by Emera Rose
“Damn, someone’s in a foul mood,” Paola quips, twirling a piece of her long black hair around her finger.
“No, I’m not. I’m just being a realist while you two are off in lala land. He won’t make it through, so do me a favor and don’t go getting attached to that wolf. Hell, he shouldn’t even be here anyway. This school is for Lycans, is it not?” Well, the Grim is coming out of me.
Kori cocks a brow, and considering she’s my best friend, she knows something is the matter by this point. “We’re simply playing devil’s advocate, Roxana. There’s no need to get so upset. But I will say, have you ever seen any werewolf with that sort of power? I wouldn’t count him out just yet, Roxana. I have a feeling he’ll be surprising us all.”
“Roxana is probably right. Wolves don’t make it far here, and I mean, how could they? Their genetics aren’t nearly as strong as ours. I suppose we should just wait and see instead of gossiping about him,” Paola chimes in.
Thank goodness Paola did chime in, because Kori’s finally giving it a rest. Of course, I would expect Paola to be the one to speak up. Her family isn’t like the normal Lycan families and the girl has been let down time and time again, she and her older sister, but I guess that’s what happens when you aren’t one of the elites.
“Want to get out of here for a while and go shopping?” Paola asks.
“When have I ever said no to shopping? Just let me grab my purse.” Kori cackles as she heads into her bedroom.
“Do you have a car? My father didn’t give me one,” I say to Paola.
She nods. “Yeah, Yaritza has her car here since she’s in her senior year. She said I could use it as long as I text her and let her know when I’m taking it, so we’re good to go.”
“Cool,” I mutter, grabbing my purse from the hook on the wall.
“Let’s get ready to spend some money!” Kori claps her hands eagerly, jumping up and down. I know we all got into a little bit of a scuffle, but I’m sure this will help us all relax a bit. And if it doesn’t, we’ll have to figure out something really quick.
Chapter Six
Mason Grim
I rush into the headmaster’s office, not even bothering to stop as the secretary tries to get me to sign in. She will be fired before the day’s over. She knows exactly who I am. There is no need for me to sign in. I’m one of the last purebred Lycans alive. She has no right to try and stop me.
I slam the door behind me and Thomas, the headmaster, jumps up from where he is sitting. I rarely come to see what is going on in the academy, but from what I just saw outside, this is something that I need to rectify immediately.
“Mason, please calm down. I know what you’ve heard, but it’s not what you think.” He puts his hands up to placate me.
I swipe the small knick-knacks that he has on his desk onto the floor in a rage. “Not what I think!” I close my eyes tightly, trying to get my inner wolf under control. The last thing I want to do right now is shift. It’s unbecoming. “Who are you to tell me what I think? I know that as I came to drop off my daughter, the sole descendant of the Grim family line, there was an untrained werewolf causing chaos and destruction in the halls. What if he were to kill someone? What if he were to harm one of the other children? My daughter!” I scream and I can feel my muscles rolling with the need to change. It’s nothing more than willpower at this point keeping myself in check.
“We wouldn’t have let that happen. We have everything under control, I promise you. That will be the last time you will have to see anything like that.”
As headmaster, it is his job to make sure that the students get the education they need and that they are all in a safe place. As much as I try to deny it, our kind is being hunted and we are not winning. I have to make sure that my line continues on and the only way to do that is to make sure that Roxana is mated with a Lycan of royal blood. I hear that Barrett kid still hasn’t mated with someone. He would make a fine match for my Roxana.
With all that is going on, I have to make sure that everything stays on course, and I refuse to let anything get in the way of that, even some newfound werewolf. Suddenly, I think about what I saw in that hall. If the boy is a new werewolf, there is no way that he should have been able to possess as much power as he did. It’s odd.
“When was he changed? Did he already go through the fever?”
“No, not yet. From what I’m told, last night was his first change. No fever yet.”
