by Jen L. Grey
"In my defense, I'm a good looking guy," Tripp nodded his head at Amber. "So why wouldn't I think that you wanted to date me?"
"You're not an heir," Amber growled the words.
"Yeah, so? None of them want to date you anyway." Tripp shrugged his shoulders as a small grin spread across his face.
"Hey." Amber pulled her hand back and smacked him across the face. "I almost had him if it wasn’t for that nobody showing up out of nowhere. That's why I'm doing this. To show him how strong I am. Something that she could never be."
"Dear God, if we're going to have him talk, let's actually try something more productive." One of the other dark guards growled out. He was slightly shorter than the other two, but his face was the most angular and scary. "What were you doing hiding near the boundary in the woods the other night?"
"I told you; I wasn’t spying." Tripp leaned his head forward. "I was going for a run."
"But you were hiding in the trees of the boundary line," the guard growled. "I don't believe you."
"I was chasing a squirrel." Tripp sighed. "I wasn't being lurky."
"Lurky isn't even a word," The guard snarled. "Put the damn tape back on his mouth."
Amber reached over to a table behind them and picked up the tape.
"No need. I'll stay quiet." Tripp's eyes widened. "Another word won't leave my mouth."
"Fine, but one more sound, and it's going back on," the guy growled as he turned and hurried to the window with his back facing us.
We need to head back before they catch our scent, Liam mind linked with me as he patted Evan's shoulder, nodding his head in the direction that we came from.
I'd expected Evan to resist, but he nodded, and the three of us retraced our steps.
After a few miles, Evan took a deep breath. "So that's your friend, right?"
"Yeah." I still couldn't believe that Tripp was the one they'd captured. "It doesn't make any sense. He would've told me he was in the rebellion."
"I'm not trying to be an asshole, but would he have, really?" Liam took my hand in his, and he squeezed it. "Look who your mate is?"
"I get that you would think that after how he acted right after we claimed one another, but he's one of my good friends." Tripp was happy-go-lucky and was loyal to a fault. Or at least, I had thought he was. "There has to be an explanation."
"Regardless, we need to get him out of there sooner rather than later." Evan kept his pace as we hurried back to the dorms. "Once they feel they've gotten all the information out of him or that he's useless, they're going to make sure they get rid of the loose end."
"Wait, they're going to kill him?" I don't know why that thought hadn't even occurred to me yet.
"What did you expect them to do?" Evan glanced over his shoulder. "Let him loose to go back to classes. Tell everyone that the council had kidnapped him and tied him up. That wouldn't go over well."
"Don't be so hard on her." Liam took my hand and squeezed it. "We've known that part of our fathers for a long time; she's still new to our world."
"Well, she's your mate and needs to wake up." Evan kicked up his speed some more. "We need to get back and get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."
The thought of leaving Tripp there overnight didn't sit well. "Do you think we could attack in the morning?"
"No, we'll need to wait until nightfall again." Liam frowned at me. "And we have to go to class and act like nothing's wrong. Our dads are watching."
"But, what if he doesn't make it." There must be something we could do right now.
"Our hands are tied until we have a plan," Evan said as we reached campus once more.
I'll text Bree and let her know what we found out. Liam glanced around to make sure there were no prying eyes. That way, she'll see it as soon as she wakes up and will get the information to the Rebellion.
It was a hard pill to swallow, but we did have to be smart. Okay. The plan made sense even though I was feeling impatient ... reckless.
A short time later, we were back in the dorm, and we’d changed into our pajamas. As I crawled into bed next to Liam, my mind just played the scene over and over again. Are you surprised that Amber is involved?
No, I'm not. She's desperate to prove herself. Liam pulled me into his arms.
I laid my head against his chest. You have a crazy-ass ex-girlfriend.
His shoulders shook with laughter. Fair enough. Now, close your eyes, and get some sleep.
Even in his arms, there was a chill inside my bones. Tripp's face appeared each time I closed my eyes. He was one of my first friends here, and somehow he had gotten roped into this crazy world too. I needed to protect him, but here I was in a soft bed, in the arms of my mate. I was going to go free him tomorrow night with or without the rebellion’s help.
Chapter Five
The alarm blared, startling me from my sleep. I'd been up tossing and turning all night and had only fallen asleep probably about an hour ago. I couldn't get the image of Tripp out of my mind.
I groaned as I reached over and turned off the alarm on my phone.
"Are you okay?" Liam tugged me back into his arms, making it even harder to get up.
"Yeah, I couldn't sleep." I didn't have to say anything else; he knew why.
"Well, let's get up and go talk to Bree." Liam released me and stood from the bed. "I'll call her now so she has time to become somewhat human before we get over there."
A small smile spread across my face. Bree was my best friend, and I loved her dearly. Hell, she even knew my secret that only Liam, Mr. Thorn, Max, and my parents knew. I trusted her that much, but she was not a morning person. "That's probably a very smart idea."
He winked at me, making my body heat.
"You keep looking at me like that, and we won't be going to see my sister, and you might not make it to any of your classes," he said as he took a deep breath. He smelled my arousal.
