by Jen L. Grey
“My Dad said that only the strongest suffer like you are.” He placed his forehead against mine. “He said that when he went here, there was a girl that was struggling in the same ways as you. Her wolf was so strong she had to be trained to keep both sides of herself in check. They had such high expectations of her, but when her mate got hurt, she left with him instead.”
“They just let her go?” That didn’t sound like the Isadora I had met since being at the academy.
“Actually, it was the exact opposite.” His woodsy scent surrounded me. “Apparently, Professor Shaw and Isadora refused to let her go, but she slipped out one night, never to be seen again.”
“Well, of course she would.” A mate was the strongest bond formed between our kind.
“Of course. But the strange thing was Isadora tried finding her over the years, and she’s not even a blip on her radar.” Rage shrugged and kissed me once more. “Enough of that shit. It’s the present.” He pulled a small package from his jacket and handed it to me. It was wrapped in shiny blue paper with snowmen all over it. “Open it.” A huge grin filled his face.
It still caught me off guard when he smiled like that. I was lucky to be the one who got to receive those. “Well, come in first.” I giggled and ran back to the couch, diving onto it. I needed to see what this was pronto.
He shut the door and chuckled. “You’re not excited at all, are you?”
“Nope, but out of obligation, I’m trying to humor your male ego.” I tore the paper off and found a jewelry type box. He better not of spent a ton of money on me. As I opened the lid, a necklace came into view. It was a silver necklace with a large ruby pendant outlined by a silver edge. “It’s gorgeous.”
“I figured since the Professor took your moon necklace, you might need a replacement.” He glanced at the ground as his cheeks took on a pink hue.
“It’s perfect.” I’d never seen anything so beautiful. I gently held the necklace and lifted it. The light shone off the ruby pendant, making it even more beautiful. “I love it. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He took the necklace from my hands and twirled his finger around. “Let me put it on you.”
“There was no need for you to spend so much on me.” I lifted my hair and turned so he could slip it around my neck.
“Don’t worry about it.” He hooked it and placed a hand on my shoulder. “It’s a family heirloom.”
Meaning it was worth even more than I realized. “Are you sure …”
He sat next to me, and his eyes landed on the pendant that laid against my chest. “Positive. And it was made for you.”
Now, I was even more nervous about the gift I had made him. “One second, let me go grab yours.”
“Okay.” The side of his mouth twitched upward. “Hurry back.”
I ran into my bedroom and grabbed the gift out of the closet. I just hoped that the string art I made of Tennessee would be something he’d like. It did take me several days to make it, which was good since I’d been bored this past week.
As I walked into the room, Rage’s eyes landed on it. He stood and took it from my hands. I had placed a heart where we first met. “The heart is your hometown, isn’t it?”
“Yes, even then I felt something for you. I just didn’t realize the magnitude until my wolf and I merged.” To think what I would’ve missed out on had I not come here.
“When my eyes landed on you, there was no way in hell I would have left without you.” He reached over and tucked some of my hair behind my ear. “I’m just glad we got it all sorted out. It was unimaginably hard those six months, not being with you.”
“At least we don’t have to worry about it now.” There was no way I’d be going anywhere without him.
“When is your next training session with Damien?” Rage leaned back against the sofa and pulled me into his arms.
“Tomorrow. He’s spending today with his family.” Having Rage here with me helped the loneliness I had felt earlier disappear. Just being with him made this the best Christmas I’d ever had before.
“Do you mind if I go with you?” Rage kissed the side of my face as his fingers gently trailed over my arm.
The thought of him watching me fail tore at me, but maybe he could help me. “No, but I hate for you to see me struggling.”
“Nothing will ever change how I feel about you.” He kissed me once more.
He was right. We were mates. If anything, we should have been stronger together. “Okay.” I turned my head so my mouth captured his and deepened the kiss. Soon his hands were running up my sides and slipping under my shirt. I groaned with need for him; needing more.
I lifted myself and wrapped my legs around his waist. He was already hard, wanting me just as much as I wanted him. I slipped my shirt over my head, and he gasped when he realized I wasn’t wearing a bra.
“You’re going to kill me.” He lowered his head, suckling my breasts, and unconsciously I began to grind against him.
“Now.” I didn’t want slow and steady. No, I wanted fast and hot. I grabbed the waist of his blue jeans and unbuttoned them. “Off, now.” I couldn’t take them off myself, not with me sitting on him. I slipped off, and he happily obliged by removing his pants and underwear. He reached over and yanked my yoga pants to the ground and grabbed my hips placing me back on top.
Not wasting any time, he entered me. I rode him hard until our muscles began to contract. He leaned down placing my breast in his mouth, causing everything to feel even better. Ecstasy took over as we both climaxed together. “Oh, gods.”
“You are so damn hot.” He kissed me again, ready to go for yet another round already. And that was how we spent the rest of Christmas Day.
Hushed voices startled me from my sleep. I reached across, looking for Rage, but that side of my bed was cold. He hadn’t been lying here for quite a while.