I pace slightly in front of his desk as thoughts run through my mind. “There is no way that he should have had as much power as he did. Was he given an accelerant?”
“Absolutely not! We all know that is outlawed. None of my staff would ever do such a thing.”
Accelerants were used by some of my ancestors on those they thought would be the best of our kind. Unfortunately, instead of guaranteeing the subject made it through the change, many times it turned them into something different altogether. Abominations. It took us many years to clear that kind in the great purge. Now, anyone caught using any accelerant is sentenced to death.
“I’ve never seen anyone present with such immense power so quickly. Unless . . .”
“Unless they don’t make it through the change.” The headmaster reads my mind. “You know as well as I, Mason, the only way they present with all that power is if they don’t make it through. As unfortunate as it is, I’m positive that by next week, that werewolf will no longer be with us.”
I know what he says is true. As long as no accelerant has been used, there is no way that the boy will make it through the change. The human body adapts well to change but only when said change happens subtly. When new werewolves expend so much energy so soon, their bodies can’t upkeep the process, and eventually their heart or other vital organs give out. An agonizing way to go, but alas, only the strongest survive.
I know that what he says is true and I have even seen this happen with my own eyes, but something about that boy isn’t sitting right with me. Something about how he looks and the way he sounds. Something is off and I know it. My gut has never failed me.
“Don’t worry, Mason. I promise you, Roxana is completely safe, as well as the other children in the school. I have everything under control.” Thomas tries to give me a smile and set my mind at ease.
“Fine, but know this . . .” I move in closer so that he can see my eyes. “I will be back to check on that boy and this school. If things aren’t what they should be, I will not hesitate to use my position on the board to get you fired and put a new, more capable headmaster in your place. Do you understand me, Mr. Rhodes?” I wait for his response.
“Of course, I do, sir. It will not get to that. I assure you.”
“I hope not.” I turn and walk toward the door of his office. I open it and see the secretary who tried to stop me on the way in. “Oh, Thomas, fire her.” I point to the woman and wait for him to confirm that he heard my order before I continue out.
I may not be the headmaster of this school, but as the last reigning purebred Lycan, my word is pretty much the law. I intend to make sure it’s respected.
Chapter Seven
Zev
Jesus. I’ve never had a stomach bug as gnarly as the one that’s made my life a living hell for the past two days. Chills plagued my body. One minute, I was in the middle of the Sahara Desert, and the next, I was in an igloo in Antarctica. Figuratively speaking, of course. I had the stomach flu a couple times when I was a kid, but I don’t ever remember it being like this. But I’m pretty sure I heard somewhere that as we get older, it’s harder to fight off illnesses. It could make sense, I guess.
A knock comes to my dorm room and I stay where I am on the bed. I haven’t been wanting to overdo it, so I’ve been relaxing as much as I can by staying under the covers. I even found a book in here, written by a Lycan family that goes over the history of Lycans, talking about the oldest lines of the Lycans, the Bonoviches, and even about the Grim family and a few more. There were so many names that I couldn
’t keep track of them all.
“Who is it?” I call over to the door, figuring it’s probably Jasper, though I’m not too sure. I’ve heard whispers outside of our doorway, people saying how I’m the new werewolf, whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean. I’m not a dumbass, though. People here have dubbed me the new gossip central.
“It’s just me. Wanted to make sure you were decent,” Jasper replies back, though I see he’s not alone. Beside him is that woman, the malformed one . . . if that’s what I should even be saying. “Holy hell. You look . . .”
“He looks what, Mr. Abbott?” Professor O’Donovan, the nurse, questions.
“He looks great. He’s sitting up in bed, reading a book.”
“My word, what a lucky man you are.” Professor O’Donovan makes her way over to the side of my bed. She doesn’t use a walking stick like most blind people I’ve seen but holds her hands out in front of her. I wonder if she uses her magic to be able to sense where she’s going. “It’s been two days since your friend fell ill, has it not, Jasper?”
“It has,” Jasper confirms.
