by Jayme Morse
She punched her fist against the wall above my head, which made me jump.
“We didn’t want other great new members. We wanted you, and you didn’t show.”
Did she really think that punching the wall was going to make me want to join her pack? Because, truthfully, it was actually having the opposite effect.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not interested.”
“Why?” Jessica pressed.
“Because I’m not.” I didn’t owe her an explanation.
“You do realize that the She-Wolves are descended from some of the strongest werewolves in history, right?”
“So I’ve heard.”
“And you seem to be very strong yourself. Your parents were both very strong Descendants, but you… You’re stronger than them even. More powerful.” She met my gaze. “Together, we could do really great things.”
“Like what?” I asked. I genuinely wanted to know what she believed her pack had to offer me. Sure, my magic and abilities could probably do a lot for them, but what could they do for me?
“Honestly? I know where he is.”
“Who?” I asked, unsure of who she could have possibly been talking about.
Jessica glanced around, making sure that no one was listening in our conversation. The hallway was completely empty, since classes were already beginning.
“Milos Santorini.”
My eyebrows rose. “How?”
“He’s my dad.”
***
“You’re joking! Milos is Jessica Davis’s dad?” Iris asked in the Dining Hall that night.
“Apparently,” I replied with a shrug. “I don’t know why else you would claim to be related to a murderous villain.”
“Alpha drama,” Vince said.
Iris glanced over at him. “You know that doesn’t rhyme, right?”
“Whatever.” He rolled his eyes. “So, now for the billion-dollar question. Are you going to join the She-Wolves to get closer to your parents’ killer?”
“I don’t know,” I replied with a sigh. “On the one hand, it would be really nice to know his location, you know? Just to get to him before he can get to me.”
Just hearing my parents’ killer’s name actually made my arms erupted in goosebumps. Knowing that he had been so close to me—literally, lurking outside my childhood home before he’d made it go up in flames—made me fear him.
The truth was that he could have been literally anywhere, and I probably wouldn’t have known it.
“But on the other hand, I don’t want to join the She-Wolves… at all. There’s just something about Jessica that I don’t trust—and I felt that way even before I found out she was the daughter of my parents’ killer.”
“I mean the bad blood could run in her genes,” Iris agreed with a nod. “But it also sounds like she wants to help you take him down. That must mean that even she knows he’s a really bad dude.”
“Or it means that Jessica is willing to sacrifice her father just to get Raven to join her pack,” Vince replied. “It could also mean that she’s really freakin’ manipulative and she’s willing to tell any lie it takes to get you to become a She-Wolf.”
“Yeah, it could really mean any of those things,” I agreed with a sigh. “She asked me to meet her in the Dark Woods tonight, and honestly, you guys, I don’t know if I even trust her enough to go do that. What if she tries to murder me out there or something? Who the hell knows what she has planned?”
“You should definitely bring someone with you for backup,” Iris agreed.
“So, will you guys be my backup?” I asked, shooting them each a pleading look.
“Sorry, but no can do,” Vince said. “I actually have a date tonight with Antonio.”
“No way! I’m so excited for you.” Vince had been majorly crushing on this guy Antonio from our Werewolves and Dark Magic class for weeks now. “When did this all happen?”
“He asked me out right after class today. We’re going to see the new Jason Momoa movie… and make out a lot. He doesn’t know it yet, but that’s mostly what I have planned for tonight.”
“Ugh, well I hope you have a good time, but that leaves me in a bit of a rut for tonight.” I glanced over at Iris. “How about you? Can I count on you to make sure Jessica doesn’t kill me?”
“I actually really need to catch up on my Lunar Magic 101 homework. I know that you’re doing amazing in that class, but if I don’t figure out something soon, I could end up having to repeat it next year. Magic is clearly not my greatest strength.”
“I get it. I don’t want to come between you and your grades.” I sighed. “Maybe I just shouldn’t show up again at all.”
“You want my opinion?” Vince asked. “I think you should bring your boys with you.”
“My ‘boys’?” I just stared back at him curiously.
“Oh, come on. Your boys.” He rolled his eyes. “The Darken. I’m sure that they would be the best protection you could possibly get. They’d all be watching you like a hawk.”
“Yeah, true. But that’s only if they’re accepting of this whole plan. They might not want me associating with Jessica at all, especially after I tell them about how she punched the wall because me not showing up last time pissed her off so much.”
“Well, you could choose to leave that part out,” Iris suggested. “It’s not like they’ll ever find out if we don’t mention it to them.”
“That’s lying by omission,” Vince said, shaking his head. “You should just be upfront. Your boys, two of which are your mates, should be supportive of your need to avenge your parents’ deaths. In fact, they should be alongside you when you kill Milos.”
“Yeah, true.” I sighed. “I guess I’ll tell them. What’s the worst that can happen?”
***
After dinner ended, I pulled Theo aside. “Listen. I need to talk to you.”
“I’m all ears.” His blue eyes stared back into mine, waiting to see where I would go with this.
