by G. K. DeRosa
Vander was only a few yards away now, still creeping closer. I rose to my full height, my brilliant white fur and lavender aglow beneath the moonlight. To his credit, he didn’t even flinch. His hazel eyes remained fixed on me, his mouth curving into a capital O. “Sierra?”
My heart smacked against my ribs, and a threatening growl hissed through my clenched fangs. How did he recognize me?
He raised his hands slowly and dropped his gaze to the floor. “You’re going to be okay,” he murmured soothingly. “If I can’t come back for you, find me in Moon Valley when you’re ready.”
My lupine head cocked to the side, and a weird whine escaped from my lips. I sniffed the air around Vander, and something clicked in my brain. Wolf. I eyed Rafe’s friend as he slowly walked backwards before disappearing around a corner.
I couldn’t keep myself from trailing after him. I cautiously trod forward, sniffing the air as I went. When I turned down the alley, Vander was gone. His words echoed in the back of my mind as I turned toward the main street. Come for me? Moon Valley. That was the wolf territory in the shifter realm of Marlwoods.
Energy strummed through my veins, a restlessness stirring within. My wolf wanted to run, all the pent-up energy inside me longed for release. I tipped my head back to face the crimson moon, and a deep howl vibrated the air.
Turning toward the academy, I took off at a gallop. My muscles stretched, tightening and straining as they adjusted to my new form. In minutes, I left the town center behind and detoured toward the woods. My wolf was crazy fast. Deep greens and browns blurred past as I darted through the underbrush, the sounds of the woods enveloping me in their familiar embrace. Everything was heightened, my sight, my hearing, but mostly my sense of smell.
I could smell every woodland creature within a mile radius, sense every bird flying overhead, every insect crawling on the ground.
It was incredible. After years of feeling trapped in the wrong body, I’d never felt so alive, so free.
Hours later when I reached the academy, I paused at the edge of campus. I didn’t know much about wolf shifters, but I knew enough that my awesome purple glow was not typical. The wolf that had attacked me had confirmed that suspicion when he’d run off at the sight of me. So now what? I stared down at my glowing white fur and huffed. I couldn’t just stroll into the dorms like this.
Glancing up at the full scarlet moon, I sent up a quick prayer to the goddess Luna. She was the one who had gifted wolves with the power to shift after all. Maybe you could help a girl out? I focused on the swell of energy that had taken residence in my core and willed myself to turn back.
Come on, come on. I visualized my human face, long fingers, dark hair and a hint of power flared. Please, turn back. A tiny ember of magic swirled to life before extinguishing into nothingness.
Dammit. After trying a few more times, I turned back toward the woods. With my nose to the ground, I inhaled the earthy floor, traces of other woodland creatures making their way to a newly awakened part of my brain. Rabbit, squirrel, fox. Each odor was distinct in my mind. As exhaustion gnawed at my weary bones, I padded toward a large oak and settled onto the damp ground and curled against the thick trunk. My wolfy eyelids grew heavy, and the sounds of the forest lulled me to sleep.
“Get dressed, now!” A harsh voice snapped me from a deep sleep, and I jolted up, my bleary eyes landing on the familiar forest green uniform of an academy guard. His eyes were wide beneath the dark cap before he lowered his gaze to the floor. “Put some clothes on, girl.”
With the drowsy haze lifting, I scanned the quiet forest and felt the rough bark digging into my back. A soft breeze lifted my hair from my bare shoulders, and a chill skittered up my spine. I glanced down at my very naked body and heat surged up my neck, blossoming across my cheeks. I curled into a ball and folded my arms across my chest, trying to cover as much as I could as images of the night before bombarded me.
My wolf growled, a deep rumble vibrating from my core. Oh, gods. It hadn’t been a nightmare. It was real. I was a flippin’ werewolf.
The guard eyed me, lifting his gaze from the ground, thankfully keeping his light eyes focused above my chin. “Clothes?” he repeated.
“I—I don’t know where they are,” I mumbled.
