by Kat Zaccard
Jack launched into the other programs and martial arts training options that would be available that year. Since most werewolves didn’t have total control of their shift, the community felt it was just as important to train and be able to defend yourself in human form as well. Shea was excited by the prospect of having so many more options and experienced teachers to train with. I couldn’t help feeling that we weren’t in a boarding school anymore, more like a military academy. Lapsing into thoughtful silence, I shuddered at the thought. It was all too accurate of a description, considering current events.
Forty-five minutes later, we rolled onto a long winding private drive shaded by tall oak trees. As we rounded the final bend, Mt. Henley came into view. Nestled in the hidden valleys of three tall mountain peaks, Mount Henley was an impressive estate. The main edifice of the school was a massive mansion that looked more like a palace than a school. The ornate building was split for high-school classes on the right and college classes on the left, east and west wings, since we usually entered from the rear of the building. Behind the sprawling mansion were two ornate manor houses, called the Artemis and Apollo dorms. They were each five stories tall and more than opulent for dormitories. Behind the dorms or small mansions—whatever—were lovely groomed gardens. To the left ran acres of orchards, and to the right were large fields for play and an arena for sporting and training events. The arena mimicked the coliseum in Rome, adding to the grandeur of the estate. Pathways wound off into the foothills that led to Dryden, the secret werewolf village tucked away and hidden from view of the school proper.
The light had faded by the time Jack pulled up to the Artemis dormitory. He helped us unload our luggage and waved goodbye. We heard wolves howl in the distance, likely a patrol that picked up Jack’s scent and knew he was home. Shea and I entered the marble building, taking in the pink marble walls and garish red carpet. Ornate picture frames held scenes of battle, Artemis, of course, wolves, and pastoral vistas. It was awkward to find this large ostentatious room felt familiar, almost homey. We parted ways to go to our bedrooms. Shea, being the only Winterstone, was off to her lonely room on the first floor. Me, being the only royal, was off to a lonely suite on the fifth floor.
When I got to my room, I really did feel at home. I’d forgotten how much I loved my suite at Mt. Henley. The room opened into a small kitchenette with marble countertops and stainless steel appliances. The cupboards and refrigerator were sure to be stocked with my favorite foods. The living room area had a plush couch and several comfortable chairs, TV and various devices for entertainment, a nice oak desk, and cozy reading lamps. The balcony outside ran the length of the suite to the bedroom. My bedroom boasted a huge four-poster bed that sat on an actual dais near the window. The adjoining bathroom had a claw-foot tub and a huge walk-in 360-degree spray shower.
Once, I’d overheard Jillian complain about her rooms on the fourth floor. I couldn’t imagine what her home must be like if she expected something nicer. Hayley’s rooms were also on the fourth floor, so I knew theirs were as luxurious as mine, if a tad smaller. My suite was more than double the size of my bedroom in Greenville. Luxury was an acquired taste that I was humbly acquiring to my own chagrin. I dropped my bags near the closet and flopped onto my bed. It was good to be home.
A little while later, there was a knock at my door. Shea entered and we headed off to dinner in the dining hall on the second floor. As the elevator door opened with a ding, we heard the rising din of many teenage girls’ voices float toward us from the mezzanine. We entered the dining hall and were surprised to see so many students. Usually the dining hall was less than half full. There were only a few hundred werewolves attending high school at Mt. Henley. As I looked around, I spotted only a few empty tables. There must be more exchange students staying here than I’d realized.
Shea had spotted our usual crew by then and dragged me to one of the middle tables. “What up, bitches?” she teased.
Hayley’s purple-streaked sleek head turned around and her eyes widened. “You’re back!” she exclaimed. She paused briefly to punch Sara in the arm then jumped up to give Shea a hug. Turning to me, she added, “Hey, Princess, where’s your crown?” I smiled at her teasing and hugged her firmly.
Sara and Lola had gotten up to make their rounds too. We all started talking at once, trying to ask questions and fill each other in on our summers. Hayley had gone to Europe with her family despite the embargo on student visas. Her family had money and connections. “We stayed in the South of France and toured the Mediterranean. But my parents wouldn’t take us to Amsterdam,” she pouted.
