Different (Shifter Academy Book 1)

by Scarlett Haven

  I have no idea why I’m being called. I haven’t done anything wrong I don’t think… at least not intentionally. I’m still learning all the rules here. And I haven’t caused any problems since the first day. After that, everybody stays away from me and ignores me.

  “Just Penelope,” the teacher that comes to get me says whenever all four of the guys get up.

  “At least one of us is going.” Liam crosses his arms over his chest.

  The teacher looks at him, her face paling, then nods. “Fine.”

  Liam looks at the guys.

  “Guys, I’m fine. I can go by myself,” I insist.

  They ignore me completely.

  I can tell by the looks on their faces that they’re having a private conversation through their mind link and I can’t hear one word of it. I’m tempted to grab Liam’s hand so I can hear, but I decide to let them have their privacy.

  I have to talk to them about this later though.

  “Ready?” Aiden asks, looking at me.

  I nod.

  He grabs my hand and we follow the teacher to the office.

  I can hear from Aiden’s thoughts that he feels bad about leaving me out of their conversation, but now isn’t the time to bring it up. It isn’t just Aiden—it’s all the guys. We can all talk about that later. Right now, I’m just curious why Dean Westwood is calling me to her office.

  The teacher walks with us until we get to the long, spiral staircase that leads to Margot’s office, then she leaves us. Aiden motions for me to go first and he follows behind me.

  “Do you think I’m in trouble?”

  “No,” Aiden answers.

  “Why else would she be calling me to her office?”

  “I don’t know, but we’re about to find out.”

  He’s right.

  My heart pounds as we make our way up the last few steps and finally reach the top. Margot Westwood is sitting at her desk. She frowns a little when she sees Aiden standing there, but quickly turns her attention to me.

  “Sit.” She motions to a chair across from her. “We need to talk.”

  I hesitate only for a second and then make my way over to sit down at the desk, Aiden by my side.

  “Is something wrong?” I ask.

  “No, no. Nothing like that,” she says.

  I let out a sigh of relief.

  Dean Westwood clears her throat and shuffles around some papers on her desk. I can literally feel the nervous tension pouring off of her. I want to ask her why I’m here, but I give her time to get her thoughts together. She seems like she needs a moment.

  Aiden grabs my hand and laces our fingers together.

  I love that the guys are always seeking me out to touch me—either by holding my hand or hugging me or even just simply grazing my skin with theirs. I feel like it should be overwhelming considering I’ve gone my whole life avoiding the touch of anybody and everybody, but I find it comforting.

  “Your grandfather will be representing your side of the family tonight,” Margot blurts out the words in a rush. She looks shocked that she said it.

  I raise an eyebrow. “Grandpa Monroe? Him and grandma are on a six-month cruise. They won’t be back until just before Thanksgiving.”

  “Not that grandfather.”

  “My mom’s parents died when I was eleven.” I shake my head. “I don’t have any other grandparents. Besides, I thought humans weren’t really allowed to come here.”

  “Your biological grandfather,” Dean Westwood says.

  The room spins.

  My biological grandfather.

  I obviously knew that my parents weren’t… I’ve always suspected.

  But to hear it.

  My ears are ringing, and I realize I’m on the verge of passing out from a panic attack, so I force myself to breathe.

  Just because my parents aren’t biologically related to me, it doesn’t matter. They’re still my family. My siblings are still my siblings. And Paige is still my twin.

  But why would they tell me Paige is my twin if she’s not?

  I’m not sure what hurts worse—hearing that I was adopted or having to hear it from a stranger.

  I rub a hand at my chest, wanting the pain to go away.

  I need to hear what Margot Westwood has to say. She can’t just drop a bomb on me like that and me not hear what else she has to say.

  Ten seconds.

  I will give myself ten seconds to just breathe.

  Aiden’s grip on my hand tightens and I’m thankful for it, because I’m pretty sure his hand is the only thing that is keeping me in my chair right now. The entire room feels like it has completely flipped upside down.

  A hand touches my face from the opposite side of Aiden, so I blink and look up to see Cole kneeling in front of me. His mouth is moving, but I can’t hear what he’s saying.

  I take a deep breath.

  Then another.

  And another.

  When I am finally able to breathe normally, I realize it’s not just Cole there—all the guys are. Liam is holding my other hand and Parker has his hand resting on the back of my neck.

  “What are you guys doing here?” I ask, looking between the three of them. “Better yet, when did you get here?”

  “The fact that you didn’t know we came just proves that you needed us here,” Liam says, then turns his head to Margot. “The fact that you didn’t send for us all is appalling.”

  I can’t believe he’s talking to the dean of the school like that.

  “I’m sorry.” Margot nods her head.

  She’s apologizing to him?

  This world that I have stumbled into is so strange sometimes.

  One time my oldest brother, Nate, talked back to a teacher and got suspended for three days.

  My brother.

  My chest hurts again.

  I guess Nate isn’t really my brother—not by blood anyway.

  I actually smile, but only for a second. I’m pretty sure I told him a few times over this past summer that there was no way he and I were actually related.

