by Leia Stone
Driver Dude drove down the winding road, the only way in or out of Crescent Valley, while I drummed my fingers on my bare knees. The vehicle was clearly built for luxury, or at least, I'd heard such from the young men in my clan who dreamed of lavishness. But the pothole-ridden path was meant to discourage visitors, so I relaxed and let the movement rock me, lulling me into semi-lucidity.
As soon as we hit the paved street, my heart lurched.
"Have you eaten yet today, cub?" asked the brother who sat shotgun.
Rage, the grouchy one to my right, snorted. "She's hardly a cub, Justice."
Justice? Rage? What kind of names were these?
I ignored their domineering question and peeled my eyes open, staring at the heads of the two in front. Not really identical. Driver Dude's hair was straight; only the ends curled around the collar of his shirt. But Shotgun's hair was wavy—Shotgun, aka Justice. I glanced at the silent brother on my left, but he was staring out the window.
Forcing a dry swallow, I faced Rage.
The dark curls poking out from his cap strained against whatever product he'd used to try to tame it. His profile was like his personality, all hard angles … except for his lips. Blushing, I forced my attention down … to his neck, where his pulse feathered between tense muscles. His arms were jacked, the muscles curved and dipped, straining against the confines of his shirt. He clearly had a standing date with the gym. Probably where he burned off the steroids.
Driver Dude angled his head and muttered, "I don't remember her name."
Nice. I had Tweedledee, Tweedledum, Rage, and Justice as escorts. I hated to have a pity party so early on, but why me? I let the thought bounce around my head and then realized it was useless. No one else could take my place. As much as I hated our system, I'd known this was coming. I just thought I had more time with my father and our pack.
“Who cares what her name is, Noble? Why does it matter if she’s hungry, Justice? She’s Crescent Clan.” Rage’s voice was more animal than human by the time he was done.
Oh, hell no.
“Fewer words, buddy. You’re annoying me.” I glared at the one named Rage and was rewarded with an absolute feral look.
Rage growled, his canines elongating.
What is his deal?
"Reel it in, Rage,” the brother on my left snapped, stretching his arm around my back to smack king d-bag on the arm. “If you shift in here, we’re all going with you.”
My mouth dried, but before I could contemplate the horror of five dominant wolves trapped in an SUV, the brother on my left poked me in the ribs.
“My brother asked you a question, and it's rude not to answer. Have. You. Eaten?"
I knew they were brothers; they looked insanely too much alike.
“Well?” he demanded, his jaw snapping shut with a click.
"I'm not hungry," I muttered, returning his glare. Not true, and my stomach promptly rumbled loudly, declaring my lie. Male wolves and their need to feed a female wolf was beyond sexist and annoying. I’d starve before accepting food from them. It was a move for power, and I wouldn’t play into it.
The brother to my left sighed, and I rolled my eyes to the roof of the car. My attention was captured by the knobs and buttons; I wondered what they all did. Was that a television screen? I was going to ignore these jerks all the way to the island!
The driver shook his head. "Listen, cub, I can't bring a hungry wolf to the island. We have an hour drive before we hit civilization."
A green and gold package landed in my lap.
"There's a granola bar to tide you over," Justice said from his shotgun seat.
Rage smacked Justice in the back of the head. “Why are you being nice to her? Let her starve.”
“Calm down.” Driver dude’s voice was softer than the others; he was clearly the voice of reason.
The brother to my left looked at the driver next. “Noble, would you like to offer her a refreshment as well?”
The driver’s hands clenched the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. “Piss off, Honor!”
Noble? Rage? Justice? Honor? What kind of freaking names were these?
I glared at Rage beside me and leaned into him. Placing the food bar in his lap, "Thanks for the offer, but I'll decline—on all counts."
The driver, Noble, chuckled. "I think this cub has claws."
I liked them better when they were mute.
"What's your name, cub?" Noble asked as he maneuvered around the potholes on the road leading out of town.
