Arctic Hunter

by Kaylin Peyerk

  His hand slips off of my arm and I hurry away, feeling embarrassed. Was that too cold? Did I just lose my chance of ever being friends with him? Is that even what he’s looking for? Probably not if that lick along my neck was any indication. These males are circling around me like actual wolves. I’m not sure if it’s my power drawing them toward me or something else, but I’ve just about had it already and I’m two days in.

  I’m a little pissed off when I show up at my first class and Matt is already in his seat, waiting for me. He smiles at me until he realizes my mood. Wisely, he turns in his seat to speak with another male when I slide into my desk. The teacher breezes in two minutes later with a nothing but a laser pointer and her laptop. The students continue to chat and gossip as she sets up the presentation that will continue our education on arctic shifters. She notices that I’m sitting quietly while actively refusing to acknowledge Matt’s existence. A smile appears on her face and she waves me to the front of the class.

  I step up to her desk as she says, “I’m sorry we didn’t get proper introductions yesterday. It was a whirlwind of a class. My name is Miss Sophia, and I’ve put in a request with the library to get a copy of the textbook for you. It should be here by the end of the week.” I nod but don’t reply so she goes on, “I heard you might have a hard time with males and females alike around here, and I’ve heard of your previous situation. I can understand that it all may overwhelm and confuse you.”

   “Yes, it’s been a difficult transition, but I’ll make it. I always do. You don’t have to worry about me Miss Sophia, but I do appreciate the concern.”

   She tilts her head to the side and watches me for a moment before smiling again and nodding. It’s unnerving how all the wolf shifters do that. I’ve never noticed it until now. It’s like we’re all constantly calculating our next move, our next prey. I really hope I didn’t make it onto her list. I make my way back to my desk and Miss Sophia claps her hands to get everyone's attention. All eyes turn to her as she perches on the front of the desk just as she did yesterday.

   “As you can see from the title slide, we will discuss Arctic shifter power scales today, along with their mating habits.”

  My face colors and I sink slightly lower into my seat. Why would we discuss mating habits? It doesn’t matter to anyone in this room, it’s not like they’ll be willing to mate with an arctic shifter. Matt grins at my obvious discomfort and I kick him under the table. He probably thinks I’m some sort of prude. At least that’s better than the alternative I called Varus this morning.

  Miss Sophia goes on, “We will start with discussing the power scales. Arctic shifters are unique in that they have a different biological makeup. They’re more like fae inside than any other shifter. They have magic running through their veins, which is why it’s hard for them to conceive. It slows their aging, as they live much longer than other wolves. However, while all arctic wolves have magic, not all of them can use it like fae. Only royal blooded arctic wolves may use the magic as if they’re one of the fae. And the only magic ever conjured by arctic wolves has been battle ice magic.”

  She clicks through a few slides showing beautifully horrible pictures of battle magic. Ice storms rage, impaling only their enemies and obscuring their sight. Blood mixes with snow, turning it a sickly shade of blush pink. Using my magic turns my stomach when looking at these pictures. I’ve always known that I possess it deep within myself. An untapped magical well that I must have inherited from my father. At least that’s what I assume. I’ve never tried it before.

  “As you can see, it further brutalized shifter wars, which is why the power was so isolated to a select few every generation. Only well-trained royal leaders are up to using such a power. Arctic shifters also have the power of uncompromising strength on their side, and while their size is overwhelming, don’t let it fool you,” She pauses, looking at everyone, “For they are swift and agile.”

  Her small speech makes me sit up straight in my chair. I’m proud to be an arctic shifter in a room full of regular wolves, even if none of them know it. It feels like a privilege, and I can’t squander it by revealing myself to anyone, let alone Varus. So, I can’t accept his invitation to start over. There’s too much at stake that he couldn’t possibly understand.

  The same red wolf from last class asks, “So what? They’re all powerful? Nothing hurts them, and it’s almost impossible to kill them?” He sounds a little too miffed for his statement to be acceptable. It’s an effort not to turn and glare.

