Shadow Mate (Wolf Moon Academy Book 1)

by Jen L. Grey

  His blue eyes turned cobalt, and his lips were on me again.

  Desperate to taste him, I opened my mouth and moaned as his tongue stroked mine.

  Pulling me flush against his body, he growled. "I've got to get his scent off you."

  "I'm okay with that." Our lips connected again, and I wrapped my legs around his waist.

  "Let's go to your room. I don't want my sister smelling me all over the couch." He pushed his arousal against me. He was hard and ready.

  "Okay." I'd regret it in the morning when he left. His smell would be everywhere, but right now, I didn't give a damn.

  He carried me down the hall and into my bedroom. Kicking the door shut, he reluctantly removed one of his hands from me to lock it.

  My lips were glued on his as if he were the oxygen that I needed to breathe. He closed the distance to my bed and threw me on it.

  This wasn't going to be loving and gentle but rather hard, fast, and desperate.

  He yanked off my shirt and unsnapped my bra. He leaned over, taking one of my nipples into his mouth, and slowly made me come unglued. As he continued to suck and bite, he removed my jeans and panties. Afterward, he stood up and stared at me. "God, you're gorgeous."

  For a second, he was being Liam without any barriers.

  “You’re not so bad yourself, but I need you to prove it.” My wolf howled in approval as I raised up and yanked his shirt off his body. His skin was still moist with his sweat from the game. Soon, it was going to be because of me.

  He kept his eyes on me as he unbuttoned his pants and removed every square inch of clothing before he leaned over to kiss me again. He pulled back; his eyes dark. "Just one time."

  He had to be saying the words more to himself than me since he didn’t wait for a reply before he slammed into me.

  As he filled me, my body was already quivering. Within seconds, I’d already come undone, and as I moaned, he swallowed it with his lips. My skin was ablaze with want and need even after waves of ecstasy crashed over me.

  I tried pushing him off so I could roll over, but he wanted to control and dominate me. “Not yet.”

  His touch, his scent, his body surrounded me. My body was already close to peaking again. Yet, I needed more and more. I couldn’t get enough of him. I cried out again, as pleasure coursed through me. My head was growing dizzy, and I was done being submissive.

  Not giving him a chance, I pushed him over and got on top of him.

  “I need to be on top.” His eyes glowed as his wolf tried coming forward.

  He didn’t want to be controlled. “No, it’s my turn.” I grabbed his arms, capturing them and keeping them on the bed before I began to ride him.

  His eyes glazed over as he groaned. “Damn.”

  “Sometimes letting someone else have a little control can be a good thing.” I scratched my nails down his chest, and he began moving underneath me.

  It wasn't long until we both released at the same time, making things snap into place between us. It should have brought me comfort and joy, but in the morning, it would only lead to heartbreak—my own.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next few weeks flew by. I'd woken to an empty bed the morning after our night full of sex, which caused my heart to break more than I had ever thought possible. I'd been so stupid the next few days, looking for him around every corner. I'd been prepared to deal with the jackass I was coming to love, but he’d found a way to hurt me even more. It was like he had disappeared from my life completely. Where I’d run into him in the halls before was no longer. If it hadn't been for Bree, I'd have thought he was a ghost of my imagination.

  "Earth to Mia." Tripp poked me in the arm, bringing me back down to reality.

  He stood and slung his backpack on his shoulder. "You were daydreaming through all of shifter history."

  Shit, he was right, and I hadn't even noticed. "No, I wasn't." The lies were automatic here lately.

  "Really? You don't think I can smell the lie coming off you?" Tripp arched an eyebrow as he grabbed my bag and motioned to the door. "You've been acting strange ever since that night of the football game. I'm about to say no to you getting it on anymore if this is who we get afterward. "

  I stood, following him out the door. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but I'm going to the game at KSU tonight." I wasn't going to stay away from a chance at seeing my brother.

  "Then we'll hang out on the KSU side. I'm not chancing the four douche heirs near you." He glanced around. "Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've seen any of them hovering near you. Maybe they got in trouble for playing such a shitty-ass game."

