by Jen L. Grey
Rising Fate
Wolf Moon Academy Trilogy
Jen L. Grey
Copyright © 2021 by Jen L. Grey
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Moon Kissed - Chapter One
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About the Author
Also by Jen L. Grey
Chapter One
My heart pounded in my ears, and my long dark hair stuck to the nape of my neck. I hated that Evan was making Sherry and me fight one another even if it was for training. Not even a week had passed since the Los Angeles alpha captured her after she had tried escaping his pack. She had been beaten and in so much pain then; it was hard for me to want to fight her now.
“She’s healed now, so you’re on equal ground.” The Eastern heir was strong and deadly. He was the epitome of intimidation. He was huge with light skin, gray eyes that sometimes appeared white, and short, spiky, auburn hair. His tank top clung to his body molding to his muscles, and he somehow made the Wolf Moon Academy logo sexy. When I had first met him, I thought his muscles were bigger than his brain, but I was learning more and more that I had been wrong. “Even if she wasn’t, there is no time to coddle everyone anymore. We all know what’s going to be coming soon.”
Sherry and I looked at one another, and she nodded her head as if telling me it was okay.
"Fight now," Evan growled as he watched Sherry and I circle one another on the mat.
I held my hands up in front of me. I had stupid boxing gloves on them as if it was going to make the blows not hurt. "She was hurt badly less than a week ago." It didn't feel right sparring with her even though all signs of her attack were gone. Her jade eyes sparkled and nearly matched the emerald in mine instead of appearing lifeless like they had before. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Sherry was almost my height, and her hands were down at her sides as she waited for us to begin. We'd saved her from being forced into a mate bond with the heartless Los Angeles alpha.
"So were you." Evan stepped onto the mat and glared at the both of us. "After what we've seen the past week, it's more important than ever that you learn how to fight and survive. Do you not want to be able to protect yourself?"
He knew I did. I'd been kidnapped, forced to see my brother chained to a tree, and attacked by some shifters while trying to save Sherry.
"Of course I do." I took a deep breath and met Sherry's eyes. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah, let's do this." She stood in a fighter's stance and got ready to attack. “I don’t ever want to be put into a situation like the one you found me in ever again, and I need to kick ass for the rebellion.”
That was a point of consensus Bree had confided in Sherry and she was determined to be part of it with us. At first, I was worried, but she was convinced that no one should ever live the way her pack did.
"First, let's do some standard punches and blocks." Evan's voice returned to normal as he saw we were ready to move.
In an attempt to avoid another lecture, I closed the distance between us and pulled my right hand back, aiming for her face. Just as my arm surged forward, Sherry lifted her arm, blocking the punch.
"Good. Now more," Evan commanded.
We circled around one another on the blood-red floor mat as if we were dancing. Once again, I attacked, keeping my eyes on her face but, this time, aiming for her stomach. She raised her hands, ready to protect her face, while I struck hard right into her abdomen.
She stumbled back a few feet and wrapped an arm over her waist. "Dammit," she groaned.
"Good," Evan nodded at me. "Only bad or arrogant fighters will let you know where they're going to strike. You have to watch their body movements and read them. Their eyes can flicker to your face while they target something else. Body movement is the only real indicator of their intention. Now, again."
This time, Sherry attacked, and I was able to block her hit. However, she kicked her leg out, aiming directly at my chest.
I stumbled backward but managed to barely block it with my arms. "Hey, he said practice blocking and punching."
"Do you think it's going to be a fair fight when you're fighting for your life?" Evan arched an eyebrow. "Mia, you know better than that."
He was right. I did.
My eyes landed back on her, and she raised her hands in front of her once more.
She wasn’t hesitating, so neither should I. I tapped into my wolf and ran toward her. I stared directly into her eyes as I threw a punch. She was able to block it, and when I went to kick my leg out toward her, she spun around, placed her arm around my neck, and hit my still injured shoulder. Dammit … it still hurt, but I didn’t want anyone to know.
Taking a deep breath, I did the only thing I knew to do. I leaned over, causing Sherry’s body to fly over my own and hit the mat hard. She loosened her grip around my neck, and I straddled her, pinning her body so she couldn’t move.
“Good.” Evan’s eyes glowed in approval as I stood up and held my hand out to help Sherry up.
The air went cold as Mr. Rafferty entered the gym. "So, this is where you train them?"
Evan's body tensed as he turned around to face his father. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, after your display this past weekend, I'm thinking we should talk." Mr. Rafferty's eyes glowed brighter than normal. "You two are dismissed," he said to Sherry and me, but I refused to budge.
The last thing I wanted to do was leave Evan alone. I removed the gloves from my hands and stood next to Evan. "He's my trainer, not you."
