Wolf Moon (Alpha Wolf Academy Book 2) Read online

  Wolf Moon

  ALPHA WOLF ACADEMY: BOOK 2

  JJ King

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Next In Alpha Wolf Academy…

  Before There Was Alpha Wolf Academy…

  About the Author

  The characters, places, and events portrayed in this book are completely fiction and are in no way meant to represent real people or places.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to others. If you would like to share this eBook with another person please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Copyright © 2020 JJ King

  All rights reserved.

  Kindle Edition

  ISBN 978-1-9995531-9-7

  For Jack and Peaches who sit on my lap and get in my way while I try to write around their fat furry bodies.

  Acknowledgments

  There’s one person in this world that is there for me every single day, encouraging me and helping me work past any roadblocks in the creative process. I can honestly say that I would not be releasing my fourteenth book right now if I’d never met her. Love you, Candace.

  Chapter 1

  His hands were scorching hot, just like his lips on my neck. I arched into them, wanting his touch, needing him to spin me higher until there was nothing left but him and me.

  A moan broke from my parted lips, beyond my control, as my head filled with a lightness that made me feel drunk and weightless. Free, he made me feel free.

  I ached for him, had ever since I’d seen him watching me with those husky blue eyes at the hockey game.

  My heart raced in my chest, beating a furious staccato…

  I blinked and lifted my head from the pillow as a slow realization dawned that I’d been dreaming, and someone was banging on my door.

  My nerves still tingled from the dream and I could smell my own arousal in the air, but I was too disoriented to care much about that as I stumbled to the door and pulled it open.

  Rory stood on the threshold, grinning at me. A second later her eyebrow cocked up and she glanced past me with a speculative look. “Is Bash here?” Her gaze ran up and down my rumpled pajama pants and tank top. “I hope not, because you’re a mess.”

  I glared at her, but reached up to poke at my hair, which had come undone overnight, and stepped back to let her in.

  “You woke me up,” I grumbled, making my way to the mirror. Yup, I thought, looking at the circles under my eyes. I was a mess.

  “Well, then you should have this.” Rory offered me her to-go cup of coffee with an apologetic shrug that made me think she didn’t care at all. I took the cup and lifted it to my lips. It tasted like absolute heaven with just a little too much sugar.

  Rory inhaled dramatically and shot me another look. “If there’s no boy here, then you, sister, were up to no good or having a sex dream.”

  I couldn’t help it. I chuckled. Rory had no sense of modesty or decorum, which I found endlessly amusing, especially when it offended the big shots of Alpha Wolf Academy society. I found her charming and real, which is why she was my best friend on campus.

  I blew out a deep breath. “You have no idea.” I closed the door behind her, but not before getting a glimpse of the object of my undying hatred and frustration.

  Connor O’Riley. My fucking bodyguard.

  I bit back a growl and turned to see Rory watching me from my bed with a twinkle of amusement in her big dark eyes. “Don’t start with me,” I grumbled.

  We’d been having the same discussion for months now. Where Rory would pick and pry until I spilled the beans about my relationship or, whatever it had been, with Connor, and confessed that I was in love with Bash. I’d caved early on, but it was a continuous source of angst, and so, a continuous source of fuel to Rory’s imaginative flames.

  She thought it was all super romantic. The long lost princess with her bodyguard and new love. She was also an amazing best friend, so, on principle, she hated Connor’s guts. That always made me feel better.

  “He won’t leave me alone.” I took a long haul of the coffee and closed my eyes in bliss. It was short lived. My eyes popped open and I felt all the color drain from my cheeks. “Oh shit!”

  Rory leaned forward, eagerly. “What?”

  I crossed the room like a zombie and plopped down next to her. “I just remembered my dream.” It came out in a whisper.

  My gaze darted to the door. Like all the doors on campus, it was well-built and thick. But, wolves had good hearing and Connor’s was superior. I lowered my voice even more and leaned in. “It was a seriously hot sex dream. I’m talking singe-your-eyebrows-off, hot.”

  Rory grinned. “How is that an ‘oh shit!’ moment?”

  “I just flashed back. The guy in my dream,” I stalled, not wanting to say it aloud but needing to get it off my still tingling chest. “His eyes were icy blue, not emerald green.” I cringed and closed my eyes.

  Rory’s gasp was both dramatic and loud. My eyes flew open and I pounced on her, covering her mouth with my hand. “Shhh,” I hissed. “What if he hears you?”

  “Oh yeah,” she pulled her mouth free and said mockingly. “He’s going to get a ton of information from my gasp.” Rory wiggled away from me and sat back up. “So, what does it mean? Do you have feelings for the evil spy again?” She kept her volume down.

  I shook my head automatically. “Old Ones, no!” I huffed out a breath. “I think that maybe I’m just so wound up that my subconscious is playing tricks on me.”

