Face flushed, heart pounding, her body torn between arousal and aggression.
Pinning her with my eyes, I drag my body off hers and lift onto my knees, dislodging her claws so that I can start the healing process. “Stay here.”
No, that won’t work if the vampire is waiting to strike. Fuck.
“Stay behind me,” I amend, pushing onto my feet and tearing my gaze from hers. “Don’t let anyone touch you.”
She scoffs and sits up, turning in the direction of our uninvited guest. “Don’t tell me what to—” Her breath catches suddenly, and my nostrils flare as the alpha’s eyes flash gold. He’s caught sight of her, but hopefully the mud keeps her scent at bay. Sienna and I both smell like wild wolves, but if he’s as brainwashed as the other alphas, he’ll think that I’m the wild wolf attacking a defenseless shifter female bound to someone else’s pack—ano nowithin pack law.
As if I give a damn about laws that don’t govern me.
Malice radiates off him in waves. Even from across the vast expanse of lake between us, I can see the tension in his shoulders and the bulging vein in his neck, telltale signs that he’s avoiding a shift. Copper locks cling to his forehead, damn near shining in the false sunlight, and I know exactly which pack he’s from without having to scent him.
He looks exactly like his overbearing asshole of a father.
“Change of plans,” I tell Sienna, licking a stripe across my canines. I don’t want her anywhere near him, but if she wants to get into this academy, we still need to pick a fight with someone big enough to earn us both entry. Beating an alpha in trainingwill push us to the top of the leaderboards without question. “You see that shifter?”
I glance at Sienna to ensure she’s watching, and my heart stops.
Her eyes glowthe exact same shade of gold as his.
Liquid fire pulses through my veins, and a growl tears past my lips. I’m not only going to beat him in a fight—I’m going to rip him apart until Daddy Alpha can’t recognize his own fucking son.
No one is taking Sienna from me.
Not even her true fucking mate.
Chapter 4
Sienna
Revyn’s blooddrips from my fingertips, its warmth cooling rapidly the further away he steps. A breeze flutters my top as mist suddenly fills the air, nearly cutting off the Dire pack heir from view...but not his eyes.
Molten gold with a decadent swirl of bronze, bright enough to illuminate the darkest of nights.
I blink, and they’re gone, replaced by Revyn’s bare ass as he growls at me over his shoulder. “Get up,” he hisses. “Now, Sienna!”
My heart pounds as I drag my limbs from the mud. Tension pulls my skin taut, as though my body is no longer big enough to sustain my soul. I press my lip between my teeth and taste the dirt on my skin—the iron of Revyn’s blood—and something deceptively sweet, lingering on my tongue like a kiss.
Revyn watches me for as long as he dares before turning back around and cursing under his breath. It’s not like him to be worried about an enemy, no matter how strong they are. When I say as much, he scoffs aloud like I’ve offended him and falls eerily silent. I know I told him to shut up, but he never listens. He shouldn’t start now—communication is vital for our survival.
“Revyn?” Goose bumps prickle his skin at the sound of my voice, his muscles tensing as though I’ve physically touched him. “That’s Thaddeus Dire’s son.”
He avoids answering for a few heartbeats. “His name is Alistair.”
My pulse stutters as my mind races, flicking through dozens of faces we’ve met over the years. I don’t remember meeting Alistair during our travels. No one had eyes like these—so golden bright that they rival a dying sun—but I can’t shake the familiarity gripping my senses. It’s like I know him from a dream. My voice whispers past my lips. “He saw me earlier. In the crowd.”
Revyn chuckles, the sound bitter and broken. “Of course he did.”
The sky dims dramatically, plunging us into dusk without warning. As the light fades, so too does the muddy bank, quickly followed by the lake, then the trees. I tumble to my knees on polished stone as a flurry of snow drifts by, whipping my hair into my eyes.Cold.The air chills my lungs, but it’s quickly burned through by an inferno pulsing inside my chest. Every breath I take fogs the air, my skin sizzling as snowflakes evaporate on touch. The scent of the lake and its damp shoreline no longer exist. All traces of mud were left behind when we transported.
More tricks from the academy.
Revyn isn’t as lucky with the snow. It sticks to his wild hair and clings to his beard, but at least he’s dressed in hunting furs and boots. My own clothes have been replaced with a matching outfit, complete with fingerless gloves and a feathered tie at the base of my newly-braided hair. Someone’s having fun with their magic.
A knot in my chest pulls tight, and I turn my head to find those golden eyes advancing rapidly, Alistair’s footfalls lost inthe din of the oncoming blizzard. A snarl tears past his lips, and my heart beats so fast that it threatens to burst.
I grab Revyn’s hand without thinking. This shifter is dangerous. He’s going to kill us the second he gets close enough, and Revyn—he’s stepping in front of me.