"You are a manipulative bitch. You make them feel more important than they actually are." Mr. Rafferty wrinkled his nose in disgust. “I told Jacob it was a horrible idea to sponsor you here. After all, you're just a pack alpha's daughter, but he was intrigued by how you affected Liam. Now he regrets pushing you to come here."
It took a second for me to figure out who he was talking about. I had always thought about my mate's father as Mr. Hale, not by his first name. "I'm not the one trying to manipulate them." I should shut my mouth, but I hated how the heirs were raised. The council had killed my father, and I was going to prove it. Liam, Mr. Rafferty is here.
I'm not surprised. Dad has already tried cornering me today. There was a pause. I'll be there in a second.
"Maybe you could learn something from them." Sherry threw her own gloves on the ground and stood on my other side.
"And who are you?" Mr. Rafferty's dark gray eyes landed on her as he moved in our direction.
"I'm the new student here, Sherry." She took a deep breath, straightening her shoulders.
"So, you're the weak shifter they kidnapped from the Los Angeles alpha." Mr. Rafferty shook his head.
When we spoke to the council the other night, they'd alluded to the fact that our four-day tour of a city in each of the regions hadn't gone well. They didn't provide specifics, and we hadn't been willing
to give up any information.
"Your point?" Sherry frowned at him.
He moved quickly as if he was going to attack her, and she stumbled back in surprise. He chuckled as he stared into the very apparent fear in her eyes.
"That we should hand you back over." He shook his head. "We don't need weak students here at this school."
"She's not weak, and if you hand her over, they'll know we were involved." Evan's voice was low.
"Not if we tell them we found her." Mr. Rafferty sneered at Sherry as if he was daring her to contradict him.
"I'll sing like a canary." She placed her hands on her hips and squared her shoulders at him, but her voice wavered, revealing her fear.
"They won't believe what a weakling like you would say." Mr. Rafferty's voice raised in challenge.
"If you were against an entire pack, you wouldn't come out on top either." Evan's shoulders tensed as he tried to capture his father's attention.
"Like hell I wouldn't." He took a menacing step in Evan's direction, but unlike the last time I watched his father abuse him, Evan didn't cower in fear.
"You better remember how you were raised." Mr. Rafferty's alpha will laced his words as he stared his son down. "I'm your alpha, and you will listen."
Evan kept his gaze locked on his father, but his body quivered. "You may be my alpha, but that doesn't mean I have to cower in fear of you."
"That's exactly what it means." Mr. Rafferty pushed his son in the chest so hard he stumbled back.
My heart broke for him even further. Evan was one of the most loyal people I'd ever met. Despite the way he was raised, he was a good man, but his father was trying to turn him into something mean, cruel, and self-involved. He was trying to turn his son into a replica of himself.
"What's going on here?" Liam entered the room, his blue eyes landing on me first. He was wearing the standard Wolf Moon Academy colors. A silver button-down shirt with the wolf howling at the moon, and blood-red slacks. He wasn't as muscular as Evan, but he could hold his own just fine. He headed over to me and stared at the council member.
"It's none of your concern." Mr. Rafferty's voice was filled with contempt as he glared at my mate. He tugged at his black suit jacket as he frowned. "I need to talk to my son alone. Why don't you take your mate and this weakling and leave us be?"
"No." I shook my head. There was no way I was leaving him alone with this monster.
"It's fine." Evan nodded at Liam. "I'll meet up with you shortly."
"You know where we'll be." Liam took my hand and led me toward the door.
We can't leave him like this. There was no telling what he would do to Evan. His father came in here, determined to dominate him. I hated leaving him behind. We need to be there to prevent anything bad from happening.
As soon as we stepped into the hallway, I stopped, waiting until Sherry had caught up to us. When she stepped out of the room and moved to stand beside me, we turned down the football stadium's long hallway that was used only by the football team and The Blood Council along with their families. It was a VIP entrance of sorts.
Mr. Rafferty is a hothead. Liam squeezed my hand in his. In fact, it would be worse if we were there. The slightest hint of Evan not obeying would cause things to escalate with outside eyes watching them. Don't worry. He's a lot stronger than our parents know. Liam turned left heading toward the door that took us outside. He'll be fine. He ran his hand down his short dark brown hair as we stepped outside.
It bothered me that I hadn't even considered that. Mr. Rafferty was the one who appeared to need control the most, which was odd since Mr. Hale was seen as their leader.
"I'd heard the council members were assholes, but for some reason, I didn't expect that," Sherry’s eyes widened as she shook her head. "His dad is crazy."
"They all are." Liam sighed as he slowed our pace, now that we were out of the stadium. "It's best if you remember that."
"Have they always been that way?" I'd never asked the question before, having assumed it to be true.
"No, they weren't." Liam's shoulders sagged.
