Page 38 of Dead Wolf Falling (Bad Moon Academy 2)

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BRAYDEN

I tried to tell Raven about Morg earlier, but she was so angry at me I had to deal with that first. I regret dropping the subject as soon as she snapped at me; I should have told her. Not wanting to earn more of her ire, I foolishly let the subject slide and apologized to her instead. Had I told her like I intended, maybe she’d be less shaken.

It’s a little late now,my wolf snarls at me.

Yes, well, one crisis at a time, hmm?

The demon isn’t done with her games.

I know just as well as he does that things are far from over. Wasting time on what I should have said or done differently won’t help Raven now. I’ll do anything to make her happy, including going to find all the other shifters for her in this moon-forsaken place.

This academy has an ungodly amount of dust. The thin carpet lining the hall is coated in it, and every step I take kicks up a puff of dirt, making my nose twitch. Adler walks next to me, eyes sweeping over the walls, taking in the sheets covering the old frames. I’m not sure why they chose to protect certain portraits over others, but I’m not in charge of Pack Olympic’s history committee. Some paintings are probably worth money if they’re old enough and of someone important in shifter society.

Before we cross to the other wing, I stop walking and side-eye the fae. “So, what exactly are you doing here?”

His face lines with annoyance, but he clears his throat and steps toward me. For someone meant to be a nurturer, he’s rather intimidating. Perhaps intimidator would’ve been more appropriate of a title. I turn to face him, realizing for the first time he’s a little taller and bulkier than I am. Yes. Intimidator fits.

“I’m here for Raven.” He shoves his hair away from his face.

“Well, of course you are. What I mean is, what do you expect to happen here?”

He stops a few inches from me, our eyes nearly level, and lowers his eyebrows.

“I’m not expecting anything, Brayden. What are you expecting? Seems to me like you’re the one who should be questioned. You were stalking her, after all. Maybe it’s you who wants something from Raven.” His eyes drop down my body. “Or have you already gotten what you came for?”

His question hits a little too close to home, and I flit my gaze between his dark irises. Sure, Draco and I knew she could talk to ghosts. In his year of watching her, he learned as much when he found her on the front porch glaring at empty air and talking to her mother like she was there, but we weren’t sure she could raise the dead.

The plan had been for Draco to ask her once they got closer, but when she reached for Jinx with a handful of Death’s power, I knew she could do it.

“That’s not why I’m here,” I finally say. “The body is a perk for sure, but I’d be here with or without it.”

“Good.” Adler takes a few steps back but keeps his intense gaze set on me. “We still have a job to do?”

Scrunching my face, I nod. “Yup. Let’s go find the rest of the shifters.” I start off down the hall, staying in front of him so he can’t see my face.

How the hell did he turn that around on me? I was supposed to be questioning him, but Adler ended up flipping the switch. Freaking fae. Maybe I underestimated him. Heisworthy of Raven’s affection after all.

* * *

RAVEN

Three hours later, there are twenty-one cots set up in the library. There aren’t as many shifters as I thought there were, but it seems there is no end to Jinx’s parlor tricks. Half of the students I’d seen must have been ghosts or forms she was manipulating. Like Morg. My eyebrows pinch together at the thought of my friend. There must have been some sign I missed. Something I should have picked up on to know Morg wasn’t real.

You saw Jinx. She looks as real as you. If she can do that with her form, she can do it to others.

The men and I commandeer a secluded nook tucked away behind several shelves. Layla and Bea are set up with a few women I recognize from some of my classes, one of them being Penelope, the poor woman Ms. Fig called out. The birdface professor is nowhere to be found, so I’m assuming she’s one of Jinx’s illusions. Erron, Howard—the other zeta—and the remaining male shifters take another section of the library. While we’re all separated, we’re close enough I feel secure.

It’ll be hard for Jinx to sneak in and cause trouble without us all knowing, especially since Draco has assigned a rotating guard shift. I’ve never seen Draco so focused as when he got the shifters gathered and barked orders at them. Some may not have appreciated being told what to do, but according to Joan, zetas are best for tactical planning. I expected some sort of tension to remain between Draco and Howard since my psycho tied him up, but Howard is just as efficient as Draco when it comes to getting everything in order and making plans to protect us.

Since the food that appears in the cafeteria must be magically produced and clearly provides no real sustenance, Brayden and Draco dragged a few of the shifters with them to go hunt something to eat for a late lunch. They’ve been gone close to forty minutes. Howard is standing near the library doors, eyes flashing around the room in practiced militant attention.

“Raven, sit down.” Layla hovers near where I’m pacing, a frown tugging at her lips. “They’ll be back any minute. Everett and Adler are listening.” She jerks her thumb toward where they sit.

There’s still a chance Jinx could attack them, and we’d be too far away to help. I should have gone with them, but then everyone else would have been left alone, and I’d probably feel just as guilty as I do now.

“They’re coming back.” Adler stands from the worn wooden chair and comes to where I’m pacing. “They’re okay, and they found food.”

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