  Miss Sophia raises her eyebrows. “Well, that is why they were the ruling line. Alphas are stronger, faster, and more intelligent, are they not? Despite the current red shifter rule, there have been rumors of a great and powerful arctic shifter rising to take back the throne. But again, it’s a rumor.”

  A low murmur fills the room, and the red shifter’s eyes flash a deadly shade of red. Who is this guy? Does he honestly believe in the mass genocide of my kind? And if so, what in the hell is his problem? It bothers me so much that I lean over to Matt’s desk.

  “Who in the hell is that guy? It’s like he wants the destruction of the entire arctic wolf line.”

  Matt glances warily over at the massive male, “He’s Varus’s younger brother, Odin. While Varus couldn’t care less about which way the throne goes, his brother is almost scary committed to the red wolves’ success as rulers.”

  “Couldn’t care less? But he’s the heir to the throne as the eldest.”

  Matt shrugs but doesn’t deign to respond, and I don’t blame him. I’m sure few people know exactly what’s going on in Varus’s head. While he’s all jokes, insults, and flirting, I think it’s just a persona. No one knows who he really is, and he seems to like it that way.

  Miss Sophia continues, waving one hand to quiet down the class. “Don’t get caught up in rumors, children. It’s a good way to get yourself killed. Now we will move onto the mating habits of arctic shifters. This is important to some students because if you have even an inkling of the lineage in your blood, it applies to you. Arctic shifters are unique in that they mate once and once only to another arctic shifter. This is because of their low birthrate and small communities. It’s an attempt to keep up the pure breed royal lines. But that’s not the unique part.” She pauses, smiling like this is exciting. “Blood calls to blood. If you have any arctic blood and are around the opposite sex that also has it, you will be unbearably attracted to that male or female. It’s the genetics that bring mates together for the best match of power.”

  The girls around me blush as if they’re all suddenly embarrassed, while the males grin. The only person in this room to truly be embarrassed is me, but I’m also partially relieved. This explains the attraction I feel toward Varus. We’re genetically compatible, and nothing else. The teacher continues her discussion on mating genetics, but mostly focuses on other lines. My mind goes to Varus’s crystal eyes and that he’s taller than me. The thought makes me want to lie my head against his chest to hear his heartbeat. Wait! That’s not attraction, is it? Wanting to hear someone’s heartbeat? Feeling defeated, I put my chin in my hands.

  My thoughts refuse to wander away from what it felt like to have Varus’s tongue on my neck. I try to tell myself that he was messing with me but the territorial, almost sensual way he did it reveals otherwise. He can’t control himself around me either. I’m sitting in the haze of my own thoughts when Matt shakes my shoulder. I look up to see that almost everyone has left the classroom, including the teacher. Matt raises one eyebrow and gestures for us to get going. I drag my body up and follow him to our next classes, my face flaming.

  Chapter Five

   I go through weeks of this torture that the shifters here call education. It’s all common knowledge and if everyone could just read a book, maybe I wouldn’t be in this mess. The only good thing about the last few days is that Varus has left me alone, mostly. There has been no more throat licking or seduction of any kind, but in its place has come an ass beating t
hat I receive daily. So yeah, my time here at the academy hasn’t started off on a good note.

  My self-defense class right before lunch is my least favorite to attend. I know too much to be entertained by the lessons, and I can’t show anyone. It’s infuriating to me to pretend that I’m nothing but a weak and education less gray shifter. The entire charade makes me feel like I’m the lead in a horrible play. Thankfully, we haven’t fought each other since I’ve been in class the last few days. The teachers have done nothing but show which seems to keep most of the students enraptured. While I have to admit that they’re good, they didn’t capture my attention for over five minutes the first day.

