by Emera Rose
“Ew, get your paws off me!” She squirms and tries to get away.
“Oh, you know you love me. That’s why you’re so mean to me! It’s second grade all over again,” Jasper teases her, pulling her closer into him. She growls and tries to push him off.
I don’t react, just roll my eyes at their antics. They really could be brother and sister. Roxana pushes him away and tries to reach for me, but I move away so she can’t grab me. A look of shock and mock betrayal crosses her face as she realizes I’m not going to help her. “You bastard!”
“You know it, sweetlips,” I reply, laughing slightly as the two of them play fight in front of me.
A loud piercing scream floats through the air and I’m instantly on edge.
“What the fuck?” Jasper straightens and stands directly behind me to my right while Roxana presses herself to my left.
I look toward the window where the sound came from and hear more. My ears hone in on the origin of all the noise and I hear people running and falling. More screams and crying. I don’t think. I don’t feel fear. I simply react.
I jump out of the window, the shards of glass barely nicking my skin as I shift mid-fall and land on the ground in my complete Lycan form. I roar loudly and I hear two sounds of impact right behind me. Jasper and Roxana have phased and are now in line with me.
What is this? Oh god, what is happening?
I hear Roxana’s thoughts loud and clear like always, but what I hear next is a surprise.
Fear. Blood. Protect.
I turn my head to the right. I can hear Jasper while he is in wolf form. I don’t get full sentences like I do with Roxana but more feelings and single words. Interesting, but it’s not something I can think much on now.
It’s only seconds before another round of screams permeates the air. I take off in the direction of the trouble, my small pack directly behind me. I don’t know what I’m seeing. There are dozens of werewolves on the grounds. It looks like the gate was blown open to let them in. These werewolves don’t look like any I’ve ever seen though. Everything about them feels off, chaotic, rabid.
Jasper, what is this? I ask.
Abomination. Forbidden. Destroy them.
I still don’t know what I’m looking at, but from the way Jasper is describing them in my mind, I know they can’t be allowed to live. I take off toward them just in time to see one of the monsters pick up one of the students in its deformed jaw and swing them around like a ragdoll.
I push harder and growl loud as I pick up speed, running straight into the thick of things. I have to protect the students. These monsters are maiming and killing everyone in their path. I have to put a stop to it.
I rush one who is about to sink its claws into a girl huddled on the ground, screaming and scared. I use my massive head to bump him backward and stand over her so that he can’t get to her. The sick-looking werewolf regards me for a second before he rushes me. I use my paw to push his head upward and I can feel the uneven sinews of muscle under his fur. It snaps its jaw furiously in the air, trying to get a bite of me. Roxana darts in from the side and grabs the monster by its back leg, pulling it in the opposite direction to throw it off balance. Once its head is on the ground, I use my massive paw to break its neck.
There are a lot of them but we Lycans are much stronger. One by one, we pick them off, killing them together as a unit.
I can still hear screaming, so I rush toward the sound. There’s another bunch of them in the courtyard. They’re surrounding what looks like a few underclassmen, werewolves who still haven’t learned to control their shifting.
I run toward them, but suddenly something sharp bites into my hind leg. I howl and turn to see one of these monsters had leapt from great height and managed to bite me. His teeth latch on to me, and I know if I don’t get him off, he will tear me to shreds. I try to turn in an angle that will allow me to attack him, but I can’t.
Roxana whimpers as she’s fighting off an abomination of her own with Jasper’s help. I’m distracted for only a second, but it’s more than enough for these monsters to smell blood. In an instant, half a dozen more of these animals converge on me. I swipe with my paws, roar, and snap at them, but I know I will fall. There are just too many of them.
No, Zev. Save.
Jasper bursts through the group of them, knocking a few of them away from me, and manages to give me the space I need to get up. He fights with all he has, tearing and biting at those who are trying to hurt me. Roxana gets rid of her beast and joins us. Together again, we fight back these monsters.
