Page 25 of Dead Wolf Falling (Bad Moon Academy 2)

Her words cut off his growls, and she shakes her head at him.

“But if we’re doing this, I won’t tolerate being lied to.” Her eyes stray to Brayden. “Or tricked.”

The fool is smart enough to look at the floor. He’s not as ashamed as he should be, but it’s a start.

Raven’s electric green gaze finds mine. “As far as I’m concerned, you can solve almost any problem you have with the right book.”

* * *

RAVEN

I go into my room first, eyes connecting with Adler who is wearing my shirt—which is way too tight on him—and the towel around his waist. None of my shorts or pants would have come even close to fitting him. He’s sitting next to a sleeping Bea. She’s been up for a long time, and she’s probably exhausted. We all are. Layla groans, and I turn around to check on her. Her arm is draped over Carter and Everett’s shoulders, and she sags in their hold like a ragdoll.

Everett frowns. “She needs to rest.” He glances around my room.

“We need to come up with a plan,” Draco says, sliding past him and walking toward me. His icy blue gaze searches my face. “Brayden, go get the cots.”

“There’s a magic word missing in there somewhere,” his twin teases.

Draco’s face darkens, and he cuts a scowl in his direction, but Brayden isn’t fazed. I thought Draco was a lot to handle, but my instincts are telling me where Draco is like a wave of chaos, Brayden is a tsunami. Between the two of them, I’m liable to drown.

Only problem is, I’m not sure I’d mind getting swept away in their currents, which is a dangerous thought. I don’t need them, but damn if I don’t want them.

“Go. Now.”

Brayden rolls his eyes and releases a dramatic sigh. “Fine.” Then he pins me with a serious look. “Don’t disappear on me, Little Red, we need to talk soon.”

I flip him off because, of the two of us, he’s the one who likes to disappear into thin air. His responding chuckle warms my insides, but I keep my face closed off, not letting him in.

It’s a little late for that, Raven. You told them you needed partners. You may as well have banged them all. Their wolves won’t let them walk away now.

I growl, drawing a curious stare from Carter who shifts on his feet and leans against the door, still propping Layla up.

I didn’t accept them into a harem.

Joan snorts.You already have, Raven. . . you say one thing but every action you’ve made in the past few hours tells an entirely different story. These men, they’re ours.

Crap. I know part of what she says is true, but for some stubborn reason I’m not quite ready to admit defeat. Jinx ripped away some of my defenses, exposing the weakest part of me. My heart. She killed Morg, knowing full well it would make me agree to do whatever she wanted.

Accepting these men means exposing more vulnerabilities, giving Jinx more to bargain with, and I’m not ready to be their downfall because while I’ve only known them for a few weeks, I like them and I don’t want anyone else to die.

“I’ll go get Adler an outfit.” Draco leaves and returns a few minutes later, handing Adler a pair of shorts and a shirt. They’re almost the same height, but Adler’s a bit bulkier. At least Draco’s clothes won’t look ridiculous on him.

He glances at Bea, and I move to the bed.

“I’ll stay with her while you change.” I run my hand over his shoulder.

“All right.” Scrubbing his palm over his face, he stands. His chest brushes against mine and he stares down at me.

“Are you okay?”

With all the chaos of the last twenty minutes, the simple question nearly sets me off in tears, but I swallow them, hating how weak they make me, and nod my head.

“I’m okay.”

His gaze narrows on me, and he looks ready to say something else, but he decides not to. Instead, he places a hand at the back of my neck and presses his lips to my forehead.

“At some point, you’re going to have to stop lying to yourself.” He goes to the bathroom to change, leaving me out of sorts.

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