Page 98 of Plug and Tame

Susie followed her gaze to where Mark was crouched down beside a female in wolf form, flirtingly running his hand along her back. “Why, what are you going to do?”

Kira’s jaw set. “It’s time for a change in leadership.”

Susie’s eyes widened as she sucked in a breath of air. “Good.”

It was the middle of the night when Kira and Susie slipped into the dark gymnasium. Ever since Nathaniel had interrupted Kira’s initiation, the Poplarins had been smarter about when they held the ceremony.

Smarter, but not smart.

Perhaps just plain arrogant, because they still used the same location. They were even playing basketball, which rang with the loud bounce of the ball as they played. A single light illuminated one end of the court, but the rest of the lights were off, so there were plenty of shadows for Kira and Susie to blend into to avoid detection.

Unlike her own initiation, the curtains on the stage were open, and Kira could see several first years lined up on the stage. They sat silently, glancing anxiously at the alphas playing basketball below as they waited for the initiation to begin. Despite the late hour, everyone wore their school uniform.

Kira did a quick head count—there were ten students sitting on the stage, nearly one for each of the twelve alphas. Nine of them were female wolves she recognised as first years with black thigh-high socks—no longer virgins. But the other, she was surprised to see, was a male vampire. He was tied up and gagged, and he was almost certainly here against his will.

It gave her a bad feeling.

Susie, who had snuck into the gymnasium with her, murmured her agreement. “That’s Devon, he’s a first year too. I reckon they took him as retaliation for what happened at the hotel.”

Kira nodded grimly. Whilst she and Nathaniel had been close-lipped, Mark had not, and he’d loudly complained to anyone who would listen about the ‘fucking vampire’ who’d robbed him of his right to come. It had infuriated Kira to overhear Mark talk about his ‘right’ to have her that way, but mostly, she’d been angry at herself for ever seeing anything in him.

“If we keep to the shadows, we can get to the stage,” Susie whispered.

Kira shook her head. She had no intention of hiding. She was here to confront the alphas. And she’d even dressed for the occasion.

She wore pointed shoes with low heels that she’d borrowed from Victoria—the lowest in the vampiress’ collection, anyway—and a killer black dress that Victoria had complained was too big for her petite frame. It was strapless, slashed in the middle, and fit Kira like a glove, the silky fabric clinging to every curve.

“Sweetie, you look hot!” Victoria had gasped. “Are you sure you’re not a vampire?”

Little did the vampiress know that her comment was half true. Victoria had assumed Kira was dressing up for Nathaniel, and she had not corrected her.

“I’ve got this,” Kira told Susie, before turning her attention to the noisy end of the gymnasium where one basketball team was trying to score.

She took a steadying breath, sending out her magic in a gentle wave to graze the minds of every person present. No one reacted, oblivious to her power.

Smiling, she suddenly wished Nathaniel was here to see her. She’d insisted on coming alone. This was something she needed to do by herself.

Even so, Nathaniel had escorted them to the gymnasium and was waiting outside.

“Just in case,” he’d assured her, crossing his arms and leaning into the building’s shadow.

Kira had nodded her thanks, but she knew she wouldn’t need his help.

This was her destiny.

The Poplarins cheered as one of the female betas scored a goal.

Lifting her head high, Kira strode forward. Her heels rang through the gym, whilst the daring thigh-high split of her dress parted to reveal her dark-skinned leg. A hushed silence fell as she came to a halt on the painted centre circle. The basketball rolled away, forgotten.

“Kira,” Chelsea sneered, their recent truce apparently forgotten. She’d been bitchy ever since the hotel incident, as if to save face. “I see you made it after all.”

“She’s come to watch,” Mark answered with a glower, “Haven’t you, darling?”

Kira shrugged a shoulder lazily, aware of how the wolves followed her elegant movement and the way it rippled her dress. “I doubt there’s much to see. From my experience, anyway.”

Mark’s eye twitched from the insult, whilst the rest of the pack listened in stunned silence. “Well, maybe if your parasite, blood sucking boyfriend had let me finish what I started at the hotel, you would address me with more respect—”

“Enough,” Kira interrupted. “You’re boring me. Just like you were boring me then.”