   All the students are standing around the gym gossiping about their peers and previous lessons. Most of them make a point not to talk to me, which is fine. They don't know how easy that makes this for me. It’s easy to eventually slip out never to return when you have no substantial connections. Unfortunately, my sisters don’t care about that. They’ve been out with different people every night, not returning to the room until close to midnight. I suspect that they’re just avoiding the eventual lecture I’ll be giving them, and I’m inclined to let them for a little while longer, if only to learn more about the political climate in the wolf shifter world. Despite me not controlling who rules I’m still interested in the community that my parents often spoke of in our exile. It’s the curiosity that will most likely be my downfall, but that’s something I pushed to the back of my mind.

  The gym doors open as the teachers move into the room together, not wearing their usual leather training suits. The students stand at attention in front of them and go silent. This is the only class that I’ve seen my peers act respectful in the presence of an authority figure. Probably because our professors are easily some of the largest and most formidable shifters I’ve seen on campus other than Varus and his smartass younger brother. They’re from the red shifter lineage and seem to always have a simmering red-hot rage behind their eyes. I think it’s because they have an abnormal amount of berserker magic within them, forcing them to be ready for battle.

  The male, Joshua, speaks, “Today we’ve decided that we’ve done enough demonstration for the week, and since it’s Friday, we will allow you to spar with each other,” Excited murmurs course through the crowd, “However, there are rules. There will be no blood spilled, no breaking each other's bones, and you will fight only until someone calls Uncle. At that point, you must stop. Are we clear?”

  The class nods as students scramble to pick a partner that won’t destroy them. I’m hopeless to find a decent partner, so I wait for someone to approach me and resign myself to getting the weakling that’s left. The flurry calms down marginally, and I’m surprised to see a well built and beautiful female strutting my way. She’s tall, as all shifters are, and has long lushes auburn hair that falls to her waist in shining waves. Her eyes are a striking honey gold color that stresses her delicate facial features. She stops in front of me and sneers, ruining her beauty instantly. It sends my stomaching dropping toward the floor.

  “You’re my partner today, got it?”

  “Uh, all right.”

  She rolls her eyes at my less than articulate response and gestures for me to follow her toward the far side of the room. I can’t help but note that it’s conveniently far from the professors. Does this girl think that she can beat the crap out of me in the corner without their knowledge? Even if I’m forced to pretend I know nothing there’s no way in hell, I’m letting that happen.

  She turns, “Alright, what’s your deal with Varus?”

  The question catches me off guard and I look at her strangely for a moment, dumbfounded. Why does this girl want to know about my relationship with Varus? Or my lack of one?

  “Uh, I don’t have a deal, there’s no deal here. He’s my fifth period tutor is all.”

  She leans toward me, “That’s all?”

  I nod, so she backs up and crouches into a ready position. We circle each other and throw halfhearted punches for the first few minutes as a warmup. She’s fast, and surprisingly strong for her lithe figure. I had her pegged as an Indian shifter, but now both her bratty personality and strength give me pause. Is she a red shifter?

  “Why do you care anyhow?”

  She lashes out, landing a blow against my shoulder that sends me stumbling backward a few feet. A feral grin has since surfaced on her face, and my answering scowl seems to delight her even more. The next few punches I block easily as I fall into what my sisters call my scary focused zone. It leaves me almost emotionless other than a feeling so primal that a permanent snarl plays across my features. The girls' eyes widen, but to her credit, she doesn’t stumble in her attack. In fact, she doubles her efforts.

  “Why do I care? Because Varus is my fated mate.”

  The shock I felt at her proclamation makes me lose focus, which is a grave mistake. Her fist lands hard against my temple, sending me whirling toward the floor. I land on my hands and knees, but she doesn’t give me the chance to stand before sending her foot into my ribs. I’m thrown sideways as I groan.

  “Do you say Uncle, gray wolf?” She says as she flips me over to face her.

  Her condescending grin makes me see red and instead of surrendering, like a weak gray wolf would do, I grip her hair and pull her down toward me. She screeches like a banshee as we flip over each other, wailing and scratching like feral cats. Her long nails scraped at my face as I yanked on her hair with one hand and punched her repeatedly with the other.

  I hiss at her, “Fated mate? Says who?”

  She pins me and shouts, “Says me!”