Seconds later, I hear more howls. I start to feel panic bubbling up in my chest.
How many more of these can we fight off?
How much longer can we protect the school?
I turn quickly when I hear paws padding in my direction from behind. More Lycans, one I recognize. Its hair is long and pitch black, its eyes the same color—Professor Softhowler.
Once this group of Lycans comes to a stop near us, and they growl and snap at anything that comes close to us. I know exactly who they are. The faculty has finally come to save the day, a couple dozen dead abominations too late.
There are a few left and once they see that our numbers have grown, they’re hesitant to get closer. They snap and snarl in our direction, baiting any one of us to come to them. One Lycan takes the bait and steps away from the group of us toward the abomination.
I bark once and snarl at the Lycan breaking my line and they stop in their tracks, my order obeyed even if they don’t know who’s giving it. I feel the eyes of all the wolves around me on me, but I don’t have time to explain. I keep them all in line and wait for those bastards to come to me. I hunch down and just like I thought, the monsters don’t have the willpower to stay away. They charge us and we quickly dispose of the final few.
I’ve never been in a battle before, not one as extensive as this one, and I lead those who follow me to victory. The pride I feel is a bit overwhelming.
Pain. It hurts.
I barely hear it, but then it’s all I can hear. Jasper. There’s something wrong with Jasper. I turn, my eyes scanning the crowd, looking for my beta. When I see him, he’s at the back of the crowd, not drawing any attention, but he has deep cuts all along his fur. His blood puddles around him.
I howl and whimper as I nudge him, trying to get him to get up, but he just lays there panting and grimacing. He’s hurt badly.
Roxana whimpers and then takes off toward the main building faster than I’ve ever seen.
Roxana! Where are you going? Don’t leave!
I scream at her in my head and I see her feet skid to a stop at the order.
Zev, trust me.
I don’t want her to go, don’t want to be alone as I lose my best friend, but I release my hold on her and she continues on toward the building. I turn back to Jasper and lick at his wounds. I growl at anyone else who tries to get close to him. I thought we had done a good job. I can’t lose him now, not when we’ve only just started.
Zev, move!
Roxana’s voice pierces through my sorrow and I do as she asks. I see her running back to the group of us, Professor O’Donovan on her back.
“Blessed be!” She hops down off Roxana, her hands out to feel the damage on Jasper that she cannot see. I see her whisper, but I don’t understand the words. A bright white glow encases Jasper as he shifts back into his human form and she lifts him off the ground with magic. I snap in her direction, not wanting her to move a member of my pack, especially now that I can clearly see the damage. His eyes are closed, his skin is pale and sliced up, but his chest rises and falls steadily.
The nurse raises her hand and a portal opens up. On the other side, I can see the nurse’s office. She’s helping him. I let some of the tension leave my body as my best friend disappears through the portal along with the witch.
Roxana comes over to me and puts her head under my snout in comfort. I nuzzle into her.
Who would have let those beast
s on campus?
What were they after?
I don’t know all the answers, but I have a feeling it has to do with the fact that there is about to be a change in leadership.
Chapter Twenty-One
Roxana
Last night was . . . horrible. It’s the only word I can think to describe the horrors we faced. Unnecessary bloodshed came out of the blue, with no warning or reason. It might sound odd, but if we were in the middle of an all-out war, this would make sense. But for rackeds to show up suddenly, it means someone sent them here or opened a portal for them to come here. But who?
Rackeds aren’t smart creatures. They’re abominations, malformed werewolves or Lycans. We aren’t sure which since we’ve never been able to capture one alive to perform studies on it. One day, hopefully, we’ll be able to, in order to figure out why they do what they do, but until that day comes, we’ll be in the dark.
Zev was filled with worry, not that I can blame him. Jasper was his first ally and quickly became his best friend. He’s in the hospital at the moment and we haven’t been given any updates, but Professor O’Donovan did call late last night and said if Jasper continues to improve, we could go see him this afternoon. I’m hoping that means he was doing well last night, but again, we haven’t been given any real updates. However, I’m under the impression it means we can be hopeful.
