Wolf Bitten: Lunar Academy, Year One

by Snyder, Jennifer

  Wolf Bitten

  Lunar Academy, Year One

  Alyssa Rose Ivy

  Jennifer Snyder

  Contents

  1. Holt

  2. Tori

  3. Holt

  4. Tori

  5. Holt

  6. Tori

  7. Holt

  8. Tori

  9. Holt

  10. Tori

  11. Holt

  12. Tori

  13. Holt

  14. Tori

  A Note From The Authors

  Stay Up To Date With The Authors:

  Copyright © 2019 by Jennifer Snyder, Alyssa Rose Ivy

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Design: Najla Qambar Designs

  Holt

  Strands of lights and fake garland still decorated the halls of the Wolf Bitten dormitory. How much longer would this crap be up? I’d hoped the girls in charge of decorating would’ve taken everything down by now, but they hadn’t. I wasn’t a Scrooge; I just didn’t care for holiday decorations. They made things look cluttered and added a sense of tackiness to a space that had once seemed appealing. Besides, the holidays were over. A new semester had begun.

  My lips pressed into a thin line at the thought.

  It was strange an entire semester had already passed. I should be proud of myself for having survived, but I wasn’t. Just because I’d made it through didn’t mean shit. I may have passed my classes, but had I really learned anything? Had I made any progress with what I was?

  In short: No.

  I still didn’t accept what I was fully. It still felt like an endless nightmare most days. And, heading home for the holidays had accentuated that. Even though we were encouraged to go home for the holidays, the depression that settled over me from my short visit home had me questioning why the academy allowed it.

  Especially for those in my house.

  Wolf Bitten was made up of werewolves who’d been created by being bit, which meant there were a lot of us—me included—that a trip home was difficult for. We weren’t like those from Wolf Born who’d been raised in this world of werewolves and supernatural creatures. We were humans who’d been turned. Some willingly and others, like myself, unwillingly.

  My jaw tightened. Holidays home were considered optional at the academy, but they weren’t when it came to my mom. There was no way in hell Lunette Taylor would have ever let me skip coming home for the holidays unless the academy deemed it against the rules. Sure, I could’ve lied. But it would’ve got me into a whole heap of trouble.

  Just the thought of what my mom might have said or done should I have attempted to stay at the academy over break made a shiver slip along my spine. Holidays were her thing. And, she had always been able to tell when I was lying. She should’ve been born into the shifter world due to her ability to spot a lie from a mile away.

  I paused in front of the door to my dorm and lifted my duffle bag higher on my shoulder while I dug in my pocket for my ID card.

  “Holt, what’s up? You have a good holiday?” Reuben asked from a few doors down as he closed the door to his room behind him.

  Like most of the others in the Wolf Bitten house, he was cool. I didn’t know much about him other than that he roomed with Sebastian Holden. Like myself, Wolf Bittens tended to keep their story of how they came to be to themselves.

  “Not too bad.” I flashed him a grin, hoping it looked genuine. My mood was slightly sour.

  He nodded to my duffel as he stepped closer. “Your mom send you back with any cookies?”

  My grin widened and a chuckle slipped free. “Hell yeah, she did. Half of this bag is cookies. I told her how much everyone loves the sweet treats she sends. She said she’ll send an even bigger package next month, so I’ll have more to share with the house.”

  “Awesome.” He tipped his head toward the ceiling and made a small fist pump action before shifting his attention back to me. “Let me know when you’re passing those suckers out. I want to make sure I get some.” He patted me on the back before continuing down the hall toward the staircase that led through the center of the house.

  “Will do.” I slid my ID in the door and waited for it to click before I twisted the knob. Walker was sprawled out on his bed with his laptop open and resting in his lap. Wrappers from various snack food items littered the area around him, and there was a pyramid of empty soda cans built on the floor beside his bed.

  “Thought I heard you out there yakking,” he said as he paused whatever he’d been watching and glanced at me. “You already get hit up for some of your mom’s homemade goodies?”

  “Always do.” I set my duffle on my bed and sniffed the air. “Dude, it stinks in here. It smells like Cheetos and body odor.”

  “Considering I haven’t showered in a couple of days and Cheetos were the last thing I ate, I’d say your sniffer is on point.”

  “You’re fucking gross.” I chuckled and shook my head as I unzipped my bag. I pulled out two canisters of cookies and placed them on our shared desk. My gaze drifted to the window above the desk to see that it was still gloomy outside. “I’m surprised Paris hasn’t been by to snap you out of your funk yet.”

  “She’s not getting in until dinner.” Walker stretched on his bed until he was able to snag one of the canisters off the desk. “These for me?”

  “One is. Not that one, though.” I found the one in the bag meant for him and held it out. It had been wrapped in silver paper with little green Christmas trees. “You should’ve come home with me like I said. All my mom talked about was how much she wants to meet you.”

  It was true. She’d given me crap for not insisting that he come home with me for the holidays. To her, it was the saddest thing in the world for someone to spend a holiday alone.

