Page 66 of Dead Wolf Rising (Bad Moon Academy 3)

Bea shakes her head. “No. Morg helped.”

I feel my face pinch in frustration, but I check that shit because I’m not going to keep scaring her with my volatile emotions.

“And Raven is okay? You’re sure?”

“Well.” Bea pauses, looking off to the side. “I think so.”

Dammit.

“Can you take me to the Other World?”

“No. I’m alive. I can’t get to that realm anymore.”

“Dammit,” I say out loud, glancing back at Raven.

She’s still breathing. Her color is good. Her skin is warm. She’s okay as far as I can tell, and whatever sharp pain I felt before has subsided to a dull ache.

“She saved me.” Bea sounds surprised by this.

“Of course she did.” I give her a funny look. “Raven loves you.”

“I thought she would be mad when she found out.” Bea shuffles to the side and sits next to Raven so she can hold her hand.

“Found out about what?”

“About me, Jinx, and Morg. Remember that story Jinx would tell during the full moon about herself and the wolf killing the human side?”

“Her crazy mumbling? Yeah.”

“Morg was the wolf side.”

I search her face. “You’re the human side?”

“Was. Now I’m just me.”

“So they didn’t kill you.” I run my hand over my short hair. “Why didn’t you say something before?” The morning we found Bea in the academy, we assumed she had been brought in while we were sleeping, which wasn’t unusual. There was no set schedule for when changed shifters were brought in. Sometimes they came in during the day, other times they came late at night. She was quiet and shy, and I never suspected she had anything to do with Jinx.

She lifts a shoulder. “Everyone hated Jinx or was afraid of Morg. I wanted to be normal for once, without a demon inside my head and without everyone thinking I was a bad guy too.”

“What happened?” Carter asks, running in with Brayden and Draco in tow.

They skid to a stop in front of us, and I sigh, glancing at Raven’s face which has smoothed. The bond doesn’t hurt as much, so I’m not as concerned as when I first arrived.

“It’s a long story…” I begin.

* * *

BRAYDEN

Raven is on the floor, her bright red hair spread out in a mess of soft waves, and her lips are pressed together, like she’s annoyed. Everett is rambling about whatever Bea told him, but all I can hear is the blood roaring through my ears while I stare at her.

Something dark and sinister zings through my body, Death’s calling card. I ignore the attempted contact, knowing full well my time is running out. I can only ignore him for so long. I grimace when Raven makes a soft, pained noise, forgetting about Death all together to focus on the only thing that matters.

Raven.

Chapter 22

RAVEN

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