Unwilling to make myself physically sick, I finally pushed my plate toward Chann, who was still eyeing it with blatant hunger, and he finished the remains of my dinner in only a few bites. “No antics tonight,” Alarick ordered, rising from his seat and helping Shannon up. “Everyone to the library or back to their rooms. We’re already at too much risk with her here. I won’t have us losing our status because you two would rather play with her like she’s a new toy instead of studying.”
Chann and Zev scowled, but inclined their heads in acknowledgment, as Alarick nearly marched from the dining hall. Shannon followed in his wake after casting me a sympathetic glance. “Well, I guess we have our orders,” Chann muttered, clearly sulking.
“And you really have to follow them?” I asked, struggling from my own seat, my stomach overly full now and exhaustion beginning to creep into my system.
“Always,” Zev replied with a negligent shrug. “That’s life here. You’ll get used to it.”
“We’ll walk you back to your floor then head to the library,” Chann informed me, stretching his arms above his head enough to raise his shirt and give me a glimpse of toned, bronze abs. “Come on, Pixie, let’s get you safely away before our fearless leader comes for our heads.”
Chapter Nine
I flipped on the light in my room, humming to myself as I set my stuff on the desk.
“They’re never going to accept you, you know.”
I nearly screamed, tripping over my own feet as I spun to stare at the wolf currently laying on my bed. I wrinkled my nose at the sight, huffing in irritation. I didn’t like anyone else on my bed, let alone someone like her. “What do you want, Rhiannon?” I glanced toward the door, studying it for a moment as I played the evening over in my head. Hadn’t I locked it before I left? I was sure that I had. I could vaguely remember the sensation of the key in my hand as I was talking to Shannon. Yet, here the wolf girl lay, seeming not to have a care in the world. Besides, hadn’t I just unlocked it again to let myself in? My heart was beating so rapidly I was having trouble doing much of anything. I considered screaming for Chann or Zev—for anyone really—but since she wasn’t actually threatening me at the moment, it seemed like a bit of an overreaction. Besides, the guys had probably already disappeared down to the library using their damned super speed.
“Just to tell you what you already know,” she offered, swinging her legs to the side of the bed and sitting up to face me. There wasn’t a single wrinkle in her uniform, despite the way she’d been laying, causing me to brush at my own. After dinner, I was sure I was not only wrinkled, but I probably had something spilled on me as well. Hell, faced with a girl who looked like this, I probably also had a giant zit popping out of the middle of my forehead or a piece of toilet paper hanging out the back of my skirt. “They’ll never truly accept you into the pack. They’ll tolerate you for the next two years, or at least until you run away crying, because we’re ordered to. We can stretch the limits of the alpha’s orders, can skirt around them, but his order was that you would join our pack. It said nothing about accepting you, taking care of you, liking you…” She moved to pick up my mom’s photo from my bedside table and I jolted.
“Leave that alone,” I snapped, watching to ensure she pulled her hand back. “You aren’t even supposed to be in here. We each have our own territories.” At least some of Shannon’s oven manual had stuck. “I certainly didn’t grant you access. What’d you do, pick the lock?” Wasn’t that skill a little, well, low class for someone like her?
“Most of us consider you a murderer, you know,” she added calmly, as though we were just having a pleasant conversation rather than… whatever the hell this was.
“What?” The word was a pained whisper.
“Following the orders of our elders, it’s honoring them—more than that, it’s mandatory. You were so selfish, so entitled with your own petty desires, you just had to run off on your own. Your mom only did what any good parent would do, went out looking for her poor, lost pup. You put her in that car. You put her in front of that driver. She was probably crying over you, right? Worried sick.” She moved closer to me now as she spoke, her words freezing me to the spot as I remembered the frantic texts and calls that had been blowing up my phone, the phone I’d purposefully turned off to avoid having to respond, to keep her from tracking me.
“Get out.” I tried to infuse strength into the words, grasping desperately for the sass I’d thrown at her before, but her words continued to hit their target, weakening me with every blow.
