AllFreeNovel
Share Us
ChapterFifteen
KINGSTON
Itrailed out of the locker room after my classmates, filled with the same restless energy I’d lived with since my wolf caught her scent again. Sunday. My mate. The one who rejected me in front of both of our packs. Technically, that meant she wasn’tmyanything. But my wolf didn’t give a shit about technicalities. As far as he was concerned, Sunday belonged to us. And her getting attacked at the club and nearly dying only intensified my wolf’s protective instincts.
It was a damned pain in my ass if I was being honest. Because me, the man, didn’t want anything to do with her. She humiliated me in the most public arena that existed for shifters. I’m the Alpha’s son, future Alpha of the Farrell pack. Only one other pack in North America matches us in size. The Fallons.
A union between our two Families would have been some real Romeo and Juliet shit, bringing together two rival packs to create the largest wolf pack seen in centuries. But she sent any talk of peace right up in flames with her outright dismissal of me. As ifIwas the one unworthy here. She couldn’t even find her damn wolf. What right did she have rejectingme?
Sunday would beluckyto be my mate. Bitches have been sniffing around, practically begging me to mount and claim them since I was old enough to understand what it meant.
Except for her.
Just like always when it came to Sunday, all the old insecurities and hurt came roaring to the surface. And right on their heels, the anger. Seeing her again, after all this time... I hadn’t been prepared for just how fucking angry I still was.
It was easier to pretend when I didn’t have to look at—or smell—her. Fuck, that scent. It haunted me. Worse, it went straight to my dick. Every. Fucking. Time.
Just the memory of it was enough to have me adjusting myself as I found a spot to wait outside the grove for Sanderson to let us in on whatever game she had planned for today. Usually wolves were social, but as a rule, we didn’t fraternize much outside of our home packs. As a result, I found myself sticking to the outskirts in mixed classes such as this one.
My eyes trailed over the other students milling around, my wolf snarling as my gaze landed on Thorne and his little red-haired skank. God, they deserved each other. If Sunday and I were the shifter version of Romeo and Juliet, they were the vampires’ very own Ken and Barbie. Richer than God and blood bluer than the Atlantic. Pampered. Spoiled. Utterly insufferable. He probably had to consult her day planner when he wanted to schedule time to get his dick wet.
I laughed at the thought of Thorne pounding away while Callie snapped at him to hurry and finish while scrolling through her social media feeds. Personally, I wouldn’t trust my dick near the chick. I’m pretty sure she could make it shrivel up and die with a single look. Her voice alone made my skin crawl, and her scent was toxic. Like huffing nail polish and gasoline.
“She doesn’t actually expect us to go in there, does she? I mean... the sun’s out.” Callie’s high-pitched voice grated even from where I stood.
“Do you listen to a word anyone else says?” Thorne snapped. “This isn’t real. It’s an illusion.”
Callie pouted. “It feels real. It’s warm.”
I rolled my eyes at Callie’s whining, wishing the artificial rays pouring out of the grove were enough to turn the bloodsucker into a pillar of ash. It’d be one hell of an improvement.
The name was misleading. It wasn’t actually a grove, per se, but a magical antechamber that professors could modify as needed. Right now, Sanderson had it converted into a daytime woodland. But, just like the rest of the campus, there were all sorts of magical fail-safes in place to prevent any of its students from coming into contact with something that would cause them harm. Case in point, the sun. Most vampire classes took place in the evening hours for that reason, but there were some exceptions to the rule. And in those cases, Ravenscroft was magically equipped to ensure their safety.
Furthermore, the grove was one of the few places on campus where said fail-safes—such as shifting—could be lifted. I doubted such a modification had been made for today; it was rare in mixed-species classes. But, it wasn’t unheard of during species-specific training.
My wolf let out a low rumble, secretly hoping for a chance to be let off his leash. He was dying to run. And if he happened to come across a certain vampire prince in the process, well... what was the harm in a little bite?
Sunday and that Belladonna roommate of hers were the last to join the class. My wolf—and other parts of my anatomy—came jerking to attention at the sight of her. It was no wonder, what with her skintight black outfit and the long sable braid hanging down her back just begging to be wrapped around my fist and—
Down boy.
Sanderson noted their arrival and clapped her hands together to call everyone back to attention.
“All right! Y’all want to hear this before you go inside. See those little discs you’re wearing? Those are your beacons. They’re spelled to help you find your partners, which will be randomly selected once you’re inside. I’m going to have you go in one at a time so that you’ll be nice and spread out before the beacons are triggered. Your goal will be to hunt down your partner and get them to submit without drawing blood.”
My ears perked up at that. Sounded like they might be letting the training wheels off today after all.
“Without using your species’ gifts, of course. That means no biting. No shifting. No spell casting. You’ll have to overpower your opponent using brains and brawn only.”
I, along with everyone else, groaned. Well, almost everyone. The Novasgardian smirked, his arms crossed over his chest, muscles bulging obscenely. I almost felt sorry for the poor schmuck that got paired with him. They didn’t stand a chance.
“All right. In you go. Who’s first? Ah, yes, Mr. Blackthorne, very good.”
Thorne strode into the grove without a backward glance. Callie lasted all of five seconds before trotting in after him. The rest of us queued up, some more eager to get inside than others. I was somewhere in the middle, excited about the opportunity to do something physical, but not necessarily in a hurry. I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder, feeling Sunday in line behind me.
Her lip was caught in her teeth, and her cheeks flushed with color when she realized she’d been caught staring. She dropped her gaze, and my eyes narrowed. Now, what was that all about? Was it possible the little wolf wasn’t as disinterested as she let on?
Before I could consider the question further, a warlock behind me gave me a little push.