“Amsterdam-dam-damn?” I joked.
Sara had gone home to her large family in Vancouver, and Lola had spent her summer in Baja California. “My parents almost didn’t let me come back,” she admitted.
“Alice’s too,” responded Shea without thinking. I kicked her under the table. “Uh, but obviously, they didn’t know about…” Shea trailed off. I knew she felt awkward bringing up Kulani’s name. We all loved Kulani, but it was a rare treat to feel happy and smile. I instantly felt guilty for her death, and worse that I wanted to forget about it for just a little while. But we would never forget her. We sat with our grief a moment longer. Kulani had been a mentor to all of us. She had been the first werewolf to make Shea and me feel like we belonged at Mt. Henley, besides each other, of course. I was pretty sure Shea still felt like an outsider to most of the rest of the school. I knew I did, and I wasn’t shunned for my last name.
Hayley broke the silence. “Yeah, it’s been a hard summer on all of us.”
“Remember when you hid that stink bomb in Jillian’s gym locker freshman year after Kulani had suggested revenge?” Lola asked Hayley.
“She did what?!” I asked in disbelief. Kulani had been a warrior, but also a teacher and very motherly to all her students. I couldn’t see her endorsing such a flagrant breaking of the rules.
“Oh yeah!” Sara laughed. Sometimes I thought only Lola could make her smile. “She was getting back at her for a crack about her brother.”
“No one messes with my family, even if your mom is the Queen.” Hayley grinned.
“I knew she taught Chemistry, but I still can’t picture Kulani suggesting a stink bomb!”
Hayley hesitated. “Well, she didn’t actually suggest a stink bomb, per se…”
Lola laughed. “Yeah, Kulani had overheard the three of us plotting revenge on Jillian for making fun of Hayley’s brother. Kulani had actually said something like, don’t stoop to her level; just take revenge on the battlefield.”
“She meant kick her ass in capture-the-flag,” added Sara.
“Hey, so I’m a little too literal. The world is my battlefield.” Hayley stuck her nose in the air and placed her hands on her hips a la Wonder Woman. We all laughed.
“What did Jillian do?” I asked, trying to picture Jillian’s face when the stick bomb went off.
“Oh, she was furious!” Hayley exclaimed a little too gleefully.
“Yeah, and she smelled for a week!” added Sara.
“I’m pretty sure she had to buy new gym clothes,” said Shea.
“It was a bit of a backfire,” commented Lola. “The locker room also smelled for a week.”
“Yeah, Kulani was not pleased about that,” remembered Hayley.
“But she scolded you over a piece of key lime pie, so she wasn’t too mad either.” Lola laughed.
“Yeah, that was kind of a mixed message, huh?” Hayley wondered.
“I’m sure all the teachers were happy to see the biggest bully at school taken down a peg, even if they couldn’t admit it.” I was starting to think Lola had more of a dark side than I’d given her credit.
Sara chimed in, “I think she was impressed we made the stink bomb ourselves. I mean, she did love Chemistry.”
We all laughed then launched into our favorite Kulani stories. Many of the stories ended with a heart-to-heart talk and a tasty pastry. It was sweet, sad, and catha
rtic. There were a few tears but even more giggles. By the time we’d finished eating and talking, we all felt sated and not just from the food. There’s a simple magic to healing grief. I didn’t have the recipe, but time, memories, and friendship were key ingredients.
We made our goodbyes and headed off to bed, promising to meet up in the morning. We had a week before classes began, and we were looking forward to some time together. I wanted to run, but the moon was only a quarter full and I knew Jack wouldn’t want me to risk it. I’d promised him no solo runs this year. I sighed. It was going to be a long school year.
Chapter 10
The next day, we all reconvened at breakfast. I noticed Damka and Princess Fanya among the mingled exchange students and introduced them around. They joined us as we headed outside to catch up with the boys. I didn’t care to run into Logan, but I knew Shea was dying to see Adam. Apparently, Adam was also desperate to see Shea because he was waiting outside on a bench near the gardens when we exited the back of the Artemis dorm. He leapt to his feet when he saw Shea, and she was in his arms before he could take two steps towards her.
