Different (Shifter Academy Book 1)

by Scarlett Haven

  Still, there is no cause for concern. He’s not cheating on me. He’s just talking to another girl.

  Cole turns to me and his dark brown eyes light up when he sees me.

  See… nothing to be jealous over. He definitely didn’t look at her like that.

  He waves me over, so I walk up to him. He puts his arm around me.

  “This is Penelope,” Cole says, introducing me to the girl. “Penelope, this is my older sister, Hannah.”

  Sister?

  I was jealous of his sister.

  My jealousy quickly turns to guilt.

  “It’s nice to meet you.” Hannah nods, smiling at me.

  Hannah is beautiful and now that I am looking at her, I realize she looks a lot like Cole. She has the same dark brown eyes and hair, the same high cheek bones and perfect jawline, and the same smile. She is also tall like him. I doubt I’ll be as tall as anybody in this school.

  “It’s nice to meet you too,” I tell her.

  “Oh, wow. You are so pretty,” she gushes. “Your eyes… purple… wait… they change colors? That’s so cool.”

  I look down, not sure what to say. My whole life, people have always gawked at my eyes, and it’s always made me super uncomfortable. Now I find out that I’m not human, but even in the supernatural world having eyes that change colors isn’t normal.

  Actually, everybody I’ve met has normal eyes here. I mean, they change colors in the moonlight, but other than that, they look completely normal.

  Of course I’m a freak, even here.

  Cole tightens his grip around me to comfort me.

  “She is beautiful,” he rumbles.

  “All your admirers are going to be so jealous,” Hannah sings to her brother.

  Admirers?

  Cole rolls his eyes.

  “What admirers?” I ask.

  “My sister is delusional, don’t listen to her.”

  “You should at least warn her.”

  “Warn me about what?” I narrow my eyes, looking between the two of them.

  Cole sighs and looks at me.

  “Everybody is taken aback by the fact that you don’t have just one but four mates,” Hannah says. “It’s unheard of. But your four mates in particular are the four strongest members of the pack. Soon, Liam will take over as alpha, Cole as beta, but Parker is third, and Aiden is fourth in the pack hierarchy. Some people are going to be mad and feel like you stole the best the pack has to offer. People might even call you a witch.”

  My mouth falls open.

  I didn’t even think of that. That the other girl shifters would feel cheated. I didn’t mean to steal their men. It’s not like I went out looking for these guys. They kind of just showed up and have taken over my life.

  Now I’m even more nervous about today.

  “I won’t let them.” Cole nearly growls his response.

  I know he thinks that, but the four of them can’t always be around to protect me. And how are they going to protect me from the mean words of a teenage girl?

  Now I miss Paige. Paige would know what to do. She always dealt with my bullies for me.

  When I look up, Cole is glaring at his sister.

  “You could’ve broken it a little gentler you know.”

  “Like you would’ve told her at all,” Hannah snarks, rolling her eyes. “At least now she’ll be prepared.”

  I am thankful she told me, but now I’m just super nervous. I was already worried about what people were going to think about me anyway. To know I was right… They’re going to think I’m horrible.

  I already know that having four mates isn’t normal. It’s not normal in the human world and it’s not normal in the shifter world. I guess I just hoped people would be more accepting here because they know it’s not something I chose for myself. Fate chose.

  Liam’s dad didn’t seem to think it was a big deal.

  “Do you think I’m a witch?” I ask Hannah, then look at Cole. “Oh, my gosh. Are witches real?”

  Cole laughs. “Yes, witches are real. But you are not a witch.”

  “I don’t think you’re a witch.” Hannah sniffs the air. “You don’t smell like a witch at all. Or act like one.” She rolls her eyes.

  “How do witches act?”

  “Arrogant,” Cole says.

  “Stuck up,” she adds. “They have this superiority complex and think they’re better than everybody else.”

  “I have to ask… do witches have wands?”

