So fucking embarrassing. Cheeks burning, I took the thick sandwich and fought the war of my life not to tear into it before I even made it to the cash register.
The older man breathed deeply, sniffing hard enough I backed up a step. What the fuck?
“My wife makes a mean sandwich. You got gas too?”
Still wary, I stepped closer and laid the twenty on the counter. “Ten bucks worth.”
I met his gaze, and I froze.
Wolf eyes.
He knew what I was, and now, for the first time in my life, I’d met another wolf other than Mom. My heart pounded with the shot of adrenaline coursing through my veins. My muscles tensed, ready to run for the bike. Or better yet, reach for the blade hidden in my boot.
His wife joined us, laying a hand on his arm. Whether to stay his attack, or to stake claim on him before me, I wasn’t sure. “I take it you’re looking for the academy,” she said gently, her voice soft and not at all wolf-like. “I’m sorry to say they don’t take females, honey.”
I risked looking away from the male’s eyes to see if she was a wolf too. When she was making my sandwich I hadn’t noticed anything, but then I hadn’t expected to stumble across more people like me. Her eyes told me nothing, and I sure wasn’t going to sniff her like her husband did me. I may have a wolf inside of me, but it didn’t replace my dignity or common decency.
“Are you…?” My words stumbled off into nothing. It felt ridiculous to say it aloud. Are you a wolf? Like me?
“I am.”
Confusion mixed with my rage. My age-guessing ability sucked ass but she was at least twenty years older than Mom. So why the fuck wasn’t she dead already? Why hadn’t her wolf torn her up and killed her? “Can you shift?”
Her eyes flared, and she twitched like someone had shoved a cattle prod up her ass. “What? No. It’s not possible. We’re carriers. We continue the breed, but that’s it.”
“Then how are you controlling it?”
She tipped her head toward her husband. “He’s strong enough to help me keep the wolf at bay, though he’s not alpha.”
“So what you’re saying is that a man is my only hope?” I couldn’t help but spit the words out in a furious snarl. That was what Daddy Dearest thought when he’d attacked my mother.
While her husband’s eyes narrowed, she gave me a sympathetic smile. “I used to be the same way, but deep down, you know that your wolf longs to be dominated. A strong male wolf can help—”
My fingers were twitching around the sandwich I gripped. I had to get out of here. Now. Before I started a dogfight. “You know what, thank you so much for the sandwich,” I gritted out through my clenched teeth. “Keep the change.”
I all but fled from the shop, unable to listen to all that bullshit. No man would ever control me, let alone dominate me. I knew my mom was the same way. If it truly was the only way, then we were both dog food. I refused to accept that.
3
For a secret wolf academy, their campus was conspicuous and high brow. When I finally came across the wrought iron fencing and sprawling land, it didn’t take a wolf’s nose or a degree in rocket science to guess that this was Wolf Point Academy, capped off with a regal, ostentatious sign and long-ass winding driveway.
My sleuthing was correct. So much for them keeping a low profile.
The gate to the driveway, although sturdy and imposing, did them no service when it was wide open. Either they were too proud to think anyone would dare trespass, or they weren’t as exclusive as everyone thought. I hoped for the latter.
I wished I could say I didn’t hesitate to drive through the gate and hotrod my bike straight to the alpha of the academy and demand to stay, but my fingers froze on the clutch. My bike rattled idly beneath me as I stared at the sign. This academy was the only lead I had right now, my best bet for saving Mom, and yet, I couldn’t move. For once, my rage was a quiet crackle beneath the surface and not a driving, consuming inferno.
But when I thought about the way Mom’s face looked. How tiny she’d been in that hospital bed. The fire picked up, and it became more than easy to rev my bike and take off.
I went all the way to the front building, the biggest and most pretentious one in sight. Surely that had to be where I could find the alpha, or at least a receptionist. How did academies work anyways?
I parked at the bottom of the steps and turned off the engine. From this point on, I had to be smart and show no signs of hesitation or weakness.
