by Leia Stone
The king and douchebag Kian were already “looking into” the fated mates. How could I explain a late-night gallivant that ended with an injured wolf and a dead rogue?
So I just lay there, replaying the scene over and over in my head. But the things that stuck out the most were… ‘Mate. Home. Safe. Please.’
Something warm and comforting unfolded inside my chest, the sensation blossoming as I thought of the black wolf. All the feelings of a tender … mate.
Only … we couldn’t ever be together. Not really. We were from different clans.
At most, we’d have midnight runs over the next four years, fading kisses at masquerade balls before we’d both have to return to our respective packs. And take a breeding mate.
Tears pricked my eyes. I let them slide down my cheeks unchecked.
Either the Fates were wrong, or the rules were. Why did it matter if we were from different clans? How could being together with my mate be a crime? So many questions and zero answers.
Eventually, I fell asleep, my pillow damp with tears.
Chapter 16
The next morning, Nell burst through the door, her eyes wide. “Oh, thank the mages,” she declared, her shoulders slumping. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
I wiped the crusty remnants of tears from my eyes as I sat up, frowning.
“There was an attack last night, in the woods,” Rue said, appearing over Nell’s shoulder.
Kaja pushed aside her sisters, forcing her way into my room and shutting the door behind her. She held two paper cups in her hands, both full of French toast sticks. Crossing the room to my bed, she shoved one at me as she sat on the edge. “Everyone is talking about it.”
She took a large bite, and her eyes rolled back in her head as she moaned. “You should eat those before I decide to take them back.”
Nell grabbed my left hand to hide my mate marks while the last remnants of a bad night’s sleep left me.
Rue chewed on her lip. “Attacks on students don’t happen on Alpha Island. Like … ever.”
Here we go. I sucked in a deep breath and then blurted, “I know, I was there.”
All three of them gasped, and Nell’s grip on my hand went slack as it fell to my lap. Still, I trusted them. More importantly, I needed someone to talk to since the school failed to offer therapy. A big oversight, in my opinion, especially with their sucky security.
Rue’s eyebrows hit her hairline, and Kaja gaped.
“You were … there?” Nell asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. With my mate, who… got injured.”
“Holy shit!” Kaja stammered, leaping to her feet, her breakfast now forgotten. “Mother of mages!” She paced the room, shaking her head. “I can’t even…”
Weird reaction.
Not that I was exactly Zen about the whole thing, but … picking up one of the sticks, I nibbled on the flaky sweetness. Oh, yummy. Around a mouthful, I asked, “What? What’s wrong?”
A sly grin pulled at Nell’s lips. “The student who was injured, the one sent away for a special royal healer off-island, was one of the Midnight princes.”
The room swam, and the color must have drained from my face because Nell reached out and grasped my shoulders. “You okay?”
I gulped, nodding. This was it, the proof I’d been waiting for. I told myself my mate could be a close friend of the Midnight brothers. Hadn’t he said as much in the garden when we first kissed? That his friend told him of the place. But this … this was proof. “So, my mate is…”
Kaja shook a French toast stick at me, flinging syrup onto the floor. “Obviously Rage or Justice! Oh, my stars, what I wouldn’t give to mate with either of them.”
Something about her statement made me laugh, but the sound was hollow. Having it confirmed that either Rage or Justice was my mate … hurt. Why wouldn’t he tell me? I could think of only two reasons:
embarrassment
cowardice
Well, plus, there was that whole thing about who’s family member killed who. I’d call that resentment. So maybe three reasons. But the first two were stupid, and the third one was wrong.
My thoughts drifted to the two Midnight princes. Despite Rage’s hot/cold and sometimes ugly personality, he lit a fire inside of me. Then, there was Justice. Equally icy at times, but lately … he was definitely thawing.
All of Nell’s excitement fell from her expression, and then she shrugged. “No details were given, so no idea which one it was. I heard the alpha king freaked out. Livid. But their mom sent them to a special healer off-island for a rapid recovery.”
Huh…
An epiphany hit me like a truck then, and I grinned. This would be easy. If Rage was missing from class today … he was my mate. And if he was there, my mate was Justice. I’d find out once and for all who he was and then confront him.
Everyone grew quiet. I got dressed and forced myself to finish eating. As the morning progressed, a weight settled beneath my breastbone, echoing my fears from last night. My movements felt like walking through quicksand, and icy depression settled over me like a heavy blanket. Not knowing who my mate was but knowing he was a Midnight prince should’ve made me happy, but the confirmation only unsettled me, making me feel melancholy.
I didn’t need a Ph.D. in psych to know that beneath my anger was fear. Fear that either Rage or Justice was ashamed to be mated to me, and that stung hard. I understood the rules, that we couldn’t be public about it, but for him to not even tell me? His distrust stung the most.
When I opened the door to my Fire Studies class, Master Carn looked up from his desk, but the rest of the room was empty. The lack of Rage’s presence sent my heart into my throat.
“Where’s Rage?” I blurted, louder and far more demanding than respectful.
Master Carn furrowed his brow and straightened in his chair. “Off-island with his brothers.”
Brothers? “They’re all gone?”