  Walker’s face fell. I averted my eyes and continued unpacking. I knew his reasons for not going home. They were heavy. And, I hated that I’d said anything at all about him opting to stay here instead of returning home or tagging along with me.

  “I’d like to meet your sweet mama one day too. You’ll have to thank her for the cookies for me,” Walker said.

  The sound of him popping the canister open drew my attention to him.

  “Oh, no. Me thanking her won’t do. She’ll want you to thank her yourself.” I chuckled, knowing it was the truth. “You can guarantee that the next time she calls to check on me, she’ll be asking if you’re around so she can speak to you.”

  It wasn’t that she wanted to make sure he thanked her for the cookies, but more about her needing to make sure he’d enjoyed them. It was how she worked. My mom was southern, through and through. There was always a fresh pitcher of sweet tea on hand in our house and another dinner plate on standby should someone need to be added to the table. She loved making people happy, and one way she did that was through baking and cooking.

  God, I loved her. However, I was glad to be back at the academy.

  Since my attack, she’d become more smothering than ever. Probably because there was nothing she could do to fix what happened. She’d prayed for me, though. While I didn’t think it had done much good, she sure did. She swore it was her prayers that led me to Lunar Academy. That it had been the answer to them.

  I’d be lying if I said I didn’t believe the same.

  “Holy shit, is this deer jerky? I love your mom’s deer jerky, dude!” Walker shouted, drawing my attention back to him. He
tore open the bag and shoved a piece in his mouth, then held a hand out to me. “Give me your phone. I’m calling her right now and thanking her for this awesomeness.”

  I arched a brow. “Seriously?”

  I didn’t want him to call her. Not right now. I’d talked to her minutes ago. Even though I was eighteen—nineteen in less than four months—she still made me check in with her when I traveled. It didn’t matter that it was only three hours from my tiny hometown to Brentwood and Lunar Academy, she still wanted to know I’d made it safely.

  Mom was a worrywart. Always had been.

  “Yes. Seriously,” Walker said between chews. He shook his hand. “Give it.”

  I reached in my pocket for it and held it out to him. A low growl traveled up my throat. My wolf shared in my irritation at the situation. It was one of the emotions we shared frequently, if I was being honest.

  “Here.” I gave him my cell.

  Walker tossed another piece of deer jerky in his mouth before scrolling through my phone in search of my mom’s number. When he found it, he tapped on her name and placed my cell to his ear before flashing me a shit-eating grin.

  “Holt, honey. Is everything okay?” I heard my mom’s frantic voice after the second ring. My chest tightened. I should have known she would think something awful had happened due to me calling her again so soon.

  “Hey, Mrs. Taylor. This is actually Walker. Holt’s roommate. I just wanted to thank you for the cookies and jerky. I really appreciate it. Your deer jerky is my absolute favorite,” Walker said.

  “Oh, honey. You’re welcome. It was nothing, really. I’m just glad you enjoy it.” I could hear the smile in her voice.

  It warmed my heart.

  Even though I found her tendency to be suffocating at times annoying, she was still the best and I loved her.

  I resumed unpacking my things.

  “Well, I just wanted to call and say thank you.” Walker’s eyes were on me. I could feel them. It was strange the way things like that were more noticeable now that I had my wolf. I glanced over my shoulder at Walker. He was about to hand me the phone; I could tell. I shook my head, and his grin grew. “Do you want to talk to Holt? He’s standing right here, waiting.”

  I flipped him off before jerking my phone from his grip.

  “Hey,” I said with a sigh, knowing I’d be stuck on the phone with her forever now.

  “Hey, honey. That Walker is such a sweetheart. I’m glad he enjoyed his package. Now, don’t forget to pass out those other canisters. And remember, I even made one for whatever girl you have your eye on.”

  Walker laughed at that. I reached for an empty soda can on top of his pyramid and chucked it at him. It hit him in the chest with a thump.

  “I already told you there isn’t anyone I’ve got my eye on, but I’ll be sure to pass the other containers out. One of the guys in the house already asked if you sent me home with anything extra. I told him that you had, and that you also planned on sending a bigger package next month. He’s looking forward to it. They all love your sweets.”

  “I love hearing that!” There was a smile in her voice that had one of my own twisting at the corners of my mouth. “So, what are your plans for this evening?”

  My smile died.

  “Not much. I’ll probably head to the dining hall in a bit for something to eat and then hang out with Walker and his girlfriend some tonight.”

  “Be sure you go to bed early, though. You know Monday morning will be rough on you if you don’t. After all, you did sleep in until almost one in the afternoon every day you were home.”

  I rolled my eyes, even though she was right—on both accounts—but still. I didn’t want another lecture. All I wanted was to get off the phone and unpack.

  “I still can’t get over how tired you were,” Mom said.

  “Me either.”

  I hadn’t realized how exhausted I was until I came home for the holidays. It had been nice to catch up on sleep while I was there. There was nothing better than being away from home for a while only to come back and sleep in your bed. I’d been at the academy for months, but the place still didn’t feel like home.