I hopped off the bike and tucked my keys in my boot. I left the helmet out and ready to go if I needed to flee. Taking a deep breath, I ascended the stairs.
The campus was surrounded by tall, looming woods. There was a lake on the back half, barely visible with all the trees and shrubbery. The fence seemed a little unnecessary with such thick forestry, but if this really was a wolf academy, then it made sense. Was the fence meant to keep wandering curious humans out, or feral, vicious wolves in? Either way, it made me feel trapped in a cage. I was suddenly overly aware of how that gate was my only known exit. My wolf stirred beneath the surface, pacing and wary.
The front door was unreasonably tall with dark, polished wood and a faint scent of lemon polish. I scrunched my nose up at the chemical smell, bit my lip harshly, and knocked. It seemed a little too brash to just let myself in.
My knock echoed in the eerie silence. Uneasy, I stood on the brick porch barely breathing. In my experience, quiet was never a good thing. Quiet meant my opponent was calculating.
Just when I was about to knock again or let myself in, the lock clicked and the door squeaked open. I didn’t know if I was expecting a wolf with opposable thumbs or an axe murderer on the other side, but I was surprised to find a younger looking man. He was taller than me, with an olive skin tone and black hair pushed back from his forehead. His dark brown eyes glowed with the wolf behind them.
As soon as his eyes met mine, a growl resonated from him and his lips curled back. His wolf eyes glowed as he sniffed the air and growled again. I returned the favor and caught the heady scent of wild animal and more of that shitty lemon polish.
I growled back, my anger sparking. What kind of asshole greeted a visitor with a growl?
“Do you need something?” He finally asked.
My lips pulled back again as I suppressed an irritated growl at his biting tone. “Do you greet all of your guests that way?”
Scowling, he repeated, “Do you need something, mutt?”
I rolled my eyes, wanting to kick his ass but knowing it wouldn't be smart to start a fight. Yet. “Where’s your alpha?”
“Why? You aren’t his type. He’ll eat you alive.”
Fed up with him, I shouldered my way past him, planning to find the alpha myself.
“You’re going to get yourself killed. Bitches aren’t welcome here.”
I whirled on my heel to get in his face, which was a feat in itself because he was considerably taller than me. “Call me a bitch again and see what happens, asshole.” My voice was a snarl, and I could feel my nails biting into my palms as I fought the urge to pummel him. “Where’s your alpha?”
A cruel, amused smile made its way onto his face, and he pulled back to eye me cockily. “Fine, your funeral. Follow me.”
Now, he eagerly led the way into the grand building, which made my gut twist. He’d insinuated that I was here to fuck some alpha--who wasn’t worth my goddamned time--insulted me, and then called me a bitch. If I wasn’t in a house of wolves, I would have gutted this man like a fish.
I followed the asshole up an elegant staircase. The interior was nice with dark wood floors reeking of lemon and soft grey walls reminiscent of dungeon chic. The further we went, the more my wolf seemed to stir. The wild animal scent grew thicker and made my skin crawl. Some doors we passed had ominous growls and snarls coming from behind them, but we didn’t cross anyone else’s path. The man would look back at me every now and then, his wolfy eyes predatory and plotting. I bit my lip so hard in annoyance
that it bled.
Finally, we came to a door that loomed much more grandeur than the others, and he knocked. There was a plaque that read Headmaster Jorak, and I glared up at the guy. “What the fuck? I said alpha.”
He narrowed his eyes and leaned in so his bared teeth were inches from my face. “I know what you said.”
“So what the fuck?” I hissed at him, already pulling a fist back and getting ready to throw hands. Stupid or not, I was ready to kick this guy’s ass.
“Do you really want those to be your last words before you’re thrown to the wolves? Seems a little bitchy and a waste of air if you ask me.” His cocky smirk and glinting wolfy eyes made my eye twitch.
Before I could swing a fist at his asshole face, he leaned in and sharply sniffed my neck. My entire body stiffened, and my brain forgot what to do. I had never been sniffed like that before. Nothing had ever prepared me for the correct response. He pulled away as I clenched and unclenched my hands, trying to decide if I should hit him in the face, or go straight to his balls for invading my personal space.