  No, that wasn't why. It had to do with my and Liam's bond, but I wouldn't volunteer that information. Telling him that he and I had sex was bad enough. He brought it up at every opportunity.

  "Well, Max will be expecting me." It was the one thing I'd been looking forward to. I reached for the necklace I wore around my neck. I had it hidden underneath my button-down shirt. It was the necklace Mom had given me when I shifted for the first time. Yes, I wasn't supposed to wear it, but I felt so damn alone that I needed something close to my heart from someone I loved. I never understood what a big deal it was anyway. It was only five paw prints.

  "Fine, but do you think it's really smart if you know who is playing?" Tripp held open the front door for me to walk through.

  I cringed. "It won't matter." He hadn't seen me in weeks. Why would he start caring all of a sudden?

  "Mia." Kai's warm voice called after me. "Wait up for a second."

  Speaking of avoiding people, I'd been dodging him to the best of my abilities since that night. We had endurance training together, but I was still busy lifting weights, and there wasn't much opportunity to say much.

  I wanted to pretend I didn't hear him, but I couldn't treat him the same way Liam was treating me. It wasn't right. "Hey." I forced a smile, which probably looked pathetic.

  His eyes warmed. "Hey. Getting you here alone lately has been a challenge." His gaze flickered to Tripp. "I hate to do this, but can I speak to you alone?"

  "Wow." Tripp pouted and shook his head. "Clearly, I’m the third wheel here." He winked at me and turned. "I'll be at your place around five."

  "I didn't say you could go with us." I shouted the words, but let's be real. He wasn't going to listen anyway.

  "Yeah, yeah." He waved me off. "I'll see you then."

  Now it was time to face the music. I turned toward Kai.

  "Look." He ran a hand through his hair. "You've been acting strange ever since that night, and every time I see you, you're either with someone or busy … so did I step over a line with you?"

  Oh, dear God. He thought I was upset with him, and that wasn't the case at all. I was pissed at myself for being so weak. "No, you didn't."

  "Then did Liam say or do something?" Kai reached out and took my hand in his. "If he threatened you about me, it's fine. I can handle it."

  I was the biggest asshole in the world. Liam had turned me into a version of him. Kai was too good for me. "No, it's not that." He deserved to know the truth. I glanced around and bit on my bottom lip. "I need to tell you something."

  He took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay."

  "Kai." An older man headed in our direction, staring at Kai's and my joined hands. "You were supposed to meet me at your dorm ten minutes ago."

  "I know, Dad." Kai's shoulders slumped. "I just needed to talk to Mia first."

  "So, this is Mia." The man had to be in his mid-forties. He had Kai's facial structure but light blue eyes instead of brown and reddish hair. "You've been causing problems for my son."

  "Oh, I didn't mean to." I glanced at Kai. He hadn't mentioned any problems, so it had to be because of Liam.

  "All girls like you don't mean to." He rolled his eyes and pulled at the tie around his neck before tucking it into his black suit jacket.

  "Dad." Kai's mouth dropped, and he shook his head. "She doesn't deserve to be talked to that way."
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  "You're way too naive." His Dad scoffed as he stared me down. "She's just another opportunistic bitch."

  Without thinking, my hand went straight for my necklace, pulling it out from under my shirt. I rubbed my finger across the pendant. I missed Mom so damn much. She'd have great advice on how to handle this situation.

  His eyes followed my hands and narrowed. "What the..."

  Something wasn't right. I placed the pendant back under my shirt to hide it once more.

  "Are you done here?" Kai's voice was tense and angry.

  "You know what? You're right. I'm being an ass." His father's face smoothed, morphing into a smile.

  It was the oddest transformation I'd ever seen.

  "I'm sorry. It was Mia, right?" He held his hand out to shake with mine.

  The last thing I wanted to do was touch him after how he’d acted, but I didn't want to make things worse. I cared about Kai too much to be an ass. "Yes."

  "I'm Mr. Thorn. I've been under a great deal of stress, but that's no excuse for how I treated you." He kept my hand in his way too long. "How about I make it up to you? How would you like to join us for some lunch?"