  “No.” Hannah turns her attention to whatever she’s cooking on the stove. “They’re nothing like on human TV. They’re have elemental controls, but even that is limited.”

  “So, like, air, water, earth and fire?” I ask.

  Obviously, those are the elements, but I am curious how it works.

  “It’s not important.” Cole waves his hand dismissively. “Lots of supernaturals have element controls. Witches are pretty weak as far as supernaturals go.”

  “Oh,” I say. “I am pretty weak. I don’t have any cool powers. So what if my eyes change colors and I can read people’s minds. Big deal.”

  “You can read minds?” Hannah asks, her eyes widening.

  I nod. “Only when I touch people. But you guys can read each other’s minds anyway, right? Isn’t it a shifter thing?”

  “We can only read what somebody opens to us.” She adds salt into the pan, looking over her shoulder at me. Her lips are pressed together as she studies me.

  “She can also feel emotions.” Cole grins as he says it. “And she can see into people’s past and know everything they’ve ever felt or thought.”

  “Oh,” she gasps. “I’ll be sure not to accidentally touch you then.”

  I shake my head at Cole.

  He’s obviously proud of what I can do, which makes me grin.

  “I don’t think it works on supernaturals.” I play with the ends of my hair. “When I shook Alpha Mutatio’s hand I could only hear his immediate thoughts and feel only what he was feeling at that exact moment.”

  Her mouth falls open and she looks at Cole. “That’s…”

  “Incredible,” Cole finishes for her.

  “Yeah,” she breathes out.

  I raise an eyebrow, trying to figure out what they mean.

  “Alpha Mutatio has a strong mind. He doesn’t share his thoughts with anybody,” Cole explains. “The fact that you could read him even though he was blocking you means you’re powerful. Very powerful.”

  “More powerful than an alpha,” Hannah adds.

  The thought of me being “powerful” is almost laughable. Most twelve-year-olds are bigger than me. Actually, I’m pretty sure my little sister was taller than me when she was nine years old. There is nothing fierce or powerful about me.

  “Power isn’t about physical strength all of the time.” My focus shifts back to Cole as he speaks after reading my thoughts. “I have a feeling that your mind reading ability isn’t the only thing you can do.”

  I had never thought about that before. Probably because I thought I was a normal human until a little over a day ago when the guys told me I wasn’t. And even then… even now… I’m having a hard time believing it. Seeing Cole change into a wolf made it so I couldn’t doubt them anymore.

  My face grows warm as I think about him turning into a wolf because I also saw him naked that day. And the fact that he knows what I’m thinking about makes it worse.

  “Your face is red. Are you okay?” Hannah asks, concern written on her face.

  Cole snickers and my face grows even warmer.

  This is so awkward.

  “Whenever we touched for the first time, it opened up her mind link to us,” Cole tells his sister. “So, I know everything she’s thinking. And she’s thinking about when she watched me shift into a wolf for the first time.”

  “You haven’t taught her to block you out?”

  “No.” He crosses his arms and leans against the counter. “Not yet. We will. It’s just other things have been more
important.”

  Blocking the guys from my thoughts is important to me, but he’s right. We do have a lot of other things to worry about. For example, me being the target of every teen girl who has a crush on my guys.

  My guys.

  That’s so weird to even think.

  But they are mine. And my inner voice agrees. In fact, she shouts it.

  I don’t know why I didn’t think about it before, but Hannah is right. Girls will hate me.

  Liam, Cole, Parker, and Aiden are all very attractive guys—the most attractive guys I’ve ever met. And I thought maybe it was just a shifter thing, but I should’ve known better.

  “Are there any crazy ex-girlfriends I should know about?” I ask.

  “Dating isn’t allowed,” Cole answers. “We can’t date anybody until we meet our mate. It’s forbidden.”

  “But that rule doesn’t stop people from flirting,” Hannah says.

  I look at Cole.

  “Not Cole,” Hannah is quick to add. “Parker is the flirt. A lot of girls are going to be heartbroken that he’s taken.”

