Different (Shifter Academy Book 1)

by Scarlett Haven

  “What’s your name?” He’s had a smile on his face since he first sat down and his eyes haven’t left mine once. He raises an eyebrow as he waits for me to answer.

  “Penelope.” I swallow hard. What is it about this boy that makes me so nervous?

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Penelope,” he rumbles in a gentle tone.

  When he says my name my lungs constrict, like I can’t take a deep breath. My heart races and I feel it all the way to my toes.

  Mine, a voice from within says.

  Mine?

  What the heck?

  I just met him.

  And I’m pretty sure I had a similar reaction to Liam.

  I’ve never had a crush on a guy in my life. I’ve never even been attracted to anybody. I always thought there was something wrong with me. Now, I meet two guys in two nights that completely take my breath away.

  Too bad they’re both insane.

  “So, you think you’re a wolf too?” My gaze traverses over him as I wait for his answer.

  He raises an eyebrow. “I’m a wolf shifter.”

  I nod. “Cool.”

  Because what else do you say to a crazy person?

  “You don’t believe me.” Aiden cants his head to the side.

  “I’m sorry,” I say with a slight shrug. “I just… have hard time believing something so crazy. Werewolves don’t exist.”

  “I didn’t say I was a werewolf,” Aiden counters. “I’m a wolf shifter. Werewolves are monsters from a story. I’m real.”

  “Okay.” I force a smile on my face.

  This poor guy really thinks he’s a supernatural creature.

  “What are you?”

  “I’m human,” I answer.

  “You don’t smell human,” he says, leaning over and sniffing me.

  “Whoa, personal space.” I raise my hands and lean back, my heart racing in my chest.

  He’s so close.

  So close and not touching.

  I want to touch him.

  I’ve never wanted to touch somebody before.

  “I’m cool with sharing the beach with you, but you can’t touch me,” I warn.

  “Why can’t I touch you?”

  “Because I have hapheophobia.”

  “I have no idea what that is,” he says, grinning at me. “But I know that you’re lying.”

  “You know I’m lying?”

  “I’m a wolf.” He taps on the side of his head. “I can sense these kinds of things. Plus, your heart skipped when you said it. It’s a sure sign that you’re not telling the truth.”

  “I was diagnosed with hapheophobia.”

  “You were diagnosed, but it’s not the truth.” He shifts his body to face me. “So, what is this hapheophobia?”

  I take a deep breath, licking my lips. “It’s the fear of being touched.”

  “But you’re not scared of being touched,” he says, not looking away from my face. There’s a gleam in his eye as he speaks. “I’m right. There’s another reason why you can’t be touched. What is it?”

  My mouth hangs open.

  How is it a boy I’ve just met has figured out what my family hasn’t figured out after seventeen years?

  “I… I’m not telling you,” I huff, closing my mouth. “No offense, but you’re a stranger. I just met you.”

  “Fair enough.”

  Not able to stand looking into his eyes any longer, I turn my attention forward and stare at the moon. An instant calm rushes over me, and I can’t help but feel… right. Everything is right. Including the boy sitting beside me. He belongs in my life.

  “Did you know that your eyes change colors?” Aiden asks.

  “No, they don’t.”

  “Seriously. They change colors. Like a mood ring. And when you look at the moon, your eyes are yellow.”

  I cast my gaze down.

  His eyes change colors in the moonlight too, but I’m too scared to admit it out loud. Because if I say it, won’t that make me just as crazy as him?

  COLE.

  “This is actually ridiculous,” I complain to Parker as we get close to Jacksonville.

  Liam was supposed to be at the school by now. When he said he wasn’t coming, we thought he was joking—at least until he refused to answer any of our calls and texts. We sent Aiden after him, and now Aiden won’t come back. He called us to let us know he would be staying in Jacksonville, but he wouldn’t give us any details. So now, Parker and I are going to pick them up.

  If we’re late for school again, Liam’s dad is going to throw a fit.

