Page 83 of Moon Kissed

Werewolves who couldn’t get over the hangup eventually lose their ability to shift. Their wolf is still inside them, but they can’t reach them anymore. And in Wolf Nation, if you’re not a shifter, you’re a mundane, and mundanes don’t belong in our world.

Liza got her arms and legs under her, and Nia kicked her again—catching her right in the stomach with another shrieky screech of surprise.

Doesn’t look like that’s in Nia’s future anymore.

“Liza, what are you doing?” Allard shoved to the front of the pack, falling in beside Badr. “The joke is at an end now. Fight for real!”

“I’m trying!” Finally on her feet, she shook herself as she bounced side to side on her heels. “Argh! ARGGHH!” she roared, golden wolf eyes beaming lamplights. Narrowing in on Nia like the lion narrows on the gazelle, she leaped and—

—and fell at Nia’s feet, doing a whole lot of nothing.

“My wolf?” she cried. “She won’t— She won’t come out!” Liza shook and waved her arms like a madwoman, clearly trying to summon forth her claws. “What did you do to me!”

“Hiya!” Nia kicked her in the chest, sending Liza flopping and rolling head over heels.

“Liza!” Allard never looked more incensed in his life. “If you lose this fight, it’ll be you who’s knocked down to the omega track! Get on your feet and kill this fish! Now!”

I shook my head, tsking. Pretty sure instructors weren’t supposed to use slurs against their students, or encourage one to kill the other. Where did Dagem find this guy? Her hiring choices were as shit as her morals.

Liza goggled at the mat, and the pool of blood her dripping nose was making on it. She was obviously shaken. Werewolves could shift as babies. This was the first time her wolf had let her down, and she couldn’t handle it.

The only ones handling it worse than Liza, were my fates. Edric had finally braved getting closer to me and stepped up to join Badr, Nyx, and Orion. The four of them huddled up beside the mat, angrily whispering back and forth and gesturing wildly at me.

I couldn’t hear what they were saying. Too many people shouting abuse at Liza and Nia for my wolf hearing to pick their whispers out of the noise, but they were mad.

And worried.

I caught the glare Badr tossed my way and winked back. “Have fun in the omega track,” I called.

“Argh!” Nia bellowed, finding her war cry like the warrior goddess she was.

“Stop!” Liza commanded. “Stop, stop. STOP!”

Racing across the mat, she yanked the still dazed Liza by the collar and punched her once, twice, three—

“Draw!” Allard rushed in, pulled Nia off, and tossed her aside. “Time,” he panted. “Class is over, so that’s time. Neither opponent won, neither lost. Draw,” he insisted again.

Nia stumbled over to me, taking out the earplugs I handed her before the match. “Draw? But I won, didn’t I?”

“You won, Nia. There’s absolutely no question.” I clapped her on the shoulder, giving her my first true smile in a long time. “I’m pretty sure you made omega history today. Well done.”

Nia beamed so wide, I counted all of her teeth. Behind her, three alphas carried Liza off the mat, with Allard berating her the whole way. The words “embarrassment,” “disgrace,” and “fucking fish” came through loud and clear.

“That felt amazing, Daze. Is this how people who win fights feel all the time?” She admired her bloody knuckles. “I always knew my wolf was strong, but not that strong. Liza might as well have been a mannequin for how much of a threat she was to me.” A shriek burst from her lips, setting off a little happy dance. “None of my friends are going to believe this! I beat an alpha!”

“Spread it around, girl. Tell everyone. Brag,” I cried, making her laugh. “Enjoy the looks on all of these alphas’ faces for as long as you can, because I tell you what”—I winked—“they’re not looking down on you anymore.”

“Thank you, Daze.” Nia jumped and hugged me, breaking rule number one. “I never would’ve done that without you. Paxton was right. Everyone is wrong. Deep down, you’re really nice—”

Something glinted out of the corner of my eye. Soaring faster than I could follow, it came straight for us.

“Ahh!” Pain exploded in my right hand, searing straight up my arm and bursting out my throat. “Ahhh!”

My scream snapped all eyes to us, and then they were screaming too.

“Nia!” Orion burst out, rushing to us.

Nia slumped in my arms, her weight bringing us both down. We collapsed on the mat in a tangle of limbs, agony bleeding my soul dry. Orion pulled her off me... and I saw.

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