by Jayme Morse
(Descendants Room 201)
9 a.m.
Werewolves and Paranormal Society with Professor Rhys Anderson
(Descendants Room 212)
10 a.m.
Moon Phases and the Dark Wolf with Professor Caroline Wickburn
(Crescents Room 203)
11 a.m.
Lunch
12 p.m.
Lupine Genetics with Professor Javier Rodriguez
(Descendants Room 202)
1 p.m.
Lunar Magic 201 with Professor Mindi Lee
(Descendants Room 201)
2 p.m.
Werewolf Herbs and Potions with Professor Aiden Flores
(Descendants Room 204)
3 p.m.
Werewolf Self-Defense with Professor Colton James
(Descendants Room 203)
I wasn’t going to lie. My schedule was a little overwhelming. I’d heard that some of these classes were really difficult. The only bright side was that Headmaster Black hadn’t ended up giving me the independent study we’d discussed last year. As it was, it didn’t look like I was going to have much time at all for a social life this year, which sucked even more now that Maddie was here.
I was also dreading having class with Professor Wickburn again, especially after seeing how she had looked at me the night of the Full Moon Party.
On the upside, I had every single class with Iris or Vince. Vince had even somehow ended up in a couple of the Descendants classes with us this year, even though he was a Crescent. I was excited to get to spend the entire year with my friends.
What I was most nervous about right now, though?
Seeing Theo again.
See, I’d decided to take Vince’s advice this morning.
I had sent Theo a nude photo before class. The thing was, Theo hadn’t opened my message yet. It was still marked as “Unread.”
I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to lose my virginity to him, but for some reason, it was him who I had felt compelled to send the picture. I had thought about sending it to all of my mates, but I figured I should test it out on just one of them first.
The thing that I hadn’t considered was that I was actually going to have to face Theo once he did finally open it. I probably should have thought about the repercussions before I’d sent the photo, but the decision to send it had been an impulsive one. I had wanted to do something different. Something unlike me. Like that saying, “New year, new me.”
As Theo made his way for his desk, his eyes fell on mine. From the way he looked at me, I could just tell that he hadn’t opened the text yet.
I glanced down at my phone. Still unread.
Theo headed to the center of the classroom and began his lesson. “Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the Psychology of Love and Mates,” Theo began his lesson, moving towards the front of the room. “In this class, we’re going to be exploring all there is to know about werewolf mates. We’ll take a look at some of the things that set werewolf mate relationships apart from human relationships, as well as some of the most common issues that mates face. But first, let’s talk about the way werewolf mates feel about one another.
“As many of you already know, when two werewolves become mated, their souls bind together. Unlike humans, who choose to be together, werewolves don’t actually have a choice. One might argue that isn’t true because a kiss is what bonds a wolf’s soul to his or her mate’s. Avoiding that kiss would prevent the mate bond from forming. And while this is technically true, we still don’t have as much of a choice as humans do. Our mates are determined by fate and destiny. The universe pushes us towards them, eventually allowing us to cross paths. And once we do cross paths with our mate, we feel drawn to them. Not kissing your mate isn’t really an option because, from the moment you first lay eyes on them, kissing them is all you really want to do.”
I couldn’t help but feel like he was talking from personal experience, which made my mind drift back to our first meeting: that summer night, a little over a year ago. I thought about the way I had drunkenly kissed him at Branden Mitchell’s annual back-to-school party.
I had never kissed a stranger like that before, not even when I was drunk. I had blamed the kiss on the alcohol at the time, but what if it had nothing to do with the beer? Was it possible that not kissing him had never even been an option?
“There are several things that set the werewolf mate bond apart from a human relationship. From the moment our souls bond together, we develop a physical need for our mates,” Theo said, writing Physical Need on the chalkboard. “Being away from our mates causes our bodies to go into significant withdrawals. This means you end up missing your mate in an unexplainable way. The best way to explain this is that it makes you feel sad or heartbroken all the time, even though nothing actually happened. You feel miserable any time your mate isn’t around. In most cases, if you’re apart from your mate for too long, especially right after the mate bond has formed, you even start to get withdrawal-like symptoms—headaches, dizziness, shakiness, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. Even though humans can miss their significant others, the physical need they have for one another is incomparable to what werewolves experience.”
Theo wrote Heartbeat on the board. “A werewolf’s senses are always stronger when it comes to his mate. You might remember learning in one of your introductory classes that a male werewolf can always hear his mate’s heartbeat. This offers several advantages,” Theo explained. “A mate can always sense when his mate’s emotions have changed. It makes it easier for him to tell when she’s pissed off at him.”
That ignited some laughter from the other students.
“But being able to always hear his mate’s heartbeat offers another benefit—a much more important benefit.” Theo’s eyes locked on mine. “A werewolf can always find his mate. It’s like he has a compass for her whenever she’s in danger.”
