Page 37 of Frayed Owner

“Well done, Ms. Millen.” He nodded and let out a slow breath. “I’ll read over your notes and full assessment when done. Any help with Professor Wyatt is welcome. He’s very talented as well but, you’re right, has no experience getting people to publish, only his own papers. It’s a different ballgame.”

“It is at that,” she agreed.

Kerwynn turned on Coach while pointing at me. “This is why we’re here. This is the point of a damncollege, Dunham. It is to learn and push the students harder and higher. Enough of your bull and drama. You are not the boss here. The rec center isn’t your domain that you’re Alpha of. The only Alpha at this damn place is me, and I find using that term ridiculous.

“I’m not a damn werewolf, but a person, aneducator. You are supposed to be one too, and clearly you didn’t learn that on your suspension. Learn it now andleave Millen aloneor you are out. No more of this because I will show this to the board and the piles of ‘misplaced’ reports against you. So you step one toe out of line after today and you’re gone, savvy?”

“Yes, I understand,” he bit out before giving me a look of death.

I sighed after he stormed out and met Kerwynn’s gaze. “I didn’t know it was him and his cliché of Mean Girls when I did it. I just—I keep saying it was a rough day, but I’m just—every day is going to be a rough day.”

“I don’t mean to sound dismissive, but you arenotalone in having a life like that, Ms. Millen,” he grumbled.

“Not dismissive. Glad I’m not the only one feeling the pain.” I shrugged.

That wasn’t exactly nice but… Oh well.

I reached into my bag and handed him one of the prototype brushes. “Wyatt promises you’re a good person and should get one of the real ones.”

“Real ones?” he hedged as he accepted it.

“I’m going to have to sabotage the ones I sell to the general public,” I confessed, nodding when he simply blinked at me. “They’re too powerful for just anyone and especially all the evil in our world.”

“You’ll understand when you use it, Andy,” Mrs. Reid sighed. “She made another miracle. Miracles aren’t for everyone. We’re going to work with Nina Koval today or tomorrow on how to make them less powerful.”

The headmaster let out a slow breath. “Yeah, about Koval, I could actually use some advice and maybe help. His families made a move.”

Oh fuck.

10

The next meeting I had was the one I was going to say “I told you so” to a lot of people. Jean had called Jasmine that morning and made it clear that I had a meeting with her that day or she would blow up my world in a way I couldn’t recover from.

And Jean didn’t make idle threats. I knew that and that she had something good if she was that confident. She was pissed after the hearing, but she could have used what happened to her advantage with the media.

But she hadn’t. She hadn’t announced she had taken over yet. She was waiting for something.

I was very,verysure that something had to do with me.

“Your lack of trust is almost insulting, baby sister,” Jean chuckled after my security swept the room and confirmed it was clean of recording devices or anything magical to be worried about. “But I suppose being much smarter than we all thought gave you the upper hand.”

“What do you want, Jean? I’m too busy for games and you certainly are.” I ignored the quick look Clare gave me like I was nuts or had big balls, but I appreciated her insisting on coming with. I’d thought for support, but it would involve her as well so… Yeah, self-preservation more than moral support for me.

Still, I understood.

She smiled like the cat that ate the canary as she picked up her drink and took a sip. “You and Clare will both return to the family and—”

“No, I won’t. I can’t speak for Clare, but that willnever happen, so make your threat, Charles—I mean Jean, so I can turn it down,” I said firmly, mentally smirking when I saw the dig landed.

Familiar anger filled her eyes before it was gone. She was pissed I was taking away her fun and relishing of her win. “You’re a goddess witch. You’re also the owner of Familiar Treasures. You don’t want people to know that. That’s the threat.”

I couldn’t hide my reaction. Nothing could have prepared me for that being what Jean had. Owner of Familiar Treasures? Yes. The rest?

Not in a million years.

“You never told me you were a goddess witch,” Clare gasped, reaching over and grabbing my arm and shaking me. “Bevin?”

It snapped me out of my shock but also gave me the way to handle this. I met Jean’s triumphant gaze. “You got one of two.”

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