“The other night, I saw more people wearing cloaks coming out from the woods.” Damien’s all too familiar voice was part of the whispering, which meant Rage had to be the other.
I quickly threw on clothes and headed into the den.
They were sitting in silence when I entered. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” Rage patted the seat next to him. “Damien and I were just catching up.”
Damien was in the kitchen, but his arms were crossed. “You ready for training?”
“Yes, our time is almost up.” I leaned into Rage, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
“You still okay with me going?” Rage kissed my lips.
“Yeah, as long as Damien approves.” I grinned and glanced at Damien.
“It might help since he’s another wolf. So maybe he’ll understand what you’re going through more than me.” Damien handed me a coffee and protein bar when he walked by the couch. “Eat up, and let’s go.”
Rage smirked at our interaction. “Damien, you’re getting soft.”
“Shut it.” Damien glared at Rage. “She needs focus and energy. That’s it.” He sighed and stretched out his back. “Besides, we need to be careful.”
“Careful about what?” It must have something to do with what they were talking about earlier before I came in.
Rage gave him a warning look. “You getting a handle on your wolf.” He grinned, but there was something off in his eyes. He bopped my nose. “You’re our number one priority.”
He was hiding something from me, and I didn’t like that. Something was definitely wrong.
Chapter Eighteen
As we headed toward the woods, both Rage and Damien were being extra cautious. I watched them glance around as if something were about to attack us. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Rage said as he intertwined my fingers with his. “Just being cautious, that’s all.”
“You normally aren’t cautious.” It was kind of cute that he thought he could hide things from me. I was willing to play the obedient and quiet girl part for a short time, but not too much longer.
Damien snorted. “She has you there.”
“You better watch it.” Rage arched his eyebrow at his friend. “I’ll start telling everyone all your secrets.”
“Do you think that scares me?” Damien rolled his eyes. “You’ve got nothing.”
We reached the clearing, and I dropped my bag of clothes on the ground beside me.
“How many outfits did you bring this time?” Damien glanced at the bag.
He must have noticed it was twice as packed. “I’m determined to get this today, so I brought ten changes of clothes.” That was one of the nice things about living here. They ensured our wardrobes were complete for casual days, uniforms, pajamas, and even aew sets of nice dress clothes for special occasions. They restocked our clothes, wanting all of us to appear put together and strong. However, we were still free to buy other things if we desired.
“You’re going to kill this.” Rage gently squeezed our connected hands.
“Let’s try not to kill me in the process, okay?” Damien shook his head as he ran across the woods, slipping between the trees just like last time.
The anticipation of Damien running out was sometimes worse than when he appeared. I moved away from Rage, needing to concentrate. I rubbed my fingers together and then popped my neck.
Within seconds, Damien roared and came barreling toward me.
He hadn’t done that before, so it caused my adrenaline to pump even harder. I took deep breaths, trying to calm down, but it didn’t help.
As he approached, he stood on his hind legs and growled once more.
Once again, my limbs began to crack, and fur covered my body. Dammit, I messed up again.
I grabbed my bag with my teeth and dragged it behind a tree so I could change back and dress. I didn’t know why I wasn’t getting this. Once I was dressed, I headed back out to where Rage was waiting. “Did he already go back?”
“Yeah, but he’s going to wait for my call before we try this again.” Rage’s hand reached out and brushed my cheek. “When he charges you, what are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I can’t shift. That he’s not attacking me, that it’s all a ruse.”
He nodded his head and sighed. “That’s your problem.”
“Okay, what am I supposed to be thinking?” I sounded like a newly shifted wolf and hated it.
“There will be times when you don’t know if someone is a friend or foe.” He grabbed my hands and opened them. “You don’t want to show your fear in either situation. So instead of concentrating on not shifting, focus on what your next move would be.”
“So instead, get a defensive plan ready?” Okay, that kind of made sense. Here I was thinking I shouldn’t shift because he won’t hurt me even if it sure as hell seemed that way. Maybe having a plan would make me feel better and more in control.
“Exactly.” His dark eyes seemed to warm as he watched me.
“Okay, got it.” I stretched my arms and took one more deep breath, preparing for the attack. “Ready.”
Rage let out an ear-piercing whistle, and within seconds, Damien came barreling toward me.
This time, I thought if he didn’t stop and got within two feet of reaching me, I’d kick him in the nuts. I figured that should distract him long enough for me to shift and attack in my animal form.
I watched as he took each step, progressing closer and closer to me. For once, I didn’t feel like the prey but the predator.
He roared and stood on his hind legs. Within seconds, he was right in front of me, and the urge to shift wasn’t taking control.
Another roar echoed in my ears as Damien bent down, leaning his bear right in my face. His breath smelled rancid and made my stomach gurgle.
“Dude, you need to brush your teeth.” I fanned my hand in front of my face. “Like really bad.”
Damien closed his mouth and lowered his body, putting all four paws on the ground. He huffed and then turned to run away.
“That was perfect.” Rage laughed as he stepped next to me and turned me around so I could face him. “See, I knew you’d get it.” He kissed my lips and pulled back.