His lean, dark figure scooped her up and spun her around, Shea’s rose-gold curls swirling around them in a spiral. They had a picturesque moment of hugging, twirling, and kissing, marred only by our wolf whistles and obnoxious teasing from the sidelines. With a sheepish grin, Adam disengaged himself from Shea and greeted us. I gave Adam a big hug then introduced Fanya and Damka. He tried to be friendly but only had eyes for Shea. Finally, we let them go, knowing they needed time to catch up. They wandered off into the gardens hand in hand. We alternated between making “aww” noises and retching sounds. Finally, we giggled ourselves out and decided to walk through the woods.
We offered to show Fanya and Damka our favorite haunts. It was slower going in our human forms, but after an hour or so, we made it to the waterfall. Other wolves had the same idea and there were quite a few kids lounging on the rocks or splashing in the water. Most werewolves aren’t shy about nudity, but I was still getting used to it myself. It didn’t bother me much when we were shifting back and forth as wolves, but seeing a bunch of nude teens splashing in the pool of the waterfall definitely felt more awkward to my almost seventeen self. I blushed as Anatoly came out of the water, dripping wet and stark naked. Beside me, Hayley sucked in some air. He smiled and waved when he saw me. I kept my eyes above sea level and tried out a mutant grin.
My awkwardness must have shown through, and he politely toweled off and drew on his shorts before coming over. He greeted me formally, complete with title and bow. I returned the greeting and introduced my friends. Hayley’s eye went wide and she giggled as Anatoly bent to kiss her hand. I grinned in surprise, since Hayley always played it cool. She was smiling at Anatoly in a way I hadn’t seen before. Fanya was cutting them malevolent looks that made me wary of a potential love triangle. For his part, Anatoly seemed oblivious to both of their moods and was polite to everyone. He offered to join us for our walk, but his friends in the water protested.
“Why don’t you just come for a swim?” teased Casimir flashing a wide smile, his blue eyes twinkling like the light splashing off the water around him. I was relieved his lean, muscular figure was mostly submerged.
“I don’t think the Princess feels like swimming today, Cas,” Anatoly replied, ever chivalrous. He better not try to speak for Hayley like that, though, or her crush would likely fizzle. It was nice Anatoly seemed aware that I was uncomfortable with all the nudity. I’d started getting used to it by the end of last year, but after a few months away from werewolves, I recalled how odd this ancient-yet-new-to-me culture still was. When we were running as wolves and shifting in the dark, it was an imperceptible human construct, but here, splashing under a waterfall in broad daylight, the nudity was a bit more conspicuous.
Jaro waggled his dark, thick eyebrows at Casimir’s teasing, but Anatoly shot them both down with a look. “At least meet us in the garden for lunch?” he implored. We promised to meet them in the gardens after their swim. Casimir didn’t notice Jaro sneak up from behind until he was pulled into the water. He came up sputtering and it was on. Launching himself at Jaro, a tangle of limbs splashed noisily.
“Let’s skip cafeteria food and go to Dryden,” amended Hayley, flashing a smile at Anatoly.
“A brilliant suggestion, Hayley. It’s a date.” Anatoly must’ve finally picked up on Hayley’s vibe, for he turned his full attention to her. I noticed the faintest blush on her mahogany cheeks, even though she shrugged nonchalantly in reply. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Hayley was smitten.
Teenage werewolves are known for their heightened endocrine production, as Shea would say. I called it hormonal teen wolf. It sure made it hard to figure out your feelings when your wolf pulled you to emotional extremes. Last year, I actually got into a physical altercation with Jillian. Luckily, we Weres also heal quickly and she didn’t leave any lasting marks. Subconsciously, I rubbed the scar on my neck. It was a thin, silver, jagged bite mark, a gift from the upyr that attacked me. It was a reminder of my duty to the pack, regardless of the risk. No other injury had ever left a scar, but apparently, an upyr bite is more of a challenge for our werewolf fast-healing ability. I turned my attention back to Hayley and Anatoly’s banter. Whatever the reason for the apparent crush, I just hoped my friend didn’t get hurt. Prince Anatoly seemed like a bit of a flirt.
