I wanted to rip into him. “Great,” I said between clenched teeth, taking the paper and tucking it into the pocket of my sweater. I wasn’t a sweater guy, but it was part of the uniform and required on initiation day. “Anything else?” I asked, standing. He wanted me to exploit her, seduce her if necessary. For the briefest moment, I thought about telling my father what I believed had happened. The blood bond was sacred to our kind. But I resisted. If he knew, he might just have me killed too. If I kept the secret, I could protect her.
My father’s features became severe, and some of his wolf came out, his eyes flashing bright yellow. “Fail me again, and I’ll make sure you regret it.”
I forced myself not to roll my eyes, not that I didn’t believe him. Without a doubt, he would make sure I suffered. But since he kicked me out of the Keepers, I never became a part of his pack. That meant I didn’t have to obey him unconditionally. “Got it,” I said and left, closing the door behind me.
The guys were waiting in the hall. They wore their Keepers uniform.
A pang of envy rolled off me, but I forced myself to smile.
“How screwed are you?” Nick asked.
I shrugged, pushing past them and heading to the exit. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
Butch clapped me on the shoulder. “Why you wearing that uniform?” He eyed my sweater with disdain.
“Do you have to work here?” Logan asked.
I gave them the details. “It just means I have to do the initiation again, same as the newbies.” I shoved open the doors. The sun hit my face, and I lifted it, allowing the light to burn away all the ick at being around my father.
“That’s horrible,” Sundance groaned.
“Yeah, but this time I know what I’m doing. It’ll be easy.” I wanted to brush them off and find Diana, but I owed them an explanation. So I turned. Rolling my shoulders back, I crossed my arms. “Look, what I did by saving Diana wasn’t cool. I know that. Especially since I didn’t talk to you about it first. I’m sorry,” I added, though I felt no remorse or weakness. I regretted that I wasn’t in the Keepers with them, but I would do it all again if necessary.
Logan spoke first. “Yeah, what you did sucked.” He shrugged. “But, at least the rest of us are part of the Shade Keepers.” He was already higher in rank than the rest of them, as I knew he would be. Now that he was where he wanted to be, he’s shown all of his power.
My father came out of his office. “Keepers, report,” he shouted.
They all snapped to attention, and I was forgotten. It hurt, but there was nothing to be done. I had to do this, and my father made me promise not to tell the others the details of my new orders or their possible punishment if I failed.
My thoughts were supercharged and focused. Not on reclaiming my status in the Keepers. Nor did I waste my thoughts on my old pack and their needs. I was selfishly focused on Diana. Part of me wished I could go back to the way things were before I bit her. Saved her from certain death. But my choice had changed the course of both of our lives. Mine because I was no longer living for only myself. It was all about Diana.
Hers? She didn’t know it yet, but we were meant to be together, and I intended to make sure her time at the Academy was as successful as possible.
A black limo came to a stop in front of the Academy steps. Even though I remained calm, my heart was racing. I hadn’t seen her face, yet I was already a mess.
When the door opened, I snapped to attention, sitting up.
She stepped out nervously, unsure about this place.
There were dozens of other students and even parents milling about. Laughing. Excitement and expectation snapped in the air like a flag in a gale-force windstorm.
All of that faded, and there was just her. I held my breath as she spoke with the driver. He pointed toward the check-in tent. She lifted a hand to shade the sun from her eyes and glanced over. Then she thanked him and headed there. Her back to me, my wolf howled. I was down the steps and onto the grass in seconds, tracking her like prey. Her long blond hair hung long and danced in the Wyoming breeze. She wore jeans and a white button-up, tucked into her jeans. Over that was a long, red sweater, like a cape and black boots that came up to her knees.
She was standing in line, talking to a girl with short black hair and a nose ring. I tried to listen in on what they were saying, but there was too much interference around me.
So I watched as she went through the line, tracking her movements, scanning and searching for a sign that I’d somehow ruined her by nearly killing her. She seemed nervous but no more so than the rest of the newbies.