“Do you think she saw that truck before it hit her?” Rhiannon’s eyes were glowing gold, her lips turning up into a cruel smirk as she stood across from me, close enough for me to strike her. My body refused to obey the command, though, despite my desperate desire to smack that contemptuous grin off of her face. “Do you think she called your name? Or do you think she cursed you, knowing you brought her to that fate?”
Her words were echoing throughout the room, swirling around me as if they were living creatures, the furnishings blurring together in a wave of color, leaving only her golden eyes standing out. “That’d be a fate worse than death, don’t you think? Knowing that your own mother cursed your name, regretted having you, hated you with her dying breath?”
Sharp nails scraped against my cheek, cutting into the skin, tearing as surely as her words tore strips from my heart. I didn’t, couldn’t, pull away from her, the pain in my face meant nothing to me in that moment, not compared to the pain her words were invoking. “The pretty little Pixie she’d cherished led her to her death, singing her along to her doom with the evil lurking inside her heart. You’ll lead others to their doom as well, won’t you, Pixie?” My name was said with a sneer, her golden eyes jewel bright as they narrowed in contempt.
“You’re dangerous to everyone around you A murderer.” I nodded slowly as she said the words, acknowledging the truth that resonated deeply inside me.
“I’m dangerous to everyone around me.” The words fell from my lips, though I didn’t remember forming them, couldn’t remember deciding to speak. “A murderer.”
“You know what you need to do, don’t you?” Her words were sweet now, sympathetic even, as her nails dug deeper into my cheek. Blood trickled down, the heat slowly cooling as it dripped down my neck and soaked into the collar of my shirt. “To protect everyone from what you’d cause.”
Static filled my ears, Rhiannon’s golden eyes the only thing filling my vision as I spun deeper and deeper into myself, dragged down as thoroughly as a dose of laughing gas at my dentist’s office, unable to claw my way back to the surface. I nodded, my motions sluggish and stilted, as her words continued to echo. Dangerous. I was so dangerous. A threat to everyone. Zev, Chann, Shannon... Alarick. I felt the scissors under my fingers; clasping them was difficult, since my hands seemed to be two sizes too large, clumsy and fumbling as I attempted to open the blades. I’d see my mom soon. Maybe… maybe once I atoned, she’d be waiting for me.
A roar broke through the static, the golden light that was swallowing me dimmed and I blinked, confusion overtaking my horror. Hard arms wrapped around me, blue overtaking the gold as I tried to focus. “Penelope! Shit, you’re bleeding everywhere.” The pain in my face began to grow and growling caught my attention. Rhiannon and Shannon were grappling. Shannon had the taller girl by the hair, wrapping the thick strands tightly around her fist as she tried to pin her down. Rhiannon was twisting Shannon’s arm, clawing at her face. The scissors dropped from my limp fingers, clattering to the floor at my feet.
“That bitch!” Fury raced through me and I shoved out of Alarick’s arms, springing into the fight. Rhiannon’s attention was focused solely on the female wolf behind her, but I didn’t feel even slightly bad for the sucker punch when I nailed her directly in the nose, a primal enjoyment roaring through me as it shattered under my hand, blood other than my own pouring down as she swore.
“Enough!” Alarick bellowed. Rhiannon and Shannon froze, and
in any other situation, I would have found it funny since they seemed paralyzed despite the awkward positioning. My fury left no room for amusement though. Alarick’s command had no effect on me, and I slammed my fist into her face again, this time aiming for her eye and landing a solid blow. I swore as my hand sang with pain, mimicking the agony radiating up my face.
Hands gathered me up, stilling my frantic, mostly futile, attempts to fight the other girl. Alarick’s voice was surprisingly soft as he gathered me close to him. “That’s enough now,” he murmured, though anger still trailed heatedly through his husky tone.
“The hell it is! I’ll tear her apart! I’ll...” Exhaustion hit me with the force of a punch, and if it weren’t for Alarick’s steadying grasp, I would have stumbled and fallen to the floor.
