Page 8 of The Serpent’s Shadow

It was par for the course at Vikingrune Academy, where so many shifters ran amok freely.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I watched with half-lidded eyes as Edda Torfen’s eyes darted south between my legs. When she gave me a devilish grin, I sneered at her.

“What in all hells was that?” Sven demanded, lowering his arms. “Are you so incapable of controlling yourself?”

“I smelled enemies,” I explained in my slow, measured pace. Then I shrugged. “I attacked.”

Sven walked toward me. It was only then I realized I was standing over Olaf, still on his back, with the third-year student getting an eyeful of my rear.

Wrinkling my nose, I turned and lowered my hand, reaching down.

Olaf looked up at me, coughed, and cautiously grabbed my forearm with his. As I lifted him to his feet, he said, “Good hit, that last one.”

“I was seconds away from stomping on you for good measure.”

“I could tell.” Olaf glared at Sven behind me. “I suppose I have you to thank for that, brother. Never would’ve thought Sven Torfen would bedefusinganything.”

Edda and Ulf chuckled.

Sven and I stayed silent, eyeing one another suspiciously.

“We came to talk,” Sven said, “and you punted me halfway across the damn clearing.”

My shoulders bobbed. “Announce yourself more openly next time.”

“Rage has taken you.”

It was a statement, not a question. It was only partly correct. “I have not gone berserk, if that’s what you’re implying, Torfen.” I sniffed the air defiantly. “If I had, none of you would be standing.”

“Like Anders Rennarfen?”

Leave it to Sven to dredge up old news. Yes, I had killed the wolf shifter who had trained me my initiate year.Do I need to be constantly reminded of the tragedy, and my part in it?

I lowered my chin, glowering at the handsome wolf shifter. None of these fuckers were as imposing when they stood in my woodsy lair naked as the day they were born.

“Yes, like Anders Rennarfen,” I grunted past gritted teeth. “Admittedly, I have felt a bit . . . lost.”

“Is it Ravinica?”

I nodded slowly, ashamed I had let my anger rile me up; that I’d taken out my frustrations on this pack, whom I had a tenuous truce with.

I’d always done best keeping to myself. Now I was inundated with daily messages from Ravinica’s friends, Dagny and Randi, as well as these bastards barging into my place of solace.

Truthfully, it was my place of hiding. I didn’t trust myself around people these days, knowing myself and the bloodlust that cursed me. The fact I’d deteriorated so fast, in a mere two weeks, showed how fast and hard I had fallen for the silver-haired warrioress.

“What do you want, Torfens?” I grunted out, eyeing each one in turn.

They deferred to their aggravating leader, looking over at him.

Sven said, “Ravinica is why we’re here.”

My body tensed, muscles tightening. I didn’t even try to stave off the twitch of my cock, because there was no use. Simply mentioning Ravinica got my blood running hot.

Interestingly, Sven’s announcement seemed like news to his three siblings—as surprising to them, judging by their tense reactions, as it was to me.

“Isthatwhere you’ve been going without a trace, brother?” Edda asked, scoffing. “Should have suspected, you weak-willed lout.”

Sven snarled at her. “I’ve been tailing someone. I think he knows something.”

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