by Jen L. Grey
"What are you looking at?" Bree closed the distance between us.
Before she could see, I snapped the box shut. For whatever reason, it seemed too personal to share. "Oh, nothing. Sorry, I'm out of it. Honestly, I never thought I'd be here." That wasn't a lie.
"Well, what else do you have left to unpack?" Her eyes landed on my two suitcases. "Where are all your other bags?"
"That's all of them." I had always known this was a prestigious school, but it wasn't until now that I was beginning to understand the magnitude.
"It's not a big deal." She picked up both bags and headed to the closet. "We'll be wearing school uniforms anyway."
"Say what?" I didn't know anything about school uniforms. Even though our family never went without, we weren't rolling in money either. "Where do I go get them?"
"Chill." She opened the doors to my large walk-in closet and pointed to an already halfway filled closet of clothes. "They're all here."
I rushed over and couldn't believe my eyes. There were red and silver skirts, dresses, sweaters, and pants galore. It didn't make any sense. I pulled a skirt off the hanger and glanced at the tag. It was a size six. "How the hell did they know my size?"
"You're only a couple of inches taller than me, and you have a more slender waist." She shrugged her shoulders as she opened my bag and began hanging my personal clothes. "I knew we had to be the same size."
"Well, you were right." After one night, she had already noticed all that stuff about me. I wasn't sure how comfortable I was about that though.
"It's all in the training." She rolled her eyes as she pulled out one of my favorite tops. It was a simple black shirt that clung to my body in the most flattering ways. It had bunched sleeves and a V-neck. "This is freaking adorable."
"You can always borrow it." Maybe this would be similar to having a sister if we roomed together and shared clothes. "And what kind of training are you talking about?"
"Don't worry. You'll find all that out soon enough." She huffed and finished putting up the last of the first suitcase. "Should I do your other one?" She arched an eyebrow.
"Shit, sorry." Here I was standing and looking like a dummy as she unpacked for me. "I can do it."
"No, it's no big deal." She grabbed a dress from my last bag. "It's kind of nice, helping for a change. Usually, people are stepping all over themselves to help me. It's a little refreshing."
"Didn't you have to unpack your room?"
"Nope, Dad had people set up both Liam's and my room." She shrugged. "So it's nice to help you. And let's be real. This didn't take long at all since you didn't bring a lot with you."
"I'm kind of simple." Mom and Dad had taught Max and me that it wasn't the stuff we surrounded ourselves with but the people we do that mattered the most. "And I didn't want to drag a ton of stuff back and forth."
"Now that I get."
Within minutes, we were done hanging everything up, and I spotted a large silver comforter in the corner. I picked it up and headed back out to the bedroom.
"Want to go grab something to eat?" She glanced at my clock and smiled. "I'm starving."
"That actually sounds like an excellent idea." I quickly put the comforter on my bed and sighed. I was all unpacked now. "I don't have a car, so is there something nearby?"
"Oh, yeah. Our cafeteria is in the building across from us, and it's part of the meal plan." She headed to my door and waved me on. "And I meant to tell you earlier that you have orientation tomorrow around nine."
"Like a tour of the campus or something?" That was probably one of the most normal things I'd heard yet about this school.
"Yeah, our campus is large, but most of the main stuff is here in these four buildings. Still, it's good to get acclimated before classes start. You'll also get your class schedule at the end of orientation."
"Good to know." I followed her out of the dorm room. Soon, we’d taken the elevator down to the first floor and were walking out of the dorm.
We headed to the largest building directly across from the dorms.
"So how shocked were you when you received the acceptance letter?" Bree turned her head to look at me as she walked across the grass.
"Very. I hadn't even applied." To be honest, I was still getting used to the idea of being at Wolf Moon. It was probably going to take a while.
"Well, Dad agreed that you should be here after what you did to Liam. No one stands up to them. They are meant to be feared. The fact that you did that, for me, after only knowing me that short amount of time, makes you different." She bit her bottom lip. "I'd never seen anyone, let alone a girl, try to stand up to him. Your wolf actually challenged his."
"He wasn't pissed?" I'd assumed he'd be all mad and grumpy like Liam was over it.
"Oh, no ..." She shook her head so hard her hair whipped from side to side. "Well, yes but not at you. He grumbled about the fact that Liam still had a lot to learn." She shrugged. "But he was more than willing to bring you here. You are here for essentially two reasons. The first and main one is that you challenge Liam and that has to stop. And two, you need to learn your place, especially since your father is one of the alphas reporting to a regional representative. So it made sense for you to be here."
Great, it sounded like I was going to be some kind of lesson for his boy and that they wanted to teach me fear. I had to stay under Liam and his father’s radar, which meant I couldn't let my mouth get the best of me. “But why did you go through all that trouble?”
“Honestly most people only want to hear about what my family does or can do for them.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I know it was only for a minute, but you hung out with me just like I was a normal person, like you.”
“Wow. Really?” She thought that was a compliment.