My poor Zev tossed and turned all night long. He finally fell asleep a few hours ago and I haven’t had the will to wake him. I know he needs to eat, so I’m going to head downstairs to the café and get food for the two of us. At least if I do it this way, he can get in some extra sleep. His body needs it.
Sliding out of my bed, I walk across my dorm room and head into the closet. Being an organizational freak means I prepare my outfits days in advance. I’ve never been a morning person, so I don’t want to waste time when I’m tired and groggy to put together the perfect outfit.
I grab the first one from the rack, a sweater with pearls and a pair of dark denim jeggings. I’ll pair them with knee-high boots and it’ll be the perfect pre-fall ensemble, though I’m sure not to put on my boots until I get out in the living area. I’m damn determined not to wake Zev. He needs as much rest as he can get right now.
I’m able to get out of my dorm room and shuffle down the stairs, walk across from the dorm hall to the main area, and head into the café.
Surprisingly, it’s busier than I expected. But I guess we’re used to things like this, needing to be prepared for anything, constantly on our guard. Hell, when I come to think of it, we should be prepared. The whole reason they have Lycans and werewolves attending school together is because of the hunters. We’ve been told for the last year or so we need to expect the unexpected, and last night we did.
I file into line behind some people who instantly realize who I am. “Roxana, you can go ahead of me. It’s no biggie.” I focus in on the girl and realize this is Jaz Davenport. She’s a first-year like me, but she’s in my History class. She sits near the back and is super quiet but is always the one the professor questions. I think it’s because he knows she’ll answer him.
I wave a hand in dismissal. “It’s fine. I can wait but thank you.”
God, I can’t help but listen to myself. A few weeks ago, I would’ve gladly taken her up on allowing me to take her spot. I would’ve counted it as a Grim bonus in a way, but realizing what my father’s done and bonding with Zev has shown me a different part of myself. That I’m not a callous, rude, bitchy Grim.
I’m Roxana, and I want to respect the people below me . . . because at the end of the day, they’re the ones standing beside me.
“Okay. Just wanted to make sure. Thanks for . . . thank you guys for coming to our aid last night. I thought I was a goner before Zev tore that beast away from me. God, I curled up on the ground and held onto myself like it would’ve helped me. How stupid.”
I shake my head and grab onto her shoulder. “It wasn’t stupid at all. You were afraid. It’s totally natural.”
“Can I help you, Ms. Grim?” the woman behind the glass asks, seemingly irritated.
Cocking a brow, I look to the line in front of me. “Did these people somehow go invisible, or are you just blatantly rude?”
The woman’s cheeks flush with red. “Apologies, Ms. Grim. I thought you’d like to be taken care of first.”
“Not when there are plenty of people who were here before me. Take care of them.” The woman does as I ask, heading to the first person in front of me.
“I’m Jaz, by the way.” Jaz extends her hand and I shake it.
“I’d introduce myself, but I think you already know who I am.” I release a laugh and she smiles.
“Yeah, I do.”
The woman comes over and grabs her order and I watch as Jaz goes to a nearby table.
“What do you want, Ms. Grim?” the woman questions as she finally gets to me.
“Can I get four pancakes, four slices of bacon, and four eggs, with an orange juice and a coffee, please? I’ll be taking it to go. However, I’d love to enjoy the coffee while I wait,” I inform the woman.
“Coming right up. Here’s your coffee.” She hands me a mug with black coffee filled to the rim and I go over to a nearby booth, needing to feel secure. I can’t imagine sitting at a table and having my back exposed . . . not after what happened last night.
To settle my nerves, I bring my coffee up to my lips and take a sip.
“Are you and Kori going to settle your issues soon, or am I going to need to keep being a therapist for her? It’s agonizing, Roxana,” Paola whines, sliding into the booth across from me.