“My word. This is the quickest anyone has recovered from the change. The shortest time in the books has been a week. Tell me, Zev, how do you feel in this moment?”
I shrug my shoulders and then realize she can’t see me. “I’m alright, I guess. A little nauseous and I have a lingering headache, but it’s so much better than it was.”
“Wow. I’m so pleased! I’ll need to go inform Headmaster Rhodes straightaway. He’ll be overjoyed you made it through the change without any major issues. When I speak to him, I’ll let him know I believe you can start classes tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? You really think that’s best? I don’t think it’s such a good idea,” Jasper questions the nurse.
She nods. “Yes, Mr. Abbott, but it wasn’t like I was asking for your opinion. I’ve been the head nurse here for ten years. Please let me know where you’ve received your degree and certifications and I’ll gladly listen to your opinion.”
“Geeze, alright, sorry.” Jasper raises his hands up in surrender.
“I’ll get going and let everyone know the splendid news. I am genuinely happy to hear you’re feeling so much better, Zev. Remember to take it easy the next few days and still allow your body some much needed time to heal.”
“You got it.”
Professor O’Donovan makes her way out of our dorm room about as quickly as she came in. Meanwhile, Jasper leans against the door with his arms crossed, staring at me like I’m some lab rat.
“What’re you thinking, dude?”
He cocks a brow. “I find it hard to believe you’re feeling so much better. Six hours ago, when I left you weren’t feeling that great, at least I didn’t think you were . . .”
“I had a cat nap and then felt like a new man when I woke up. Don’t know what you want me to say.” I shrug my shoulders.
“Alrighty then. I’m just gonna leave your super healing alone for now, ‘cause that’s a bit freaky, but on the positive side, I think I can sway my power to get us in the same classes.” Jasper pulls out some paper from his pocket and unfolds it. “On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I have Magical Defense Training and Combat Techniques 101, Werewolf and Lycan History 101, and Genetics 101. Then on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have Adaptation and Stealth 101 and Pack Order 101. Come with me, it’s time we pay a visit to the headmaster and make sure you’re in my classes. I’ll come up with some bullshit and say it’ll be an easier way for you to integrate with the rest of the school, considering the big show you put on the day you arrived and all that.”
“Is he even gonna buy that?” I question.
Jasper smirks. “You don’t realize how devious I can be, Zev, but you’ll soon find out.”
Placing my book down on my comforter, I hop out of bed and ask Jasper to give me a few minutes to change. He does and I’m in some basic clothes, a pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt, but it’s better than a pair of pajamas. Jasper escorts me out of the dorm room and takes me into the next building over, which is the building I entered the first day.
We go up two massive stairwells before we’re brought to a small foyer-looking area. A short blonde woman sits at a desk and Jasper walks up to her. “Helen, when did you get this job?”
“Since Mr. Grim told Headmaster Rhodes to fire Juliana. Guess he wasn’t a fan of her, so off she went,” Helen replies to Jasper, not paying much attention to me.
“Any chance I can get in there to see him? I have a couple of quick questions. Shouldn’t take more than five minutes.”
Helen cocks a brow and pushes her glasses back on the bridge of her nose. “Five minutes, huh?”
“Promise it won’t be a second more.”
“Boy, you’re lucky I like you,” Helen mutters. Picking up the black phone beside her, she brings it to her ear and starts speaking, “Headmaster, I have Jasper Abbott out here, and the new wolf, Zev.” She holds her hand over the receiving end of the phone and nods her head back. “Go on in, boys.”
I follow Jasper into the headmaster’s office and the man behind the desk is stoic, totally unreadable. I can’t tell if he’s pleased to see us or annoyed. “Zev, I’m shocked to see you up and moving around. Roberta said you were feeling better, but she didn’t tell me how amazing you’re doing.”
“Jasper thought it would be a good idea to get me up, moving my legs and all that.”
