Wolf Bitten: Lunar Academy, Year One
Page 13
When we made it down the stairs and outside the Bitten dormitory, I pulled in a deep breath to steady my hammering heart. It didn’t do much good, but the feel of Holt’s hand in mine seconds later did. We walked to the edge of the woods and stepped behind a big tree where we were supposed to meet Bryant. He was the one who’d given a message to Holt about the meeting place and time earlier in the day. While the guy unsettled me, he didn’t unsettle my wolf. Was I too focused on his scar and the intimidation he always seemed to radiate to actually see him for who he was, I liked to think that wasn’t the case, but there was a possibility it was. Heck, it could even be because he was from Wolf Blood, and I hated to admit it, but they always freaked me out. It was the whole being part vampire thing.
“You made it,” Bryant said. He peeled himself off the tree he’d been leaning against while waiting for us.
“You had doubts?” Holt teased. I didn’t know why, but it seemed as though the two were more comfortable around each other than they should be given the fact they were from separate houses and didn’t seem to have a single thing in common.
Bryant returned Holt’s grin. “Not in the slightest.” He nodded toward the woods. “Follow me.”
Holt squeezed my hand twice before we followed Bryant through the thick foliage, disappearing into the woods.
Doubt crept through me the deeper into the forest we went. I wondered if it was such a good idea to follow someone who left me so uneasy deep into the woods in the middle of the night without letting anyone know where I was or what I was doing. My parents would kill me for being so stupid. Anxiety squeezed my lungs as thoughts of being chopped into tiny pieces by Bryant floated through my mind.
“Breathe. You’re okay. Trust me,” Holt whispered against my ear.
I forced my lungs to pull in a breath, hold it for the count of three, and then release it slow and steady. “And roll with it,” I said, repeating the words Holt had said multiple times the other night.
“Exactly.” He winked.
Bryant came to a complete standstill and shifted to face us. I thought he was going to say something about my nerves, but he didn’t. Instead, he reached for the edge of his shirt and pulled it over his head, revealing his incredibly muscular body. I averted my eyes and felt my cheeks flush.
What the hell was he doing?
“Strip. It’s time to shift. The others are waiting for us,” Bryant said.
Shivers slipped up my spine at the mention of others waiting for us somewhere in the words. My gaze drifted to search the shadows, but I didn’t see anyone. My wolf didn’t seem to sense anyone either.
When Holt released my hand and began to undress, I assumed he figured all must be well and I did the same. I folded my clothes into a neat pile on top of my shoes, trying to ignore how awkward and embarrassing it was to be naked in the middle of the woods with two guys. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to the lack of issues wolves had surrounding nudity.
Shifter energy stung my nose, and I glanced at Bryant. In seconds, he was a dark wolf with yellow eyes and an exceptionally large form.
“Trust me, and roll with it,” Holt said before he shifted as well.
My teeth sank into my bottom lip as my wolf attempted to force her way to the surface. The scent of shifter magic had caught her attention unlike anything else. It had been since the last full moon, when the academy hosted a sanctioned run, that we had shifted. Which was how it was supposed to be. This was an unsanctioned run. It was against the rules. Nevertheless, I held my breath as I gave way to my wolf. She was gentle yet firm as she took over. We’d learned a lot together during our time at the academy, and even though I was still uneasy about giving her control, she did everything she could to reassure me in this moment.
Soon, the three of us were running through the woods nearly in a single file line, dodging trees, sticks, and low-growing foliage. The strength, speed, and muscle of my wolf never ceased to amaze me. She was graceful yet strong. Fearless yet beautiful. She was enjoying herself, even with the situation at hand.
I tried to tap into her calm. Just when I thought I had, my wolf picked up the scent of others nearby and my anxiety came back full-fledged.
It wasn’t long before we ran up on two wolves and a guy. I didn’t know who the guy was, but it was clear from the look of him he was a student at the academy. He looked too young not to be.
My thoughts scattered when one of the wolves standing beside him nipped at his leg. As though the guy could read the wolf’s mind, he unclasped his hands in front of him and lifted his palms to the sky. Green light outlined in purple built in his palms. It shot out, hitting between two trees beside him. I was mesmerized by the color as it danced between the trees, illuminating the entire area. Magic caressed against my wolf’s fur, causing her to tense. It was then that I realized what was going on, and what I had stepped into.
Another broken academy rule. No magic was supposed to be used outside of the classrooms. Not unless it was supervised by a professor.
This kid was no professor, but I imagined that either of the wolves could be. This didn’t make me feel any better about the situation, though. The purple and green lights faded into a foggy mist, leaving the only light shining on the area coming from the sliver of moon above. The same wolf that snapped at the guy before, snapped at him again.
“I know what I’m doing. We talked about this multiple times. Don’t worry. No one else will get through. We’re good, just go,” the guy said, his deep tone vibrating through the air.
No one else would get through to where? Did he just open a portal?
The two wolves standing at his side looked to Bryant before turning and starting through the thick mist that seemed to be growing denser by the second. They passed between the two trees where the green and purple lights had lit up the area seconds before without looking back again. Bryant followed them, then Holt, and then me.
Once I stepped between the trees, it was clear I was no longer in the same forest as before. It looked the same. Trees, shrubs, low-growing foliage, mountains in the distance. But it didn’t feel the same. Maybe it was all in my head. I couldn’t be sure. However, when Holt looked at me, I knew it was because he felt the same.
