Blood Moon (Alpha Wolf Academy Book 3) Read online

  “You guys are all lucky,” Daniella said, stepping out from the bathroom. She climbed onto the bed and sat, crossed legged, never once tipping her glass. “I want a boyfriend. I want Grayson.” She pouted and drained the rest of her glass, which had just been filled, then looked confused as to where her wine had gone.

  “Who’s Grayson?” Addison asked reaching for the bag of Doritos.

  “Grayson is our newest transfer student. He’s tall, dark, gorgeous, and just happens to be the son of Jacob LittleFoot, and Daniella’s new crush.” I fluttered my eyelashes at her and grinned when she laughed like a normal girlfriend, rather than my arch nemesis.

  Rory frowned. “Why is he just getting here now? It’s awfully late in the year to start a new school, isn’t it?”

  Daniella shrugged. “I’m not sure,” she murmured, blushing a delicate shade of rose that made her look only more beautiful.

  I goggled at her. “Are you saying that you haven’t even talked to him yet?” As her cheeks exploded with color at my question, I figured I’d hit the nail on the head. “Are you serious? You, Queen bitch of Alpha Wolf Academy, are intimidated by a male?”

  “I knew you called me Queen bitch!” Daniella said with an eye roll. “Bash said I was just being sensitive.” She held up two fingers on each side of her head and made quotation marks. “And I am not intimidated by him,” she added, lifting her chin high enough to be an actual Queen. “I just don’t really know what to say to him.” She shrugged and lifted her empty glass to her lips then frowned. “Who drank all my wine?”

  I started to laugh. It bubbled out of me in trills that were contagious and soon we were all doubled over and roaring. When we managed to come out of it, Daniella turned to look at Rory, who seemed to have come around to her presence over the course of their drinking, and asked, “Speaking of men. How are you and Darius doing? I see the way you guys are with each other. Can’t keep your hands to yourselves.” She wagged her eyebrows at Rory, whose face had gone suddenly and completely white.

  The tension that had left the room, spiked again in an instant, bringing a look of wariness to Daniella’s emerald eyes. She glanced around the room, looking between me and Rory, a frown marring her beauty. “What? What did I say?” She sounded completely confused and I didn’t blame her.

  Addison’s hand moved slowly, almost imperceptibly, and settled on the small of Rory’s back, in a simple gesture of reassurance. Daniella’s gaze, sharp despite the alcohol in her system, caught the movement and her eyes went wide.

  “Holy shit!” She exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand in shock.

  Rory’s back went stiff as a board and her face flushed deep crimson. Before I could interject and calm the situation down, she leaped to her feet and shoved her finger in Daniella’s face. “What? Are you fucking homophobic, as well as a bitch?” Her chin jutted out in fury in her hands balled into fists.

  I jumped up and moved to Rory’s side. There was enough alcohol between them to bring down a team of humans, so rational minds were not present.

  Daniella surged to her feet and peeked around my shoulder. “I’m not homophobic!” She said in an offended tone. “I was just surprised, that’s all. The last time I saw you, you and Darius were an item.”

  The rage drained out of Rory’s face and body, leaving her wilted where she stood. She backed up a few steps and sat on the edge of the bed, then looked down and muttered, “Sorry. But, in my defense, you’re usually a huge bitch.” The flush of anger was replaced now by embarrassment at having overreacted.

  Daniella looked as if she was going to argue back, then just shrugged and accepted the retort. “That’s fair. I have been a huge bitch to you.” She looked at me and added, “and you. I don’t really know you,” she said to Addison. “But I’m sure that I would have been a bitch if given time.”

  Addison nodded and patted her on the shoulder. “We can all be a bit of a bitch sometimes.”

  I took in the scene before me, encouraged by the lack of blood and hair on my floor. “Okay,” I said, with a grin. “That wasn’t so bad. I think, to celebrate, we should re-enact the final dance in dirty dancing.” I moved to the far end of the room and held my hands up in front of my chest, ready to catch anyone who dared to fly at me.

  It worked. The tension dissipated, once more, and was replaced with smiling faces and laughter.