Something about the way he stared at me then made my heart feel like it was melting like a popsicle on a hot summer’s day. All I could do was just stare at him, trying not to swoon, even though the butterflies were flapping around inside my stomach. Something about his choice in wording was just so… romantic.
I was probably overthinking it, but I couldn’t help but feel like he had put a lot of thought into this. It was as though he had already considered how he would find me if I was ever in danger. And the conclusion he had come up with was the fact that my heart would guide him like a compass.
Theo paused. “The next thing that sets a werewolf mate bond apart from a human relationship is loyalty,” Theo said, writing the word on the board. “The amount of devotion that mates tend to have for one another is far more than what humans are generally capable of. Male wolves, especially, have a biological instinct to protect their mates from harm. To provide them with shelter. To keep them safe from any potential predators. A male werewolf will, undoubtedly, risk his life to save his mate’s.”
A knot tightened in my stomach. I was pretty sure that he was speaking from experience. While it was flattering, I didn’t want him to risk his life to save mine. Then again, I hoped we would never be in that situation.
“The next issue we need to discuss is—” Theo began, but at that moment, his cell phone chimed from his desk.
A knot tightened in my stomach as he reached for the phone. He stared at the screen for a moment—a really long moment—and then glanced up at me with a smirk.
Holy shit.
Yep, he had definitely looked at the picture.
Nervously, I reached for my own phone.
Read.
“I’m sorry, students. I need to take this important phone call. Why don’t you all open your textbooks and start reading the first chapter?”
As he ducked out of the classroom, his voice entered my thoughts. “You need to meet me in my office. Right now.”
“Now? Don’t you think everyone will notice that you’re gone and I’m gone, too?” I asked.
“Just pretend you’re going to the restro
om,” Theo replied.
I glanced over at Iris. “Well, I’m going to go to the bathroom,” I announced kind of loudly, hoping that other students would hear me.
Iris shot me a look that told me she totally didn’t believe me, but she didn’t question me, either.
I quickly got up from my desk and then headed out of the classroom. Thankfully, the restroom and Theo’s office were in the same direction.
I had just stepped into his office when he closed the door behind me. Twisting the lock, his lips came crashing down on mine, as he lifted me into the air effortlessly.
“You can’t just send me pictures like that and not expect me to put my mouth on you, baby.” He broke our kiss and his mouth began to creep down my neck, stopping right above my V-neck shirt.
Reaching underneath my back, he unsnapped my bra and tossed it to the side before pulling my shirt over my head.
His blue eyes stared down at my bare breasts. “You have the most amazing tits I’ve ever seen.”
His hands fell to my bare thighs, drifting beneath my short skirt. His fiery warm fingertips traced the outline of my lacy black thong before he pulled it down and tossed it to the side.
His eyes drank me in—all of me, in a way that I had never been exposed to anyone before.
He stared at me for a long moment and then his mouth was on mine again. Dipping his head lower, his lips came down on one of my nipples as his thumb swirled around my clit.
I let out a little moan. “If we keep going, everyone in every classroom is going to hear us.”
“Good. Then they’ll know you’re mine,” Theo replied as he slipped a finger inside of me and then another.
No longer caring if we got caught, I found myself letting out quiet moans and rocking against his fingers as he plunged them deep inside of me, hitting every nerve in all of the right places.
My breath became ragged as I felt myself tightening at the core before coming undone.
“Wow, that was amazing.” I reached over to grab him, but he pushed me away.
“As tempting as that is right now, we really need to get back to class.”
“But I want to return the favor,” I insisted.
“Some other time. I’ve just really been wanting to do that to you.” His lips found their way to mine again, devouring me like we were the only ones in the entire world.
Finally, I broke away from him—even though I didn’t want to. “We really need to get back to class.”
I pulled my clothes back on and then ran a hand over my hair, hoping I didn’t look like I’d just been sexed up.
“I’ll go out before you so no one suspects anything,” I told him.
He nodded.
I unlocked the door and stepped out of his office then, closing the door behind me.
I hadn’t even made it three feet down the hallway when I saw Headmaster Black walking in my direction.
Judging from the look on his face, I didn’t have to wonder if he had somehow figured out what had just happened.
No, it was obvious that he was very much aware. And judging from his face, I was pretty sure he was pissed.
“Miss Gallagher, may I have a word with you in my office?”
“Crap,” I thought to Theo. “We’re busted.”
Chapter Eight
As I sat in a chair across from Headmaster Black, he cleared his throat. It might have been just me, but I couldn’t help but think that he seemed uncomfortable.
“I miss Gallagher, there are a few things that I would really like to discuss with you.”
“What are they?” I asked, swallowing hard.
Just play dumb. That was my plan. There was no way he could actually prove that Theo and I had been fooling around in his office when we were supposed to be in class… was there? I supposed there was always a chance that there were security cameras in Theo’s office.
