Page 14 of Alpha's Hated Mate

“Yes.” She says it quickly and succinctly like a whip crack. “Otherwise, you can repeat all these courses you’re barely passing.”

I chuckle, even though I know she’s serious. “You can’t do that. The dean—”

“The dean wants the son of the Vaultmore pack to succeed with the highest honors. I doubt he’ll care how that happens.” She pauses, letting the command settle between us. I can do nothing except grind my teeth bitterly. “Now, if there’s nothing else . . . ?”

I leave without another word. Damn it. I came to her for answers and all I got was an assignment. I’ve got half a mind not to do it.

As soon as I’m outside, I realize that I have to. No matter what happens, if I fail out of Moonhelm, I’ll lose all the respect I have in my pack. I guess . . . I guess I better get over to the library.

Chapter Seven—Saffron

“So, whathappened?” Yarra asks as we change into sweats for Lycan Defense class. She’s been bothering me all week about that party, and I’m just trying to forget about it.

“I told you, nothing happened,” I lie. Again. She’s probably asked me once every day since that night. Goddess, she won’t let up on me.

She rolls her eyes as she ties her electric-purple hair up into a ponytail. “Saffron, there’s no reason to be embarrassed about getting kicked out, okay?”

I glare at her. “What?”

She pauses, and her brow wrinkles a little. “Nadia’s been bitching about it to anyone who would listen. She’s really pissed about you showing up to the Bash.”

I scoff. “Good.”

Her frown deepens. “So you’re not embarrassed?”

“Have you met me?” I pull my t-shirt over my head. Usually, I’d put on the sweatshirt, too, but I’ve been running hot since . . . well, since that night. I think Aydan might’ve broken me a little.

“Okay,” Yarra says, “then what’s going on? You haven’t said a thing about going to that party. I thought for sure you’d call me gloating.”

“That’s because nothing happened,” I insist. “Yarra, I went, had a little punch, then I got escorted out. End of story.”

She’s looking at me with these narrowed eyes. “Come on, Saffron. I knowsomethinghappened.”

I close my locker and give her a quick smile. “Nadia’s all wound up, and I didn’t even get to do anything. That’s the long and short of it, okay?”

She’s about to say something, but her eyes drift over my shoulder and her face reddens. She looks away, down toward the floor. I look over my shoulder to see a couple of the larger Howler House wolves in various states of nudity.

I snort a laugh at Yarra. “What is it you used to say? ‘You’re not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy.’ How many times do I have to say it, now?”

She gives me a sour look as we make our way out of the locker room. “I’m never going to get used to it. I swear. You know, Chad and I are supposed to spend some time back home over the holidays? His mother wants to show me the city where our pack is. Chad says that people just run through the woodsnaked. Like it’s no big deal.”

“It’s not a big deal.” I continue laughing. What a rip-off to have been born with Outer Land values! “It’s just tits and ass, pussies and cocks. No one cares. Except when you end up destroying your favorite sweater because you have to change in a hurry for some stupid reason.”

She shakes her head as we walk out into the gym. “Somebody ought to invent a way for wolves to stay clothed after they change.”

I start to say something in response, but it flies right out of my head when I notice him. Standing by the door, looking as out of place as ever even in uniform, is Aydan Vaultmore. There’s something about the way he wears his black dress shirt and how his slacks hang on him that looks different somehow. I see wolves all over this campus in the same getup every day. Yet when he walks in, it’s almost like an event.

The second I see him, he sees me. We both look away quickly.

“What the hell is he doing here?” I say to Yarra. She goes to look over my shoulder, and I grab her arm. “Don’tlook.”

“How am I supposed to know who you’re talking about if I don’t look?”

“Okay, but don’t make it obvious.”

She sighs, then drops her wristband by my foot. As she kneels to pick it up, she shoots a glance over by the door. When she stands back up, she’s smiling. “The man of the hour. You know half the school has been drooling over him? You should hear some of the girls in my Dynamics class. They all think they have a chance at being his Luna. He’ll have his pick when he’s ready to mate.”

I roll my eyes. “That’s really disturbing, Yarra.”

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