Page 8 of Clawless

I gave my lieutenant a nod and he pouted, but took Vail inside. I turned to the circle of omegas. “As far as the school administration and pack leadership are concerned, she’s one of you now. We expect you to help her settle in, and look out for her where you can.”

The Arras Head Omega – Nadia - shot me a slight frown. “Of course. Vail will be well looked after here.” Her chin lifted an inch, her dark eyes somber. “Just so you know, she was always one of us, Alphason.”

I stepped back, letting the omegas file into Vail’s new room. When Carter joined us, we headed out. My lieutenants flexed their alpha muscle at the guard, but as we stepped back into the frigid night air, I was still thinking about what the Arras omega had said.

There’d been no trace of a lie to her words, but was Vail really one of them? Or more to the point, was she even pack? Pearl would have argued she was just a dud with a high-profile bloodline.

I wasn’t sure, but I figured the best way to discover where Vail fit was to keep her close. To earn her trust and work my way inside her barriers. And when I eventually learned her secrets, I’d know for certain whether Vail Marrow was a worthy member of our pack, or deserving of her pariah status.

A reasonable plan, I decided as I headed back to bed.

Just as long as she never learned my part in her downfall on the night of the Hunter Moon.

Seven – Vail

I woke early, relieved to untangle myself from my dreams. Maybe it was the drug Sin had given me, or just the constant shocks, but they’d twisted and shifted inside my head like snakes. As the dawn light crept inside the unfamiliar room, one thing was clear. I needed to get the hell off campus before Jasper realized I was back. And this time, there’d be no waiting around for someone to rescue me. I’d had it with being dragged back and forth like a clueless bitch.

My snow coat was torn and muddied, but it was the pretty pink blouse that went straight into the trash. I grimaced as I thought of Trey, waking from whatever Sin had done to him, and then finding the alpha shifters in what was no doubt a very bad mood. My brief return home had raised more questions than answers, but I pushed them out of my mind as I quickly remade the bed. Pissing off the Devil of the Horn was just another complication I couldn’t deal with right now.

Hopefully he’d finally got the message and would leave me alone.

I shivered at the thought. The Horn had always been my home. What would I do if I couldn’t go back?

Gritting my teeth against the wash of emotions, I looked around the room. It was pretty, in a frilly feminine kind of way, with white rattan furniture and pale pink accents. There was a dresser, mirror and nightstand, softened by all the pillows and the thick carpet underfoot. It was the furthest thing from the Dud Dorm I’d been in a month ago, including the stack of folded clothes waiting for me on the dresser.

Silky underwear, jeans and a warm sweater. They were clearly brand new, but I didn’t recognize them from the closet of clothes I’d left behind in the rose cottage. Squashing that thought before it could prod the snakes back to life, I quickly dressed and went looking for the guard who’d been on duty last night. If there was one guy who was as unimpressed as I was by my return to campus, it was him.

But when I stepped out into the large lobby, there was a different guard lurking near the entrance. He was facing away, his gaze on the textbook in his hands as he propped himself against the back of a sofa. I glanced through the glass doors at the pale morning and wondered if I could just leave. If I walked past him without a word, would he stop me? Had he been told to keep an extra close eye on the new addition, or was I just another omega wolf he had to watch between classes? I supposed it depended on the current rumor about why I was back…

I grimaced, hating the way my heart clenched at the memory of the black Hummer reversing out of the gates at high speed. I’d been horrified to find myself back at Hunter Moon Academy, but Gabriel Michaels had practically broken the land speed record to leave me here. My cheeks heated as I remembered the way I’d begged him to take me anywhere else. All while Reed Marshall had looked on without expression.

He’d no doubt been woken in the middle of the night to meet me, but no one would have known. Clean shaven, not a hair in his buzzcut out of place, Reed had watched me with his cool, brown eyes as I struggled to hold back my tears. There was something unnatural about the way the alphason hid his emotions. Other than that moment in the guys’ bathroom when he’d shoved me up against the sink and shown me his wolf, he’d always been hard to read, and last night hadn’t been any different. As his chatty lieutenant lugged me across campus, I’d sensed a little curiosity, maybe some weariness, but mostly just annoyance.

I pulled a face and wrapped my arms around the soft wool of my borrowed sweater. On one of the few occasions he’d spoken to me, Reed had called me a loose end. Told me he’d mangle my mouth when he slapped that dud wolf print on my hand. Claimed I needed a good wolf to keep me in line, but then pushed me into a closet with that asshole Potter. Beneath his notice, but every encounter had been edged with menace. He must have breathed a sigh of relief when I was hauled off campus on Hunter Moon.

But now I was a Marshall shifter. Or so we were meant to believe.

I’d watched him read that birth certificate last night, his only reaction a slight downward twitch of his mouth. It was clearly my ticket back into the academy and he’d accepted it at face value. But knowing how Gabriel Michaels operated, it was probably as bogus as every other clue about my past.

“I can’t stay here.”

The words were more for myself than the guard, but he turned and propped his textbook on the arm of the sofa. My stomach sank as I recognized him as the guy who’d carried me in last night. “Hey, you okay? We didn’t get a proper introduction, but I’m Carter Barren.”

I struggled for a moment to connect the dots. “Barren? Oh! Are you related to Marnie?”

“I’m her older brother.” He gave me another of his assessing looks. “She flipped out when she heard you’re back. She’s been asking to come round, but security’s a bit on edge at the moment.”

I felt one of the tight knots in my chest loosen a little. “I can’t wait to see her.”

“I’ll let her know.” He tilted his head and I realized he was a good-looking guy. He had Marnie’s dark eyes, but his hair was a dirty blond and the contrast was striking. He seemed friendly and sincere, but I had to remind myself he was a close friend of Reed’s and had been part of the welcoming party last night. He’d no doubt seen and heard more than I was comfortable with. “Um, is there a chance I can talk to Reed? I wasn’t expecting to be here, and I’ve got a few questions.”

He gave me an easy nod. “Sure. He said he’d be by soon. Nadia said to tell you she’s in the breakfast room if you want to catch up with her.”

I nodded, relieved. I definitely wanted to see Nadia. I’d had a brief moment with her and Jasmine last night, but I’d been so loopy from the drug Sin gave me, I had no idea what I’d actually said to them.

Ugh. After avoiding the Barakat drug empire for years, I was now the poster child for the dangers of chemical substances. “Thanks. That would be great.”

I followed his directions to a large, airy room at the back of the house. Not that I could have got lost, with the tantalizing aroma of pancakes and coffee beckoning me forward. It was a much nicer version of the Dud Dorm’s breakroom and I felt a pinch of shame that Marnie would be waking up to another breakfast of stale pop tarts. Not that I planned on staying here for long. But goddamn, the sparkling buffet of fluffy eggs, crispy bacon and fresh fruit was about the most welcoming thing I’d ever seen on campus.

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