Page 29 of Dead Wolf Rising (Bad Moon Academy 3)

“Now they’re never going to talk.” The woman sighs. “Honestly, it’s like I’m dealing with amateurs.”

Heavy breathing fills the air and several pairs of feet crunch toward us, rocks turning and rolling under shoes.

“The plan. Was. To. Wait.” This woman sounds mad, sort of like how my mom used to sound when I broke one of her rules. “You never listen.”

A weight lifts from my body, and I chance a glance up, seeing the alpha is no longer staring at me but at a very pregnant supernatural. She’s not a shifter, that much I can tell. Her eyes have a slight red haze to them, and she’s glaring at Evelyn.

“What if Mazzikin had been here?” she spits more than asks the question.

With a casual shrug, Evelyn studies her nails. “She wasn’t. She’s not. She would have come out by now, especially with you here.” She gestures in our direction. “As you can see, it’s only a bunch of puppies. You think I’m afraid of puppies?”

“Lacey pinpointed her location at this academy. You shouldn’t have run off.” This comes from a fully tattooed man who screams death and control.

I wonder if he personally knows Death. The two men with him are also tattooed and they look almost as dangerous as he does, but he has a little something extra about him. Like an aura of blood.

Vampire?Joan asks.

I think so, the one with red eyes might be too...Wait a minute, did she say Mazzikin?

Clearing my throat, I hold my chin high as they all stop talking and look at me. “Not to interrupt, but do you mind explaining what you’re doing here?”

The alpha studies me, but the traces of dominance must be tucked away because I don’t feel the heart stopping urge to submit to him.

“You’re a luna?”

“Who wants to know?” I shoot back, even though Everett already alluded to the fact that he knew who this Blaze guy is. I don’t, and since he came in all growly and demanding, my manners are gone.

“Blaze, Heir Alpha to the Southwestern U.S. And you are?” He holds his hand out, and I eye it.

“Raven.” I don’t take his hand. It may be rude, but I’m a little weary of alphas as of late. “Why are you here?”

Evelyn whistles. “Oh, I like her. She’s got balls. Can I keep her?” she asks Blaze, who merely lifts his eyebrows and smirks at her.

“Evelyn,” the big, tattooed man warns.

She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. “I’m Evelyn, but I bet you’ve gathered that, hmm?”

I nod, and she smiles, a genuinely friendly gesture despite the sharp fangs.

“This is my brother, Mateo.” She points to the other guys. “Colt and Grayson. And this lovely little bundle of joy is Demi.”

Demi’s irises blaze red, and her lip curls back. Mateo grabs her arm and pulls her to his side, holding her tight. She scowls at him, and he leans down and grabs her bottom lip between his teeth. Her eyelids flutter closed, and when her lips part in a soft moan, I glance at the men. Brayden is the only one looking at me, eyes wide and mouth open in a manic smile.

I shake my head at him, and he wrinkles his nose and shrugs, sayingI’m as lost as you are.

“We’re here,” the alpha begins, and I give him my full attention, “because we registered an abnormal amount of demon activity in this area yesterday, and again today.”

“So there’s a normal amount?” I ask, testing to see if he knows what’s been going on here.

He shakes his head. “There’s been almost no activity in this region until yesterday. A few lower demons registered, but nothing as powerful as what we saw last night.”

“The lower demons don’t matter?” I ask, stepping toward him and letting some of my luna power bleed through. “You didn’t care what the demon did to your changed shifters?”

With a frown, he glances at the men. “What the demon did… what are you talking about?”

Draco hums. “Don’t act like you don’t know, Alpha. Did you benefit as well?” His words are colored with anger, and the men all take a collective step forward.

“I love a good spat as much as the next vampire, but I’m afraid I have to ask one question.”

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