  It probably helped that my parents hadn’t changed a single thing about my room since I left. I wasn’t sure how long they’d keep it that way, but I was thankful they’d left it alone for the time being.

  “I’ll make sure I get to bed early. Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll talk to you later, okay? I’m going to head to the dining hall for something to eat.” I was hungry, but in reality, I’d probably just pop open one of the containers and eat half the cookies inside by myself. Also, Dad had slipped me another bag of deer jerky, so there was that to tap into as well.

  “All right, I’ll let you go. Have a good evening. I’m glad you made it home safely. Tell Walker I said thank you for calling, and that I hope he likes the cookies too. I mixed it up a little this time.” Excitement rang through her tone. “Be sure you check in with me over the next couple of days. I know you don’t want to call me every single day. Your dad says that’s too much of me to ask, but I wouldn’t mind if you checked in at least twice during the week. Let me know you’re still alive and how things are going at that school.”

  That school.

  I knew she hadn’t meant for her word choice to set me off, but my wolf bristled. Her word choice rubbed him the wrong way too. We were both feeling crabby. I blamed it on not having shifted in nearly three weeks.

  The last time had been before I left for winter break. While Lunar Academy was a great place to learn how to be a werewolf and manage that side of yourself, it didn’t mean there weren’t rules. While I understood the need for them, I hated rule number one most.

  No shifting except during school sanctioned times.

  Typically, those times were at the end of every season and during full moons. Still, their schedule didn’t seem regular enough for my wolf. He apparently needed more time in his own skin.

  “I’ll call more frequently. I promise,” I said, knowing that was what she wanted to hear.

  “Good. I’ll talk to you soon, honey. Love you.”

  “Love you, too. Bye.” I hung up and flopped on my bed before running my fingers through my hair.

  “I don’t know why you act like it’s such a big deal to talk to your mom. She’s a sweet lady,” Walker said.

  I glanced at him. “She is sweet. I know that. She can just be overbearing at times.”

  “Duh, she’s a mom. Isn’t that her job?” He shoved a cookie in his mouth. “I mean, if she’s a good mom, it is. We both know mine was shit.”

  Guilt crashed through me. Every time we got on the subject of parents or homelife, I always felt bad for having a better one than Walker. He rarely said a word about it, but still.

  “I know it’s her job, and I love her for it. I do. I just… I need something to eat, and honestly, I think my wolf really needs to shift.”

  Walker nodded, totally okay with me dropping the conversation altogether. “Mine too. You have no idea how many times I was tempted to while everyone was on break.” He popped a cookie in his mouth. What did he do all break? “I’m sure they’ll let us shift sometime soon, though. Just be thankful for your mom, okay?”

  “I am. And, you’re probably right about them letting us shift soon.” I sat up on my bed, and popped open one of the canisters trying not to stare at Walker as old memories seemed to twist the features of his face.

  Walker’s mom had been a shit mom, exactly like he’d said. She left him and his dad when Walker was two. Apparently, she never bonded with him like she should have and decided that being a mom wasn’t something she was cut out for.

  So, she left.

  His dad was a good guy, but he passed away about a year ago. According to Walker, his death was expected. He had pancreatic cancer. Walker had gotten himself turned with the hope of being able to save him. He’d heard stories of our kind and tracked one down. It didn’t take him long to find one. Too bad the guy hadn’t
told him someone as sick as his dad couldn’t be saved before passing along this curse. His dad’s body was too sick for a wolf to settle and thrive inside him.

  He died hours after Walker bit him.

  Now he was here, at Lunar Academy, carrying the guilt of not being able to save his dad and being responsible for ending his life sooner than the cancer would have.

  While his situation was a hell of a lot sadder than mine, at least gaining a wolf was a choice he’d made. It had been something he’d wanted.

  For me, it was anything but.

  Tori

  I watched the trees pass in a blur as Dad drove us toward Lunar Academy. Mom glanced at me from the passenger seat. She reached around and rubbed my knee. A sad smile twisted her features. Saying goodbye had never been her thing. It wasn’t mine either, but I was ready for my second semester at the academy to begin. Heck, I’d been ready since day two of winter break.

  Everything about the place fascinated me.

  While being home again had been nice, sometime during the last few months, Lunar Academy had become my home too and it had felt strange being away. Not having class or coffee dates with my roommate, Summer, had left me feeling off-kilter. Schedules and living in a routine were my thing. I was a creature of habit. When my routine was disrupted, even for a short amount of time, I felt it dramatically.

  It left me irritable, which was never a good thing. Especially during the holidays.

  My parents had asked multiple times if I was okay. I’d told them I was fine, that it was just being thrown off my routine making me crabby, but they didn’t believe me. I could see the worry in their eyes. It was the same thing in my mom’s eyes now.

  “Are you going to be okay without me?” I asked her, flashing a smile. I’d hoped my teasing would ease her festering worry. My hand reached out to cover hers, and I gave it a gentle squeeze.