“What’s going on?”
He doesn’t stop pulling me until we walk into an empty classroom, and even then, he holds onto my hand.
“There is nobody but you,” Liam says, his voice lower than I’ve heard before. “It doesn’t matter if there was a choice, I would still pick you every single time. Bridget is nobody to me—to all of us. I’d be pissed if fate chose her as a mate for me. But fate knows better.”
“It’s not fair.” I drop my gaze to the floor
He puts a finger on my chin, gently nudging it up. “What isn’t fair?”
I look him in the eyes and sigh. “You’re not supposed to have to share your mate—and with three other guys.” I shake my head. “It’s too much, Liam. I can’t ask you guys to do that.”
“It’s not up to you to decide,” Liam says gently. “It’s my choice. It’s Cole’s choice. And Aiden’s and Parker’s. Just because what fate has decided for us is different from the normal doesn’t mean we’re going to run away from you. You’re everything to us—everything to me. Can’t you see that?”
I want to look away from his intense gaze. I want to run away. But I know he wouldn’t let me run far.
“We just met each other not even a week ago,” I say. “And even then, I thought you were crazy. You told me you were a wolf.”
He smirks. “I am a wolf.”
“But you realize how insane that sounds to a human, right?”
He shrugs. “I suppose. Humans aren’t very open minded. It’s why we choose to keep our existence a secret from them.”
“I don’t blame you for that.”
Because if humans knew the truth, they’d try to police everything and everybody. If I’ve learned anything from these wolves it’s that they won’t let anybody control them, so that would be an issue.
Liam’s deep voice is nearly a rumble as he speaks. “I’d let you control me.”
My eyes widen.
I can’t believe Liam, the future alpha, just said that to me.
“Don’t you know by now that I would do anything for you?”
He reaches a hand to my face and pushes a piece of hair behind my ear. His hand leaves a warm trail on my cheek that tingles.
I will never get used to touching him.
I’ve spent my whole life avoiding being touched by anybody, and now I find myself wanting to be touched all the time. It’s like I crave it.
“Will you be patient with me?” I implore him. “Because this is a lot. And I’m still not sure what you guys expect from me. Am I really supposed to jump into dating four guys? Like, yeah, I have this crazy connection with you, but we just met and—”
Liam cuts me off. “Penelope, we will be patient. We never intended to rush you anyway.”
“Okay,” I say, nodding my head.
“Don’t listen to what Bridget was saying. Even if you’re not a wolf shifter, you belong here with me. You’re my mate.” He encases my hand between his. “I don’t care that you’re not a shifter. I don’t even care that you have three other mates. There is literally nobody else in the world that is more suited for me than you. I choose you. Every time.”
I lick my lips, which are suddenly feeling very dry. “I choose you too.”
He grins. “Let’s get back to class before the rest of the guys leave to come looking for us.”
“Are we late now?” I ask.
“We are, but it’s okay. I’m alpha.”
I laugh.
I have a feeling that him being alpha means he gets away with a whole lot of stuff.
LIAM.
I’ve never been patient.
I’ve never had to be. I’m the future alpha. Anything I want, I get.
But with Penelope, all the rules are different.
Usually when a shifter meets their mate, they bond within the first couple of days. But Penelope doesn’t know our world. She needs time to understand and get used to all of this. No matter how much waiting is killing me, I will do it for her.
I’d do anything for her.
But to hear the things she thought about herself—that she would even try to compare herself to somebody like Bridget.
Bridget has only ever tried to get my attention because I am alpha. I don’t know what she thinks she will gain by it, because I have always stuck to the no dating rule. And if I ever would’ve broken it, it definitely wouldn’t have been with her.
Penelope is so far above all the girls here. I feel like fate choosing her as a mate is more than I deserve. Penelope deserves far better than me.
Yet, she thinks I deserve better than her.
That’s crazy.
Nobody is better than Penelope.
I’ve just got to get her to believe that.
Chapter Sixteen
Trouble.
PENELOPE.
That Bridget girl isn’t the only one giving me dirty looks. A lot of girls are. Guys too.
I wonder what they’re thinking. Probably the same as Bridget—that I don’t belong here. That I’m not worthy of having four wolf shifter mates. And I know that. More than anything I do. But I want it. There is a rightness to this that I feel deep in my soul, and I can’t even begin to understand what it means. All I know is that I do belong here, even if nobody else thinks I do.
The guys are careful to keep anybody from touching me, like they promised. I’m grateful for this. It’s one thing to be glared at, but it’s another to know what somebody is thinking about you. But even the guys can’t protect me from everything. Not in high school.
Liam, Cole, and Aiden go to grab us all some food while Parker and I go to sit down at a table in the lunchroom.
This lunchroom is unlike any I’ve ever seen before. The room is massive and has a lot of different tables—some big, some small. Along the front of the room there are different vendors you can get food from. At my old school, you could only get whatever they were serving that particular day, even if you didn’t like it. I usually ended up bringing a lunch because I never liked what they offered.