“I’ve got you, Penny, hang on.” Alarick’s breath was warm on my ear as he scooped me up, cradling me against his hard chest. I could taste blood on my lips now and, as my vision grayed out, my head tilted against his shoulder, resting there even as I struggled to go after Rhiannon again.
“I swear if my face scars, she’s going to be turned into sausage.” I wasn’t sure if I managed to say the words out loud before the darkness claimed me.
I groaned as I woke up, shifting under cool sheets and wincing at the ache in my face. The room was pitch-black, not even light from the moon brightened it to shades of gray, so I had absolutely no idea where I was. I raised cautious fingers, touching the edges of a bandage. “Fuck.”
“Normally, I’d remind a student to watch their language, but in this case, I think it may be warranted.” The smooth, velvety voice had me jolting, searching the darkened room for its owner, my hands balling into fists on top of the covers. If Rhiannon had sent someone else to do her dirty work, I wasn’t going to go down easily, that was for sure. “No need to be afraid, Ms. Miller.” A light flared on the table beside the bed, and I blinked to clear my vision. I squinted through the tears now filling my eyes, taking in the man settled into an armchair near me. I recognized him from the dining hall—the handsome, stern teacher who had followed so purposefully after Raff.
“You’re a teacher?” I asked, still lightly touching the edge of the bandages covering my face.
“Yes. You will be in a few of my classes, I’m sure. You may call me Mr. Cole.”
“Well, Mr. Cole, do you mind telling me what the hell happened?”
“Language, Ms. Miller,” he scolded, his dark brow raising in censure. This close, I was able to see his eyes were a dark, chocolate brown behind the frames of his glasses. “Once was quite enough. You will need to mind your tongue.”
I looked down at my hands, swallowing hard against the retort that danced on the tip of my tongue. “Sorry, sir,” I murmured.
He drew in a deep breath, settling onto the bed beside me. I held still for a moment, not used to having someone that close, but I relaxed as the warmth from his body flowed over me in a comforting wave. “As to what happened, well, I’d like to hear what you have to say regarding that matter. There are a few things that need to be clarified. Please, start at the beginning, and don’t leave out any details.”
“I was at dinner with everyone,” I began slowly, trying to turn everything over in my head. “I went back to my room...”
“Was it locked?” he inquired. There was no censure in his cool voice, merely a quiet kind of curiosity.
“Yes. I remember fumbling with the key when I waved to Chann and Zev. They were going back to the library. I was going to study in my room.” I rubbed my temple as a headache began to throb dully in time with the burning pain in my cheek. “When I got in my room, Rhiannon was there, lying on my bed.” Fury burned bright inside me, and I was ready to tear back into the other girl. “I don’t really know what happened after that. She started talking about my mom...” I felt the blood drain from my face as I shivered. “It was like... like being too high, when the dentist mixes the laughing gas wrong. And you feel like you’re drowning in noise and color. You feel it all spinning and echoing, but you can’t really do anything about it. I was holding the scissors...” I trailed off.
“What happened next?” he prompted quietly, as I wrapped my arms tightly around my waist, seeking what little comfort I could find as goosebumps raised on my skin. His hand hovered over my cheek for a moment before stroking softly down my arm, and patting my thigh gently. I remembered Raff’s comment about wolves offering each other comfort, and I could only be grateful for it in this moment. Though I didn’t know him yet, merely his presence was enough to reassure me of my safety, his hands gentle and soothing in a way I never would have expected. I breathed deeply, relaxing my arms down to my sides before I continued.
“Shannon hit Rhiannon, I think.” I cocked my head, trying to make sure I had everything straight. “I heard a roar, but I think that was Alarick. He was holding me, and it was like I was coming out of it. I saw Shannon trying to hold Rhiannon down. And I... I lost it.” Blood rushed back into my cheeks fast enough to make me dizzy. Embarrassment warred with fury and righteous indignation as I jerked my chin up. He slowly raised a brow at my challenging look, his dark brown eyes sparkling in the light. “I broke her nose,” I admitted, though the shame that should have decorated the words wasn’t there. “And maybe her eye socket too. I hit her kind of hard.” The memory of that had me glancing at my hand and I saw a matching set of bandages there.