  ♀♀♀

  I must’ve fallen asleep, because when I opened my eyes, the room was silent. On the TV, Netflix prompted me to let them know if I was still watching. I picked up the remote and clicked it off and looked around the room at the prone bodies lying on the floor and on the bed. The sight of them made me smile as I pushed to my feet.

  It was late. The sun had gone down hours ago and the moon, what little sliver there was of it, was high in the night sky, casting its small illumination through my curtains. I stepped around Rory and Addison, who were lying together, snuggled closely on the floor. In repose, Rory's face was the picture of innocence in the hand she had casually placed over Addison's hip, the picture of love.

  I left the proof of our overindulgence where it lay, crumpled on the floor, or on my desk, and retreated into the bathroom to relieve my aching bladder. My head still swam a little if I moved quickly but, for the most part, I was sobering up. Overactive metabolisms came in handy.

  I switched the light off and closed the door to the bathroom with a soft snick then turned and nearly died of a heart attack when I saw Rory standing two feet in front of me. My hand flew to my chest, covering my heart as it raced wildly.

  “Old Ones! You scared the shit out of me.” I blew out a deep breath and glanced past her. Daniella and Addison still slept soundly.

  “Sorry,” Rory whispered. “I heard you get up. I need to pee.” She rushed past me to the bathroom and disappeared inside.

  I yawned again and wondered what time it was. It was way too early to be awake, that was for sure, but it might be too late to go back to sleep, especially after getting a fright like that. My dreams would be filled with lurking danger and familiar electric blue eyes now if I tried to get a few more hours in. Rory knew about my nightmares, but she’d never been around to see me wake up screaming covered in sweat. The last thing I wanted was for Addison and Daniella to see me like that.

  So, despite the absurdity of it, I began gathering up the garbage, staying as quiet as wolfly possible, and wondered what I’d do for the next few hours.

  When Rory emerged from the bathroom, she stopped in the doorway and watched me for a moment before speaking. “Not tired?”

  I shook my head. “No, not really, but I don’t want to wake them up.”

  Rory covered her mouth as she yawned and nodded towards the bathroom. “Come on then,” she said quietly. “Step into my office. We didn’t get the chance to chat earlier. What better time than the middle of the night?”

  I grinned and followed her into her office, closing the door behind me.

  I loved my bathroom. Back home in Newfoundland, where houses were small and intimate, no one had private bathrooms unless you were rich or the owners of the house. My parents and I had shared a small bathroom my entire life, and the only space in the house that was mine had been my bedroom.

  I decorated in shades of dove grey and rose gold, and never failed to smile when I stepped inside. I’d never been particularly girly growing up, it just wasn’t as interesting as being a tomboy. But there was a part of me, a part I usually kept well hidden, that reveled in the feminine and the soft. Which is why I’d gone wild in Montréal when buying my supplies for school. Bethany and Sara, who knew me better than anyone in the entire world, hadn’t been the least surprised by my choices. In fact, they’d helped me pick out some of the prettiest pieces.

  Rory sat on the soft velvet bench I kept in front of the vanity while I sat on the edge of the toilet seat and twisted my back to bring out the last of the fatigue left in my body.

  “So,” I said, chewing on my lip hesitantly. Rory h
ad been so busy with Addison lately, and I’d been busy with Bash and my character sketches, that we hadn’t had the chance to talk about the inevitable breakup. Knowing Rory as I did, I knew she and Darius had had the talk, since she and Addison were out now as an official couple. “How did it go? How is he?”

  Rory exhaled softly and looked up with a shake of her head. “It was horrible.” She blinked several times rapidly. “Elena, he didn’t see it coming. Not at all. He…” Rory struggled for words. My heart went out to her, but I said nothing, knowing she just needed time and someone to really listen.

  “He was so confused. He just kept saying how sometimes it took time for the soul mate bond to solidify. He said his own parents were together for three years before they knew.” She pushed to her feet and began pacing a small room, fidgeting with her fingers. “But, it’s not usually like that, right? I mean, my parents are soul mates, and they knew almost right away. There was a connection between them, like a rubber band that finally snapped into place one day and they could feel each other. I love him, Old Ones know, I love him so much, but I know it’s not there. We can wait until the end of time and it still won’t be there.”

