“Why?” I asked. This wasn’t right. I shouldn’t have had to fight him even if it wasn’t real.
“I told you,” she said.
“Why shifters? Why did you give me shifters?” I asked.
She shook her head. “You were there when I let you draw. You chose shifters. And you chose to fight Ben.”
My nostrils flared and I clenched my jaw. It didn’t make sense. Ben was supposed to be on my side. But he was a shifter. And they were known for being rash and reckless. This might have been fake, but it was a window into a possible future. What would we do if Ben ever lost control and shifted into his wolf form? I didn’t think I was afraid of him, or afraid of him being around Raven. But now I had to wonder.
“Why didn’t my spell work on him? The forced shifting spell?” I asked.
“He’s an alpha,” she said. “You can’t force an alpha back to human form.”
I swallowed hard. It was the one trick up my sleeve after weeks of research. It was the one thing I thought I could use in case I ever needed it. And it wouldn’t work on Ben.
Professor Flora clasped her hands in front of her, as if waiting for me to say something.
I wasn’t sure what to say. I thought I trusted Ben. But now I didn’t know what I thought.
“Do you want to know how you did?” she asked, finally breaking the long silence.
“Sure,” I said.
“You passed,” she said. “Well done.”
“Thanks,” I said. I’d never had such mixed feelings after taking an exam.
And now I needed to decide what to tell Raven.