“And you stopped hitting her?”
I shook my head. “Alarick told them to stop. They froze mid-fight. I hit her again, and Alarick picked me up to make me stop.” I scowled at the memory. Part of me was furious he’d used my size against me, preventing me from giving that demon the thrashing she deserved. The other part remembered the way his voice had softened as he cradled me. Had he called me Penny? I rubbed my temple again, my thoughts going fuzzy as the ache in my face deepened. That wasn’t right, was it? Alarick hated me. I’ve got you, Penny. I swore I remembered his deep, husky voice whispering those words into my ear. “I think I passed out after that.”
“Well, your account seems to match with Mr. Temples’s and Ms. White’s,” he declared, my stomach easing a little at the knowledge they hadn’t lied about the encounter. “For now, you’ll rest in the medical wing where I can keep an eye on you.”
“You’re a nurse?” I questioned skeptically, taking in his immaculate ensemble.
“I’m one of the healers here. I’m also one of the weapons masters, so, as you see, it’s a useful skill for me to acquire.”
“My face?” I really hoped it wasn’t bad, and he softened for a moment before his mouth firmed again.
“You shouldn’t scar. The wounds were deep, but Alarick got you here quickly. It will take time for them to heal, even with me treating them. You don’t have any shifter blood, so things will work a little differently. I’ll continue to monitor you.” I relaxed at his assurance, although I hoped it wouldn’t take too long. Suddenly, I yawned, my eyelids growing heavy again, his velvet voice acting like a lullaby. He picked up my hand and rubbed it gently against his cheek before placing the bandaged limb beside me and rising from the bed. “That’s enough talking. Sleep for now, Ms. Miller. I’ll watch over you.” Amusement seemed to tinge his voice as he added, “You’ll have plenty of time to deal with the fallout of this when you wake up.” I wanted to ask what he meant by that, but sleep claimed me before I had a chance to find out what new worry I’d created for myself.
Chapter Ten
It took me a minute to identify the sound that awakened me from my deep sleep, my eyes searching for shapes in the darkened room. Mr. Cole must have turned off the lamp at some point. The sound came again, a soft sniffle, and I was sure it wasn’t Mr. Cole making it. Carefully, and with a wince as the bandages covering me tugged, I shifted my position. If this was some kind of sneak attack by Rhiannon, I wanted to be ready. I didn’t know what she’d managed to do to me before, but I wasn’t going to let it happen again if I could help it. I couldn’t see anything
in the dark that would work as a weapon, but I remembered the lamp next to me being sturdy. If nothing else, I could attack with that. Ignoring the fear raging through my system, I moved quickly, flipping the light on and grabbing the base despite the pain in my hands at my attempt to grip the heavy metal.
A shocked gasp echoed through the room, followed by a fearful squeak as my eyes adjusted to the light. It wasn’t Rhiannon sitting across from me now, but Shannon, her hands covering her mouth and her eyes wide behind the frame of her glasses as she stared at me in shock.
“Shannon?” I asked, carefully setting aside the lamp. Since this girl had helped save me, I couldn’t view her as a threat. Her eyes were full of tears, their tracks staining her cheeks. The sound I’d been hearing had to have been her muffled crying. “What’s wrong?” I gritted my teeth as I slid from the bed, my steps light as I wrapped my arm around the other girl. Although she was taller than I was, something about her made her feel smaller, like I needed to protect her, take care of her. Shannon hesitated for only a moment before throwing her arms around my waist and burying her head into my shoulder.
“You could have died,” she sobbed, her arms wrapped tightly around me. I shifted slightly, unsure, before I settled half onto her lap, preventing her from straining her back to keep her arms around me. The other girl showed no discomfort at the familiar pose, so I sighed, easing slightly farther onto her lap so I could stroke a hand through her hair, patting her shoulder softly as I attempted to calm her.
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