Oh, now they were going to be friendly?
I stared at my reflection in his glasses through the rearview mirror, wishing I could rip them off. "Not a cub.”
I was nineteen, and they couldn’t be a day older than twenty-one. Was this a joke?
“Then what?” Rage growled.
“Alpha heir to you, buddy." Might as well put these douchebags in their place right now. No island guard would talk down to me like this; I didn’t care how dominant they were.
All four of them laughed at that, and a blast of cold air hit me as the air conditioner came on. "Be nice, cub," Justice growled. "Or the next four years will really suck for you."
Was that a threat?
Fuming, I leaned forward and angled the vents away from me, blasting Rage and Honor with frigid air. How dare they?
Calm down, Nai. Don't show weakness unless there's a reason. Recalling my father's teachings, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
“What’s with the names? You guys named after virtues or something?” I glared at Rage, who clearly wasn’t named after a virtue. More like his personality. But the others were Honor, Noble, Justice.
Justice grunted, but that was the only response I got.
“What’s your story?” Rage asked, his lip curling. “Didn’t Crescent Clan already send their heir last year?”
Nolan.
I tipped my chin up. “Nolan is the spare.”
Before Rage could reply, the Land Rover swerved, and I was thrown forward as Noble slammed on the brakes.
What the…?
"Get down! Rogues!" Noble snapped.
That one word sent ice water through my veins.
Rage grabbed my head and forced me down by the back of the neck so I could no longer see out the front windshield.
Patches of fur rippled down my arms as I tried to control my wolf. She wanted to come out now? With a snarl, I twisted and snapped at Rage’s wrist, fully intending to bite him. He yanked his hand back just in time, and I bolted upright, peering out the window. “Dammit!”
McCain and his crew.
Rogue wolves were akin to feral cats. They’d left their packs, usually forced out after repeated offenses. They had zero social skills and were more wolf than human. McCain was the worst. Stripped of pack and magic, he always wanted blood—the only way to steal the mage-bestowed magic running through our veins.
What the hell was Noble waiting for? A peace talk?
"Run him over!" I shouted.
McCain stood in the road with his scrappy pseudo-pack of six wolves, blocking our way.
"I … can't," Noble faltered. "It's against wolf shifter law. They must strike first."
Was he kidding? I chortled at the lunacy of his statement. "Screw the code! I've seen this guy gnaw the flesh off a grown man faster than a royal betrayal. Run the rogue over before we—"
A heavy thump on the roof stole my breath, and I froze. I longed to shift into my wolf form, but my wolf was shy in times of stress. A really lame trait to have as an alpha heir.
Spinning to my right, I stared at a fully shifted werewolf standing just outside our window.
"Noble, go!" Justice shouted from shotgun, and the more tolerable of the brothers gunned the gas.
A loud scraping sound grated across the metal above, reverberating through the car. I looked up to see three inches of werewolf claws piercing the ceiling.
Before I could formulate a course of action, Rage launched into
me, his face connecting with my chest as he forced me down across Honor’s lap with a headbutt.
“Get off—” I grunted.
Rage rolled to the side, and I gaped in awe as he held a sleek black gun up to the roof of the car.
A small snapping noise rang out, a burst of light exiting the barrel with each silver bullet, followed by two more. Good thing they had silencers or all four of us would be deaf for the next hour. My ears just rang a little.
A thud rocked the car as Noble plowed through the group of rogues, and a faint keening registered before it was gone.
My attention went from the holes in the roof to the giant dominant draped over me.
I blinked at him, and my lips parted.
Those eyes!
His glasses had come off, and my thoughts derailed as I stared. Fire danced across my skin, its heat soaking deep into my chest and melting my insides.
His startling green eyes, the color of spring grass, held me captive for one long breath. That warmth in my belly was not attraction. Nope. So, I pushed it down and reminded myself that this guy was an idiot … and an ass. But … I wasn't prepared for how hot a total douche could be. Striking and unique seemed inadequate adjectives—
What the hell?
