernatural to ash. It was to be our secret, but after feeding, my sexual desires tapered off to much more normal levels. At least for a week, then they grew strong again.
Six days after that incident, my rage grew to exponential levels, as did my lust for both men. They conversed with each other and came up with their own theory, one they decided to test out. The guys took me to a part of the compound I had never been in, and while Jordan stayed at the top of the stairs keeping watch, Drake took me down and into the council dungeons. As we walked through the dark corridors, he told me of the murderer who was locked up inside, waiting for his death sentence. A lion shifter who had started turning children and kept them locked up in his basement, forcing them to fight each other for his entertainment.
Drake opened the cell and led me in. He coaxed me inside, telling me the lion deserved death and that by feeding on him, I was giving him the mercy of a jail free life.
So I fed on the lion, killing him in under a minute. Like the vampire the week before, he faded to nothing but dust before our very eyes. It was confirmed then that I somehow fed on the death of others.
After we returned to my room, the guys made me swear to never reveal to the council just what it was that sated my hunger and increased my powers. If anyone knew I grew stronger by feeding on death, they’d probably kill me without a second thought. With such a secret shared between us, it helped us grow closer. My secrets being the key that bound us all together until Drake betrayed me and fucked everything up.
A stray tear slips from my cheek and I bury the pain that tries to rise. That asshole has had enough of my tears. No fucking more!
I push off the wall and keep walking, intent on getting up to my room sooner rather than later. People pass me on the way to the dorm, some of the males attractive enough to grab my attention. Will I have the willpower not to sleep with anyone on campus? If I honestly can’t keep a dick out of my pants for a week, then I’ll go to a hotel in the city. Take temptation out of the equation, so to speak.
Who knows, maybe Jordan will come to his senses and join me here. I sigh sadly. A girl can dream.
I follow the covered walkway up to the glass doors when I hear something strike the tin roof above me. I freeze in place, reaching behind my back with my free hand to stroke my gun soothingly. I have it tucked into the waistband of my pants at my lower back, ready to use at a moment’s notice.
I know I may seem twitchy, but I have to be. Just because I believe the council has no clue I’m here doesn’t mean I’m safe. I’m the most hunted twenty-three-year-old woman in the world, and I need all the protection I can get.
I wait, preparing for an attack while remaining casual, pretending to study the map that’s long since lost my interest.
When an attack doesn’t come, I relax and remove my hand from the gun. One can never be too careful. Especially when you have an ex-fiancé and a council of five old men after you.
The thing that the people hunting me need to be careful of, though, is that I have more protection than they could ever imagine. I can guarantee I’m the only person at this place packing a weapon that’s loaded with silver bullets infused with iron and magically runed. I have enough juice to kill any supe if they fuck with me.
Chapter Three
Drake
My hand throbs painfully as blood drizzles from the fresh wounds I’ve made. Jordan crosses the room with an annoyed sigh and takes my hand, looking it over. He arrived in town only minutes ago and informed me that he, too, had reached a dead end in the hunt for Isobel.
He looks over my hand with gentleness, pulling bits of plaster and whatnot from my knuckles. “Did you really think punching the wall would make you feel better?” he chides me.
Fucking smartass! He knows I’m beyond pissed that I haven’t found Isobel yet. Even when I do find her, I don’t know what I’ll do. At first I was angry and just wanted to drag her back to the council as retribution for what she did, but there’s a part of me that wants to find her and ask her why. Why did she do that to me? To us?
“It’s been six months. Not fucking once have I caught her trail, and it’s starting to drive me nuts. She always fucking gloated about her computer skills, but I never believed for a second that she could hide like this!”
“Yeah, well, our mate is resourceful. She knows how to hide and has knowledge none of us counted on. She’s also fully aware that no one else knows her position of power because the council decided to keep Supreme Alpha Albert’s death a secret. That’s why she’s been able to remain hidden. No one is looking for her apart from us. I imagine she’ll stay hidden for as long as she wishes.”
He’s right and we both know it. Doesn’t stop him from continuing to speak as he starts to bandage my hand. “Besides, she’s pissed at you, as are you with her. That gives her another advantage. Until you think about things logically rather than irrationally and fueled by anger, you’ll never pick up her trail.”
Anger consumes me at his truth. “Fuck!” I roar, ripping my hand away from him, aiming for the wall again, but his arms come around me in a vise-like hold. I thrash in his grasp, ready to shred the room to dust, but his grip stays tight.
When my anger finally simmers down, I can’t help but go over what went wrong. How could everything have led us all to this point? I loved Isobel. I still fucking do.