  Nate is twenty-two years old and even though he just graduated from college, he hasn’t started looking for a job. He’d rather stay at home and play video games. Which is strange because none of our other siblings are like that. We all like to be doing stuff all the time. We’re way too hyper to play video games all day.

  I take a deep breath and then look at Margot.

  “I need to know more,” I demand. “Like who my biological parents are and who this grandfather is, everything.”

  “Your grandfather is Robert Westwood,” she says softly.

  Westwood?

  Wait.

  Isn’t her last name Westwood?

  All the guys start talking at once, all of them so loud that I can’t actually hear what anybody is saying.

  I have so many questions.

  “I’m sorry.” Margot raises her voice over the guys. They all get quite so we can hear her. “Yes, Penelope is my niece. And yes, I knew it the moment I saw her. I should have said something, but it was kind of a shock. I didn’t think I would ever see her again.”

  Niece?

  I’m her niece.

  “But Penelope isn’t a wolf shifter,” Liam protests. “How can she be your niece?”

  “She’s half wolf shifter.” Margot leans back in her chair.

  “And the other half?” Cole asks.

  “I don’t know.” She lowers her head, putting a hand to her temples.

  This is…

  Too much.

  Way too much.

  “Okay.” I suck in a breath and put my hands up. “I want to know more, but I just need a minute. This is a lot to take in. Can I come talk to you on Monday?”

  “I understand.” Margot’s voice is thick. “When you want answers, I’ll be here.”

  I nod. “Thanks.”

  Without anything else to say, we leave Margot Westwood’s office. I decide to skip my last class of the day and we head back home.
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  I have no idea what to think right now, but I can’t focus on what she just told me. Tonight, I’m meeting my boyfriends’ parents for the first time.

  Boyfriends.

  I keep thinking of them as my boyfriends.

  I swallow hard when I realize I’m not just meeting their families. I’m meeting my grandfather too.

  LIAM.

  She’s half wolf.

  I mean, it makes sense. She has a smell that is familiar, but it’s the other half of her that is dominant. The other half is the part that worries me.

  The reason that dragons have multiple mates is because they’re endangered. For a while, there were only a few hundred dragons left. Over the years their numbers have increased, but there are barely one thousand dragon shifters in existence today. Their women are precious because they’re so few—one woman to every four men. It wasn’t always that way. Fate gave them more than one mate to protect them. And they need protecting.

  Why does Penelope need to be protected? And who does she need protecting from? Not knowing is the hard part.

  I will tear apart anybody who tries to hurt her.

  Fate chose me for her. I am the strongest wolf shifter in the world. Me, Cole, Parker, and Aiden together are unstoppable.

  Penelope comes from a strong shifter family. Her grandfather is a founding member on the shifter council. Basically, he’s an important part of our government. What my dad says is law, but he always listens to what the council has to say and considers it. Robert Westwood used to be beta in the pack. If he would’ve had a son, his son would’ve taken over as beta, but he only had daughters. Two of them. I only know Margot. I think his other daughter died. I don’t know a lot about it.

  Poor Penelope. She won’t ever get to meet her mom. She’ll be devastated.

  Penelope has a soft heart. It’s one of the many things I love about her. I only hope that our world doesn’t make her calloused. I promise myself that I will do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen.

  “Should we put this off until next weekend?” Parker asks.

  “We can’t,” I say, sighing. “I already called my dad and asked him. He’s even more eager now that he knows she’s part wolf shifter.”

  Her being part wolf shifter is a good thing. Otherwise, the council might have rejected her. Not that I would’ve cared. None of us would have. I’d give up being alpha before I gave up Penelope.

  Tonight, Penelope is being introduced to all our families, but she’s also meeting the council and all the alphas—bears, tigers, all of them. She might even be meeting the heads of other supernaturals as well, like vampires and succubi. It’s a big deal when a shifter finds their mate, especially since I’m to be alpha. She will be the luna of the pack—as important to our kind as a queen would be to humans. Penelope doesn’t know that yet. I feel bad keeping it from her, but I don’t want to overwhelm her even more.

  Part of me wishes I hadn’t brought her to school so quickly after meeting her. I kind of wish we would’ve stayed in Jacksonville and gotten to know her. It would make this all better. But we were excited to introduce everybody to our mate.

  “I hope it goes well,” Cole says.

  So do I.

  I’m sure it will, though.

  Everybody will love Penelope. How could they not?

  Chapter Twenty

  All for you.

  PENELOPE.

  Liam holds my right hand while Parker holds my left. Cole is in the back and Aiden in the front.

  I’ve grown used to this system. They like to make a circle around me. Maybe I should be annoyed, but I’m not. I think it’s sweet that they want to protect me. Tonight, I feel like I need protection.

  I’m meeting their families.

  And…

  My family.

  It’s weird to think that, but tonight I am meeting my grandfather for the first time. Or maybe it’s not the first time. Maybe I met him when I was a baby and just don’t remember it.

