Page 43 of Dead Wolf Walking (Bad Moon Academy 1)
How dare he,she snarls.Only a fool would test a luna.
I’m beginning to think my wolf is a bit of a psycho. She’s pushing against me, fighting for control. Fur ripples down my arms. I gasp, and she shouts at me to let her out.
No. Not here. What are you going to do, eat him?
I would not deign to eat him. I might rip his throat out, but the birds can have his flesh.
Wrinkling my nose at the unwelcome visual, I grind my teeth together and push her back, sighing in relief when the fur disappears and I’m one hundred percent human again. Well, at least on the outside.
Everett’s scowl transforms into an aloof smile, and the action completely changes him from gross douche to mildly attractive douche. “Very interesting, Raven. Here I thought you’d burst into flames on the first challenge.” He shoves out of the desk and heads to the front of the classroom. “Now, who wants to tell Raven what she did wrong?”
Grimacing when I realize he’s the professor, I look at my desk and scratch at a flaking piece of wood.
“He does that to everyone on their first day,” a little voice whispers.
I move my attention to the girl. “Did I fail? I feel like I failed,” I whisper back.
With a shake of her head, she raises her hand, and Everett calls on her. “Raven let her wolf win for a few seconds when you told her she wasn’t worthy.”
“Good, and why is that a problem?”
Another student raises their hand and points out the error of my ways. I don’t like it, but I pay attention to their answers and try to learn what I can do differently next time.
My wolf huffs.He was scared. You saw it, didn’t you?
More like furious,I say, half listening to yet another person talking about what I did wrong.
When it’s time for class to end, he’s thankfully moved the topic from me to another person who talks about a recent struggle they had with their wolf. Everett ends class right at three, and I sigh in relief, gather my books from the earlier class, and start to make my way to the front of the room. I’m nearly to the door when he clears his throat.
“Raven, stay a minute?”
The only reason I agree is because he’s asking and not demanding. My wolf’s hackles are already raised; she’s still ready for a fight from the earlier confrontation. The little girl whose name I have yet to learn waves at me then scurries away.
She’s so short and cute. I wonder how she was turned; she’s the youngest person I’ve seen in the academy.
Once she’s out of the room, I face him and place my free hand on my hip.
“Is this about earlier? If I’d known who you were—”
“It’s not about earlier.” He cuts me off. “I am curious, though, if anyone has talked to you about your power?”
I furrow my brow, eyes catching on the leather bracelet around his wrist. It matches the one Carter and Draco wear. It’s a little weird, but maybe they’re close friends? Shaking my head, I look at him.
“My wolf is keen to tell me she’s a luna, but other than that, no one’s really brought it up.”
He nods, then glances over me, more assessing than sleazy. Since he’s not scowling at me, I notice the strong jawline and slight growth of stubble covering his chin. His hair is so short I can’t tell the color, but his eyes are a pretty shade of brown.
“Do you know what luna means?”
I shake my head.
Taking a slow step forward, his eyes lock with mine. “A luna is a female alpha. A shifter blessed by the moon.”
“I thought genetic mutations were responsible for shifters.”
He takes another step, towering over me. I crane my neck to better hold his gaze.
“Some say the shifter mutation occurred during the light of the full moon, marking us as children of the lunar tides.”