“I didn’t mean it like that.” She bit her bottom lip. “I meant, you have a strong wolf who meshes well with mine, yet you weren’t brought up with all the perks. You’re down to earth and not a snob. I like being treated like I’m a real person.”
“Except, your dad is the one who got me here.” I arched an eyebrow. “So you think you aren’t spoiled?”
“Look, I’m sorry.” She paused, and her shoulders dropped. “See, others wouldn’t care what I did, but you … you do. This is a good opportunity for you, so it’s a win-win.”
“One that I didn’t get on my own merit.” I hated the fact that I was here now, and that counted for something.
“So, earn it now that you’re here.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Kick ass, and blow everyone out of the water. We need more people who are individuals here. You’ll see what I mean if you give it time.”
It wasn’t like I had another choice at this point. “Fine, but when I’m ready to go home, don’t give me any lip.”
As we approached the doors at the far left end of the building, Bree hurried over and opened one of them. "Here we are."
When I stepped in behind her, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This was no normal cafeteria but rather a restaurant. It had a cafeteria feel, but there were waiters and waitresses taking orders.
Booths lined the walls with various large rectangular and small circular tables placed strategically inside.
"Let's sit over there." Bree pointed to a booth that was away from the crowd.
"Sounds perfect."
As soon as we slid into the booth, a waiter appeared. "Hi, what can I get you ladies?"
"Two burgers?" Bree arched an eyebrow as she tossed me a menu. "Does that sound good?"
I quickly glanced over it and nodded. "Yup. All the way."
"Great, it'll be right out." He turned and headed off toward the kitchen.
"So, how long have you and Nate been a thing?" I took the seat so I could see the front door. I don't know why, but I’d always had a thing where I didn't want someone to walk up behind me.
"Oh, about a year now." Her eyes lit up at his name. "We don't get to see each other a lot, but when we do, it's amazing."
She sounded w
ay too happy for it to be a normal kind of relationship. "Is he your mate?"
"Shhh ..." She glanced around and lowered her voice. "Yes, but no one knows. Okay?"
"But that should be a good thing." Why wouldn't she want everyone to know?
"Yeah, it should be." She sighed and glanced at the ceiling. "But he's not even going to be a pack alpha. My dad won't allow it."
"Allow it?" Mates were mates. I couldn't even imagine what my parents would do if they hadn't found one another. "Fate kind of trumps job status."
"One would think so, but that's not the case for me." She took a deep breath. "It's like I can't do anything without Dad or Liam showing up."
The front door of the cafeteria opened, and I glanced up to meet her brother's eyes. The three other heirs were close behind him.
He frowned and shook his head as he beelined straight to us.
I already regretted leaving the dorm. It wasn’t even an hour later, and I was about to go round two with him.
Chapter Five
"Hey, what's the matter?" Bree turned her head to follow my gaze. Her shoulders slumped, and she shook her head. "Of course he’d show up here. It's like they have ears everywhere."
As weird as it seemed, that didn't sound like a far stretch from what I was seeing.
"What are you doing here?" Liam's voice was deep as he approached me. His jaw was clenched, and his buddies flanked him once again.
It felt weirdly like they were keeping tabs on me. "Eating. What does it look like?" I'd just resolved myself to not run my mouth, and yet here I was.
"Wait, isn't that the girl from that party?" The guy whose skin was light olive tilted his head as he stared me down. He ran a hand through his ash-blond hair, and his amber eyes danced with mirth as he took me in. "How the hell are you here?"
"It doesn't matter how." Liam cut his eyes at his friend in warning. "Don't encourage her any more than she already is."
"Your brother has a weird definition of encouraging." He was challenging me in every way. Our wolves were at war with one another, and I just couldn’t help myself. "Between you and me," I said the words as I lifted a hand where the guys couldn't see my lips move. However, I didn't lower my voice. "Yup. I think he's definitely overcompensating for something."
"Oh, damn." The blond-haired friend barked out a laugh before clamping his mouth shut. "She's really asking for it."
"She's asking for something, all right." The palest and largest of the four caught my gaze. His gray eyes verged on a light silver as they took on a glow. "I didn't realize our dads were letting in charity cases now."
I took in a sharp breath. Were they the heirs to the council? All four of them? This was going to get bad. "I'm here for the opportunity; that is all." Honestly, I only wanted to stay under the radar.
"You guys don't even normally eat here." Bree leaned forward and sighed. "So why today?"
"We're starving and..." The light-haired one began to explain.
"Shut up, Simon," Liam growled. His eyes stayed on me though. "We don't have to explain why we're here to anyone."
"Come on." The dark olive-skinned guy pointed toward the back where there was another booth away from everyone. "Let's sit over there."
"Sounds good." Simon lifted his hands as he took a step back. "We don't want to chance getting loser on us."
"What are you then?" You'd think for them to be considered badasses, their insults would be more on point.
"Hey." Simon took a step back in my direction with a snarl on his face.
"Quit it." Liam lifted his hand and pushed his friend in the chest. "She's not worth it. Let's go." He turned his back to me, and the four of them swaggered to the booth across the room.