“Here they are,” a familiar voice said.
I tore my eyes away from Holt and glanced to the clearing we’d come to. People and wolves stood staring at us as we grew closer. Fletcher stood among them. There were a few other faces I recognized in the crowd, but I couldn’t focus on them. All I could focus on was the man standing in the center. Dominance radiated off him unlike any wolf I’d ever met. His face was stern, yet his eyes were warm and welcoming. Authority shimmered off him into the air surrounding us, but it didn’t deter me from stepping closer.
“Jackie,” the man said, his tone oozing that same level of authority.
A girl I’d seen before around campus stepped forward. A pile of robes rested in her hands. She held them out and flashed Holt and me a smile, but I could sense the unease flickering through her. She was trying to please the man by doing as he asked, but she seemed on edge. I imagined it was because she didn’t trust easy.
“Please, return to your human form. The robes are there in case you would like one. We all know not everyone, especially those from Wolf Bitten, are as okay with nudity as some of us others,” the man said. I expected him to smile, but he didn’t. Instead, he shifted his gaze between Holt and me.
My wolf was reluctant to let go, but she understood I would set her free again on the way back. My heart hammered as I reached for one of the robes Jackie held out. After I slipped it on, I secured the belt around my waist. Holt did the same and then stepped to my side. His hand rested against the small of my back, and I leaned into his touch, drawing strength from it.
“I trust Fletcher has filled you in on who we are and what we stand for,” the man said, wasting no time with pleasantries. “Do you have any questions?”
“We heard Fletcher’s definition of what you sta
nd for, but I think I speak for us both when I ask for you to give yours,” Holt insisted, surprising me.
Back in my dorm, he’d seemed so certain joining the Elite was a good thing, but I wondered if our trek through the woods and the use of unsupervised magic, as well as the size of this group, gave him doubts. Either that or he was being cautious, which I didn’t think was a bad thing.
The man smirked at Holt and nodded as if in approval of his question. “Very well. We are called the Elite. We’re made up of some of the most ancient of our kind as well as the newest. We don’t discriminate against any house. We are all about preservation of our kind.”
“And you hope to do that through revealing yourselves to the humans? To the world?” I asked, unable to keep quiet any longer.
The man’s gaze shifted to me. I stared into his eyes. While I had been right in assessing that they were warm and welcoming even from a distance, now that I was closer, I could see how ancient and full of wisdom they were as well. This man was an old soul.
Was he one of the ancients he mentioned?
“Yes. We believe humankind has reached a generation where they are more accepting, tolerant, and willing to coexist with us. We feel the time has come to walk out from the shadows and live our lives to the fullest. Without hiding. Without fear. With nothing besides peace and love.”
I tried not to laugh at how much he sounded like a hippie. Even so, what he sounded like was coinciding with my dream and signifying to me yet again this was where I was needed.
“Now my question to you is: Will you join us?” the man asked us.
Holt shifted beside me and I glanced up at him. His eyes locked with mine, and in them I found his answer still remained the same, as did mine.
“Yes, we will,” Holt answered for the both of us.
The man nodded, and again I felt as though it was in approval. “Wise choice.”
His words hung suspended in the air, causing me to wonder what would’ve happened if we had declined their invitation.
“Step forward,” the man insisted. He held out a hand, waiting for someone to put something in it. When Fletcher handed him a silver dagger with intricate designs carved into the handle and blade, I felt my throat close up. “Each of you, hold out a hand so that I may complete the initiation rite.”
Holt took a step forward and then held out his hand palm up like the man asked. I was more hesitant, the thought of having a blade slash across my palm didn’t seem fun. Still, I stepped forward anyway. When I did, I noticed everyone around us—those in wolf form as well as those in human form—bowed as the man positioned himself in front of us.
“It is better to end your life with this dagger than to join the Elite with doubt in your heart. How do you enter?” the man asked me.
What I was supposed to say? What words was he looking for? Nobody had briefed us on this part. My heart hammered as time ticked away. I thought back over my reasoning for why I’d decided to join in the first place. I pictured my mom and dad. I pictured what it had been like growing up as their child. I pictured how happy I had been even knowing what they were. How loving and accepting we had been of each other. Minus Grandma Myrtle.
“I enter doubtless,” I said, knowing it was the right thing to say.
The same look of approval shifted through the man’s eyes before he sliced the blade across my palm. I winced at the sudden pain, and warmth trickled from the open cut, spilling onto the forest floor. I didn’t jerk away, though. I didn’t even flinch. There was something in his eyes that told me not to.
He shifted his attention to Holt next and asked him the same. He was faster in his response than I was when he replied, “Doubtless,” and then the blade was drawn across his palm too. The man brought the dagger to his own palm next, cutting it open as he had ours. He shifted to me and pressed his palm to mine. We stood frozen, open wound to open wound, for a few heartbeats before he moved to do the same to Holt.
“By oath and blood, I welcome you to the Elite,” the man said.
A chorus of claps, cheers, and howls exploded around us. My lips twisted into a wide smile as a sense of peace settled over me. Holt pulled me close, and I leaned into him, knowing this was exactly where I was supposed to be—where we were supposed to be.
A Note From The Authors
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