CassandraThe ‘slight problem’ was two dead hunters lying at the foot of the precipice.We stood at the edge, looking down at the broken bodies. Connor wore a stony expression; the same one he wore when he killed that man in the warehouse.“We need to call the cops,” I said. So much for a romantic weekend.He shook his head. “No, no police. This is academy property. The dean needs to deal with it.”My heart sank to my feet. This was not the attention I had wanted.“We are sorry, Alpha. Mark and I should have patrolled the area more thoroughly.”“It wasn’t your fault. This is private property, and the academy has its own security. Which was conveniently absent. I will take it up with the dean.” He walked away to make a call.“Are you alright, Luna?” Gavin asked.I nodded, although it still left me shaken. We could have been killed.“How… How did this happen?" Ignorance might be bliss, but I had to know.Gavin shrugged. “Don’t really know. I guessed something spooked them and they ran.”
ConnorI watched the early morning sun turn her hair to flame as it caught the light. We fell asleep on the rug in front of the fireplace. The fire had long gone out, but she was warm, snuggled in my arms. She was so perfect. How did I get so lucky? My passionate, feisty mate. When I looked at her, my heart expanded so much it felt like it could burst. This kind of happiness scared the crap out of me, because it could all end in an instant. But maybe that was what made it so precious.She smiled in her sleep, and I kissed the freckles on her nose. I loved every inch of this tiny packet of dynamite. When she graduated and came home, I wanted to persuade her to give me a pup. I know I said we would wait until she was ready, but I can’t wait to see her belly all swollen with my baby. Aiden needed a brother or a sister. He was just the right age for a sibling, and he was getting too much attention. I didn’t want him to turn into a spoiled little brat.“Hey, pervert…” she grabbed my face
“Faster, Cassandra. Move those legs!” the person screaming at me was our endurance trainer, Alpha Marla. She was worse than any dictator I’ve learned about in school. We’ve been running around the frozen grounds for hours.My lungs burned, my heart was about to go poof. There wasn’t a muscle in my body that wasn’t screaming in pain. But you dared not stop. For fear of what she would do to you. She was one scary she-wolf, tall and built like a truck with a tongue like a whip.I was about to collapse when she yelled out to me; “Browne, get over here!”It took all my self-control not to crawl to her. This was torture. Why do we have wolves if we can’t use them?“Yes, Alpha?”Her face was as sharp as her voice. “The Dean wants you in his office. Now. Move it! Move it!”I jogged off the field.“Don’t dawdle, Cassandra Browne. Run!”Out of breath, with a cloud of steam rising from my sweat-drenched body, I knocked at the dean’s office. What mess have I gotten myself into that I didn’t know
He was the president of the freaking student council. But that still didn’t give him the right to put his lips on me. In his office, I had to divulge my entire life story to him and his three buddies. Well, I only told him the parts that mattered.“It boggles the mind,” he remarked, looking at me like I was a new species. “How he would think this would be a safe place for a girl like you.”“A girl like me?”“Neil means you’re hot,” Blondie answered. “And this place is a septic tank of raging alpha hormones. He basically threw you into the shark pit.”Hottie number 2 chimed in. “Or the wolf’s den.” They thought it hilarious.“Funny.” I rolled my eyes. “He wouldn’t have sent me if he thought I couldn’t handle myself.”Neil stopped laughing. “Alright, Cassie. As president of the student council, I will take you under my wing. It’s my duty to keep you safe.”“I have Melissa.” I had no desire to be underneath Neil or anyone else’s wing.“Another babe,” Blondie said and winked at her. She g
CassandraThe first two weeks had been agony. It was like high school all over again, only with teeth and fur. There were the cool kids, the jocks, the nerds, the mean girls (of course) and the geeks. Yep, even though they were mostly alphas, which made it so, so much worse.“Oh my gosh, Melissa, I don’t think I could last an entire year in this place,” I complained to Melissa when we were alone in my dorm room at last. “I miss Connor.” I missed Aiden too, more than a lot.Melissa listened patiently to my bellyaching while munching on a bag of crisps. “Yeah, I bet you do. I’m so glad I’m not mated,” she grinned. “There are just too many hunkalicious guys here. It’s like being in a candy factory.”“Hey, I can’t afford to lose another beta. Don’t get yourself knocked up.” I paged through the impossibly thick werewolf history book which I had a test on the next day.“Nah, I’ve come prepared. Don’t worry.” She reached into her bedside table and took out a large pack of condoms and waved i
ConnorTime went by too quickly after the alphas left and life in the pack returned to normal, or as normal as possible. I appointed my new elder council, with Joel being one of them. For once, my dad approved of my choices, and our relationship improved, but his health had visibly deteriorated over the last weeks, and I was concerned. Despite his insistence that there was nothing that could be done, I was adamant to find a cure. I’ve tasked our healer to research his illness to find out more.I chose Ray as my beta, which I should have done a lot sooner and one of my strongest female warriors for Cassie’s beta.“Babe, I know you are still upset about Henna, but give Melissa a chance. She is an excellent fighter, and I will feel less worried about you with her at your side.” Plus, she would knock the teeth out of any male that made advances towards my mate.“I would have liked to be considered when you made that choice for me, though.” She tossed those wild auburn locks and burned me