I wanted to challenge him, but now wasn't the time. We had things that we needed to focus on. "I'll jump into the shower." Hopefully, that would make me wake up. I was going to need a strong cup of coffee today if not multiple cups.
As I entered the marble bathroom, I turned the water on in the rain shower, heating it as I went to grab some clothes for the day. I was glad that I didn't have any training with Evan today. I wasn't sure if I could make it through that given how little sleep I had.
It took about thirty minutes for me to get ready because I was still moving so slow. I had to put concealer under my eyes to hide the bags, which made my emerald eyes pop more. I left my long black hair down. When I stepped back into the bedroom as ready as I was going to be for the day, I found Liam sitting on the bed, waiting for me.
His eyes scanned over me, taking in my outfit as he stood and made his way over to me. "I'm one lucky man." A small grin played at the corners of his lips.
"Yes, you are." My heart fluttered at his words, and I brushed my lips to his. "Now you're wearing lip gloss."
He leaned down, pressed his lips to mine once more, and then pulled back. "Totally worth it."
I hoped he always made my heart skip a beat. With each day, I felt a little more for him than the last. "Let's go see your sister. We have a friend to save."
"All right." He licked his lips and took my hand. "Let's go." We walked out the door to find Evan pacing in the living room.
"It's about damn time," he grumbled and took a deep breath. "My patience was wearing thin."
I was getting worried about him. That's not like him. Ever since we left the abandoned factory yesterday, he'd been a little erratic.
Maybe it's stress. Liam nodded at the heir. "Calm down. We're ready to go. Calling them now won't make the night come any faster."
Evan didn't bother responding and opened the door to head into the hallway. "True, but the more time we all have to plan, the better."
Leave him alone. The last thing we needed was to aggravate Evan and have him go rogue like he had initially tried last night.
> The rest of our way over to Sherry and Bree's dorm was made in silence. As soon as Evan knocked on their door, it opened.
Bree held the door open and waved us all in. Her hair was not the usual tangled mess, and her eyes seemed a little alive. "This better be good," she yawned.
The three of us marched in to find Sherry already dressed in her school uniform and ready for the day.
She sat on one of the recliners and smiled at us. "Good morning."
"Hey." I didn't want to be short, but I had to tell Bree about Tripp. "So, Evan figured out where they took the prisoner." I took a deep breath, unable to complete the sentence just yet. It was like, if I admitted it out loud, it'd become real, which was stupid.
"And..." Her eyes narrowed on me as she waited for an answer.
Liam wrapped an arm around my waist.
He gave me enough strength to say the next two words. "It's Tripp."
"Tripp?" Bree blinked a few times. "Our Tripp?"
"Yeah." I'd wondered why he hadn't been in class Monday, and I meant to give him a call. However, I had forgotten with everything else going on. I felt like such an ass. There was no telling how long he'd been there.
"How do you know this?" Her forehead lined with worry. “Maybe you got bad info.”
"We saw him with our own eyes." Liam frowned as he took in both his sister’s and my state.
I took a deep breath before sitting on the couch with Liam following right behind me.
"Where's your phone so we can text them the location?" Evan glanced around as if the phone would be sitting out in the open.
"It's in my room. I'll go grab it." Bree turned and hurried off to her bedroom.
"Someone dropped off my class schedule last night," Sherry said. "I wonder if we have any classes together. It's going to be hell catching up after everything I’ve missed." She held out a piece of paper in my direction.
I took a deep breath when I read through it. She had pre-calculus and shifter history with me. Those were the two classes I had with Tripp, and the classes had been full. Which could only mean that they removed him from the classes. Maybe it was someone other than Tripp. It had to be. "We have pre-calculus and shifter history together." I forced a smile. It wasn't her fault.
"Thank God." Her shoulders straightened. "It's nice knowing I'll at least have a few classes with someone I know."
That was something I understood so well.
Bree walked back into the living room and sat in the open recliner. "Okay, let's message them."
"Here, let me help." Evan hurried over to her and told her exactly what to type.
The rebellion had gotten back to us immediately about what they had planned. They’d told us to stay behind and they’d tell us when the rescue was completed. Yeah, right. Like that was actually going to happen.
After that was settled, the five of us grabbed something to eat at the restaurant, and now Sherry and I were heading to class. Liam usually walked me, but he was meeting up with Micah and Simon to tell them about tonight's plan.
"So, what should I expect?" Sherry scanned the grounds as we approached the building. "Do we have to do anything crazy?"
"Did you go to a human school too?" I remembered being nervous about the same thing when I had started here.
"Yeah, I did." Her blonde hair bounced.
"Me too. But these classes are just like the ones you had there. There's not much of a difference at all, other than it's shifter history instead of the history we used to take."
"That's interesting though." She grinned. "My dad taught me things, but he was so busy, especially with Mr. Voss, those past few years."
I could only imagine.
We entered the classroom, and Robyn was already in her seat with her two minions. Her muddy brown eyes landed on me as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. She glanced at her friends and chuckled. "Something smells in here. It must be lingering from where you hung out while in New York. I heard you got the heirs to slum it with you too."