  “Did you tell him about Addison?” I asked quietly, knowing the dark-haired girl was the center of Rory’s universe.

  She nodded and covered her mouth with one of her shaking hands. “He just kept saying it’ll happen for us, it just takes time, don’t give up. I tried to make him understand without ripping his heart to shreds, but finally I just had to tell him.” She held up her hands in defeat. “He could never be my soulmate because Addison already is.”

  I went to her, crossing the bathroom floor and wrapping her in my arms as her body shivered with grief. She found her soul mate, yes, but she’d also broken the heart of a boy she loved dearly, the first boy she ever loved. I pulled back and smoothed the hair from her forehead.

  “It’s okay to grieve for what you lost with Darius and still be happy with Addison,” I murmured, wishing with all my heart I could ease the ache in hers.

  She swallowed and nodded, as her eyes filled with tears that spilled onto her cheeks. “Thank you,” she said in a hoarse whisper that was filled with emotion. “I needed to hear that.”

  “Well, that’s what best friends are for, right?”

  She smiled, a small twitch of her lips, and a little of the grief in her dark eyes faded. I pulled her in once more and squeezed until she patted my arm like a wrestler trying to get a hold and came up gasping for air.

  “Come on,” Rory said, tugging me towards the door. “Let’s go check out that all night snack bar across campus.”

  I made a considering face for a split second then grinned. “Sounds perfect. Should we leave them a note?”

  Rory crossed to the whiteboard that was a staple in each student room and sprawled a quick note in erasable marker.

  Couldn’t sleep. Gone out for a walk. Text if you wake up.

  “There,” she said, grabbing her cell and mine from the bedside table. “That’ll do it.,” She said with a grin that reached her eyes. “Let’s go see if they really do make the best burgers on campus or if that’s just a rumor spread by stoners.” She blew a kiss towards Addison and followed me out the door as I checked my phone for messages from Bash, who I now considered the soul of patience seeing as I’d left him with expectations I hadn’t met. I’d blow his mind tomorrow, I thought with a wicked grin that faltered as I read the only other message sent that evening.

  Sisters make the best friends in the world. ~ Marilyn Monroe

  Below the quote was a meme of two cute kittens attacking a broom with the caption, “At midnight we ride!”

  Chapter 10

  The underground room where The Sisterhood met in secret beneath the noses of Alpha Wolf Academy males was buzzing when we descended the hidden stairs and joined our sisters.

  “We just had a meeting a month ago,” Rory said, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially. “I wonder why they called another one so soon.” She tugged at the hem of her dress.

  I shrugged and scanned the mass of women, looking for Katherine or Sylvie. Neither had given any indication they’d be on campus tonight, so I was as clueless as everyone else. I didn’t like it. To distract myself, I smacked her hand away from her hemline and turned to ask her, “Why are you acting like a virgin on her wedding night? You haven’t been able to stop fidgeting since we left your room.”

  Her hands stilled and she forcibly moved them to her side, then to her hips, then interlaced them in front of her abdomen. “Addison isn’t here,” she murmured, glancing around as if spies were listening. “I hinted at the meeting tonight, hoping she’d get my meaning and tell me that she’s a sister, too, but she said she didn’t have plans, and she’s not here.” Rory chewed on her lip. “I don’t think she’s a member, yet. So…” she said inhaling deeply, “I was thinking about talking to Katherine about it. If you don’t mind, that is.” Her hand touched my forearm and her dark button eyes, so sincere and nervous, met mine.

  “Of course, I don’t mind.” I patted her hand and smiled. It had never been my goal in life to run with the big dogs, that was my reality. What was the benefit of having connections if you couldn’t use them to help your friends? “Look, they’re getting started.” I moved towards the front of the room with Rory at my side.