  “Is ‘wound up’ code for sexually deprived?” She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

  I smacked her on the arm. “Shut up.”

  Rory shrugged and took the cup of coffee out of my hands for a long sip. “I’m just saying,” she added, passing the cup back, “that it’s been a long time since you and Bash did it and Mr. Asshole out there isn’t making the romance any easier.”

  That was a grand understatement, I thought. Connor was everywhere. Outside my room, standing at the back of my classes, watching me eat. It was driving me insane. How was I supposed to feel sexy when my ex was everywhere?

  I handed Rory the coffee and flopped back on my bed. “We just need some time alone. Bash is pretending it's alright, but if he’s even half as horny as I am…” I let that hang and felt a squeeze of pressure between my legs.

  “Old Ones forbid!” Rory exclaimed, a little too loud for my liking.

  I eyed her and couldn’t help but notice the glow of her skin, the gleam of happiness in her eyes. “And how is Darius these days?”

  Color suffused Rory’s cheeks as she did a little shimmy on the bed. “Oh, you know…” she laughed, “not wound up.”

  I laughed and felt my mood begin to lift. When I’d met her just a few weeks into the school year, she’d been alone and had confessed to being bullied by some old boy types on campus. A lot of power was held by the fathers and grandfathers of these young men, and none of them were very happy to have
women tipping the political and societal scales.

  “I’m glad you guys are doing so well,” I said without the least bit of jealousy. “He’s great.” And he was. Tall, ebony dark, with a keen intelligence and a smile that made you feel welcome. He was the exact opposite of Rory in looks. She was the pixie to his tall, dark, and handsome giant.

  “He’s already making plans to slip away to our room in Idaho.”

  My eyes went wide at her reminder of the school ski trip. “What day is it?”

  “January 25th, why?” Rory downed the rest of the coffee and shot the cup straight into the wastebasket next to my desk.

  “Because we’re leaving this afternoon and I haven’t passed in my lit paper or packed!” I jumped up, which tipped her over, and grabbed the printed paper on my desk. “I have to go drop this off at Xavier’s office. You coming with me?” I reached for the doorknob.

  “Not if you’re going like that.” She pointed at my ensemble and laughed.

  “Shit,” I grumbled, remembering that I was still in my pajamas. “Okay, give me fifteen minutes. We can stop at the cafeteria for breakfast and more coffee. I’m starved.”

  “Deal,” she said, reaching for the book on my bedside table. “Is this any good?”

  I pulled my tank top over my head and tossed it in the laundry basket then shimmied out of my flannel pajama pants. “Really good. It’s book three of her Folk of the Air series. You can take the first two books if you want.” Absently, I pointed towards my tall bookshelf where all my books lived. I didn’t mind lending them to Rory since she loved books as much as I did and would never ever in a million years dog-ear a book. “I’ll just be a few minutes.” I disappeared into the bathroom and had the quickest shower of my life, then exited the steamy room with a long towel wrapped about my body.

  “Yeah,” Rory said, nose deep in the first book and clearly distracted. “I’m going to take these if you don’t mind.”

  I grinned and ditched the towel in favor of a bra and panties then riffled through my closet until I found a long off-the-shoulder sweater dress. I pulled on a pair of black leggings and Manitoba Mukluks while she flipped page after page, ignoring me altogether.

  A new messy bun, several minutes to brush my teeth and I was ready. “Let’s go.” I grabbed the paper and my purse and unlocked the door.

  I stepped out into the hallway, braced for the sight of Connor’s stupid face and found it devoid of asshole. I glanced up and down, past classmates and AWA employees, but Connor was nowhere in sight.

  “He’s gone!” I said it with a hushed reverence usually saved for churches and libraries.

  “Hallelujah!” Rory’s excitement matched mine. “Run, little wolf.” She snatched the paper from my hands and pushed me in the opposite direction of Xavier’s office. “I’ll drop this off. Run like the wind to your man!”

  I heard her laughter echo through the hall as I raced away.

  My feet pounded on the hardwood floor and my heart thumped in excitement and anticipation. The thought of finally getting a moment alone with my gorgeous boyfriend was enough to set my skin tingling. I darted around students and slowed to walk respectfully past the keenly arched eyebrow of an ancient prof whose resting face wasn’t welcoming.

  A grin split my face; I couldn’t seem to hold it back. Just the thought of being with Bash lit a light within me that chased away the shadows. I hated to think how I’d have survived these last few months without him and Rory.

  My life was in complete chaos outside the walls of Alpha Wolf Academy. I hadn’t spoken more than a few cursory words to my parents since I’d found out they’d lied to me my entire life. I also couldn’t talk to my best friends, Bethany and Sara, like I usually did because they were on “vacation” to keep them safe from my murderous uncle. My lips twitched as I thought about them on a beach somewhere even though The Sisterhood hadn’t told me where they’d stashed them.