He smirked one last time and made his way back down the hall. “A word of advice. Piss on yourself first and Jorak won’t eat your corpse.”
I took one step to follow him and kick his ass, but before I could take another, a stern, rumbling voice called from the other side of the door. “Come in.”
I found the handle and shoved the door open. Immediately, the distinct smell of wet dog hit me, almost overwhelming my senses. Pipe smoke and leather undertones lingered, but the dog scent was heady. I glanced around the room, first noticing how dark it was. Heavy, thick curtains covered the windows.
Despite the canine odor, there was no dog in sight. Just a tall, mass of a man sitting behind a desk stacked with paperwork. He didn’t even look up at me right away. His hair was speckled with grey, and his face was scruffy and rugged. A deep scar traced across his right cheek, and another scar nicked his right eyebrow. His lips were twisted. Deep frown lines grooved his forehead. Even though he glared down at the papers, I could tell his nose was crooked. It had to have been broken several times at least.
Just looking at him brought out my wolf and made my fingers clench defensively into fists.
A moment of silence passed before I saw his nose twitch, and his head snapped up. He leaped up from his desk, a vicious snarl ripping from his throat.
For the first time, I felt a small shiver of fear before more anger.
“Why are you here?” His voice was distorted by his wolf so I could barely make out the words.
My hackles rose. I wasn’t the oversharing type of person. In fact, I didn’t like other people knowing my business. How much should I disclose to this strange wolf man? “You’re the headmaster, right? The alpha of Wolf Point Academy—”
His shoulders hunched, braced as if he was preparing to pounce on me and rip me apart. “I didn’t ask for a high school essay on things I already know.”
Suddenly, all of my reservations flew out the window. Anger flared inside of me. How dare he treat me like I was some kind of idiot?
Like I’m nothing. Just a fucking waste of his time.
“I’m here to join the academy.”
For a moment, he didn’t move. We just stared each other down, and then he started to laugh, cruel and cold.
“Stop fucking laughing,” I demanded, enraged that he wasn’t taking me seriously.
My disrespect seemed to sober him up. He straightened, still not moving from behind his desk. His cold gaze moved over my face. Then he leaned forward over his desk toward me, arms crossed over his chest. “And tell me, Miss...”
I rolled my eyes. Crossing my own arms across my chest, I hovered near the door just inside the room, ready to turn tail and take off at the first sign of a threat. I wasn’t familiar with this place, and I was clearly outnumbered. Starting a fight might be suicidal at this point. “Melanie Lopez.”
His right eye twitched. “Tell me, Miss Lopez, why would I let a simpering little bitch into my academy?”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he scowled and cut me off. “Bitches aren’t welcome here. You go into heat, and it’ll be World War III. You wouldn’t survive a day here. A common bitch like you will never control a wolf. You’d be lucky to make it to thirty before it does us all a favor and tears itself out of you. Do you even know how you draw your wolf out? You get the shit beaten out of you until your human side gives out and your wolf can take control. You have to be worn down, exhausted, and defeated. It’d be kinder and more prudent to kill you now than to let you in.”
“Why? If you’re so sure that I wouldn’t last a day of a little bullying and it would be easier to kill me, then why not give me a shot? If not for my assured immediate death, then for the amusement of watching such a weak bitch like me die, huh? Or are you scared that I’ll actually make it and embarrass you?”
“Bullying? You think what we do here is casual bullying?” His tone was mocking, as if I’d told him a trite little joke. “This is brutal. It’s kill or be killed. Fight and survive, or crawl away with your tail tucked between your legs and hope we don’t eat you alive.”
Despite my rage, I still couldn’t help but voice my stupid question. “You do that? Eat people?”
He shrugged casually, and I resisted the urge to bend down and grab my hidden blade. “Wolves aren’t picky. Meat is meat. The weak die, and the strong survive. The pack is the only thing that matters, and the weak don’t survive in a strong pack.”