“I need your help,” I told him. “You and the others.”
“What is it?”
“I need… protection.”
“From who?” He looked sort of worried now.
“Jessica Davis.”
He didn’t look surprised by the name I’d said. “What did Jessica Davis do?”
“She wants me to join her pack.”
“Well, you’re not actually going to do it, right?” Theo asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet.”
“Raven, the She-Wolves are a very powerful pack, but they’re also known to get involved in dark magic. I would prefer if you’d stay away from Jessica and the other She-Wolves.” He paused for a moment. “And wouldn’t you rather be a part of our pack, if you’re going to join any pack?”
“I didn’t know there was an offer for me to join the Darken,” I admitted.
“I thought it was just a given, especially now that we know you’re an Ancient.” His eyes met mine. “But you don’t look fully convinced by this. I can tell that a part of you is still considering joining the She-Wolves.”
“You know me better than I realized.” I swallowed hard. “Listen. I have no real interest in joining the She-Wolves, but Jessica has information for me. Information that I need.”
“What information?” Theo eyed me curiously.
“She knows where Milos Santorini is,” I explained.
“We’ve been trying to find him ever since he murdered your parents. We haven’t come up with a single lead yet. How would she know when none of us can track him down?” Theo’s voice was full of doubts.
“She says he’s her dad.”
“Well, that’s news to me.” He sighed. “I understand why you want to go now. Even if I don’t like the idea.”
“My thought is that maybe I can get her to give me the information before I join her pack,” I explained.
“I don’t know. That sounds a lot like trickery to me,” Theo replied, shaking his head.
“Th
at’s because it is trickery,” I muttered under my breath.
“I just don’t know what the She-Wolves would do to retaliate.”
“Me either,” I replied with a sigh. I supposed, when it came down to it, that was what I was most of afraid of.
“I will go with you, and I’m sure the others will, too,” Theo informed me. “I just want you to be really careful, okay?”
“I will be extremely careful,” I promised. Then I paused. “Wait. If you guys come with me, she’ll end up smelling you. Then she won’t trust me.”
“We’ll just mask our scent,” Theo replied. “It’s no big deal.”
“How does a werewolf even mask their scent?” I asked with raised eyebrows. This wasn’t something we had learned about in any of my classes yet.
“There are a few ways. You’ll learn all about them during your second year when you take Werewolf Herbs and Potions class,” Theo explained. “But the most common way is to use mermaid tears.”
“Mermaids are real?” I wasn’t sure why it surprised me every time I learned about a new paranormal race. Werewolves were real. Vampires were real. It wasn’t really that outlandish that mermaids were real, too.
“Yup, thankfully.” Theo glanced over at me. “Your heart is beating like a drum.”
“You can hear my heartbeat?” I asked.
“Always.”
“How? I thought werewolves couldn’t really hear as well as humans lead us to believe,” I said pointedly.
“It’s different when it comes to a werewolf’s mate. He can always hear her heartbeat, even when he doesn’t want to,” Theo explained. “It’s to help him find her in case she ever needs his protection. Your heartbeat will lead the way.”
“That sounds sort of… annoying,” I admitted.
“I’ve gotten used to it,” he replied with a shrug. “But it helps me read you a little better. I can tell when you’re afraid or nervous, for example, based on your heartbeat.” He paused. “Anyway, you should just relax, okay? We’re all going to be there for you, waiting on the sideline. You’re going to be okay.”
I nodded, hoping he was right.
Chapter Twenty-One
The Dark Woods were located about two miles away from the Academy’s campus, and they were exactly as I had imagined them to be: dark and eerie.
I was so relieved that the entire Darken pack was lurking nearby, or else I probably would have ended up backing out of meeting Jessica and the other She-Wolves here.
I wasn’t sure why she had even chosen to meet me here, of all places. We could have met in one of our dorm rooms or pretty much anywhere else at Werewolf Academy, but for some reason, she had chosen here.
It was so private—so secluded.
I just kept thinking that the reason Jessica had chosen this location was because she planned to murder me if I didn’t agree to their join their pack.
I knew I was majorly jumping to conclusions. Just because Jessica was Milos’s daughter didn’t mean she was bad, too.
Then again, it was hard to imagine Milos’s daughter being good.
I tried to push all of the negative thoughts out of my mind. Theo and Aiden were probably going crazy right now listening to how fast my heartbeat was.
I stood next to a boulder where Jessica had told me to meet her. But she wasn’t here yet.
What if she was going to be the no-show?
No, I highly doubted that. She was too desperate for me to join the She-Wolves to be a no-show.
I waited for about five minutes when I heard the sound of multiple pairs of shoes over the old, dried up leaves.
A moment later, four bodies emerged.
“Hello, Raven,” Jessica said. “Thank you for agreeing to meet us here.” Her face appeared under the dim lighting of the moon. “Let’s get right down to business. If you agree to join our pack, we will tell you where Milos is.”