Finished, she came out from under the shadow of the tent. Her eyes down, she was focused on the papers in her hands, probably wondering how to find her room.
I stepped into her path. “Hi Diana,” I said, my voice not sounding like my own.
She gasped and took a step back, using the papers to shade the sun as she looked at me. First confused and then surprised. “Wyatt.” The way she said my name had my heart picking up speed.
“You’re going here?” she asked. Again she seemed surprised.
“Yep, this is the place I call home,” I admitted, forcing myself to smile. Because what the hell was I doing? Any second she’d recognize me as the man who left her to drown.
“But then that means…” Her voice trailed off, and her dazzling bright blue eyes widened as though she was seeing me for the first time. She stepped in close and then thought better of the move and went back. “You’re a—like me, I guess.” Her smile vanished, and I sensed she was terrified about what that meant. It had only been a few days since she got her invitation. She must be freaking out. I couldn’t imagine having lived my whole life without knowing who or what I really was. Talk about an identity crisis. I wanted to drag her into a hug and hold her until she felt completely safe and ready to take on all that it meant to attend the Academy.
“More or less,” I admitted.
“Oh.” She pushed up the sleeves of her sweater as perspiration beaded along her hairline and on her upper lip. Her mouth was very distracting. Plus, it was unseasonably hot today. “Well, maybe I’ll see you around,” she said and went to move around me, but I took hold of her arm. Warmth radiated through my fingers.
Definitely a blood bond. Damn!
She pulled away. “Sorry,” she said, pushing down the sleeves. “I’m all hot and sweaty.” Her cheeks blushed deeper pink.
“Can I give you a tour of the campus?”
Diana's lips pushed into a smile. “I think I’m supposed to meet over there on the grassy knoll for an official tour.” She pressed her lips together, and I realized she was trying not to laugh at me.
My face had fallen at her dismissal of my offer even though she had a point. An official tour was a good idea. “Great. I’ll join you if that’s okay.”
She shrugged, eyeing me in a way that said she couldn’t believe I would want to waste my time. “Won’t you be bored?”
“Not in the slightest,” I said and meant it.
We walked in companionable silence over to the other students. I felt like a man among teenagers, even though technically, I was still a teen. If memory served, Diana was around the same age as me, possibly a little younger.
The girl she’d been talking to in line gave me a once over. “Who’s this?” she asked when we joined the group.
“Oh, sorry. Penelope Smythe meet Wyatt?” She paused at not knowing my last name.
I stuck out my hand. “I’m Wyatt Wright. Nice to meet you.”
“And you,” the girl said, a smirk on her face.
While we waited for our guide to start the tour, I took in the other newbies sizing up the competition. I would have no problem coming out on top.
“Hey,” Diana said.
“Yeah.” My eyes found hers, and they locked.
“Uh, I wondered if you could tell us why we don’t have any class assignments yet. If this is a school, it seems logical we would attend classes?” She wa
s flipping through her packet like she’d missed her schedule somehow.
“She’s beyond new,” Penelope said, snorting and laughing, her upper body shaking awkwardly.
“That’s true,” Diana admitted. “It’s only been a few days since I found out about…” She paused and considered how to finish.
I watched the different emotions race across her beautiful face, though I didn’t know her well enough to be able to read what they all meant. I hoped to remedy that sooner rather than later. “The fact that you have a wolf inside you,” I finished, winking. Then I mentally punched myself in the face. I was acting to fresh around Diana and needed to calm the eff down.
She swallowed so loud I heard it. “Exactly,” she said, glancing down at her boots.
So close to her, I got a whiff of her hair—like apple blossoms and sliced oranges. Good enough to eat. I casually breathed in, and my wolf shuddered. It made me wonder how Diana was handling the blood bond. She was probably craving me as much as I craved her, though it was difficult to tell. The feelings would probably get worse once she shifted the first time. Then her wolf and the human part of her psyche would become more in sync. For that reason, I really wanted her to shift. If memory served, she would have to during the first test.