My nostrils flared, and I closed my mouth with a snap. His baseball cap had flown off in the scuffle, and peeking out from under his tousled hair, the outline of a full moon shimmered across the surface of his skin. The mark of Midnight royalty was on his forehead.
These weren’t regular guards. Of all the packs, they belonged to my sworn enemy.
Midnight.
Chapter 2
Snarling, I shoved at Rage, trying to wiggle the rest of my way out from underneath him.
“Get off me, Midnight!” I hissed.
I should have known it would be them. Of course, the alpha king would send Midnight Clan to retrieve me. To rub it in my face.
But royalty?
Sending one of their heirs—or four of them to be exact—that wasn’t done. Most clans had at least ten to twenty heirs to ensure someone would be bred strong enough to take over the pack when the alpha died. I didn’t know much about Midnight Pack other than they were the ones who drove our clan out of the magic lands. If the king sent his heirs to retrieve me, they must be distant spares, not even worthy enough to enroll in Alpha Academy.
His eyes widened as if I’d slapped him, and he growled back. "I said stay … down!" His gaze darted to my lips, and then he licked his own.
My mouth dried, and I blinked up at him stupidly.
“Hey, Rage,” Honor said, his voice drifting down to me from above. “We’re all good here. Safe and sound.” He cleared his throat. “Get off her so she can get off me. Please.”
I was basically lying in Honor’s lap.
Awkward.
Rage pushed up, his right arm caging me in on one side and his brother’s chest on the other.
My gaze bounced, trying to escape the dominant over me, and I sagged with relief when all I could see was the mangled ceiling … and Honor staring down at me.
He raised his brows, and I noted his eyes were hazel—not spring-grass green.
“You should sit up—and wipe the drool off your chin,” he said with a cheeky grin.
I shot up so fast my hair tumbled into my face as I bounced off Honor and smacked into Rage by accident.
This damn car was too small for these giants!
“Oww,” I muttered between clenched teeth, pushing my hair back.
Honor chuckled, and without thinking, I swung my right elbow back, twisting my body with the strike to give it extra power. I felt my elbow connect with his collarbone, and he released a muffled grunt, making me grin.
He deserved it, and it wasn’t anything more than I’d do with Mack when he was out of line.
A blur of brown hair flew into my face, and I came face-to-face with Rage once again.
“Don’t hit my brother,” he snapped.
Sucking in a sharp breath, I tried to swallow as my retort caught in my throat. The other three spoke all at once.
“Ease up, Rage.”
“I’m fine,” Honor said.
“Give the cub a break,” Noble spoke from the driver’s seat. “She’s just asserting dominance.”
Justice managed to get out “Seriously, Rage—”
And then I lost it. “Get the hell out of my face unless you want to lose one of those pretty green eyes!”
I planted my hands on his chest, splayed out fingers over rock hard muscle, and then shoved him against the door with a snarl. Climbing onto my knees, I leaned forward—into his personal space. “The next time you decide to play alpha, remember which clan you belong to—and which one you don’t.” I shoved him one more time and added, “I don’t answer to you, so stop with the pissing match.”
My heart thrummed with adrenaline as my actions caught up to my consciousness.
Not smart, Nai.
Rage’s expression was pure murder. His eyes glowed orange, and I could feel how close his wolf was. A pelt of black fur swam down his arm before disappearing beneath his skin.
Forcing a tight smile, I smoothed his shirt. “Uh, so yeah, this car is small, and that … might’ve been a little more than necessary.”
I yanked my hands back, realizing that I was practically feeling him up. With my cheeks burning, I took my seat and fastened my belt.
The other three men all stared at me.
Closing my eyes to them, I tamped down the urge to run—not that there was anywhere to go.
“Maybe we should … uh … start over,” Noble said. “My name is Noble, from Midnight Clan.”