He grunted and rolled his eyes. “Shifters.” He spat the word like it was too vile to keep in his mouth. “You can’t hunt on this property. It’s academy grounds—the Academy of the Arcane.”
“I know that. I’m a student here.” The words popped out before I could stop them. Before I realized what a mistake I’d made.
His expression soured, his lips puckering. “Not likely.”
“Why would I lie about that?” I snarled. “I had no idea what I was—”
He grunted again and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Let’s get you to the headmaster then.” The man’s lips fluttered silently, and the scent of magic filled the air. With my new enhanced wolfish senses, the intense smokey odor made my nose twitch. A wave of magic washed over me, and a warm sweatshirt and matching sweatpants materialized over my naked body.
“Thanks,” I murmured as I pushed myself to my feet. Ow! I bit down on my lip to keep the squeal from slipping out. Every muscle in my body screamed in agony. I’m never shifting again. As the words darted across my mind, my inner wolf whined. I could already feel her clawing her way out. She wanted to be free, to run. I tamped down on the wild cravings and followed the guard toward the path leading back to the main campus.
As we walked, memories of the attack filled my mind. They replayed in slow motion, every terrifying moment, up until the minute my wolf emerged in the tunnels. Who was that wolf and why was he after me? And what did Vander have to do with all of this? He’d recognized me in my wolf form. No, it was more than that, he’d expected it.
After this meeting with Headmaster Balderrin, I would go straight to find Vander, even if that meant seeking out my not so favorite warlock, Rafe.
We traipsed through the quiet halls, most of the students still asleep at the early hour. Balloons and a large Congratulations sign stretched across the hallway, and my frazzled mind focused. Today was graduation day. The day I’d been looking forward to for four whole years.
The guard stopped in front of the headmaster’s office and turned to me. “Good luck.” He twisted the knob and held the door open, ushering me in. A pit of dread formed in my gut, and a mad flutter battered my insides.
The man whispered to the receptionist who shot me a horrified look before motioning toward one of the chairs. “Sit. The headmaster will surely want to see you right away.”
Great.
She scurried into his office a moment later and the guard disappeared through the same door we’d come in, leaving me alone with my thoughts once again. So I was a werewolf? What was the worst thing that could happen? At least now the whole no magic thing made sense. Man, did Mom have a lot of explaining to do though.
I snuggled into the warm sweatshirt and forced myself to stay positive. It was graduation day, after all. Whatever happened, I’d be out of here by the end of the day.
The headmaster’s door whipped open and Balderrin himself stepped out, trailed by the receptionist. His wide eyes roamed over me, and I dragged a hand through my wild mane. A night out in the forest did nothing for unruly hair like mine.
He cleared his throat before crooking a long finger at me. “Ms. Wildstone, it seems we have something important to discuss.”
I nodded and swallowed down the lump of dread. “Guess so.”
The headmaster settled into the leather wing-backed chair poised behind his massive mahogany desk. He smoothed his green velvet robe and leaned forward. “How long have you known you were a shifter?”
“Um, last night.”
His gray brows drew together, furrowing the deep lines in his forehead. “Do not lie to me, Ms. Wildstone.”
“I’m not lying. Why would I have stayed here if I knew I was a freakin’ werewolf? I could’ve been
out of here years ago.”
He cleared his throat and tapped an impatient finger on his desk. “Can you tell me exactly what happened?”
“Sure.” I recounted the events of the evening, stopping when my wolf ripped out of my skin. I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t want to tell him about the weird lavender glow. Maybe it was just a side-effect of my dyed purple locks, but it felt like more. It was important somehow, and I needed to keep it a secret until I figured it out.
When I finished the story, Balderrin stared at me for a long moment from across the imposing desk. He bent down and pulled something out of his drawer. My clutch! I’d totally forgotten about it in all the chaos. “Well, your little adventure explains this. One of the guards found your purse at the academy gate this morning. You were lucky whoever found it was kind enough to turn it in.”