Chapter Six
Diana
From the moment I saw Wyatt again, there was an almost irresistible current of desire for him tingling along my skin. At the same time, there was resistance. An almost primal loathing. The dual needs hurt my head, and I had a splitting headache.
Penelope, Wyatt, and I talked about the basics. From our chat, I found out Penelope was from Brooklyn, New York. She had a definite accent, and I enjoyed listening to her talk. Turned out, she was the youngest of four children. Her whole family belonged to Claw house. That’s where she hoped to wind up too.
Mother had gone over the houses, including Legacy, Claw, and Familiar. Supposedly, my dad was a Legacy, but mom said it didn’t matter what house I ended up in, as long as I was happy. I also learned that my father, who I believed was an archeologist and traveled all over the world, was actually the dean of the Wolf Blood Academy. When I asked her why she hadn’t told me what she was, what she and my dad were, she explained she hadn’t wanted this life for me, and my dad had been okay with that.
Obviously.
It’d been years since I’d seen him.
I also learned most wolf bloods go through a change during their preteen years where their parents hold a ceremony and help them change. That hadn’t happened for me either.
That meant I was behind on everything. Most of the other students had been shifting for years. I was terrified. Would it hurt? What if I couldn’t change? What if because I waited so long, the wolf part of myself was broken and wouldn’t work? The questions and worries went on and on.
I had asked mom to show me how to shift, but she said she wasn’t allowed. It was too dangerous. Shifting for the first time at my age outside the protection of the Wolf Blood Academy might end with a neighbor getting eaten. She'd meant to alleviate my fears, but my anxieties worsened.
When I asked why I hadn’t been given a class schedule, Wyatt and Penelope had exchanged a look.
“Before you are placed in classes, you must first go through an initiation. Three tests. They will determine which house you belong in and what classes are best for you to take.”
“Initiation?” This was the first I heard about it. “What kinds of tests?”
“Actually, no one will say,” Penelope said, and I saw a shiver of nerves course through her. “Do you know?” she asked Wyatt.
He nodded grimly. Glanced back and forth between us, shoving his hands in his pockets. “It’s all a test. All of it,” he reiterated, glancing around. “The way you handle each situation will be ranked, and that ranking will let the Academy know which house you belong in.”
“That’s pretty vague,” Penelope said and snorted. “I’m just praying I don’t wind up in Legacy house. Or Familiar. Claw is the only way to go.” She looked at me then. “Right?”
Hell, if I knew. “What’s wrong with Legacy?”
“Only that every last one of them is an uppity snob,” she roared.
Several students looked her way, their faces angry.
One, in particular, did look like an uppity snob. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, dog.” He sniffed and looked away. Several of his friends laughed.
Wyatt clenched his teeth together. “I’m not allowed to say more. It’s against the rules,” he added. “But I will say everyone is entitled to their own opinion.” He looked directly at Penelope. “Not everyone from Legacy house is a snob. I know several who are really cool. Friends even.”
She squinted ruefully. “If you say so. Then she batted her eyelashes. “You look like the kind of guy who breaks the rules. Can’t you give us a hint?” She stuck her shoulder into his chest.
I felt my eyes get wide, and something within me growled. What was Penelope playing at?
Wyatt shook his head. “I’ll only say that the test has already started.” He gave her a look that said she’d better be careful.
“How would anyone know?” Penelope asked, scouring the landscape and the sky for cameras or some sort of drone.
He leaned down, so his face was at her level. “You’re wolf blood, but I’m sure you’re aware there are also magic and vampire bloods too?” He tilted his head to one side, waiting for her response.
That was news to me. What the what? Vampires? Witches? What the everloving what?
“Sure, yeah?” Penelope appeared confused and worked to grasp what he was getting at.
“Well, some of our academy advisers are magic and vampire bloods. They assist with protecting the Academy just as there are wolf bloods who are advisers in the vampire and magic blood academies.”
