Page 30 of Moon Kissed

I wanted this because it occurred to me that a water wolf would come in handy for anyone looking to poison an alpha, or more.

I blew into Leadership and Diplomacy, finding the classroom much the same as Hall’s except a tall woman with reddish-brown hair and thick glasses stood at the front.

There was also a desk between my fates—whole and waiting for me.

The instructor glanced up. “My goodness, girl. What on earth are you wearing?”

“Do you like it?” I spun on my heels, flashing Nyx a grin. “My sweet, precious fate made it for me. It seemed wrong to change.” I pulled out my chair to sit.

“I made this for you too.”

My butt hit the seat, and something snapped. Tipping sideways, the chair threw me flat on my face. Next to me, the wooden desk aged and rotted before my eyes. In a blink, it was a broken, crumbled mess.

I flailed and kicked righting myself and scrambling away from the mound of termite food that used to be my desk. All around me, the class laughed uproariously.

“Oh no,” Badr crowed, smug as shit. “Not another accident. Hope it doesn’t happen again.”

I shoved up, growls leaking through my teeth. I told myself before all this started that I wouldn’t let anything anyone said or did get to me. But I didn’t take into account that anyone who was meant to be my soulmate had to be as relentless as me.

“Just where you belong,” Nyx said, winking at me. “Flailing around on a pile of garbage like the cockroach you are.”

“I’ll shove this where this belongs,” I bellowed, snatching up a rotting chair leg. “Don’t think you’re tough now that you’ve finally crawled out of the hole you’ve been pissing and cowering in for the last year.”

Nyx’s grin didn’t go anywhere. “I’m feeling pretty good outside of my hole, because you’re not shoving that anywhere.” He clicked his tongue, jerking his chin. “Those are some interesting marks on your back. Should I guess how you got them?”

I stiffened. This guy was smart. Damn you, Luame! Would it have killed you to give me the empty-headed himbo that he looks like?

“Go ahead, Volana.” Nyx stood, turned, and shook his ass in my face. “What’s the hesitation? Get to shoving.”

The guy was dropping it like it was hot right there in the middle of class. Everyone was laughing so hard, one guy fell out of his chair.

“Can’t believe Mom expected me to drop out of school when she heard Daciana Volana came,” wheezed a girl next to me. “No way I was missing this.”

Frustration burst out of my pores. So desperately I wanted to scream the truth. Their small, limited minds had no idea of the noble purpose I had to achieve. They whined about losing their chance at being clan alpha or getting their ears cut, when there were real enemies out there. Enemies I would take out if it was the last thing I did.

Chest heaving, I dropped the leg, spun around, crossed my legs, and waited for class to begin.

The laughs and taunts died down as everyone got an eye full of me sitting blank-faced and serene, ignoring the shapely ass shaking in my face.

Nyx was saying something. No doubt it was insulting nonsense designed to get another rise out of me, so I’d be slapped another demerit or detention.

It wasn’t going to work. Nothing my fates said or did would distract me from my goal. If I couldn’t use any of them to achievemy purpose, then they had none. They had no point. They had no use. They had no function.

Edric, Badr, Orion, Paxton, and Nyx were nothing to me. Like nothing is how they would be treated.

Something caught my eye.

I flicked down to the space between my knees. Something—was it water?—collected on the floor. Water droplets spun, raced, broke apart, and reconnected before my eyes, forming a message.

Thanks for having my back. I’ll have yours too. Promise.

I held my breath, barely believing what I was seeing. It was a message from Paxton. It had to be.

A slow grin stretched my lips. Maybe the first day from hell wasn’t a waste.

Chapter Three

Iflipped through my textbook resting on my whole desk while reclining back in my upright desk chair. Third class of the day and the guys already gave up on their making-me-sit-on-the-floor game. Bullying is a lot less satisfying when the target doesn’t give a shit.

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