  "Thanks, but I have another commitment." I had told Bree I'd be back so we could start getting ready. She was really excited to see Nate again tonight.

  "Next time, then." He grinned.

  "Dad, are you okay?" Kai's forehead wrinkled as he scratched the back of his neck.

  "Yeah, I'm fine." He took a step away from us. "I'll go get us a table at the restaurant. Take your time, I'll get us some lunch ordered."

  I’d never understood the analogy of Jekyll and Hyde until this very moment. If I hadn't seen his complete personality change right before my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed someone was capable of doing it.

  "Okay, thanks." Kai huffed and shook his head as he stared at the ground.

  "It was nice to meet you, Mia." Mr. Thorn bowed his head ever so slightly. "I hope I get to see you again soon." He turned and walked away.

  "I'm so sorry. I don't know what the hell just happened." Kai rubbed a hand down his face and took my hand once more in his. "Look, if I messed up that night…"

  "No, you didn't." There was so much to say.

  "So what did you want to tell me?" Kai took a step closer to me, his sweet cinnamon scent hitting me.

  "Your dad is waiting on you." Maybe I could delay this conversation a little longer.

  "Apparently, he's fine waiting on me." He chuckled. "He's acting bizarre."

  I had to rip this off like a bandage. "The problem is Liam and I had sex after you left."

  Kai's eyes widened, and he dropped my hand as he took a step back. "What?"

  Maybe that was too blunt. However, I couldn't take it back now. I glanced around, making sure no one was near. "I have a problem."

  "I don't know what to say here." Kai's eyes were full of hurt. "I thought we were connecting."

  "We are..." I stopped myself. That assumed he still wanted to be around me. "I mean, we were."

  "Then why him?" Kai's forehead lined, and he stared at the ground. "Is it because you like being treated like shit? If that's the case, I'm not the right guy for you."

  He didn't even realize how hard he’d pegged it. "He's my mate." The words were barely a whisper, but he had a right to know.

  "Liam is your..." His eyes found mine, and something flashed through them.

  Something I didn't understand.

  "That's why he's acting like more of an ass than normal." Kai laughed, but a smile didn't fill his face. "And why you'd be willing to let him hurt you more than he already had." He kicked at the ground. "I knew better than to leave that night."

  "I know, but it’s like I can’t fight it. He used the alpha will on you." In his defense, he had tried to fight it. "I'm sorry."

  "But if you're mates, then why isn't he here?" He glanced around like he almost expected Liam to jump out from somewhere.

  "Because … he's rejecting me." My voice cracked even though I tried so damn hard not to let it happen.

  "Fuck." Kai took in a deep breath and stared off into the woods.

  I wasn't sure whether I should stay or go, but he had a right to say whatever the hell he wanted right now.

  "Look, I get it if you don't want to be friends..."

  "Friends?" His eyes flashed when they met mine again. "I want to be so much more than friends."

  "And I messed that up." Why couldn't this be easy? If a human could select a partner, why couldn't we? "I get that you're disappointed."

  "I'm not disappointed. I'm livid." He reached out and took my hand again. "That jackass gets everything handed to him. He even has fate choosing you as his mate, and he walks away. He's so damn lucky." He pulled me into his arms and kissed my cheek. "I'm pissed because he's hurting you, and I don't know what to do."

  The fact that I was in his arms meant the world to me. Despite sleeping with another man, he still cared for me. I felt safe in his arms in a way that I never had with my own fated.

  "This doesn't change anything." He pulled away from me ever so slightly. Enough to look into my eyes. "I'm drawn to you, and I want to be with you. So many wolves choose their mate, so there's no reason you can't. Let's take our time and work through this … together."

  "But I slept with--"

  He placed his hand against my lips. "Don't say it again, please. Let's take our time and see if we can grow something between us. You're worth fighting for."

  This was the type of man I needed. One who cared for me and treated me with kindness. I had to stop thinking about Liam... stop looking for him everywhere. I had to be resolved. "Good. Because I want you too." I was so damn selfish.