We were now walking past the woods where I'd been kidnapped only a few weeks ago. Both Liam and I were scanning the trees, looking for anything that would be suspect. Even though I couldn't prove it, the council had Amber set me up to be captured. They were trying to get rid of me after Liam had completed our bond.
"At one point in time, they were more parents than assholes." Liam shrugged his shoulders. "I'm assuming it's because we got older, but who the hell knows."
"Bree told me that they'd changed. That he treats her similarly, and she isn't even the heir to the throne." Bree was stronger than anyone gave her credit for. She may have seemed high maintenance at times, but she had a good heart and knew right from wrong.
"Maybe, but she's deemed a spare." Liam's body loosened as the girls' dorm appeared.
"I used to dream about going to this school and being around all these alphas." Sherry frowned as she glanced around the campus. "I thought it would be a place for all of us to come together and try to better our world. It's apparent that the council members are not interested in that at all."
"That's why it was initially created." Liam took in a deep breath. "Something's changed, and it didn’t happen overnight."
We reached the girls’ dorm, and I glanced across the large grass clearing back toward the gym and university restaurant. There was a large building far back against the tree line where the normal classes were taught; composition, algebra, chemistry, and other classes you'd find at a human university. These things should make me feel normal, but now they all appeared like looming threats. The council owned everything.
The boys' dorms were right next to the girls’, which made the campus a total of four buildings and the huge-ass football stadium used for our team.
The three of us walked in the entrance of the girls' dorm through the lounge area that was filled with couches, tables, and televisions. There weren't many students around since everyone was busy with classes. We headed to the elevators to take us to the twelfth floor.
We entered the living room area of what was technically my and Bree's dorm. Bree was sitting on the blood-red colored couch with a phone up to her ear. Her crystal blue eyes glanced up at us, and she placed a finger to her pink lips. Her long, dark brown hair, the same shade as Liam's, was pulled to the side as it cascaded down like a curtain.
"I need to grab some more clothes out of my closet and get the rest of my bathroom stuff." I'd been staying with Evan and Liam since Sherry needed a place to stay. It made sense since Liam and I were together every night.
"That's perfectly fine." Sherry smiled. "You know it's your room. I can figure something out."
"Nope, it makes sense anyway." I turned to Liam and stood on my tiptoes, brushing my lips against his. As I tried to pull away, Liam growled and circled his arms around my waist to keep me in place.
"She's not allowed to sleep away from me anymore." He deepened our kiss, making my body come alive.
"Oh, dear God." Bree hung up the phone and threw it down on the dark wood coffee table in front of the couch. "I could go forever without seeing that ever again. It's like you two are getting worse over time instead of better."
Liam pulled away slightly from me, just enough to turn his head toward his sister, and grinned. "I found my fated mate. You should be ecstatic."
"I am. But that doesn't mean I want to see you two playing tonsil hockey." Bree shook her head and looked at Sherry. "Tell them."
"Sorry, Bree." Sherry glanced at me with longing. "I hope to have that one day myself."
Simon hadn't been coming around much after things settled down. He was keeping his distance from all of us even though we all knew why. She was his mate, but the heirs had all been raised to reject their fate. It was a huge point of contention between Liam and me when I first got here. He had to work through it all on his own before he could even commit himself to the idea of a fated mate. It didn't help t
hat Simon thought I had made Liam weak, but his tune was slowly changing.
"What's with the weird phone?" I pointed at it on the coffee table. Bree's usual cell phone had a blood-red cover with the school logo in silver. This one was all black.
"It's my rebellion phone." She grabbed the phone again and placed it in her lap.
We'd only learned recently that she had joined the rebellion while we were off, touring the four cities. During the trip, we found that packs were living in horrible conditions, working in even worse conditions, while women were being abused, and some packs even treated their members as property. When we came back, she had approached me about joining up, and that was when we stumbled onto some odd altar-type thing with the original Blood Council's logo etched into the concrete.
"Everything okay?" Sherry asked as she sat next to Bree.
Those two had hit it off, thankfully, so Bree was okay with Sherry taking over my room.
"Well, they want to meet you all," Bree said as her attention landed on me. "Tonight. It's the first step to get you integrated into the group that’s been rising up against the council.
Do you think the others would be up for it? I linked with Liam as his arms dropped from my waist.
Yeah, we'll make sure it happens.
"We'll make it work." I nodded at Bree.
"Great, I'll get everything coordinated." She stood and paused as she looked at each of us in turn. "Make sure we don't regret this."
Message received. She trusted the three of us, but the other heirs, she wasn't so sure about. "We won't." I only hoped that I wasn't lying.
Chapter Two
Simon breezed into his dorm and stopped in his tracks when he noticed the four of us waiting for him.
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