I guess school for shifters are different.
As Parker and I walk towards a table he grabs my hand, and I like when he holds it. I also like when the other guys hold my hand too, which makes me feel guilty. I feel like they’re going to get jealous or upset if they see me holding Parker’s hand.
Still, I can’t bring myself to pull away because I want to hold his hand.
Is it weird to hold hands with a guy I just met? It’s probably weirder to have the feelings I have for him, but I won’t allow my brain to go there right now.
I’m so busy looking at Parker, who is also watching me, that I don’t notice the guy step in front of me until it’s too late. Some guy crashes into me, and his arm barely grazes mine, but it’s enough for me to hear his thoughts.
I’m so thankful when I don’t feel a rush of thoughts and emotions, but that thankfulness goes away quickly when I hear the guys thoughts.
What’s so great about her? She’s a slut.
My chest drops, and I feel sick to my stomach.
Is that what they think of me?
I’ve never even been kissed, and this guy thinks I’m a slut.
Is this what it’s going to be like my whole life? People thinking I’m a slut because I have four mates?
Parker lets go of my hand, so I look up just in time to see him swing a punch at the guy. It makes a loud thwack as his fists connects with the guy’s face and he falls to the ground at the impact.
Oh, my gosh.
I stand there with my mouth open looking between Parker and the guy on the floor. Parker is glaring at the guy on the floor and the guy stays down. He is actually trembling as he looks at Parker.
Everybody is staring at us now. Some at Parker and the guy, but mostly at me. A few of the girls are openly glaring at me, like it was my fault. But I didn’t mean for Parker to punch the guy just because he ran into me.
Then it hits me.
Parker punched the guy because of what he
was thinking.
The slut comment.
So, it is my fault. Because if I would’ve been paying attention, we never would’ve bumped into each other and I never would’ve known that he thought I was a slut. Parker read his thoughts through mine.
I have really got to learn to block them if it’s going to cause so much trouble.
Liam, Cole, and Aiden all come back with food in their hands and run over when they see Parker and me.
“What happened?” Liam asks.
He’s looking at Parker, but Parker isn’t saying a word. Liam turns his attention to the guy on the floor, who trembles even more.
“I didn’t do anything. I just accidentally bumped into her,” the guy says.
“He called Penelope a slut,” Parker says.
“I didn’t,” the guy says, holding up his arms.
“He thought it,” I say. “And Parker heard his thoughts through mine. It wasn’t his fault. He can’t control what he’s thinking. Honestly, it was my fault. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”
Before anybody can say anything else, Margot Westwood walks into the dining hall and looks at the five of us, plus the guy on the floor.
“All of you, with me,” she says.
Great.
We’re in trouble.
PARKER.
I don’t know what came over me.
One minute, I was holding Penelope’s hand—I was distracted. I am never distracted, but something about her makes me forget everything else. I wasn’t paying attention to where we were walking and somehow Daniel walked into her.
I’m not sure if him walking into her was an accident, but that wasn’t what upset me.
It was what he thought about Penelope.
I felt her hurt as if it were my own.
Her purple eyes turned gray, like they always do when she’s upset.
He hurt her. Even if he didn’t mean to.
So, I hurt him.
I reacted.
Maybe it wasn’t the smartest decision I’ve ever made, but if I wouldn’t have done it, Liam would have. Or Cole. Possibly even Aiden, because after Aiden found out what happened, he was ready to fight somebody too. And he’s the nice one.
The worst part about all of this, the only thing I regret, is that now Penelope feels guilty, like all of this is her fault somehow. She thinks we’re all going to get in trouble.
We’re not.
It’s Shifter Academy. We all have high tempers. We all get into arguments. And when it comes to Penelope, I don’t care who I have to fight. Nobody will ever make her feel like that again.
Chapter Seventeen
Scary world.
PENELOPE.
Dean Westwood tried to separate me from the guys. They vetoed that before she could even get the words out of her mouth, which relieves me.
I need them. I’m pretty sure holding Parker and Aiden’s hands is the only thing keeping me from having a panic attack. It’s the only thing that is keeping me from overthinking about what that boy thought.
Slut.
Of course this looks bad.
I have four mates.
Four.
It’s not normal.
Not that turning into a wolf is all that normal either.
I guess I thought it would be different here. I thought I wouldn’t be the weird pale girl who doesn’t like to be touched. I thought I would fit in and maybe make friends. Instead, people think I’m weird. They think I’m…
A slut.
Aiden grips my hand tighter.
I know he can hear me. They all can. But it’s not like I can control my thoughts.
Margot looks between me and the four guys around me, then she looks at the boy on the other side of the room who appears terrified.
He’s also got a very dark black eye, but it’s already looking better. Parker let me know that shifters heal really fast, so I don’t feel quite as bad about him being punched. Part of me is glad Parker stood up for me.
Still, the guy can’t help what he was thinking. I’m sure lots of people were thinking it. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“What happened?” Margot asks, looking at Liam.