“I wanted to discuss your situation with you,” Headmaster Black began. “I understand that you are now the Alpha of the Darken pack and that you are mated to all four of them. So, I know you spend a good deal of time with them—quite understandably, of course.” He paused. “But I don’t feel that it’s appropriate for you to broadcast your relationship around campus. I feel that you should keep your relationship with the Darken private, for several reasons. Most importantly, I’m afraid that it could send the wrong message to the other students. While your circumstances with the Darken are rather… unique… to say the least, I don’t want the other students to get the wrong impression. I don’t want them to think it’s acceptable for them to date their professors, too. Even though we know that we must make an exception for you with your… complicated… circumstances, we don’t exactly condone this sort of thing. Furthermore, I don’t want your peers to think you’re being given an unfair advantage here at Werewolf Academy.”
“Unfair advantage?” My eyebrows lifted in confusion.
“It’s very important that you actually earn your grades, Miss Gallagher. While I have no doubt that the Darken are grading you fairly, I don’t want the other students to question the legitimacy of your scores. It’s best for us to not make your relationships with them more obvious to the general student body than they already are.” He glanced over at me. “I noticed that you attended the Full Moon Party with them. Going forward, I would prefer if you didn’t bring them to any school functions.”
“None?” I asked. “What about prom?” I paused. “Is there even a prom at Werewolf Academy?”
I really hoped there was, considering I had missed out on my prom back in the human world when I’d decided to come to Werewolf Academy instead of finishing out my senior year at West Brook High School.
“Yes, there is a prom,” Headmaster Black replied.
“Can I bring my mates… err, one of my mates… as my date?” I asked.
“Prom won’t take place until your senior year. A lot could change between now and then. Who’s to say the Darken will even still be professors by then?” Headmaster Black asked.
“Wait. Are you saying that you plan to fire them?” The possibility of the Darken no longer being my instructors made me feel sick to my stomach. I couldn’t imagine going every day without seeing them.
“I didn’t say that. I just meant that they might choose to move on with their lives by then. In any case, we will discuss it further when the time comes.” Headmaster Black shrugged. “Right now, there are more pressing matters to discuss.”
“Such as?” I asked.
This was where he would probably mention my fooling around with Theo in his office. I wanted to crawl under the desk in humiliation.
Headmaster Black folded his hands on his desk in front of him. “I would like to discuss with you the attack on Werewolf Academy that took place during the Full Moon Party.”
“What about it?” I swallowed hard. Had he somehow figured out that I had hidden the full moon? I knew that Theo and the other Darken would have kept the secret to themselves, but what if someone else had figured out what I’d done and ratted me out?
“I have reason to believe that this attack may have been aimed at you, Miss Gallagher.”
“What makes you think that?” I asked.
“Professor Rossi told me about what happened to your dorm suite. It seems a little peculiar that someone left that message for you while the Academy was under attack,” the Headmaster explained. “It almost seems as though they were using the attack on campus as a distraction.”
“That seems… extreme,” I replied, even though it did make sense.
“Extreme or not, I think you need to be careful,” Headmaster Black replied. “I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
If Theo was right, if Headmaster Black really was working with Milos, why was he giving me this sort of warning?
To not make it obvious that he was actually working against me.
“I want you to take note of anything that may seem out of sorts,” Headmaster Black continued. “If you see anyone unus
ual or if anything strange happens, I want you to let me know right away. Do you understand?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Given this attack and the events that took place at the end of last school year, I think we should probably implement a security system into your dorm suite,” he added.
“I’m sorry. What events are you talking about?” I asked, confused.
“This is merely speculation at this point, but due to the investigation that was conducted over the summer, we do believe it’s possible that Professor Rossi may have been shot because someone was trying to get to you.”
I swallowed hard. I had feared that Theo had been shot because of his relationship to me, and apparently, I wasn’t the only one who’d thought it.
“We also suspect that whoever shot Professor Rossi may also be the same person who was behind the Full Moon Party attack and the same person who broke into your dorm suite.” His eyes met mine. “It seems that someone is trying to get to you, Miss Gallagher.”
“Someone like Milos Santorini?”
“We have yet to determine who may have shot Professor Rossi. It may have been Milos, but…” He trailed off.
“But what?” I pressed.
Headmaster Black’s eyes met mine. “Your adoptive parents had a lot of enemies in high places, Miss Gallagher. The truth is that it could have been just about anyone.”
***
When I arrived at the classroom where Moon Phases and the Dark Wolf was being held, I found that Caroline Wickburn was already seated at her desk.
A knot in my stomach tightened as I stepped inside the room. This was the first time Caroline Wickburn and I had been alone together since last year… and I was sort of nervous.
As I headed towards the back of the room, I hoped to sneak past without her noticing.
But her voice immediately broke through the silence. “Raven, may I have a word with you in my office before class?”
“Sure,” I replied. I wasn’t going to lie; I felt like I was going to puke.