Headmaster Rhodes nods. “Good, good. What can I do for you, Jasper? You have that typical mischievous expression crossing your face.”
“I need a favor,”
“What kind of favor?” Headmaster Rhodes cocks a brow.
“I need you to get Zev in my classes. I figure it’ll help him integrate better into the school. You know people are talking about him like crazy after what happened when he arrived.”
Headmaster Rhodes chuckles. “Fine, Jasper. I’ll get him in your classes, but don’t you keep using our bloodline as a way for you to get what you want.”
Whoa. Bloodline? “Are you two related?” I ask the two of them, darting my eyes between them both.
Jasper nods. “Yeah, he’s my dad’s half-brother.”
“Jasper, take Zev here under your wing and make sure you show him the lay of the land and all that.”
“For sure,” Jasper replies, starting to head back over to the door. I stick close behind him when Headmaster Rhodes clears his throat from behind me.
“Zev, I don’t know how you recovered so quickly, but I don’t trust it. Something about you doesn’t strike me the right way, and I feel like they might be wrong about you.” I don’t know how to take his remark, so I nod and laugh.
“Yeah, well, I told you I wasn’t a werewolf and none of you will let me leave.”
“Yeah, you’re not a werewolf. If you’re not a wolf, then the sky isn’t blue. C’mon, I need to go show you around,” Jasper retorts, so I end up following him and we head down the stairwell, off to wherever the hell it is he wants to take me.
Chapter Eight
Roxana
This day should be full of excitement. It’s the first day of class, my first day at Bloodborn Academy, and my first step into learning all there is to know about my purebred Lycan bloodline. But for the life of me, I can’t shake this funk. It all seems completely mundane and pre-fixed. It’s just another day in my so-called ‘perfect’ life.
“You going to have that sour puss look on your face all day, or am I going to have to start flashing you random body parts?” Kori asks as we make our way into Lupine Hall. I scoff slightly and give her a small smile.
“Please don’t. The last thing we need is for your boobs to be plastered all over the place on our first week of school.” I know she means it. Kori will do most anything to break me out of these sad states I tend to get in. She doesn’t embarrass easily either, so the threat of her boobs or other body parts being seen by the entire student body doesn’t mean too much.
“You’r
e right. They don’t deserve all those blessings yet.” Kori laughs as she threads her arm through mine. “Come on, girl, this is the first day of the rest of our lives. Let’s make the most of it.”
I sigh and try to put a happy look on my face. Our first class is Genetics 101. As we stroll into the classroom, I can see that most of the students are already inside and at their respective tables. It’s a team class, so each table holds two people. Of course, I want Kori to be my partner. There are a few tables free on the other side of the room, but the ones by the window are pretty much all taken. There is one girl who seems to be by herself at one of the window tables in the prime location I want. I’m going to get that table.
Kori tries to pull me toward one of the open tables, but I pull back, dragging her toward the table with the lonely girl. “Hey, you by yourself?” I ask, making my voice as saccharin as I possibly can.
“Uh . . . I . . . yeah . . .” the girl stutters in an attempt to get a reply out.
“Good, go be by yourself over there.” I hitch my thumb over my shoulder and slam my books on the tabletop. I stare at the girl for a few seconds to show that I’m not playing or backing down. She grabs her things and hurries over to the other side of the room. It might’ve been a total mean girl move, but I don’t give a damn. One of the benefits to being a Grim—our callousness.
“Ah, the benefits of being a bitch,” Kori jokes as she places her books down beside mine. I shrug one shoulder and get settled in my seat.
The teacher is still writing various things on the board, one of which is his name. Professor Stamos.
“Can you even believe how lucky we are to be able to stare at this hunk all day?” Paola, who is at one of the tables next to us, leans over and starts talking. She and Kori have really grown close since we’ve all been on campus. Sure, we’ve known her for quite a while now, but I don’t know. It’s not that I don’t like Paola, I just know her type, the kind who does whatever they can to be accepted. High on friends, low on morals.