He rolled his eyes. “Didn’t you hear one of them was injured in the attack last night?”
My whole body tensed as I nodded. “Yes, but which one?”
“That is something you can gossip about with your friends on your own time.”
Frak frick fook!
“But all of them went off-island?”
Of course they did. I would too if I had a sibling injured.
“Maybe you should stop worrying about boys and start focusing on your studies for the midyear test. It’s only a month or so away.”
I nodded. Time to eat humble pie. “Yes, Master Carn.”
He gave me a curt nod. “Good. Then when you’re done with your studies and dinner service for the day, meet me here.”
“Why?” I studied him, looking for a hint of something.
“It’s a surprise.”
I hated surprises, especially here, because none of them were ever good.
I nodded and then settled into my coursework, feeling the absence of the giant douchebag I’d come to miss. I hoped was okay.
The day dragged on with a special torture. Justice, Honor, Noble and Rage were all gone from lunch and dinner. Now, I had to meet Mr. Carn for my “surprise” when really, I just wanted to inspect the Midnight princes for shoulder wounds.
I headed down the hallway just as Master Carn stepped out the door.
“Ready?” he asked.
Before I could respond, he walked off, taking massively long strides further into the building.
Okay.
Please don’t lead me to the king’s dungeon and kill me.
We traversed the hall, and every snatch of conversation I overheard was regarding the attack or how one of the Midnight princes was injured. The one bit of news—or rumor—that caught my ear was that the attacker was a rogue wolf from the mainland.
Shady.
My thoughts were so deeply consumed that I bumped into Master Carn when he came to an abrupt stop.
“Sorry,” I muttered, backing away.
Master Carn huffed but said nothin
g else as he drew a key from his pocket, which he used to unlock a stone door.
I glanced down the long concrete hallway, first to the right and then the left. “Where are we?”
He grunted, pulling open the door.
My fears of dungeons evaporated with the sight of Kaja, Nell, Evil Barbie, and one of her sisters all seated on a gray mat. I passed my instructor and crossed the threshold into a gymnasium of sorts, but it was fully made of concrete, from the floors to the ceiling. On the far wall was a cache of glittering weapons.
Cool.
“Young ladies,” Master Carn greeted the others.
Nell and Kaja waved excitedly at me while Mallory and her clone sister Heather just crossed their arms and glared.
Backatcha.
“The midyear practical is slowly creeping up, and with the recent attacks, the king has asked that all alpha heirs start practicing within a group. This will help strengthen your abilities, both individually as well as collectively.”
Ugh. Why was Evil Barbie in our group?
“Nell will brief you on a few details of the exam and give you some strategies to help you do well. The other professors are doing the same with their students. Good luck.”
With that, he left, locking the door behind him…
“Did he just lock us in?” Kaja said, her eyes widening.
Exactly my thought!
Nell chuckled. “It’s for our safety as well as theirs. Imagine poking your head into the room and getting hit in the face with a fireball. This is a practical skills gym. No one in or out without a key. Don’t worry. We can leave.”
She held a key up as if for further reassurance.
“All right,” I grinned. “So, give us the deets.”
Nell cleared her throat. “So, here’s what you need to know—”
“My sister already told me.” Mallory pointed to her sister Heather and rolled her eyes until they stuck to the ceiling. “We play magical ‘capture the flag.’ A demonstration of our skills for the High Mage Council and king.”
After Mallory finished with a huff, Nell snapped her mouth shut with a click of teeth.
“Yeah, well, it’s a bit more complicated than that.” Nell’s gaze bounced to each of us, and she continued: “A student died two years ago. If you don’t practice enough, not only could you fail to return for studies the second half of the year, you could fail to draw another breath. Did your sister tell you that?”
Nell glared at the mute blonde next to Mallory.
Mallory blanched and then glared at her sister. “No.”
“All right! Well, now you all know.” Nell clapped her hands together. “The trickiest part about the midyear practical is you’ll need to show your skills to get high marks, all while protecting your flag. They change things around every year. Last year, we were teamed with heirs from other clans.”
My stomach dropped. What if they put me on a team with Justice or Rage?
I leaned forward, trying to absorb all the info I could. Should I be taking notes?
“But this year could be different. Don’t count on anything. It’s deep in the woods. Two to four teams, depending on the size of the class year. Capture the flag … by any means necessary.”
“I’m sorry … what?” I asked. “Like anything goes?”
Nell nodded. “Anything goes. You can throw a fireball at Mallory’s head and won’t get in trouble. The king wants all graduates to be warriors. Only the best to lead our packs.”
I grinned, imagining throwing fireballs at Evil Barbie. “That sounds badass.”
“Oh, piss off, all of you,” Mallory snapped.
“Get your weapons,” Nell said.
We raced toward the far wall, which held an assortment of blades, and excitement replaced my previous gloom. I needed this. A solid workout, without almost dying.
As I was reaching for my weapon, booming thunder rocked the room, and the concrete floor swayed.
What the…?
My ears rang as I stumbled backward in shock.
“Get down!” Nell shouted, dropping to the ground and putting her arms over her head.
I dropped, following her example just as another blast rocked us.