“So, you’re suggesting we are being watched with magic?” I asked, just to verify. “Like a spell or something?” A chill ran through me. Vampires? Bloodsucking beings that didn’t like the sun and needed blood to survive? And magic? Spells and potions and cauldrons filled with green goo?
Wyatt straightened and crossed his arms. “That’s exactly right.” His lips pushed up into a smile, and my heart stopped, and I felt breathless. At the same time, I kind of despised him. This was a new feeling. When I first saw him in the coffee shop, I only thought he was gorgeous. Why was I suddenly wanting him and hating him at the same time? It really hurt my head. Without thinking, I rubbed my palms against my temples. What was wrong with me?
Mine, came the response from deep inside my brain. I knew without knowing how that voice was my wolf talking, and if she had a say, he would be mine. But—
“Are you okay, Diana?” Wyatt asked.
I glanced up and met his eyes. They were gold and green and had me internally panting. “Yeah. Just a little headache. No biggie.”
“I don’t have a headache,” Penelope said.
If she wasn’t careful, she was going to get punched in the teeth.
At those dark thoughts, it was like the sky wanted to show the world what I was feeling. The sun vanished, and dark clouds rolled in. The air turned cold, causing my breath to come out in smoky puffs. It was only September, but the sky didn’t care, and it started to snow.
Penelope held out her hands. “Is this a spell too?”
Wyatt glanced up and then moved closer, so close, I got a hint of his scent. Then he whispered. “That shouldn’t even be a question.” Then to me, he said, “Watch yourself, Diana.” His lips brushed against my ear, and tingles skittered along my skin.
“I-I will,” I responded, fighting against the part of myself that was repulsed and turned, so my face was only inches from his. I would barely have to lean forward, and my lips would be on his. My wolf whined with need. “Thank you,” I said, meeting his eyes.
A beat.
Two beats.
He cleared his throat and stood, taking a few steps back. There was a howl from the directio
n of the forest in the distance.
My head felt fuzzy like the air was thinner without Wyatt so close. The snow fell even harder now, in thick flakes, and they stuck to the grass. As a group, we migrated closer together to keep warm. It was cold. So cold. I wrapped my sweater around myself, grateful I had it and worked to keep my teeth from chattering. Penelope’s skin turned red from the frigid air.
Before anyone could freak out too much, sleds appeared from nowhere and were pulled by horses. The horses were brown with black spots, and the sleds were shiny black. They stuck out against the white powder that had already risen to cover the tops of my boots. On one of the panels of the sled were three pictures. A wolf head, two paws, and a full moon. I guessed they represented the three houses.
Five sleds pulled to a stop one after the other around the circular driveway. The horses were restless. Some moved their heads up and down while others pounded the ground, probably because they were in such close proximity to a whole bunch of young wolves.
While the people steering the sleds worked to keep the horses calm, a man wearing a light gray suit, matching shirt, and azure tie opened the double doors to the Academy entrance and descended the steps. His dark hair was slicked back, showing off an angled face.
My vision lasered in on him without even meaning to, and I was able to see that his eyes were like mine. Icy. It was my father.
“Welcome to the Wolf Blood Academy,” he said, raising his hand as he spoke. “It’s an honor to have you with us. You have been assigned rooms, and your bags are waiting there. They will remain untouched until…” He let his words fall away as his eyes wandered across the crowd before finally landing on me. “You complete your first test in our initiation process.” His eyes continued to roam. Relief washed over me when I was no longer pinned down by his gaze. “Some will find it easy. Others.” He shrugged. “Probably not so much.” Then he clasped his hands together, letting them rest in front of him. “Do your best, and you will end up in the house where you will find the most happiness throughout the remainder of your time here.” Then he reached into his breast pocket and removed the blue square, unfolding it. “Rest assured, no one will be sent home yet. So do your best.” He lifted the hand with the dangling pocket square above his head. “Let the initiation begin!” As he spoke, lightning zinged across the sky, followed by loud thunder.
Initiation (Wolf Blood Academy Book 1) Page 5