J and I were both upfront with how we felt toward her, and she made it clear that she wouldn’t choose between us, so we learned to share her. In no time at all, we had developed a unique bond. I loved her, Jordan loved her, and Isobel loved us both. At least, I thought she did.
I gave up my family for her only to have her fuck another guy in our bed and act like nothing happened!
“How the fuck did it get to this, Jordan?” My body deflates as all the anger leaves me just as suddenly as it rose. “I love her so damn much, but what she did…” I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the images that will forever be burned into my mind—her on her knees while Locke, a council enforcer, fucked her like his life depended on it. “She fucking gutted me. We both gave up our lives for her, we had to be runed by the council, of all fucking people, but she just threw everything away.”
Jordan sighs and lets me go with sad eyes. “I don’t know. I really fucking don’t. But like I keep telling you, shit doesn’t add up. Isobel swore up and down that she never cheated, that it was you fucking around with one of the female enforcers. And while I believe you didn’t do a damn thing, I also know Isobel loves us both too much to hurt us like that.”
He paces the room, deep in thought. When he stops, I can see something troubling in his eyes. “I don’t know what happened in the week I was on assignment, but I’m starting to think the council must have used magic to fuck with both of you.”
My body freezes, disbelief coursing through my veins. “What?” It never even crossed my mind that magic could be used on us. We’re both very powerful beings, and it’s unlikely magic would work on us. “Do you really think they could manipulate us into seeing an illusion like that? It would take a hell of a lot of power, and it never seemed to work when Elder Dianne tried to use magic on Izzy. It seemed to just roll right off her. I doubt they could trick us, J.”
“You’re joking, right? You two were engaged, Drake!” He stares at me like I’m fucking stupid, and I have to admit, at this moment I really feel that way, because I don’t get it. How could us being engaged have anything to do with it?
Jordan growls in aggravation at my lack of understanding. “Drake, you and I are some of the strongest supernaturals who work for the council, and probably the only ones who disagree with the way the council runs things. You’ve seen the way they enforce the old laws and use blackmail to ensure a person follows their rule. But if you were to marry the Supreme Alpha, then their hold over you would be forever broken. Isobel would protect your family because of her love for you and her desire to see no one else suffer at their hands. If the two of you were to bind together permanently in a mating ceremony, you would share each other’s strengths and could have the ability to change the whole structure of our world. Especially now that we know for certain she’s a descendant of the first Alpha.”
He stops to grab a blood bag out of the fridge and rips into it with gusto. As he feeds, I ponder his words, remembering when we first received confirmation about who she was. We didn’t even get a chance to tell Isobel about her lineage and what made her different before the council descended on us. They forced a rune of secrecy on us, one that would make us unable to tell her anything about the Supreme Alpha histories.
The council defended their actions by saying they feared for Isobel’s mental capacity, but we knew they were protecting themselves from the unknown. If Isobel knew that she was the one in charge and not them, then it would change things and with how strong she was growing, the council had reason to fear her learning her rightful place in our society.
On
ce Jordan’s finished feeding, he throws the bag away with an exaggerated sigh. “Look, man, I know this is hard for you to look past, even if it was just an illusion, but I’m tired of the two of you acting like stupid teenagers, bitching about each other rather than talking shit out rationally. Maybe if you pulled your heads out of your asses, you’d realize that Isobel could use her magic to figure out exactly what happened that night.”
I sigh, defeated. He’s right, about everything. I should have stopped to question why Isobel would say I slept with another when I was convinced Locke was fucking her. At the time, anger ruled me hard and I couldn’t see past the rage, but now, after six months of chasing her to bring her back to the council for reasons not my own, I have to wonder if I should try and contact her. If maybe hunting her like this is just making things worse for all of us.
If there is a chance it was an illusion, then she must be just as hurt and angry as I am. Fuck, I feel like an absolute dick for believing she would do something like that.
Suddenly, like a penny dropping, I realize Jordan was talking as if he’d been with Isobel recently. Which, considering he’s been helping in the search for her and has been coming up empty, ignites my fury.
Jordan must sense the change in my attitude, because he tenses, his face paling ever so slightly when I round on him.
“What do you mean we’re both bitching about each other? You haven’t seen Isobel since she left the council compound.” I advance on him, my eyes narrowing dangerously. “Unless there’s something you’ve been hiding. But, I mean, you wouldn’t hide something as important as finding Isobel, would you?”
His expression shifts from concerned to angry in a flash. “Hide the woman I love from the stupid dick insisting on taking her to the council? Of course, I fucking would!”
My head snaps back at the fury in his tone, but he doesn’t give me the chance to respond. In the blink of an eye, his hand is wrapped around my throat and he’s forcing me back until my head slams into the same wall I punched in anger earlier.