  Ah, I can see that.

  I feel jealous thinking about him flirting with other girls, but that doesn’t matter. That all happened before we met. It only matters what happens from now on.

  “I’m sure you’ve dated plenty of guys, though.” Hannah shoots me a smile and grabs a plate, piling bacon and eggs on top.

  “Nope,” I reply, then laugh. “I have two older brothers and a fear of touching. Plus, I’m pale and short. My sister was the one with all the attention from guys, not me.”

  “Boys are crazy wherever you’re from.” Hannah holds out a plate toward me. “Want some food?”

  “Thanks,” I say, taking the plate from her.

  I feel too nervous to eat much, but maybe a little breakfast will help me feel better.

  “Where’s mine?” Cole asks, looking at his sister.

  She rolls her eyes. “You can cook your own. I just came here to meet my future sister in law.”

  My face grows warm at the future sister-in-law comment.

  She leaves after that and I share most of my food with Cole because Hannah made me way too much.

  Chapter Fifteen

  First day.

  PENELOPE.

  Inhaling a calming breath, I stare at the doors of the castle. I’m about to walk in for my first day of classes and I’m nervous.

  So nervous.

  Parker holds my hand on one side and Cole on the other. Liam is in the front and Aiden in the back. I probably shouldn’t hold their hands knowing that all the girls are going to be glaring at me when they see me.

  What Cole’s sister said has really freaked me out.

  Nobody is going to like me.

  “They will all love you,” Parker says, and he squeezes my hand. “They’re just jealous you have such awesome mates.”

  I laugh and give him a tentative smile.

  “Let’s just get this over with.”

  Liam opens the doors and we walk inside. I’m mostly hidden behind Liam, but I can still feel everybody’s eyes on us. And since I’m touching Parker and Cole, I can feel their anger. They don’t want people staring at me because they know it makes me uncomfortable.

  I love that they want to defend my honor, but there really isn’t anything they can do. People are curious about me, of course they're going to stare.

  Our first class is on the third floor, and I’m surprised that it’s just an English class. It’s so… mundane. I’m not sure what I expected—transfiguration? Potions? Magical creatures? I laugh in my head at my own joke, knowing the guys will have no idea what I’m even referencing.

  Parker shoots me a wink. “Even shifters have to learn how to read.”

  I grin.

  “The fun classes happen after lunch,” Aiden says.

  I turn to look at him and when I do, I see him staring at my legs. He looks up and his turns red as he realizes he’s been caught checking me out.

  My legs aren’t that great, actually. Paige is the one with the nice curves. I just have bird legs and I’ve always hated them.

  “They’re not at all bird like,” Aiden protests.

  He’s sweet.

  But I know they are.

  “What classes happen after lunch?” I ask, as we get up the third floor.

  I’m definitely going to get a workout in at this school.

  None of the guys answer, so I glance around and see that they’re all sharing a look. I can tell from Parker and Cole’s thoughts that they’re worried we will be separated after lunch. The thought makes my heart race.

  I don’t want to be separated from them.

  “I won’t let them separate us from you,” Liam assures me. “I’m alpha, they have to listen to me.”

  “Your dad is alpha, they technically have to listen to him,” Cole counters.

  “It wouldn’t make sense to put her in another class,” Parker says. “Even though she’s not a wolf shifter, we don’t know what she is. Since we’re her mates, it makes sense for her to learn about shifters.”

  Everybody agrees that Parker is right, and I hope he is.

  We walk into the classroom. It’s already filling up, even though class doesn’t start for another ten minutes. I can tell from Parker’s thoughts that it isn’t normal for class to be so full so early, meaning they’re probably here early because of me.

  Great. Even at Shifter Academy I’m a freak.

  “You’re not a freak,” Cole whispers to me.

  “Move,” Liam says to a group of people sitting in the back of the room.

  I expect them to tell him no or to at the very least smart off or complain, but they don’t. They just get up and move to different desks.