I bit my lip. Pack is the only thing that matters.
But I was all the pack I had. I had no one else on my side. Which is all the more reason to fight tooth and nail for a chance.
He started to sit back down, ignoring me completely. “You don’t belong here, Miss Lopez. This is your last chance to leave before I have you for dinner.”
“Coward.”
He paused. Then, he slowly lifted his gaze to mine. To my surprise, he gave me a wolfy smile of teeth. Lots of teeth. “Tell you what, Miss Lopez. Follow me.”
His sudden change of heart made me suspicious. I was no Sherlock Holmes, but my simple sleuthing skills indicated that this wasn’t awesome.
He brushed past me and started down the hall, and although I knew he was probably leading me to the kitchen to have his head chef sautée me and serve me up with butter, I followed him. I’d argue and fight until he killed me, or relented and let me stay.
“You should still give me a chance—” I was interrupted by several growls as we entered an open room.
A group of men stared me down. All of them bristling and crouched, ready to attack.
I ignored them. “Take a fucking picture.”
The headmaster didn’t pause to address them, but continued across the room to the staircase. As I followed him down, I heard snarls and grumbling before the men began to clamber down after us. We passed through the maze of halls. I tried to keep my bearings in case I needed to make a last minute escape to my bike, but the building was a fucking labyrinth.
We passed more groups of men, all of which growled and snarled at me, but otherwise made no move to attack. Just like the first group, they followed behind us, almost as if they were expecting a spectacle.
Finally, we came to a set of double doors that led out onto a brick patio. I followed him out and men filtered out with us, taking a seat on a low wall that ran around the border. Headmaster Jorak led me down the steps to the stained and weathered level a few feet below. He stood in the middle of the patio with his shoulders back and arms crossed, not even bothering to look at me as he observed the men that continued to stream in.
Once the influx seemed to slow down, he cleared his throat. “Ethan Griffin, come down.”
I shifted my weight restlessly from foot to foot, my eyes darting around the almost-arena space. A broad shouldered and heavily scarred man stood up and hopped down from the wall. He landed with practiced ease and approached us, his wolfy eyes gleaming with excitement.
I d
idn’t like where this was going, and to make matters worse, I was now surrounded by wolf men.
The crowd growled and snarled and murmured until the Headmaster snapped his fingers. They immediately stopped, and I could’ve heard a pin drop.
He turned toward me. “If you’re so hell-bent on dying, I’ll make you a deal. If you can survive a fight with my best, then you can stay at Wolf Point Academy.”
My heart raced. He was actually giving me a chance. Sure, he expected me to die, or quit out of fear, but I still had hope. I knew my capabilities. I had a chance. And if my capabilities failed me, then I had more than enough rage to sustain me. I was too angry to die now. “Deal.”
With a smile, he turned to the other man I was supposed to fight. “Kill her.”
4
Me? As in kill me?
Headmaster Jorak turned without another word and walked out of the ring, up the stairs, and stood at the top, watching us.
Ethan eyed me up and down before glancing up at the headmaster. “Are you sure?”
The gathered crowd began to murmur.
“Is there a problem?” Headmaster Jorak snapped.
Shaking his head slowly, Ethan looked back at me. “You want me to hit a girl.”
“Hit her? Why no, of course not,” Jorak drawled in a sugary and reassuring tone. I almost felt a little relieved, but then he kept talking. “Mr. Griffin, I never told you to hit her.”
Ethan gave me an uneasy smile, almost apologetic for even considering hitting me.
When the headmaster spoke again, his voice was sharp. “Mr. Griffin, I told you to kill her.”
Ethan's glowing eyes focused on me, and I almost hoped that he would argue further. Killing me seemed a little harsh here. Like, yeah, I called him a coward, but that was hardly worthy of the death penalty.
Ethan hesitated one more moment, but when the headmaster cleared his throat, he set his shoulders and began to circle me. I mirrored his action, carefully keeping him in sight. I had no idea what to expect. This was supposed to be the academy’s best fighter.
Lone Wolf's Attack Page 2