  A grin spread across his face. "Yeah?"

  "If there wasn't the bond coming into play, you'd be the one who I’d pick." I believed every single word too. Fate had to get it wrong sometimes.

  "Then, that proves even more that I'm right." He leaned over and kissed my cheek. "I won't rush you, and we can take it at whatever pace you need."

  "I like the sound of that." I did, but my heart and my wolf wanted to rebel. Kai’s lips on my skin didn't feel right. His touch didn't make me burn or ache for more. "I've got to go meet Bree. She's bouncing around with excitement."

  "Yeah, we can't have that." He rubbed his thumb along the side of my hand. "Are you going to the game tonight?"

  "Definitely. It's at my brother's school." I needed him to understand it had nothing to do with Liam. In fact, if it wasn't KSU, I wouldn't even bother going, just as I hadn’t to all of the other games since that night.

  "Want to go together? We can take my car." He snorted. "Bree's car is only a two-seater, so we're going to need a bigger vehicle."

  Despite everything, he still wanted to be around me. It was kind of hard to fathom. I don't think if our roles had been reversed that I'd be as understanding. "Okay. That sounds great. But we'll be hanging out on the KSU side."

  "That's even better." He squeezed my hand and then dropped it. "I'll head over after visiting with my dad. It should be able to make it also around five."

  "Oh, hey." I hated to be like this, but this was important. "Bree doesn't know about us being mates, so please don't say anything."

  "I have no idea what you're talking about." He winked at me. "And in all honesty, I could go without ever thinking about it again. Now go get Bree situated so we won't run late."

  "All right. See you soon." I watched him go as a huge smile spread across my face. This was the happiest I’d felt in a long while. Maybe today, things would start looking up.

  I hurried to the dorms and, within minutes, walked into our room. As I shut the door, Bree called out, "Mia, get your ass in here."

  "Coming." I hurried into her room to find a pile of clothes on her floor.

  "I don't know what to wear tonight." She yanked more clothes out of her closet. "I can't find a damn thing. I'm not used to hanging out with the enemy, so it wasn’t like I can wear Wolf Moon
Academy attire."

  "You're really overthinking this." I mashed my lips together, trying to prevent the smirk from spreading across my face. "If you're that worried, I have just the thing.” I ran into my closet and grabbed the black bunched sleeve top that Bree had complimented a while ago.

  "Oh my God. You’re amazing." She threw the shirt on and looked in the mirror. "We're going to have such a good time. Nate's already got a party lined up at his house."

  "First, remember a jacket since we’ll be around humans. And won't Liam show up to get you?" The last thing I wanted was to run into him while we were having fun.

  "Nah, he'll be stuck with the football team, so we're home free." She twirled around.

  "Oh, by the way, Kai offered to drive us there."

  "That means we can drink and not make Tripp ride in the trunk." She pointed at me. "Oh, and it means you have another date. I was surprised it took this long. Did you guys have a falling out?"

  "Not exactly, and we're fine now, so it's not worth talking about." I didn't want to have to omit stuff or wind up lying and her finding out.

  "Well, that's good because tonight we're going to have some fun." She clapped her hands and smiled.

  Her enthusiasm was contagious. A nagging thought kept trying to pop up that Liam could show up, but I pushed it away. I couldn’t listen to my heart. I’d only get hurt yet again. Still, it was hoping Liam would crash the party, but that wouldn’t happen.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Right at five, Kai and Tripp were knocking on our door. I glanced at myself once again in the mirror. It almost felt like I was looking at someone else—a girl I didn't know.

  She had the same dark hair as I, but the green in her eyes didn't seem quite as bright, and there were circles under her eyes. Even though Bree had expertly covered up the bags, I could still see them. I knew what lay hidden under the makeup.

  I opted for blue jeans and a flowy, white shirt. That should be safe and neutral with no school colors at all. I took a deep breath. I had this. I could move on from Liam, just enjoy my night with Kai and my friends. This was the first night of a new beginning. I touched the pendant around my neck.