He’s the alpha, so of course she wants him to speak for us all.
“Daniel called Penelope a slut,” Liam says.
“Not exactly,” I say, my voice low.
The guys are hiding me from seeing the other boy. Probably more to hide me from him. I appreciate it because I don’t really want to see the guy right now. His thoughts really hurt my feelings, even though he can’t help what he thinks.
She looks at Parker. “Maybe you can tell me why you punched him.”
Parker grinds his teeth together and takes a deep breath before answering her.
“Daniel bumped into Penelope in the dining hall,” Parker explains. “And when he did, Penelope could read his thoughts. And I could read them through our mind link—”
Margot cuts him off. “You’ve completed the mate bond? Wait… did you say she read his mind?”
“We didn’t complete the mate bond.” Parker lets out his breath in a huff, then he looks at Liam for help.
Parker is annoyed. Really annoyed. He doesn’t like being in the same room as Daniel, and he’s having a hard time keeping his temper under control.
“Penelope can read the thoughts of others,” Liam tells Margot. “All it takes is a touch and she can read all. It’s impossible to block her completely. Even my dad couldn’t block her all the way out.”
“Interesting.” She then looks at me for a moment before turning her attention back to Parker. “Continue.”
“Daniel was thinking that he thinks Penelope is…” Parker’s voice cuts off.
After a few long moments of silence, it’s clear he doesn’t want to finish his sentence.
He’s upset.
Seeing him this upset makes me want to protect him the same way he’s protected me.
“He was thinking that I’m a slut,” I whisper.
“It hurt Penelope’s feelings a lot,” Parker says. “So, I retaliated. I may have overreacted, but I don’t regret my actions.”
“You didn’t overreact,” Liam growls. “I would’ve done much worse.”
Margot turns from us to look at the other boy.
“Is this right?”
The boy doesn’t say anything, but I can tell he must have nodded because Margot stands up.
“Very well.” She folds her hands in front of her. “I don’t think that Daniel meant anything malicious by his thoughts, but I also can’t fault Parker for standing up for his mate. Daniel, I do think it’s best that you stay away from Penelope and the guys for a while. You can leave.” She turns to us. “But not you five.”
I hear the boy get up and leave in a hurry. I can breathe easier once he’s gone.
We’re not in trouble.
That’s a relief.
Margot sits back down and looks at Liam.
“How has today been?”
Liam sighs. “Not good.”
“I figured,” she replies, hanging her head. “This is new for us all.”
“What are we going to do about it?” Cole runs a hand through his hair and lets out a breath. “I’d rather not be in here every day because one of us punched somebody.”
“I’d prefer that too. I think this is just something people are going to have to get used to.” She frowns. “Usually it’s only dragons who have multiple mates, but that’s because their numbers are so low. The fact that this is happening is unusual, to say the least.”
“Am I a dragon?” I ask, my eyes widening.
“No,” Liam says, laughing. “We’d be able to tell if you were. You don’t smell like a dragon.”
I don’t know why, but his words relive me.
The thought of turning into a large fire breathing lizard scares the crap out of me. Actually, the thought of turning into any kind of animal scares the crap out of me.
“I
don’t want people to think I’m a slut,” I murmur. “What can I do? Am I supposed to… choose one of them?”
My heart hurts as I speak the words.
“No.” Margot shakes her head and smiles gently. “Fate gave you four mates for a reason. We have no way of know that reason right now, but it’s important you stay with all four guys.”
Her words relive me.
I know the guys said I wasn’t supposed to choose but hearing it from her makes it feel official.
How could I choose between them anyway?
I couldn’t.
I don’t want to.
“Take off the rest of the day,” Margot suggests. “I’m going to have a talk with our students and make sure everyone is nicer to Penelope in the future.”
“Maybe don’t tell them about what she can do,” Liam advises. “At least, not until we can figure out what she is.”
“I wasn’t planning on it,” she says.
After that, we all get up and leave Dean Westwood’s office and head home.
I just wonder…
Is everybody going to think I’m a slut because fate chose four mates for me instead of one?
Am I a slut?
“Stop with those thoughts,” Cole says, scolding me. “Seriously, who cares what they think. They’re all just jealous we found our mate before we even graduate. Only about two percent of us will find our mates this young.”
Maybe.
Still… I want to fit in here.
With Cole, Liam, Aiden, and Parker, I feel like I finally belong somewhere. And this school is part of their life. I want to fit into it so bad.
“This school is only a small part of our life.” Aiden takes the lead as we walk down the long, spiral staircase.
“And only for the rest of this year,” Parker adds.
“Honestly, we hate it here.” Cole looks back at me and smiles. “We only come because Liam’s dad asked us to.”
Liam huffs out a laugh. “Ordered us.”
“What is the point of this school?” This question has been bugging me for a while now. “I mean, can’t you just go to school anywhere? Why do you need a special shifter school?”
Different (Shifter Academy Book 1) Page 10