My ears buzzed. Pieces of concrete rained down as smoke rolled into the room. Glancing to the side, I saw Nell pop up, waving her arms through the silty air. Following her example, I climbed to my feet, and Kaja bumped me.
“What the fu—” Nell’s eyes widened as a half dozen figures strode into the room.
It took a nanosecond for me to process the situation and draw conclusions.
The people walking through the smoking doorway weren’t people.
The assortment of shifters—including bear, panther, fox, selkie, and hawk—weren’t here for a tea party.
We were under attack. Again.
“Weapons!” Nell shouted.
Practical practice just got real.
I grabbed a set of blades and tossed them to Mallory, who caught them smoothly and then spun with a ferocious look on her face. Barbie’s clone grabbed another set while I handed a pair to Kaja.
I went to hand a long broadsword to Nell when she shook her head at me. “I’m shifting.”
Before I could finish nodding, pelts of cinnamon fur rippled down her arms and across her chest, and she dropped to all fours as her clothes ripped from her body—her wolf body. I grabbed two blades and spun to face the attacking pack.
A selkie warrior, dressed in black leather armor, pointed his sword right at me. “You killed my mate.”
Mariah Carey? The psycho who sang every student into a stupor while they tried to kill us?
Was I supposed to apologize?
“Then take her and go!” Mallory shouted, dropping into a defensive stance with her blades out.
Bitch. Note to self: never trust Mallory. One hundred percent treacherous.
The selkie warrior shook his head. “The alpha king stole this island from us, and we want it back for our kinds. Every single alpha heir will be slain in retribution.”
Probably not the best time to chat about negotiation, but … really?
The bear shifter reared up on his hind legs and roared, a fierce and terrifying battle cry.
Wolf-Nell tipped her head back and howled, a deep and chilling answer of “Hell no!”
There was no getting out of it now. Where were the palace guards? This place sucked on security.
A blur of feathers drew my eye upward just as a hawk dove at my face, talons extended. Bird shifters loved to go for the eyes. Taking out the throat was then a lot easier.
Evil bastards.
Pivoting into my fighting stance, I raised my left arm, blade in hand, blocking the hawk’s path to my eyes. The bird tore into my arm with its talons and lunged with its beak. I crouched low as fiery pain scorched my skin. With a scream of defiance, I rotated and swung. In one fluid movement, I sliced through the hawk’s neck, severing its head clean off.
The two pieces fell to the ground with a muted thud and then started to shift back to their human form—a fair-haired girl close to my age now lay beheaded at my feet. A sick feeling tightened my throat.
I’d killed again.
“Nai, Look out!” Kaja screamed, breaking through my stupor.
Spinning on my heel, I pulled my swords up just as the warrior selkie swung his blade. I parried.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
When his pace slowed, I glanced toward my friends to check on them, and my stomach turned with dread. The bear had cornered Kaja, and Nell’s wolf was on his back—but he was big.
Too big for one or two wolves.
Barbie and her clone were locked in a fight with the fox and panther shifters, and props to Mallory #1 and #2, they looked to be holding their own.
The ringing in my ears from the explosion had faded, and the screams filtering in from outside told me that we weren’t the only ones fighting. If the selkie spoke the truth, the entire campus was likely at war.
Focusing on the selkie warrior before me, I considered my options. This was kill or be killed, and I needed to hurry to help Nell and Kaja take down the bear.
Pulling from deep within my core, I let the power of fire fill me. As it coursed down my arms, I dropped one of my swords and slid in close to the warrior, grabbing him by the throat.
His eyes widened. “What…?”
I sent the flames out through my fingers; the fire licked up the side of his face, catching on his hair. The scent of charring flesh turned my stomach, but I wouldn’t quit.
This was war.
A blood-curdling bellow ripped from his throat. Flailing, he dropped his sword, and his arm connected with my chest, the force throwing me backward, away from him.
I landed on my butt with a jarring reverberation. Climbing to my feet, I glared at the vindictive warrior, now set aflame. I’d worked with my water power enough that I could pull the water from the air to quench the fire … but I didn’t.
As he writhed on the floor, I scooped up my other blade and ran to help Kaja and Nell. When I neared, time slowed. The bear swiped at Kaja, his claws raking across her abdomen. As she pitched forward, he rotated… coming back along the same trajectory.
“No!” I screamed.
He hit her with the back of his paw, and my best friend looked like a garish ragdoll as she sailed through the air. Her body hit the wall with a sickening thud, and she crumpled to the ground, blood dripping from the gashes on her stomach, seeping through her clothes.
Rage and heat exploded in my chest; fire blazed from my hands like flamethrowers. Nell’s wolf glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes went wide before she rolled off the bear’s back and scooted away several paces.
The searing pain in my chest expanded, and I let it fill me—welcomed it because this power would destroy that beast.
“Come on!” I screamed at the bear. “Face me!”
The black furry monster turned, and I raised my hands, now covered in live flame all the way up to my shoulders.
He roared, and I flung my hands forward, thrusting my fire magic at him. The fur on his chest ignited, and the flames spread, turning his body into a ball of flames in an instant.