Swallowing the hot liquid, I shrug my shoulders. What am I supposed to tell her? That everything will magically be okay, because I don’t think it will. Kori needs to come to me and apologize. If our roles were reversed, I’d do that for her. It was obvious she crossed a line, and yet she didn’t feel the need to say she was sorry for doing it. Instead, she avoided what she did and acted like a total cunt.
“Who knows, Paola. If she decides to come to me and admit what she said was wrong, probably, but I’m not going to act like she wasn’t being an asshole.” I take another sip of my coffee, waiting for her reply.
Paola looks uncomfortable and I know she hates being the one put in the middle, but sadly, life is sometimes annoying. Kori and I happen to be fighting right now. It doesn’t mean we will be tomorrow, or a month from now, but I’m not going to roll over and act like it didn’t happen. Especially when she was making moves on the man who is now my mate. I won’t let this simply slide under the rug and act like it never happened.
“Come on, you two have been friends since you were babies,” Paola mutters.
“You should go tell Kori that, and explain how important it is to let your friends know when you’re accountable for doing something you shouldn’t have,” I sternly tell her. Like I said, I’m not going to roll over and act like this wasn’t a big deal. It was. Hell, it still is.
Paola shakes her head and runs a hand through her long, black hair. “I hate this so much. Kori’s making me feel like I need to take her side.”
I shut my eyes for a moment at Paola’s words. Paola has always been a beta, ready to fall in line to whomever is more dominant than she is. “Paola, for fuck’s sake. What matters to you? Why do you feel like you even have to pick a side? You could remain in the middle, avoiding the issue completely, but instead you’ve become what . . . Kori’s puppet? Because it really looks like you’re coming here to me in the hopes I will let what Kori did slide, and I won’t, not now.”
Paola’s face flushes red, and before I know it, she’s out of my booth and has exited the café. Fuck. I suck in a deep breath and release my frustration. Kori’s using her and she can’t see it, but it’s obvious she doesn’t see it that way. Whatever. I’ll let bygones be bygones.
“I heard a rumor that mutt saved the day last night while I was away.” Barrett’s voice echoes through the café, and I turn to s
ee he’s in line with a few of his buddies.
Part of me feels like anxiety should start racing through my veins, but it doesn’t. Instead, I feel aggravated. Pissed Barrett even has the balls to be speaking right now. Furious at the fact his tone is condescending and he’s looking to trash talk my man.
“Yeah, him, Roxana, and Jasper. Heard Jasper’s in the hospital though,” one of his buddies comments to him.
Barrett scoffs, “Why am I not shocked Roxana Grim lowered her standards to surround herself with that lowlife mutt? Typical.”
Okay, now I can’t sit here and listen to Barrett act like he has the biggest balls on the planet.
“Ms. Grim, your food’s ready,” the woman behind the counter calls, so I rise and walk over to her. She hands me a bag and I take it, then turn my attention to Barrett and his idiot followers.
“You need to watch your tongue, Barrett,” I hiss, staring him down.
“Oh, do I?” He cackles, not threatened in the least bit.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t be talking shit on the eldest Lycan bloodline.”
“Why, Roxana, I haven’t even started to talk shit about you.” Barrett smirks. “And come to think of it, even if I was, what would you do about it? Your mutt had to come in and save you last time.”
“He’s no mutt, Barrett. Zev comes from the eldest Lycan bloodline, even more pure than my own blood. So, like I said, I’d watch what you say considering he’s going to be the one we all kneel down for.”
“What a joke.” A high shrill of laughter comes from behind Barrett’s boys and I see Kori walking forward, heading under Barrett’s arm.
What the fuck?
Are these two a couple now or something?
I scrunch up my nose in pure disgust. She knows what he did to me. What he tried to do.
“The only joke here is you. What are you doing with him?” I question, not keeping my anger or shock hidden. She’s betrayed me, and it’s clear as day.
“It became obvious I needed to surround myself with like-minded people.”
“Is that before or after you tried to climb up Zev’s dick?” I hiss.