  Liam points to where we should sit.

  Liam sits in the back corner with me in front of him and Cole in front of me. Parker sits by Liam in the back and Aiden sits by me. It’s not perfect, but it’s probably the best we’re going to get.

  I get the feeling nobody will mess with me as long as Liam is around, but girls bully in different ways than guys. They bully you with looks and comments. They will do it by spreading rumors and confronting me in the bathroom where the guys can’t be. And as hard as I try to be brave, I can’t help but be a little scared.

  A pretty blonde girl walks into the room, and I only look up because everybody else in the room looked up first. The girl has on a tank top that is completely against my old school’s policy. It’s cut really low—so low that I’d be worried about accidentally popping out. But then I remember what the guys said about the shifter world. There really isn’t a modesty issues because they are naked when they shift. Meaning they’ve probably seen this girl naked.

  They will be disappointed when they see me, because I don’t look like the other shifter girls. I don’t have curves like them.

  The blonde girl looks at me, but only for a second. She has completely dismissed me as a threat and now has her eyes on Liam. She walks over toward his desk, swinging her hips.

  I hate her already.

  Not because she’s pretty, but because she’s looking at Liam like she wants to devour him.

  “Hey, Alpha Liam,” she says, bending over. I’m certain she’s giving him a show.

  I am so angry that my hand is shaking, but I won’t give her the satisfaction of knowing that I’m upset.

  “Bridget,” he says, not looking at her.

  In fact, he’s looking at me.

  He reaches up and grabs the end of my hair. It’s not just for my benefit, I realize as she turns to glare at me, but I don’t meet her gaze. She turns back to Liam.

  “What is she?” Bridget asks.

  I can hear the disgust in her tone and don’t have to see her face to know she’s wrinkling her nose like I smell bad.

  “She is my mate and it’s none of your business,” Liam says.

  “You’re my future alpha, so I think it is my business,” she argues. “I don’t want some
weak witch as my alpha’s mate.”

  Weak?

  I know that I’m weak but hearing her say it out loud hurts my chest.

  I really am weak. I don’t deserve to be mated to their alpha. For all we know, I’m human with supernatural abilities. I don’t belong in this world.

  I just want to go back home.

  Just then, a loud clap of thunder shakes the building and rain pours from the sky. I jump at the sound.

  That literally came out of nowhere.

  “She’s not a witch,” Liam says to Bridget, defending me. “And if you were a good shifter, you’d be able to smell it.”

  I’m glad he says it, but I still feel guilty. This is the kind of girl he’s been waiting on and now he’s stuck with me.

  Thunder rumbles more in the distance, distracting me again.

  “Was it supposed to storm?” Cole asks, turning around to look at Parker.

  Parker shrugs. “I don’t think so.”

  Bridget huffs, clearly upset about being ignored and dissed by Liam.

  “Why are you still here?” Liam asks her.

  “Because I belong here. I’m a shifter,” she says. “Why is she here?”

  “She has a name. It’s Penelope,” Parker growls. “And watch what you say about her.”

  Bridget turns from Liam to look at Parker. “Why are you standing up for his mate? Shifters are jealous. You should know better.”

  “You already know that she’s ours. All of ours.” Cole narrows his eyes at her. “If anybody is jealous, it’s you. In fact, you reek of it.”

  The guys laugh.

  Wait, can they smell strong emotions? Or maybe they just know because she’s a wolf shifter. Aren’t they all in each other’s heads?

  The idea of them being in her head makes me feel sick to my stomach, but doesn’t that make me just as bad as her? I refuse to be jealous anymore.

  The guys say it’s fate, but they still have a choice. Who would want to share a mate anyway? It sounds like they got duped. No wonder these people think I’m some evil temptress, I’d probably think the same thing if I were them.

  I hear shuffling behind me and look back to see Liam get up out of his desk. He grabs my hand and pulls me with him out of the classroom. I don’t say anything until we leave the room.