“Before I decide to join, I have questions,” I told her.
“Okay, ask away,” Jessica replied.
“If Milos is your father, why would you be so willing to tell me his location?” I asked. “Why don’t you want to protect him?”
“A better name for him would probably be Sperm Donor,” Jessica replied. “He hasn’t actively been involved in my life, but he always writes my mother letters trying to win her back. I don’t have a need to protect someone who hasn’t actively been involved in my life. And I know you want this information. I’m willing to offer it to you as a bargaining tool.”
Well, at least she was being honest about the reason she was willing to give it to me—that it was really a bargaining tool more than anything else.
“If I join your pack, will you help me take him down?” I asked her.
“No,” she said flatly.
“Why? I mean, isn’t that what pack members do for one another? Help them out in their times of need?” I questioned.
“I told you I am willing to give you my father’s location. But killing him isn’t a part of the deal.”
“You just said he wasn’t really a father to you—just a sperm donor. Which is it?” I found myself asking, unable to ignore the obvious. And the obvious was that she seemed to be protecting him… sort of. She was willing to give up his location, but she wasn’t willing to be involved in helping me get my revenge… even if we were pack members.
Something about it wasn’t exactly adding up for me.
She was supposed to have my back in that scenario.
“My mother is still in love with him. I would never be the one to break her heart,” Jessica replied. “If you want to kill him, then kill him. But I want no part in it.”
I thought about it for a moment. “How do I know that the location you give me is his real location? How do I know you won’t be lying to me?”
Jessica’s dark eyes met mine. “I guess you’ll just have to trust me.” She paused. “So, are you done asking questions, Raven?”
“Um…” I knew I had more questions—questions that just didn’t seem to be coming to me at the moment.
“Are you ready to join the She-Wolves or not?” Jessica pressed.
“I want Milos’s location before I join,” I said firmly.
“Not a chance in hell. When you join, you can have the location,” she replied.
“How do I know you’ll stay true to your word?” I questioned.
“Again, you’re just going to have to trust me.” Her eyes locked on mine. “So that brings us to an important question. Do you trust me, Raven? Enough to join my pack?”
I just stared back at her for a long moment, and for some reason, I saw Milos’s face. The Milos I had been picturing in my mind since my parents had died.
In my mind, his black eyes locked on mine. His thin lips twisted upwards into a devilish grin.
A voice entered my mind then, a voice that I had never heard before. “My daughter is the furthest thing from trustworthy.”
As Milos’s image faded from my mind, it almost felt like it had been ripped away from me; his image had been replaced by a headache.
Whether it had really been him talking to me or a complete figment of my imagination, I somehow had the answer that I needed—the answer that I had known, deep down, all along.
“I don’t trust you,” I told Jessica. “Sorry. I do not want to join the She-Wolves.”
“But without me, you will never have my father’s location,” Jessica protested.
“I don’t care. I’d rather spend years trying to find him than join your pack.”
“You do realize what an incredible honor it is to be asked to join the She-Wolves… don’t you?” Jessica asked.
“I’m aware. And I’m thankful for the opportunity,” I told her. “I’m sorry that your pack isn’t a good fit for me.”
Jessica’s eyes narrowed in on mine. Even through the darkness, I could see the anger that flashed within them.
“No one has ever said no to joining our pack,” she growled.
“Yeah, no one,”
Crystal agreed, also growling out the words.
Before I knew it, all four girls, three of which had been quiet until now, were growling at me.
“We know what’s going on between you and the Darken,” Jessica informed me. “We will use it against you. We will go to the Headmaster. Students and professor relationships are frowned upon, but one student with four professors? Headmaster Black will have a field day with this one.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” I replied.
“You’re right. We won’t… if you join our pack,” Jessica replied.
I thought about it for a moment. The last thing I wanted was for the Darken—or myself—to get into any sort of trouble.
But there was one thing I wanted even less than that—and that was to be tied to the She-Wolves forever.
I had learned enough about packs in my classes to understand that you couldn’t just join one and leave one. You had to go through this whole ritual in order to join and a second ritual in order to leave. And even then, the entire pack had to agree that they wanted to let the member leave.
I could already tell that Jessica would have never agreed to let me leave if I did join.
No, if I agreed to join the She-Wolves, it would have been a permanent decision. And that was the absolute last thing I wanted.
“No. I’m not joining your pack,” I said firmly. “That’s my final answer.”
Jessica growled then. “Wrong answer.”
Before I even knew what was happening, she had shifted into a black wolf. The other three girls followed suit, shifting into gray wolves.
I was surprised by the color of Jessica’s fur when she was in wolf form. She was black in color, but Theo had told me he and the Darken pack were the darkest wolves there were. Apparently, she was the exception.
The eerie part was that the color of her fur matched her eyes. This was the first time I had ever noticed that quality in a wolf before. It made wonder what was so different about her.
I supposed that I probably should have known. She was Milos Santorini’s daughter. Her fur—and probably her heart—were darker than all of the rest.