“Hey,” Tristan mumbled in my direction, and then snapped his head around—blushing at the sky.
Almosteveryone stayed away from me. Tristan had been sticking to me like glue since I walked out of my dorm room this morning. Which was saying something considering he could barely look me in the eye.
I wasn’t sure what to make of this, and since Sabrina found me in the mess hall an hour before and started filling me in on what she learned in the werewolf wing, I knew even less.
“The wolvesssss gather,” she told me. “They speak in the night of the great, and the cursed, Tristan No-Name. Many sayhe achieved a feat unlike any werewolf before him. Many more admire his courage, bravery, and ruthlessnessss, but all,” she whispered, “would rather die than follow him.”
“What?” I had hissed to her as I trailed my class out of the mess hall. “Why? How does that make any sense?”
“A vampire has tasted his blood. It is the greatest shame a wolf can bear,” she replied. “There is no doubt your Tristan came here to reclaim his spot in the pack.”
I heated up for no good reason. “He— He’s not mine!”
If Sabrina could roll her eyes, she’d be doing it. “But none of the wolves intend to follow him. Nor can he serve under them. Tristan No-Name is an alpha, and an alpha serves no one,” she went on. “Knowing this, his brethren intend to do one thing and one thing only—kill him.”
I tripped over my feet and cracked my knees on the floor. Everyone else streamed around me like I was invisible. Everyone... except for Tristan.
“Whoa, you okay?” Rushing back, Tristan knelt down and reached out his hand—his golden eyes soft even as dusky cheeks darkened.
“Why?” I whispered, my heart racing as I rested my soft server hands in his calloused and battle-torn ones.
He cocked his head. “Why what?”
“Because he is a walking legend,” replied the true recipient of that question. “Because he might possibly be the strongest wolf in this or any age. To walk off the battlefield with Tristan’s head would signal to all that his opponent is stronger still.”
I fought to keep the unease off my face as Tristan helped me up.
“Your wolf came here to show his people that he is still strong enough to lead, and instead, he’s given every budding young alpha here the ticket to becoming the lord alpha leader of all the packs of hell.”
Sabrina’s words rang in my ears as the rest of the class continued to fart around instead of falling in line as instructed.
I just couldn’t believe Tristan risked his life to save his people, and their thanks was to murder him.
It just doesn’t make sense. I know this is hell, but is there really no sense of camaraderie, loyalty, or even family down here? Does power and strength really outweigh sticking together and making it through side by side?
My thoughts didn’t have an answer for me, and that’s because I already knew it. The answer was yes. In a world with no love or friendship... survival of the fittest is all you have left.
My gaze traveled off Tristan to the group of bare-chested guys moving as one behind half a dozen bored-looking vampires. They obviously had no intention of letting a vampire see their backs.
Luckily there was plenty of room for them to maneuver behind them on the field. Although calling it a field was being generous. Our class,Stop Being Pussies,was being held on the dry, cracked, dusty ground behind the mansion. There was nothing around but two chalk lines, dirt, dirt, dead trees, and dirt.
But checking the werewolves out, it was interesting how similar they were, even though their skin colors and facial features differed from person to person. They were all crazy buff, they all had tempting golden eyes, and they were all scarred. They alsoallhad one eye on the vampires... and one eye on Tristan.
I tensed. “Did they say how they were going to do it?” I whispered to the reptile under my ugly red-and-blue Christmas vest.
She didn’t ask me what I meant. “They will each have their own plan, and no reason to share it with anyone else. There can only be one victor over the All But One.”
I accepted this, although I didn’t flipping like it. Tristan would have dozens of guys after him, possibly even from among the upperclassmen, and how would I stop them? Would it really be as simple as looking them in the eyes and telling them to go away?
“Your heart races, human, and your skin begins to moisten,” Sabrina said. “Now you begin to see that your wolf is your true enemy.”
I blinked. “Wait, what?” I cried, spinning away from the alpha male wolf pack. “What are you talking about?”
“A wolf without a pack is nothing more than a corpse looking for its grave,” she replied. “His people will not take him back, and vampires will only continue to come for him until one of them succeeds in draining him dry. That is unless he is handsomely, and magically, rewarded by whoever is using him to have you framed and burned as a witch.”
My eyes popped.
“A demon powered by a mortal soul could easily make his skin like sssstone,” Sabrina said. “Vampire fangs would shatter on contact. Now, wouldn’t you trade some random wisp of a girl that you’ve only just met for power like that?”