“See you soon, milady,” he growled and swept into a formal bow, one hand still clutching the towel. Hayley grinned, clearly pleased with herself for drawing Anatoly’s attention. I was relieved his attention had shifted away from me, but Fanya looked less than thrilled, her green eyes flashing. She trailed after us quietly as we made our goodbyes to the Weres staying at the waterfall.
We took the girls to our favorite clearing on a bluff that overlooked the school and Dryden. Lola had brought her smartphone since there was no chance of her shifting into her wolf and losing it. She asked Hayley to snap a pic of her and Sara in front of the scenic view. After obliging the happy couple, Hayley suggested we all take a few pics. Fanya acted demure and offered to take a photo of the rest of us. Hayley insisted she was our guest and the moment had to be commemorated.
“Please, Your Royal Highness”—Damka encouraged her princess—“we’re here as diplomats, which means making allies.”
“And you’re teenagers, which means you’re allowed to have some fun and live a little!” Hayley managed to get a selfie with the group. We mixed it up and took serious and silly pics. By the end of our impromptu photo shoot, we were all laughing and joking around. Fanya seemed to thaw a little. Hayley was hard not to like.
Afterwards, we wound our way back toward the school, deciding to stop in our rooms to freshen up. For a moment, I was surprised when Fanya remained on the elevator with me after dropping off Hayley, Sara, and Damka on the fourth floor. Mt. Henley had a weird class system for room assignments. Since Fanya was a princess in her own right, she was rooming on the fifth floor. I was used to being all alone up there.
“It’s nice to have some company up here.” I smiled at her as we exited the elevator.
Fanya gave me a look I couldn’t read. She’d said little throughout the day. I wished briefly for Nadia to appear and translate the subtlety of royal body language. Had I said something wrong? Nadia was always complaining that I was too direct for my own good.
I remembered Nadia once told me, “Royals never trust an honest person. They expect everyone wants something from them. They’re always looking for the meaning behind your words. You speak so frankly, they don’t know how to take you at face value.” Nadia had admonished me more than once. She was my tutor of sorts on all things royal. I often felt like Eliza Doolittle to her Mr. Higgins, barring the cruelty. And she hadn’t tried to strangle me, at least, not yet.
Princess Fanya, on the other hand, was well-schooled in the language of royalty. “I suppose you don’t often share your pedestal, Your Royal Highness.” Ah, there it
was. Fanya’s barb sounded defensive. Did she feel threatened by my mistaken proposal to the Royal Clan Ivanov? Perhaps she assumed I viewed her as a threat.
“Actually, I’m not used to it at all. It gets kind of lonely up here. I’m glad for the company.” I smiled warmly at her, hoping she could see me for who I was. I might be new to this royalty thing, but I wasn’t going to start looking down on others because some arbitrary birthright said I was to be queen. Fanya returned a small smile, still reserved. I had to trust that time and truth would win the day. “This one’s me.” I pointed at my door. “See you in a few?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” she replied formally with a fluid curtsy and nod of her red head. I didn’t think I could ever look as graceful as her lithe frame. Fanya seemed much more a princess than I.
“Hey, no titles here, Fanya. You can just call me Alice.” I grinned, even though she looked surprised and maybe just a wee bit scandalized. I hoped she saw I just wanted to be friends.
After we freshened up, we all met outside to walk to Dryden. Shea and Adam hadn’t reappeared, so I left her a note telling her where we’d gone, but didn’t expect to see her until dinner. Fanya and Damka were whispering covertly when I returned from slipping the note under Shea’s door. Their furtive glance made me wonder if they’d been discussing me. I walked over to Sara and Lola and asked if everyone was ready to go. We met up with Anatoly, Casimir, and Jaro, and walked amicably to Dryden. When we rounded the bend into the village, I noticed right away there were more people milling about than usual. I also noticed wolf patrols, which were rare in Dryden in the daytime. I supposed an increased show of security put people’s minds at ease and kept businesses in the black. We took turns pointing out the few features Dryden offered to our guests, the hotel covered in blooming vines, the movie theatre, and the cobblestone town square with its quaint shops and restaurants.