  The four of us—Liam, Aiden, Parker, and I—have been late three years in a row for school. And I don’t mean a few hours late. We usually show up a whole week late. Last year, we showed up one month late. It was kind of my fault, but after that we got in a lot of trouble. Liam promised his dad we wouldn’t be late this year and here we are—late.

  Our alpha has been calling us constantly. We keep ignoring his calls because what would we say? Your son is refusing to leave Florida? I’m sure that would go over well. Instead, we’re just going to get him ourselves.

  “What do you think could be keeping them here?” Parker muses.

  “I can think of nothing that would make Liam defy his father.”

  Liam is stubborn at times, but he always listens to our alpha. We all do. It’s what makes us pack. If we were all just running off and doing whatever we wanted all the time, who would defend the pack? How would anything get done? We’re loyal, always, to our alpha.

  I see the sign welcoming us to Jacksonville.

  Thank goodness.

  As soon as we cross over the line, I feel something… a pull… My stomach tightens, and I actually have to fight against my wolf to keep him from coming out. When I look at Parker, I notice he’s struggling too.

  “What the heck is that?” Parker asks.

  “I don’t know.” I grip the steering wheel harder. “But it feels like…”

  My voice trails off, because I don’t know a word to describe it.

  Parker pipes up. “It feels like fate.”

  He’s right.

  It does feel like fate.

  It feels like everything I could ever want is right here in this city.

  “This is so weird,” Parker says.

  “I know.”

  “No wonder they haven’t left yet.”

  The closer we get toward fate, the faster my heart races.

  Why do I feel like my life will never be the same again after this?

  Chapter Five

  College.

  PENELOPE.

  Today we are taking Andrew to college.

  All ten of us—Dad, Mom, Alyssa and her husband Alex, Nate, obviously Andrew, Paige, me, Tyler and Alexis.

  We are taking five separate vehicles. Dad and Tyler are driving his pickup truck with a lot of Andrew’s stuff in the back. Mom and Alexis are taking the SUV with all the seats folded down and the back full of stuff. Alyssa and Alex are driving their small car. They’re not carrying anything, but Alex is going to help move stuff. Not like we need help, but Alyssa wanted to come. Andrew and Nate are taking Andrew’s car. Paige and I are in the back of the caravan, driving the Jeep that we share. There is really no point in driving, but I just didn’t want to ride with anybody else, and Paige thinks guys will talk to her if she’s driving because they’ll think she’s a college student. I don’t mind, as long as she drives.

  Paige and I are quiet on the drive. I think we’re both sad that we have to say goodbye to Andrew. Sure, he’ll probably be coming home every other weekend so Mom can do his laundry, but it won’t ever be the same again. He’s breaking up our fearsome threesome.

  Since Andrew, Paige, and I are all so close in age, we always do everything together. So much so that when we were little, you would never see one without the other two. Even now as teenagers, we’re tight. I knew it wouldn’t always be this way. Children grow up. I think of how many times a year I get to see my Aunt Vanessa,
my mom’s sister. I only get to see her at either Thanksgiving or Christmas because she lives in Hawaii. Someday, that will be us.

  “This sucks,” Paige says, sighing.

  “Yep.” I look forward, not wanting to see the sad expression on Paige’s face. If she starts crying, so will I.

  “Who do you think will cry more? Mom or Alyssa?”

  I tap my finger on my chin, pretending to think.

  “Alyssa,” Paige and I say at the exact same time and then we laugh.

  We aren’t usually the kind of twins who say the same thing at the same time, but when we do, it’s always a big deal. I guess we’ve always wanted to be those twins—the kind who look and talk identical. And I especially would’ve loved if she could have taken my math finals last year. Instead, we’re the kind of twins who look completely opposite and we don’t always know what each other is thinking.

  Well… I suppose I can know what she’s thinking if I touch her, but I like to give her privacy. I never touch her bare skin on purpose.

