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3
Raven
I blinked backthe stinging tears as I turned away from Ben. He had to be facing the loss of his shifter magic. There was no way he'd act this way toward me if not for that. He must hate me. If not for me, he'd be whole. Complete. I'd caused too much damage. I wasn't worth it.
I sat in the desk a few seats away from him and tugged my notebook out of my backpack. Going through the motions of taking notes and focusing on the lecture might help. At least it would get my mind off the heartache that weighed on my chest.
Somehow, I had to make it up to him but right now, I didn't know how to do that. I'd give him space, and in time, maybe he'd forgive me. There was no other option. I couldn't imagine a life without him in it. He had to forgive me. Without him, it felt like there was an empty place inside of me that I couldn't explain.
Guilt. It had to be, right? Because we hardly knew each other and yet, he'd risked his life for me. And now he wasn't talking to me. I wiped a stray tear and opened my notebook.
"Hey, Raven, how was confinement? Did they do things to you down there?" someone called.
I looked up, brow furrowed, trying to find the offender.
"Hey, leave the girl alone. She's not worth your time. We all know any mage worth her salt wouldn't be slumming it with the shifters," a male voice called.
I spun around to find a guy I didn't know, feet up on his desk, a lazy smile on his lips.
"Any of those shifters are worth more than you any day," I said.
"We all know you're staying in the shifter dorm," A girl nearby said. "We've heard all about their weird orgies. I'm sure you're tainted by now."
"Um, what?" My brow furrowed. "You can't be serious."
"Shifter whore," someone called.
Rage simmered inside, the pulsing fiery kind of rage that previously would have resulted in me risking my magic. But nothing came. I reached for it, wanting nothing more than to throw a ball of fire. I wanted to shut them up. But my magic wasn't there.
Gritting my teeth, I turned to find whoever had said that, ready to give them a piece of my mind if nothing else.
A growl sounded behind me and a flash of fur passed alongside me as a massive wolf leaped over the desks.
It stopped in front of the male mage, hackles back, teeth bared. Low, threatening growls emanated from the beast.
The mage cowered. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it. I was just messing with her, you know, haze the new kid."
My nostrils flared as I took deep breaths. A mixture of rage and panic warred within me, each fighting for dominance. Trying to channel more of the rage, I clenched my fists and walked toward the offending mage. "You had no right. You don't even know me and I'm not even that new anymore."
The wolf growled and I could sense Ben under the fur and teeth. He felt a little different, but he was still in there. I set my hand on his side, feeling the wiry yet soft fur under my fingertips. "It's okay. He's not worth it. I don't want you in confinement for a worm like him."
"She's right," the mage was shaking now. "I'm not worth it."
The wolf snapped at him and the mage screamed. Then I noticed the front of his pants were wet.
"He pissed himself," someone called. The whole class started laughing and the mage bolted, nearly running into Professor Herd on his way out.
The professor spun around, following the mage out the door. "Martin?"
"Shift back," I urged. Professor Herd was distracted. "Shift back before he sees you, please."
I stroked the wolf's fur and tried to model calm for him. The creature whined and looked at me, pleading in its eyes.
My brow furrowed. I could almost see Ben in those eyes. "Shift back."
The wolf relaxed and then shook his head. A moment later, Ben was laying where the wolf had been.
I let out a sigh of relief.