  I have so many questions. Questions for Margot Westwood, who is apparently my aunt, questions for this grandfather of mine, and questions for my mom and dad. Even my older sister. She was eight when I was born. Certainly she remembers me being adopted. I don’t understand why my parents would lie to me.

  But all of that is for another day, because tonight I’m meeting my boyfriends’ families.

  That’s definitely not something I thought I’d ever say.

  I have multiple boyfriends.

  Kind of.

  It’s complicated.

  I feel like there will come a point where I will have to choose between them, but for now I will enjoy this while I have it. Above everything, these guys are my friends. My only friends in this world, and they mean everything to me.

  “You ready?” Liam asks.

  I take a deep breath and close my eyes for a second, before nodding my head.

  I’m ready.

  I can do this.

  I am Penelope Rose Monroe. I can do anything.

  “Your middle name is Rose?” Parker asks.

  “Yeah.”

  “I like it. It fits you,” he says.

  I smile.

  “Your eyes are pink again.”

  Pink.

  That’s so weird.

  No weirder than having purple eyes, I guess.

  We walk into the main castle, which is full of people.

  And I mean full.

  It’s not just students. There are adults here—so many that I know they can’t all be their family.

  Liam looks at me. “I didn’t want you to be nervous. But me meeting my mate is kind of a big deal so… everybody is invited to come meet you.”

  I am going to kill this boy.

  Murder him.

  All of them, I think, as I look between the shared look of guilt on their faces.

  Murder will have to wait for now though. Still holding onto Liam and Parker’s hands, I let them lead me through the crowd of people, who are all now staring at me.

  It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever wanted to know what somebody is thinking.

  Do they think it’s weird that I’m holding the hand of two different guys? Do they think my purple eyes are weird? What do they think of me?

  “She’s so short,” I hear somebody whisper.

  Ah.

  Well, I am short. Though there is nothing I can do about that.

  “…not strong enough… alpha’s mate…”

  “…strange eyes…”

  “…beautiful…”

  Well, at least somebody thinks I’m pretty.

  “…strange smell…”

  Really?

  I smell?

  I took a shower this morning.

  I try to discretely sniff myself. I smell like cotton candy, like my body wash. What are they even talking about?

  You don’t smell like any creature we’ve smelled before, Cole answers my unasked question. Each supernatural being puts off a signature scent so everybody knows what they are. But you… nobody has ever smelled anything like you.

  And now I want to know what I smell like.

  Like sunshine and happiness, Aiden answers.

  Yeah, but I think my mates are a little biased when it comes to me. Which is a good thing because I want my mates to like the way I smell. I want them to like everything about me.

  I continue to pick up on whispers of conversations and pretty much everybody is saying the same thing—I’m short, I’m weak, I have weird eyes, and I smell funny. So far, being introduced as the alpha’s mate has been great. Obviously, everybody loves me.

  Stop with the sarcastic self-deprecation, Liam says. Everybody will love you once they get to know you.

  Once they get to know me? What if they hate me?

  I’m not exactly a likable person. Paige, yes. She’s the one who makes lots of friends. She was homecoming queen for our junior court. And she is captain of the cheerleading squad. And everybody adores her. The only reason peo
ple tolerate me is because I am her sister.

  I guess it’ll be the same here.

  People will tolerate me because I’m Liam’s mate. Or because of Cole, Aiden, or Parker.

  Nobody ever likes me for me.

  Even the guys only like me because of the supernatural bond we share.

  What did I say about the self-deprecation? Liam asks.

  I really, really wish they would show me how to block them from my thoughts. Some things need to be private. And my thoughts today definitely need to be private.

  What if I don’t like their parents? What if I have to pretend to like them? I won’t even get to pretend because they’ll be in my head. They will know if I’m lying.

  I hear Cole laugh behind me.

  At least I am entertaining him.

  “Just relax,” Liam says. “Everything will be fine.”

  His words wash over me, and I can feel it down to my bones. I actually relax a little.

  That’s strange.

  He’s alpha. He can do that for anybody who is freaking out, Aiden tells me.

  Interesting.

  Why hasn’t he used that on me before?

  Because I didn’t know you were half wolf, Liam answers.

  Ah, makes sense.

  We walk into a part of the castle I’ve never been. Normally, the large, brass double doors are closed. Now, they are proudly open and there is a…

  Ballroom?

  It’s a large, empty room. The marble floors have a beautiful design and there are pillars at the side holding up a balcony. People in the middle are dancing to music, and there is a small orchestra playing.

  When we walk in, everybody stops dancing and turns to look at us.

  If I wasn’t nervous before, I definitely am now.

  I swallow hard.

  Liam’s “order” has worn off and I’m back to being scared. I’m not sure he could actually help me now.

  We walk forward, and I spot Alpha Mutatio. He’s smiling at us as we approach him. I wonder if I could curtsey. He is the king, right? But I just stand there because that is what the rest of the guys do.

  “Alpha,” Aiden says, greeting him. Aiden steps to the side so that I am now directly in front of Alpha Mutatio. I’ve met him before, but we were sitting down in that room. Now that I am standing before him, I feel a bit like a shrimp next to him.