I blinked my eyes open.
Before I could ask, he pointed to the guy riding shotgun. “This is my brother Justice.” Then he pointed to the dude on my left. “And Honor.”
Yeah, I’d caught the names before, but I’d play along for nicety sake.
I turned to Rage. “Is your name really Rage?” Unsurprisingly, he curled his lip in a non-answer, so I glanced back to Honor. “Is it?”
Because if their mom named three of them after virtues and one after a vice—
“His name is Courage, but…” Noble faced forward and put the car in gear before merging back onto the road.
Shaking my head, I snorted and then muttered, “But clearly, Rage suits him better.”
Noble and Honor chuckled, and Justice grunted, but it wasn’t lost on me that none of them bothered to contradict me.
I continued playing nice. “I’m Nai.”
They all just nodded but stayed silent.
Awesome.
The next hour crawled.
The strain between me and three of the Virtue brothers waned—a little. At least enough for me to ask a few questions and listen in on their good-natured teasing. The other one, Rage, just sat next to me like a tightly-coiled snake ready to strike. I’d learned they’d been raised on the island and pried for more info.
“Do all three clans live on the island or just Midnight?” I asked. The magic lands were as big as the United States and host to all types of shifters and mages. But Alpha Island, where the school was, held the royal heirs of each line while they went through school. Yet, I wondered where the rest of the packs resided. I heard Midnight Pack held over a thousand wolves. Could they all live on one island? If so, how big was it?
Justice flattened his lips and shook his head. “Seriously, you don’t know this?”
“All of the wolf packs live on Alpha Island—except those from Crescent Clan and the rogues,” Noble interjected before his brother and I could start a fight.
I knew my father’s pack had been excommunicated for some reason, but I didn’t know whether our pack lived in the magic lands or on actual Alpha Island prior to being kicked out and forced to live among humans.
“Do any other shifters live there?” I heard a long time ago they all did.
“Alpha Island is for werewolves only,” Justice growled.
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I frowned. “Yeah?”
From what my father was able to tell me, I’d learned the island, in the past, was for all royals whose magic allowed them to shapeshift. Not just werewolves.
“When did that happen again? That it became werewolves only?” I asked, pressing my luck.
“Do you always talk this much?” Rage growled, plugging his ears.
I ignored the idiot on my right, but when no one answered my previous question, I decided to try another vein.
“So, can you tell me anything about what happens at the school?” I tried to shift the conversation to different waters.
“Alpha Academy is guarded by high mage magic,” Honor said.
“And that magic binds you so you can’t reveal what happens while you’re there,” Noble said, wagging his brows at me in the rearview mirror. “It’s very secretive.”
“I knew about the binding.” Everyone did, but I was hoping maybe these dudes could give me a tiny bread crumb.
“If you knew, then why are you asking?” Justice groaned from the front seat.
Ugh, these douchebags were rude!
The hulking mass on my right moved, and the seat dipped, making me bump him.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
Sorry not sorry, jerk.
Tugging at the frayed hem of my cutoffs, I tried to pinpoint why I was feeling so irritated. Being a dominant female close to such dominant males from a rival clan … it had my wolf so riled I felt like crawling out of my skin.
I was done playing nice. New goal: ask as many annoying questions as possible, and see how long it would take to set Rage off again.
“My cousin didn’t get four Midnight Clan escorts. What gives?” Last year when Nolan left, they’d sent one skinny dude to pick him up. Was I seen as that much of a threat? Because if so, that was badass.
Rage muttered under his breath, unintelligible except for the explitive and the undercut strike punctuating his sentiment.
Noble, the peacemaker, shook his head and growled, “Rein it in, Rage.”
Justice suddenly turned in his seat to face me, meeting my eyes with his green gaze, identical to Rage’s. “We’re not the usual heir collection team. We received a summons to go pick up the heir from Crescent Clan today, and we follow orders without question, understand?”