I grabbed it and did a quick inventory. Wallet – check, phone – check, keys – check. Phew.
His gray eyes slid over me as I tucked the purse at my side. “I suppose the delay in your first shift isn’t that unusual for a half-blood. Supernatural abilities tend to reveal themselves later in your kind.” His lip curled in disgust, and I pretended not to notice. “However, this means that you’ve been attending the wrong school for the past four years.”
I could’ve told him that a long time ago. Wait a second. Panic streaked across my chest as I anticipated his next words.
“You’ll have to be evaluated by your kind. I’ll speak to the superintendent of the Shifter Pack, but I imagine you’ll be placed at an academy in Moon Valley until your abilities are deemed under control.”
“No… But I’ve already spent four years in Azar. I just want to go home.”
“I’m afraid that’s impossible, Ms. Wildstone. Your human form conceals a powerful beast. One you have no control over. Per Azarian law, you will not be permitted to return to the human world until you’ve proven capable of reining in your wolf.”
A low growl vibrated my throat, and I slapped a hand over my mouth. Come on, wolfy!
Balderrin threw me a smug smile and rose. “Let’s hope you have better luck with your beast than you did with magic.”
Jerk. “Wait, what about the wolf that tried to attack me?” I’d also left out the part about Vander. His words echoed across my mind. If I can’t come back for you, find me at Moon Valley. Whatever his true reasons were for being at the academy, I didn’t want to be the one to out him since he clearly was not a warlock. He’d been kind to me, and I didn’t take that lightly, considering my track record here.
The headmaster shuffled some papers on his desk and pursed his lips. “I suppose I can report this rogue wolf to the SIA but beyond that, I don’t know how else I can help you. Perhaps you can bring it up with your new pack.”
My new pack? I shuddered at the thought. The last thing I wanted was to start over with another race of supes. As for the wolf that attacked me, I doubted the Supernatural Intelligence Agency would be able to track a lone russet wolf. There had to be thousands fitting that description.
I turned toward the door, but Balderrin stopped me with a shrill clearing of his throat. “Pack your bags, Ms. Wildstone. After the graduation ceremony today, you’ll be headed to Moon Valley.”
I muttered a curse and stormed out of his office without answering. It wasn’t fair. I was supposed to be getting out of this crazy supernatural world, and now I was getting sucked right back in.
My fingers curled into tight fists as I barreled by a few students starting to litter the halls. A swirl of anger lit up my core, and my inner beast snarled. The sound echoed through the corridors, and a couple of the students turned to stare.
Keeping my head down, I picked up my pace and darted toward the courtyard. My mom had a hell of a lot of explaining to do.
“How could you not tell me my dad was a werewolf?” I shouted into the phone. A few students lingered by the fountain, so I moved into a quiet corner of the yard.
“I’m so sorry, Sierra. I never thought you’d inherit his genes. It’s so rare for wolf/human hybrids to exist, let alone wolf/human/witch ones. From what I understood, most shifters turned in their teenage years and when you hadn’t, I thought you were safe.”
“Why won’t you talk to me about him? I don’t even know my father’s name. Do you know how much that sucks? And now nineteen years later, I find out I’m a wolf just like him.”
“Sierra, we never wanted you involved in the supernatural world.”
“We? I thought you said he abandoned us before I was born.” My head spun, and I leaned against the thick bark of a willow.
Silence.
“Mom!”
“I can’t, Sierra, not right now. It’s too painful to talk about.”
“It’s not fair, Mom. This is my life that you’re screwing with. First you keep the stuff about Grams from me, then you finally admit she’s a witch but that was only because of the Half-Blood Decree. You knew they’d come for me. I want to know about my father.”
“There’s nothing to know. He’s dead, Sierra.” Her words fell away, and a choked sob filled the quiet air.
Dead? The word rang out in my mind on repeat. My knees wobbled, and I sank down to the warm grass. As a kid, I’d imagined meeting my father one day. He’d appear out of nowhere, a knight in shining armor to rescue me from my boring life. He’d tell me he loved me, and it had all been a big misunderstanding. He’d never meant to leave me. And now that day would never come…
“Sierra, are you all right?” My mom’s strangled voice tore me from my childish imaginings.
