Page 52 of Wolf Bitten

“I didn’t want to invade Skylar’s privacy.” Supreme Priestess Olwyn smiled sadly and glanced at the light-gray carpet. “This is her home after all.”

I quickly entered the apartment code into the keypad, pretending to press buttons in between in case Slade was more focused than before from his spot halfway between the elevator and my room.

Even though I was learning about supernaturals and their abilities, I still wasn’t sure how good each species’ vision and hearing were.

When the door clicked, I pushed it open and entered the apartment first.

Whew. Lucy’s door was shut. Cat-Keith had to be in there, especially since she wasn’t growling at Raffe to warn him he’d be attacked upon entering the room.

I went to stand by the two couches but didn’t sit down. Raffe was on my heels, followed by Supreme Priestess Olwyn and Slade. The two of them sat on the couch against the wall between my room and Lucy’s.

Raffe stood next to me, and we faced the two witches. Raffe took my hand and looped it through his arm so that our sides were touching. The thrum from our connection eased the energy that made me want to climb the walls. I felt vulnerable having the supreme priestess in my apartment, and with what I’d learned, I wondered if she’d asked to speak here on purpose.

A stray piece of hair fell into her face, and she pushed it behind her ear. “Uh … I thought all apartments came with a coffee table.”

This was how she wanted to start the conversation?Really? “My power broke it.” It happened the night I’d come home to find Keith, Adam, Raffe, and Josie on our couch. Raffe had been sitting next to Josie with his arm over her shoulders. I hadn’t known they were only pretending to date, but even if I had, it probably wouldn’t have helped.

“Are you ready to address the problem, or are you going to ask how her family is doing and if her classes are going well?” Raffe waved a hand at me. “Oh, wait. You don’t need to ask because you’ve been spying on her, and Slade is inallher classes, which I’m sure is amerecoincidence.”

That felt like a punch to the gut. Even though Slade and I had similar majors, I’d thought it was odd that we were taking the same electives at theexactsame time. I’d known this situation was too good to be true. The scholarship they’d offered me was the opportunity of a lifetime and one that guaranteed me a competitive edge once vet school came around.

My face heated. I’d been such afool. How had I missed all these signs? “Am I some sort of experiment? Watch her in unnatural surroundings to see how long it takes her to implode?”

“What?” Slade’s voice rose as he shook his head. “How could you even think that?”

“Son.” Olwyn put a hand on his arm.

My blood increased to a fizz. “Don’t sit there and act like you’re insulted by my questions.” He didn’t get to play the victim here. “You all invited me here, knowing I was different, then planted someone in all my classes so he couldobserveme.” I gritted my teeth. “Did you already know what I was? Was the research you supposedly did a lie?” Slade had acted like he’d figured out I was arcane-born after my arrival, but I didn’t know what to trust anymore.

Slade opened his mouth, but his mother glared at him. She answered with a clear, steady voice, “No, we weren’t sure what you were. I’ll be honest that I suspected you could potentially be—” She cut herself off, glancing at Raffe.

Pursing his lips, Raffe maintained an indifferent expression, not ratting me out that I’d told him everything.

I wanted to kiss him, but this wasn’t the time.

Itwastime forallof us to come clean. “He knows I’m arcane-born and that you have theBooks of Twilightin a hidden library under one of the residence halls.” The wolf shifters had forbidden the witches to keep the books, wanting to cut off their link to ancient spells and their history. The books were supposed to have been destroyed, but the witches had hidden them in the secret library, which only witches could access. I’d been down there once when Slade had invited me, and I’d learned about my heritage from Supreme Priestess Olwyn, two other priestesses, and a priest.

“We trusted you with that information,” Olwyn snapped, her calm demeanor slipping. “And you toldhim? Do you have any idea what you’ve done? I bet King Jovian is on his way now with his man-beast cavalry.”

A growl ripped from my chest. I didn’t like the way she was talking about wolf shifters, especially since Raffe was one of them.

Raffe chuckled, unfazed by the insult. “I haven’t informed my father. But keep on trying to control and manipulate mymate, and I won’t hesitate to do so.”

She placed a hand on her throat and leaned back. “You haven’t told him?”

“There’s no way.” Slade snorted. “He would’ve told his father the moment he learned. They’re playing a game with us, and I don’t like it.” He focused on me. “How could you do that to us?”

“After you tried to pressure me into kissing you, I needed someone to talk to.” Though I’d done what I needed to do at that moment, I couldn’t help but feel guilty. Theyhadtrusted me with sensitive information. “Before I told him, I made him promise that he wouldn’t share the information with his dad.”

Slade blinked. “That was before I took you to the library.”

“I know, and his dad never came, so that should tell you everything.”

Supreme Priestess Olwyn crossed her arms. “Well, he can’t hold knowing that over us. Even if the wolf shifters storm the campus, they won’t be able to find their way inside the library.”

“Unlike your coven members, I didn’t withhold the information from my dad to get something from you.” Raffe rolled his eyes.

She tilted her head. “Then why didn’t you tell him?”

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