  When we pull onto campus, Paige is suddenly very excited. She points to a group of guys who are tossing around a bunch of footballs and goofing off. I look to appease her but roll my eyes. I just don’t understand how she is so boy crazy, as Mom says.

  Okay, maybe I understand a little now that I’ve met Liam and Aiden. When I think of them, my heart goes crazy, but I try to keep them out of my mind.

  Was it only last night that I met Aiden?

  I wonder if I will see either of them again. The thought of not seeing them physically makes me feel sick to my stomach. I have to see them. They’re mine.

  I’m annoyed at myself for thinking that Liam and Aiden are “mine,” but there is also a rightness that I feel about it. I believe it, deep in my soul. I know it’s right.

  That’s a thought for another day, though, because that is insane. My brain refuses to accept it.

  We pull in front of Andrew’s dorm and get out. All the guys get to unloading the truck and Paige starts talking to Alyssa and Mom about the guys she saw playing football, then proceeds to talk about how excited she is to go to school here. But not because it’s a great school—it’s because of the guys.

  Paige has never had problems getting a boyfriend or even a date. I think the longest she’s ever been single since she was thirteen has been three months, which ironically is the length of her longest relationship. Mom always says there’s nothing wrong with dating a lot, just like there is nothing wrong with “waiting for Prince Charming,” which she thinks is what I’m doing. Let’s be real, though—Prince Charming has nothing on Liam and Aiden.

  Dang it. I thought about them again. Can I not go five minutes without them invading my brain?

  I’m a little on edge today, being out of Jacksonville. I kind of just want to get in the car and go back home. I want to look for…

  Them.

  I won’t think their names. Not again.

  Once everything is unpacked and Andrew’s dorm is set up, we meet his roommate and parents. They seem nice. He plays football too, so I think Andrew will get along with him nicely.

  After, we all head to a late lunch. It’s our final lunch with Andrew before we leave, and I’m a little sad. He sits between Paige and me, and I don’t even mind when he grabs my hand under the table. I try to tune out his thoughts, but I literally can’t.

  Andrew is nervous about school, which doesn’t surprise me. He’s acting cool, but that’s just how he is. He never lets anybody see him sweat. He’s also sad because he’s going to miss all of us. Andrew’s excited about his new chapter in life. But what he’s most excited for is next year, when Paige and I join him. The fact that he’s already thinking of that warms my heart. I’m not just his annoying little sister. I’m his best friend.

  When it’s time to say our goodbyes, as predicted, Alyssa cries first. Then Mom. I try to hold in my tears and be strong for Andrew because I know he’s upset about us leaving and seeing us cry would only hurt him more.

  “I’m going to miss you,” I tell him, when he squeezes me tight against him.

  “I’ll miss you more.”

  He will. I know this because he’s thinking about how we all have each other. He’s the one being left alone here.

  “I’ll come visit.” I pat his back and hug him tighter one last time. “You already know I’ll be coming to all the football games.”

  “You better.”

  Somehow, I manage to hold back my tears until I’m in the car.

  I’m going to miss Andrew more than anything.

  PARKER.

  Who is this magnificent creature?

  Cole and I watch from the shadows as a dark-haired girl walks through the front door of a home in Jacksonville. I wish I could get a better look at her before the door closes, but all I see is the back of black, wavy hair.

  I immediately recognize her as my mate.

  Mine, my wolf says, claiming her.

  But that smell…

  “What is she?” Cole asks, breaking the silence.

  “I don’t know.”

  “She’s my mate.”

  My eyes widen as I look at him. “No, she’s my mate.”

  I’m so focused on our conversation that I don’t hear the two shifters sneak up behind us.

  “You guys too?”

  I turn around and see Liam and Aiden standing there.

  “What do you mean too?” Cole asks, clenching his jaw.

  Aiden motions toward Liam and himself. “She’s our mate.”

  “That’s… impossible,” I stutter.

  “Apparently not.” Liam tucks his hands into his pockets and stares at me, shoulders tight.

