Page 17 of Wolf Desired
“Going forward, we will have seven teams, each consisting of three shifters and one human. Those groups that have four shifters, send one shifter over to me.”
After a minute of discussion, three shifters stepped away from their groups. Xavier, Brock, and Kingsley. Two fools and an asshole.
“You three will partner with Artemis.” Graves walked away from the group, missing or ignoring the smirk on Kingsley’s face as his eyes ran over Artemis.
A growl tore from Tiernan. While Rafe agreed with the sentiment, he felt sorry for the scout. He’d set his sights on Artemis, but unlike Kingsley, he didn’t seem to want to move on her. Rafe wasn’t sure what had changed since this morning when Tiernan had declared her his.
Tiernan wasn’t one to give up easily, so why declare his intentions to him and 86, but not to Artemis. Thehuman.
Fuck. Her being human was worrisome enough, given how Tiernan’s wolf was determined to mate her. Rafe now understood why Tiernan had backed off. As a human, Artemis wouldn’t understand what Tiernan needed, and the scout was a decent shifter, not one to take what he wanted simply because he could. Unlike that asshole Kingsley.
“Okay, trainees, the rest of the day is yours. If you haven’t already done so, grab a room, some food, use the evening to get to know your teammates, and figure out who will lead your team. Training resumes back here at 0700. Dismissed.”
“So?’ Jason said as he approached. “Should we draw straws to decide who’s going to be the leader of our team?”
“You’re funny,” 86 said. “You’re standing with three shifters, one of whom is an alpha heir, and you think we’re going to draw straws or even vote on the matter?”
“Do you know a better way?”
“Yes,” Rafe answered, unable to take his eyes off Artemis as she met her new teammates. Kingsley and Brock were sizing her up, and Rafe didn’t like it. Not in the least.
“Care to share?” Jason replied, oblivious to how the males were circling Artemis like they had a right to her.
“I never share,” Rafe said, before finally facing Jason. “My role as team leader.”Or my female. Fuck, that wasn’t right. Artemis wasn’t his. Tiernan needed her, and like it or not, Tiernan was now his responsibility for the next five weeks at least. He had to keep the shifter from going feral, and from what he’d seen, Tiernan’s wolf had chosen Artemis.
If she consented to blood-bond, she’d belong to Tiernan. Rafe also had to worry about making sure Tiernan didn’t force her. A shifter could lose control to his wolf and claim a female without consent. The wolves inside of them, their animal side, were driven by instinct and need, not society’s laws, shifter or human. While Rafe knew Tiernan would never force a female, if he lost control to his wolf, he might not have a choice. Neither would Artemis.
“You can’t bully your way into being our team leader,” Jason persisted. “Despite 86’s obvious dislike for the concept of a democracy, we should vote.”
“Not just a comedian, a deaf comedian,” 86 said in that derisive tone typical of a white wolf. “Rafe just told you he’s leading the team.”
“Really, man? You’re just going to roll over like an obedient dog? This guy’s trying to assign himself as our team leader. You can’t possibly agree. You were bickering with him earlier today.”
Rafe didn’t bother turning around. He knew what 86’s answer would be, and quite frankly, he didn’t give a fuck if 86 didn’t like it any better than Jason. Rafe wasn’t taking orders from anyone else, especially a human.
“Do I like him?” 86 asked, the sarcasm in his voice exceedingly clear. “No. But he’s an alpha. You don’t fight an alpha without good reason, and fighting with an alpha over who’s in charge is stupid.”
“You can challenge Rafe if you want, human,” Tiernan added. “But you’ll lose.”
“Fine,” Jason grumbled. “It’s just five weeks.”
Rafe tuned out the conversation going on behind him as Kingsley declared himself the leader of his team. Artemis glanced toward Rafe. He hadn’t called to her and no one in her team had been looking his way. But she turned to him, her beautiful hazel eyes holding him. He could almost read her face, and it wasn’t a message he expected. She wanted to be part of Rafe’s team.
Fuck. He wanted that, too.
* * *
ALYSSA
Alyssa hated her team.Kingsley was arrogant like Rafe, but without Rafe’s sense of duty and honor. The monstrous shifter hadn’t wasted any time declaring himself the leader of her team. And that was only the start of how despicable he turned out to be.
By the time her team reached the dorm, Kingsley had propositioned her twice. Brock had offered to join them as if it were a given she’d sleep with them, allthreeof them.
As if her sole purpose for being in the program was to be their plaything. Xavier said nothing at all. Totally ignored her, like she didn’t exist. The rift between humans and shifters was alive and well in the DSA’s new program, that was supposed to bring both sides together to fight the anti-shifters and other domestic terrorists. Right now, she doubted they’d be able to make it through dinner without a fight breaking out. Was her dad right? Were shifters and humans better off separated?
If that were the case, she wouldn’t be here. And why was she thinking of her bastard father so much all of a sudden? She’d written him off years ago.
Alyssa swung her backpack on her shoulder and grabbed her duffle bag, letting several of the larger shifters go ahead of her up the stairs to the third floor, the only finished floor in the dorm. She hated walking in front of this many men, as it inevitably led to comments about her ass. Once she reached the floor, she pushed past the congestion in the corridor and kept walking until she found an empty room.