I hated the fact that I stared at Liam's fine ass the whole time until he sat down, only to destroy my eye candy focus.
"Uh... Earth to Mia." Bree snorted.
"What?" I turned my head back and locked eyes with her.
"Were you really just checking out my brother?" Bree leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest.
"What?" Holy shit, she’d caught me. I had been so obvious. "No." I shook my head so hard that it cracked. "Ow."
She laughed hard enough for a tear to run down her face. "You sure are something. And it's fine. Most people do check him out."
"But I hate him." Oh, wait. That's her brother. "No, what I mean is...”
"Stop, it's fine." She waved me off. "He usually has one of two extreme reactions from people. Usually, it's that they think he's amazing and could do no wrong. Then there are a few," she said as she pointed at me, "who think he's an asshole. I can honestly say he's a combo, but the older he gets, the worse he is instead of better. When we were young, we were close." She bit her lower lip as she ran her finger along the table. "I miss that."
I could only imagine. Max and I were so close; to lose him would be like losing a piece of my heart. "I'm sorry. But you have me now." I tried to seem enthusiastic to be here.
She mashed her lips together, trying to prevent a smile from creeping up. "Nice try, but that was totally fake. Don't ever do it again."
"Thank you." I breathed out and winked at her. "I'm not good at the faking it till you make it thing."
"And that's why I like you." She leaned back as a waiter brought out our burgers. "And now we feast."
"Eating our feelings is always the way to go." I couldn't help but glance back in the direction of her brother’s booth.
"You do need to be careful around them though." She nodded her head in the direction of the four.
"So, I take it that they are all heirs to the council?" It was crazy that it took until now for me to figure that out.
"Yes, the darkest one with the golden eyes, his name is Micah. He and his father represent the south. Simon is the one with slightly lighter skin than Micah’s and a big mouth. He and his father are over the west. The pale scary one is Evan, and his family is over the east."
"So that leaves your family over the north." At least, part of it made some sense. "I kind of feel stupid now. I thought they were only tight friends."
"Oh, they are. Our parents made sure of that while they were growing up." She took a bite of her burger and sighed. "And they are the next rulers, so keep that in mind."
My alarm blared, and I sat straight up in bed. I blinked a few times before the realization of where I was finally sunk back in. I fumbled over and turned the alarm off before plopping back onto my pillow. This bed was way too comfortable. It was twice as big and softer than my bed back home. It almost felt like I was sleeping on a cloud.
I ran a hand over my face and took a deep breath. I had to get out of bed or I'd be late to orientation. Luckily, I wouldn't have to wear a school uniform yet. At least, that's what Bree had said, but I should get my class schedule at the very end.
It took every ounce of my will power to climb from my bed and stumble into the bathroom. I turned on the lights and took in the huge marble room. It was nicer than anything I'd ever seen before, so it made me wonder what the council members' houses looked like inside.
I grabbed a blood-red towel from the closet and laid it on the sink next to the walk-in rain shower.
I stepped into the shower and quickly washed away my anxieties concerning the new day. Maybe I wouldn't have to run into Liam. The thought both upset and comforted me. It was as if my human and wolf side were at war, which was strange. I'd always been perfectly in-sync before.
It didn't take long for me to blow dry my hair, brush my teeth, and put makeup on. I always went for the enhanced natural look instead of layering on thick globs of foundation and powder.
After getting dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a simple black tank top, I headed to the kitchen to grab something quick to eat. I turned on the Keurig, ready to make my first cup of morning coffee.
"For the love of God, what are you doing up this early?" Bree stumbled out of her room with her hair sticking up everywhere. Her eyes were half-open, and there was a littl
e bit of drool at the corner of her mouth.
"I have orientation." I glanced at my phone and placed it down on the table. "In thirty minutes. You know that. We talked about it at dinner."
"Right now, that's like a year ago." She watched me as I popped in a coffee pod. "Please tell me that's for me."
"What? No." I held my finger out to her. "You can make your own the same way I did."
"Fine." She sat at the end of the table and placed her head on her hands.
"Why don't you go back to bed?" I hit brew on the coffee maker and dug through the refrigerator. I'd honestly expected it to be bare, but it was full. I eyed some cream cheese. "Are there bagels?"
"Yeah, in the pantry." She kept her head on the table, but she raised an arm, pointing at the closet in the corner right next to the fridge.
"Got it." I opened up the pantry. It was fully stocked with popcorn, bagels, granola bars, chips; basically, if you named something, we had it. "Hot damn. Why did we even go to the cafeteria last night?" It was still strange calling it a cafeteria, especially since it was the equivalent of a restaurant chain.
"Because I didn't feel like cooking." She shrugged her shoulders and banged her head slightly on the table again.
"Oh, dear Lord." My coffee cup was done brewing, but she was being so dramatic I was willing to sacrifice it. "Here." I set it next to her hand.
"Thank you." She raised up and placed her hand around the cup. "And I'm up because I have a stupid ten AM class tomorrow morning. I have to somewhat get back on a schedule now. Do you know how insane that is? Who takes early morning classes?"