  Before she can land a blow to my face, they hoist her entire body off of me. She kicks and screams in rage against Joshua until he whispers something in her ear, causing her to slump against his chest. The female instructor, Amelia, helps me to my feet and checks my body for serious injury. To add insult to injury, I wink at the female being restrained by Joshua.

  The girl shouts, “Fuck you!”

  Amelia scowls. “That’s enough, Maia, you’re making a fool of yourself.”

  Her name is Maia? Hm, I guess Varus has more than one female after him. But to call someone your fated mate is not something you just throw around. You only get one in your lifetime, after all. Amelia stops patting me down and nods, as if satisfied with my injured but not too injured state.

  Joshua says pointedly, “This is exactly what I had said not to do. Do any of you listen? Class is dismissed, I don’t want to see your faces again until Monday.”

  The students slink away toward the doors in one big cloud, taking me with them. Most of them only act chastised until we burst into the hallway. The other beautiful shifters surround a crying Maia who keeps shooting me scathing looks. Everyone else gives me subtle smiles, letting me know that what I did was cool, but not cool enough to go against the queen bee. Fair enough. I’m the new girl.

  All the other students leave to catch lunch early, but I stay leaning against the wall by the doors. My ribs ache so forcefully that I can barely breathe, let alone have a desire to eat. I guess I’ll stay here through lunch and wait for Varus. Perhaps he’ll let me skip out on training today because of the ass kicking I’ve already received from his fated mate.

  The words fated mate echo through me. I shouldn’t care about who or who isn’t Varus’s fated anything. He’s just another person on the long list of people I have to leave behind. And it’s not like I want to be the one that’ll be his mate, or even his one-time lover. He’s my tutor, the prince of the red shifter line, and he’s an ass.

  Again, at least that’s what I tell myself.

  Speaking of the devil. “What’s up, princess?”

  My eyes go to the end of the hall coming from the direction of the cafeteria. Varus is holding up two oil stained paper bags in one hand, and a drink carrier in the other. Did he bring me lunch? The thought sends a warm feeling through me I immediately cast aside.

  “How’d you know I was here?
”

  He shrugs. “Let’s just say a little birdy told me. It’s burger day in the cafeteria and I figured you wouldn’t want to miss it,” He pauses in front of the doors, grinning, “Come on, let’s go inside where you can sit down. You look like you’re about to pass out anyhow.”

  I scowl at him and lead the way back into the empty gym. He takes a seat on the bleachers and starts pulling steaming mouthwatering food from the bags. Thick cut French fries and double cheeseburgers is something I’ve rarely had from the city. Right now, it’s exactly what I need while I heal. He hands one to me as I gingerly took a seat across from him, straddling the metal bench. The first bite explodes across my tongue and I moan in the back of my throat.

  Varus chuckles. “I guess I don't have to ask whether you like it. Have you ever had a hamburger before?”

  I glare at him over my burger. “Yes, I’ve had one before! Just because I lived in the woods doesn’t mean I prowled around in my wolf form eating raw meat. And to think I was about to thank you for lunch.”

  He smiles and wisely chooses to pop a few fries into his mouth instead of replying. Why did he bring me lunch anyhow? Why isn’t he sitting at a table with his fated mate, Maia? I glance sidelong at him, watching him watch me. He hasn’t taken his eyes off of me since we sat down. He has an eerie quality that many of the students have here. Almost as if they’ve learned how to sit so still that they look like they’re made of marble. The stillness only makes me want to look at him more, which isn’t ideal since he has such a handsome sly grin on his face. If only I didn’t feel this way, it would be much easier to leave this place. Instead of beating around the bush, I should probably come right out and say it.

  “Is Maia your fated mate?”

  He stops chewing and locks eyes with me, looking startled. For almost a full minute, we stare at one another intensely, and I’m distinctly aware of the fact that he’s omitted the facts before. I have no claim on her. Will he say the same about Maia? And if he does, will I be okay with that? Even if I’m not, I have no right to get in the middle of a fated relationship. I bite my lip and look away first, suddenly feeling shy and unsure of myself.