  Here, at AWA, a place I’d never dreamed of belonging, I felt safe. I had an amazing friend in Rory and a man who called to my soul.

  Life was far from perfect; I still had a psychopath trying to hunt me down and kill me as he had my parents and siblings. The thought of them, lost to me, made my stomach twist painfully as it always did. As usual, I pushed the thoughts down deep and focused on Bash.

  It might not be psychologically healthy, I knew, but I wasn’t ready to deal with reality yet.

  Which is why I didn’t see the hand that darted out from the shadows until it was too late.

  Chapter 2

  Something solid wrapped around my neck and hauled me into a dark room.

  I kicked and screamed and used every sharp part of my body to scratch and bite, as visions of my psychopathic uncle filled my mind and turned my blood cold. When I tasted blood, I fought even harder and was thrown across the room for my efforts.

  In the darkness, my opponent looked like a shadow. I blinked, trying to force my eyes to adjust quicker, and moved into a crouch. I’d lived and relived moments just like this, every single night for the last few months, and I was damned if I was going to freeze up now that the moment was here.

  I kept my eyes trained on his shadow as he moved through the room, sidestepping desks and moving up the aisle towards me.

  My heart thudded painfully in my chest, filling the silence with the sound of my pulse. I strained to hear beyond it as my mind raced.

  I was alone, I thought, and in a dark room, but there were students and faculty right outside the door. If I could just get to the door…

  But he was blocking my way.

  Then, think! I screamed silently, realizing I was letting my panic take control of me. I had to calm myself, find my balance, or he’d take me down.

  I inhaled deeply, bringing more oxygen to my muscles, my brain. Immediately, my mind cleared and I could hear his footsteps.

  What else? I was ignoring the parts of me that made me stronger than humans. I moved around a desk, careful to keep his outline in my sight at all times, tasted the air and frowned.

  The scent of him was part wild, part sweet, like partridgeberry jam on toast with tea. It tickled at my memory and swamped me with regret and pain.

  “Connor,” I growled his name and knew by the shift in his stance that I was right. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “I’m testing your reactions,” he replied flatly, moving toward the door. The lights flashed on, nearly blinding me before my eyes adjusted. “You panicked and it slowed you down. You should have been able to tell who I was within seconds.”

  My mind sputtered, unable to come up with a good enough slap-back to suffice. I gritted my teeth and admitted to myself, deep down where he’d never know, that he was right. I’d made a mistake.

  Unwilling to let him know of my realization, I snapped, “And who put you in charge of testing my reactions, huh?”

  “Sylvie LaFlamme,” he said in a voice so dry it burned my throat. “Our Alpha.”

  Blood rushed to my face and a buzzing sound filled my ears. I sucked in deep breaths, trying to calm the rising tide of fury that wanted to burst from me and flatten Connor O’Riley. I held it back, barely, just long enough to remember that hate was too close to love for comfort. I didn’t hate Connor, I wouldn’t. He meant nothing to me.

  Except that I couldn’t stop hating his stupid guts.

  I forced my jaw to relax, since grinding my teeth was going to do nothing but give me a sore neck. I was losing control and letting him bother me, which was one of the things I’d been avoiding these last few months.

  He had a job to do, I acknowledged that. He’d had a job to do back in Newfoundland, too, I thought bitterly. He’d been sent by The Sisterhood to watch me, to keep me safe and report back if anyone suspicious came to town. He’d betrayed us all in the end and could be removed as my primary guard in the blink of an eye.

  So, why hadn’t I done it yet?

  “I’d prefer another trainer,” I said in as dispassionate a voice as I could manage. I
might be hesitating to get him kicked off my protection gig, but I sure as hell didn’t want him laying his hands on me ever again. “Make it happen or I’ll speak to Katherine about it.” I left it at that thinly veiled threat and strode past him without looking back.

  Students and staff milled past me in the hallway, moving about their business as if I hadn’t just been manhandled and scared half to death. In comparison to mine, their lives seemed so simple.

  Then again, I reminded myself, appearances could definitely be deceiving. You never knew what was going on inside someone’s mind or in their life by looking at their shiny outer coat. Most students at AWA were so glossy that you’d think they had no problems at all, yet I’d noticed tears, raised voices, hushed whispers, and determined stares. Everyone had a life to live and who was I to question their troubles?

  I turned towards Bash’s room then hesitated. I didn’t really feel sexy anymore, so what was the point? Then again, I thought with a smile, he made me smile when it felt like an impossibility and, if I turned around and retreated into my room again, as I had too often over the last few months, I’d be letting Connor’s presence ruin my life, again. I cocked an eyebrow in defiance and kept walking.

  Bash’s room was in the next building over from mine. They were connected by a skywalk that overlooked a garden, which would be lush again in the spring but was just a snow-filled quad now. I looked out at the bright blue sky, saw Connor’s stalkerish reflection in the gleaming windows, and just kept walking.