She was a stupid, heartless bitch. "Well, at least we took care of the residents instead of leaving them all to die and live in filth."
"They're weak. Who cares?" Robyn crossed her legs. "You're going to be the ruin of the heirs."
"And you and your daddy are ruining our people." I couldn't believe she had the nerve to throw down because she knew how they were living. Wouldn't pleading ignorance work better for her?
"Who cares as long as we stay on top?" Robyn smirked.
"If you care about being on top and not the value of the people underneath, you'll soon be left with no one." I didn't understand how they could be so cruel.
"People like her and her daddy get off on people suffering." Sherry turned her head and stared the bitch right in her eyes. "They're sick and sadistic like that."
“Ooh, looks like the loser found another friend,” Robyn sneered.
Today wasn't the day to mess with me. "Apparently, she's found two." I pointed to her friend with the blue hair and purple eyes and then to her other friend, who chomped on her wad of gum with her pale green eyes shooting daggers at me.
"Not funny," Robyn growled.
"You're right, but I'm only as good as my audience." I hoped the bitch kept her mouth shut.
"Looks like I got here just in time." Professor Walker entered the room and, as usual, placed his briefcase down near the table. "In my class, we get along; otherwise, I have to send you to the council's office, and nobody wants that." He paused for a second as his eyes landed on Robyn. "Well, sane people don't want that anyway."
Sherry chuckled as she pulled out her notebook.
Robyn’s shoulder stiffened, but she didn't utter a word.
And then he began class as if everything was normal.
I tried to keep calm as the day progressed, but when I walked into Shifter History and found Tripp's seat vacant, I knew he wasn't coming back. "You can sit there."
"Hey, are you okay?" Sherry asked as she took his seat.
It was stupid. I wished he'd walk into the room and tell Sherry to vacate his seat. "No, I'm fine. It's just been a long day."
"I take it he was in these classes with you?" She laid her backpack at her feet and frowned. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault." She had nothing to apologize for. "At least, I still have a friend here with me."
A grin spread across her face. "I like the sound of that."
"So, apparently, Tripp has left Wolf Moon Academy, and we have a new student here to replace him." Professor Johnson walked into the room. "It's very unusual for a student to begin mid-semester, and it's probably best if I don't know the reasons why."
Now that I was watching him with the knowledge that he was my closest relative, I could see similar features to my father in him.
"I'd agree with that," Sherry said.
"Very well. Then, let's dive in." Professor Johnson pointed at me. "You will help her get caught up, right?"
"Of course." I'd do anything possible to ensure that Sherry thrived here. The council would be looking for any excuse to release her from their program.
"Today, let's talk about protestors." He walked over and leaned against the whiteboard. "What do we know about protestors? If you look at Martin Luther King Jr., you'll see a peaceful man who made a change. But there are several other violent protestors out there as well. The same can be said about shifters."
"Well, the rebellion group would be considered protestors." Gertrude stated matter-of-factly. "They think they have something worth fighting for."
"You're right." Professor Johnson took a dry erase marker and opened it. "History has a way of repeating itself, but sometimes, it's wise to be patient." His eyes flickered to mine. "Being patient can let the monsters reveal themselves."
Those words were oddly specific for him to be throwing them my way. Or maybe, I was just being extra paranoid.
"Are you calling the council the monsters?" Asked the mouthy boy in the back row.
"No, but the
rebellion group is." The professor shrugged. "Now, let's dive back into history."
When class was over, Sherry and I rose out of our seats and made our way toward the front door. Hey, we're out of class. I linked with Liam.
"I'm right here, waiting on you." Liam stepped into the doorway, and his eyes landed on me.
"Hey, you." I grinned as I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his. "I missed you this morning?"
"See, I told you she was needy," Amber's words came from the hall.
My body stiffened at her words.
Ignore her. Liam kissed my lips once more. It'll piss her off more. She's kind of like Simon that way.
Okay, I can do that. I took a deep breath, steadying myself for it.
As we walked into the hallway, Amber's smug smile landed on me. "I love how you always prove me right."
Sherry moved to walk over to her, but I reached out and grabbed her arm.
She glowered at me for a second, but the three of us walked past Amber without pause.
"Hey, I'm talking to you," Amber yelled from behind.
Liam opened the door for us, and we walked out into the sun.
"Hey." She called again right before the door shut. “Hey!”
"Well, that was oddly satisfying." Sherry giggled as we hurried across the campus courtyard.
"She hates being ignored." Liam chuckled and took my hand in his. "Come on, we're all meeting up in Bree's dorm. Simon and Micah have been filled in, so we’re all good to go."
"Okay, that sounds perfect." My shoulders dropped as I relaxed some. I didn't know if Simon would really be on board. "So, all six of us are going?"
"Uh. Seven." Sherry pointed at herself. "I'm part of the group now, and you can't leave me behind."
"But Simon doesn't want you to come." Liam shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't give a damn what he wants. I'll be there." Sherry stomped. "It'll either be me leaving with you all, or I’m going on my own."
"Hey, you pick that fight with him and not me." Liam side stepped. "If I could, I'd get Mia to stay behind."