  “What are we going to do?” I throw the question out there because this situation is unique. Shifters don’t share mates, especially not wolf shifters.

  Everybody looks to Liam for the answer. He is our alpha, at least he will be one day. But Liam is at a complete loss for words. He just shakes his head and shrugs.

  Cole curses as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. “Alpha Mutatio keeps calling me. I know he’s wondering where we are.”

  “We’re late for school again,” Aiden points out.

  “I think he will understand, considering the circumstances.” Liam runs his hand along his jaw, and a determined expression settles on his face.

  “Have you talked to her?” I ask.

  Liam and Aiden both nod.

  “She doesn’t know about shifters. I’m pretty sure she thinks we’re crazy,” Aiden says.

  That’s not good.

  “She doesn’t know she’s a supernatural?” Cole’s brows furrow, and his hand snakes around the base of his neck.

  Somebody not knowing what they are is rare. Not as rare as having four shifter mates. No, that’s just… unheard of.

  “What’s her name?” I ask, because I need to know.

  “Penelope,” Liam answers.

  Penelope.

  My wolf likes the name. He has already decided that she is his and there is no changing his mind. I can tell by the looks on the other’s faces that they feel the same way.

  “We have to get her to school.” Aiden darts a glance at Liam. “You know that’s where your dad will want her.”

  “I know,” he says. “We will give her until tomorrow night.”

  “How are we going to meet her?” My wolf and I are anxious to be near her.

  “She’ll walk to the beach.” Aiden’s voice is full of confidence as he replies.

  Tomorrow.

  I get to meet my mate tomorrow.

  My heart races, and my mouth feels dry. I’ve never had problems talking to a girl before, but for some reason the thought of talking to my mate for the first time is making me nervous. What if she doesn’t like me? Or what if she likes the other guys better? Will she even want me as her mate? Wolves never shun their mates, but she’s not a wolf. We don’t know what she is. So, what if she doesn’t want anything to do with me?

  No. M
y wolf won’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen.

  Tomorrow I will meet my mate for the first time, and I will make sure she falls in love with me.

  Chapter Six

  No.

  PENELOPE.

  Today feels like a monumental day. Like something big is going to happen. Something that will change my life. I don’t know why I feel this way, but I can’t shake the feeling. It’s not necessarily bad, but it’s strange.

  Paige is going out tonight with a guy from our school. He texted her earlier and asked if she wanted to go eat dinner and get a movie. She doesn’t like the guy, but she said she never turns down free dinner and a free movie. I don’t understand why she would go out with a guy she doesn’t really like, but I don’t question her. I’m actually kind of glad she’s going out because I want to spend some time alone tonight.

  Getting up from my desk, I head downstairs. I tell myself I’m just going on a walk, but I know it’s more than that. I know exactly where my walk is going to lead.

  When I let my mom know I’m going for a walk, she’s so upset about Andrew leaving yesterday that she doesn’t even complain about it.

  Once I get outside, I see the almost full moon in the sky and it brings me peace. The moon will be full tomorrow. I don’t know how I know that, I just do. I never look up moon cycles, but I can sense them.

  The quarter mile walk to the beach goes by quickly, and I enjoy the solitude. A pang of disappointment shoots through me when I get there and neither Liam nor Aiden is there. Still, I decide to enjoy the peace. I take a seat on the ground, not caring that my butt will be covered in wet sand when I leave here, and I lean back on my hand and stare up at the sky.

  Since it’s so bright, you can’t see many stars. I’ve always wished that I lived in a small beach town so I can see the stars above the ocean. I think it would be beautiful—and the full moon… I can’t even imagine how bright it would be. Someday, I’ll live in a place like that.

  I’m not surprised when I feel the tingle on the back of my neck. I am startled, however, when the tingle moves from the back of my neck and spreads all over my body. I turn around and see four boys walking toward me. Liam and Aiden are headed my way, but there are two other boys with them. Maybe I should be worried, but I’m not. I know deep in my soul that they won’t hurt me.