“No. Not at all.”
“I’m sorry, honey. I promise I’ll tell you more about him one day, but not over the phone. Maybe when you come home.”
At this rate, I wasn’t going back to the human world any time soon. I slammed the phone down as hurt blossomed in my core. My dad was dead, and my mom had been lying to me my whole life. I needed answers about my new wolfish abilities and if my mom couldn’t give them to me, I had another idea where to start.
I needed to find Cass and Rafe ASAP.
Chapter Six
By the time I reached the dorms, anger churned in my gut, my blood boiling at the unfairness of it all. No one would tell me about my past and now my future was a mess. My mother had lied to me for years. Again. Balderrin was the almighty wizard; shouldn’t he have been able to tell I was a flippin’ werewolf? Shouldn’t the supernatural blood test have picked up on my lupine blood? Why had I been forced to endure four years of hell for nothing?
I stomped up the stairs, my body buzzing. Sweat pooled on my brow, another trickle dribbling down my spine. I was about a second from wolfing out. My she-wolf raked against my insides, desperate to escape her skeletal confines.
No, not here. Come on, wolfy.
I sprinted the last few yards to my room and whipped the door open, darting inside and slamming it shut behind me. Leaning against the thick timber, I drew in a long breath and forced my racing heart to slow.
“Where have you been, missy?” Cass poked her head out of the bathroom, golden curls shooting out in all directions.
“Oh, you know, sleeping in the woods.” My legs gave and I sank down to the floor, tucking my knees to my chest.
“What?” My best friend’s brows shot up, her drowsy, drooping lids from a second ago now wide.
Rafe’s head appeared over Cass’s shoulder, and I couldn’t help the grunt of annoyance from slipping out. If he hadn’t shown up last night, I wouldn’t have left early and maybe none of this would’ve happened. Or maybe the freaky blood moon had drawn out my wolf, and I would’ve been screwed either way. Nope. Definitely the warlock douche canoe.
Cass must have noticed my expression because she shooed Rafe back into the bathroom, whispering something and shut the door behind him.
“Really? You’re going to lock him in the bathroom?” I cocked my head at my roomie.
“He needs a shower anyway.” She darted over, sliding down to the flo
or to sit beside me. “So, what happened? I tried calling you like a million times last night.”
Right, and I missed her calls because I’d lost my cell and anyway wolves couldn’t answer phones. “You’re never going to believe it. Hell, I don’t believe it and I was there.”
“Sierra, you’re scaring me. Just spit it out already.”
I sucked in a breath. “I’m a werewolf.”
Her light brows nearly reached her hairline. “Shut the f—front door.” She stared at me for another few moments without another word. “You turned last night?”
My head bounced up and down. “Right after I was attacked by some feral wolf.”
“Oh, my goddess. Tell me everything.”
For the second time today, I recounted the events of my crazy night, trying to process what had happened as I spoke them. I skipped the part about my dad because I wasn’t ready to share that yet. Not with the possibility of Rafe popping out of the bathroom and catching me balling my eyes out.
I paused when I got to the part where my wolf made its debut appearance. Cass knew much more about the supernatural world than I did. Maybe she’d have an idea why my wolf had a freakish purple tint.
“Keep going,” she prodded.
“Well, when my wolf appeared, the other wolf took one look at me and got the hell out of dodge.”
“That’s good. Maybe he realized how badass you were.”
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help the smile from parting my lips. “No. My guess is it had something to do with the fact that my white wolf has a weird purple glow to her.” I paused again, chewing on my lower lip. “Have you ever heard of something like that?”
“No… But I don’t have many shifter friends.” She tugged at one of my violet locks. “Maybe your wolf was just trying to match your hair do.”
I laughed because the same ridiculous thought had crossed my mind even though I was certain it had nothing to do with it.