  Along the way, Daniella joined us, falling in step as if we’d been a trio forever. I grinned at the thought of the image we projected. The Queen bitch, dressed in emerald green brocade and diamonds, the diminutive sprite, dressed in sapphire silk, and the scholarship kid, dressed in crimson. We hadn’t planned it, but together we looked formidable. People actually moved out of our way.

  Katherine LaFlamme stepped onto the raised platform at the far end of the room, instantly catching everyone’s attention. As the first-born daughter of the country’s Alpha, she was a big deal, but not a regular attendee of these meetings. So, when the murmurs of the crowd merely increased with her appearance, I realized she wasn’t alone.

  Daphne Dru, wife of Keme LittleFoot and daughter-in-law of Dalia, joined Katherine on stage a moment later, followed by another woman with dark golden hair highlighted with auburn. I eyed her, speculating on who she was, and what role she played in The Sisterhood, then gasped and shot my hand out on either side and grabbed my companions.

  “That’s Rose LaFlamme,” I hissed, tugging them closer.

  After the fall of the Alpha Council last year, the story of Rose’s origin had been revealed to those in the know. I knew nothing of it, not being one of those in the know, until Sylvie and Katherine had filled me in on all the details. My jaw had dropped and stayed open the entire story, which sounded as much like a fairy tale or soap opera as any I’ve ever known. In a subsequent meeting, Katherine had explained the details to the sisters, as well, so Rory and Daniella knew who she was.

  “Seriously?” Rory asked, pressing close to my side. She squinted and whispered, “I can kind of see it.”

  “I wonder why she’s here,” Daniella murmured, also pressing close. Apparently, our girl’s night had made us thick as thieves in her eyes. “From all reports, she likes to stay pretty far out of the limelight.”

  I watched them, Katherine and Rose, and the way they moved with each other, as if they’d been sisters their entire lives. I wondered about that, about the friends who became more than friends, became your family and more. It was obvious that more than just their father’s blood ran through their veins. They were sisters, true sisters, and seeing them together made my heart swell.

  I was blessed. In so many ways, I was blessed, with friends and family, even with Daniella. If it weren’t for the small matter of being wanted by a psychopathic murderer, my life would be rainbows and sunshine. I bit back a chuckle.

  One last woman climbed the steps to stand with Katherine, Daphne, and Rose in front of the gathering of women. Dalia LittleFoot took her place next to her daughter-in-law, who smiled at her with genuine warmth. Knowing
what I did now about Dalia’s descent into darkness when her children were young, and the torture she’d put them through, it was good to see that forgiveness was possible. Daphne, of all people, would be protective over her soulmate, Keme, and the hurts inflicted upon him when he was innocent and defenseless.

  Taking the lead, Katherine stepped forward and addressed the group “Welcome Sisters. Thank you for coming out on such short notice. I know we met just last month, but we all just happened to be in the area and thought this is a good chance to fill you in on the current efforts of The Sisterhood.”

  “As you know, the rescue and release of the young women held captive by the rogue wolf, Raphael, last year has been an ongoing effort and labor of love for my sister, Rose.” Katherine gestured to the younger woman and prompted her forward.

  Rose hesitated for the barest of moments and squared her shoulders and came to stand beside her sister. She raised her voice so that even those at the back of the room could hear.

  “A year ago, twenty-nine women were freed from Benbulbin mountain in Ireland. These women are my sisters.” She shifted to look at Katherine and corrected her statement. “Our sisters. In the months since, we have collectively looked to the future of wolfdom. We’ve seen what having an unfit leader, someone whose only goal is power and the degradation of others, can do to a people.” Rose sighed and took a deep breath before starting again. “Our world deserves the best leaders it can get, be they male or female, it doesn’t matter. The Sisterhood is not here to fight for the female domination of our kind, it is here to fight for the fair representation of our gender in an arena that has been patriarchal for too long.”

  She stepped closer to the edge of the stage, her eyes lit now with passion and fervor. “Throughout history, women have fought to keep their children safe. That’s what we’re doing now and will continue to do every day for the rest of our lives. We will help facilitate those who will lead with goodness and fairness as they take their spots in our history books and make our lives better.” Her hands fell to her side as she stared out at the crowd with a wide smile that only amplified her beauty.