“With your help.” I wasn’t going to lie. I was pretty happy with myself right then.
“I just planted the idea,” he said as he tapped my forehead with his index finger. “You’re the one who accomplished it.”
The trees across the clearing moved as Damien appeared in his fully clothed human form. “You did it.”
“Thank goodness. I was getting nervous that I wasn’t going to get it.” The headmaster’s warning echoed in my mind again. Isadora seemed like a woman who kept her word and was a hard ass. I didn’t want to end up on her shit list. “Rage gave me a suggestion that worked.”
“So now we need to practice your fighting.” Damien glanced around and then back at Rage. “Let’s end training for today. We can start that tomorrow. You’re progressing very nicely.”
So tomorrow, my real training begins.
“Now go for his throat,” Rage yelled as Damien’s bear stood on his hind legs.
My eyes focused on Damien’s neck, his weak point. As I lowered to the ground, I jumped as high as my wolf legs would allow. However, as I was within two inches of his neck, Damien used one of his arms, slamming me into the ground.
I slid across the grass until colliding into a tree. Damn, that really hurt. Still, I refused to show weakness.
As Damien turned around heading for his section across the clearing, I ran quietly and leaned down, nipping at his legs, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground.
“Hell, yeah.” Rage laughed and ran over to me, stroking my white fur.
It felt amazing being petted by him in this form. His fingers combed easily through my fur.
Damien got back on his paws, but there was a limp to his right hind leg. He growled and turned, heading to where he changed.
“Well, it looks like he has had enough.” Rage dropped his hand to his side and chuckled. “Why don’t you go get changed while I check on him?”
I nodded and sprinted back toward my clothes. After I was dressed, I waited on the other two to hurry up.
When they both appeared, Damien limped even in his human form.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you like that.” My side still ached from the tree, so maybe it was karma kicking his ass.
“Well, in that form, I’m around six hundred pounds, so falls hurt.” He sighed, but there was no malice in his eyes. “Sorry for pushing you like I did. You hit that tree hard, but you bounced back, which was perfect.
“My mate is amazing.” Rage kissed my lips and took my hand.
“Okay, none of that here.” Damien rolled his eyes but winked at me. “The best thing you could do for your mate is to not tell her what to do where I can hear you.”
“Yeah, it just kinda fell out.” Rage cringed and dodged a low hanging branch.
“No worries.” I didn’t want him to feel bad. “I still brought him down in the end.”
“That you did.” Damien limped behind us but was still keeping pace.
“How about we go back to my room, and I’ll stick some pizzas in the oven?” Between those two and myself, we could eat a full pizza each, if not more.
“That sounds good to me.” Damien stumbled over some roots but grabbed a tree branch to keep his balance. He was never this clumsy, so it had to be his injury.
“Hey, I’m really …”
“Don’t apologize.” Rage squeezed my hand and grinned. “This place is called Bloodshed for a reason.”
“He’s right. Besides, I’ve had way worse injuries.” Damien hobbled, but his limp was already improving. “I heal fast, similar to a wolf, so don’t worry.”
When we stepped inside the apartment, a loud squeal filled the air. All of a sudden, a small body collided with mine. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I figured you’d be home.” The break had flown by fast, and classes began once again the next day. “I’ve missed you too.�
�� I pulled my best friend even closer, hugging her back.
A door from Jess’s room opened, and the all too familiar cotton candy scent infiltrated my nose. “I’ve died and gone to heaven. Did I miss the first kiss yet?”
Of course, Cole’s mind would be in the gutter first thing. “Nope, you haven’t.”
“Hot damn.” He clapped his hands and ran into the kitchen. “I know blood is my usual sustenance, but I think this situation calls for popcorn.”
“I hate to tell you this, but I’m not down for my mate being with anyone else but myself.” Rage pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.
“In full transparency, I don’t swing both ways.” We hadn’t been around Cole for weeks, and it’s like he came back fully charged. “So, this whole conversation was pointless.”
“Aw, are you having a Betty White moment?” Cole opened the pantry and began shuffling through the shelves. “We may have a problem. There are no Snickers here. Alert. Alert. No Snickers.”
“I don’t think I can handle this right now?” Damien began inching toward the door.
“If you leave now, there’s no telling what might happen to you tonight while you sleep.” Cole wagged his eyebrows.
“He’s been in rare form, waiting on you three.” Jess shrugged and yawned. “You have no clue what I had to endure.”
“I think I may have a clue.” He was always a handful, so it wasn’t hard to imagine. “But he did pick up on me being hangry, which was one hundred percent accurate. “We just got through training and are now ready to cook some pizzas.”
“Oh, I’m so craving Slice Pizzeria.” Jess jumped up and down. “Let’s go out while we still can.”
That didn’t sound so terrible. I’d rarely been off-campus, so doing something in town wouldn’t be bad. “I’m good with that.”
“Alright, let’s go.” Cole pulled out his keys and swung them in the air. “First one there drives the Audi.”
Dear gods, no. I didn’t know if I could handle his driving again. We all turned and raced out the door.