Page 71 of Dead Wolf Rising (Bad Moon Academy 3)

“Blaze. Nice of you to visit.” I stick my hand out for him to shake.

With a strange smile, he takes it and squeezes hard enough to let me know he’s the big boss, but not hard enough to hurt. Ah yes, the inevitable dick measuring contest via handshake. It could be worse, at least he’s not sniffing my ass.

“I heard you were back.”

“Did you now?” I study his serious demeanor. “Are you spying on us?”

“Spying is such a strong word. More like looking out for you. Some of Pack Olympic didn’t take kindly to the news that you killed their alpha and were being offered some of their land.” He runs his hand over his shirt.

“Do I need to be worried?”

He shakes his head. “Not if you’re officially accepting my offer to run the school.”

“I accept, with conditions.” I put my hands on my hips and wait for him to tell me that’s not allowed, but he simply grins and gives me an impressed look.

“You’re going to be a great luna.”

“I’m going to try.” I glance around the cafeteria, eyebrows rising when I realize everyone is staring and listening to our conversation. “Let’s go to my office to discuss the specifics.”

I don’t ask. I merely lead him out of the cafeteria and toward Erron’s old office. Smacking his nameplate out of the holder, I toss it into the trashcan on the way into the room and go sit behind the big desk.

Blaze settles into one of the smaller chairs on the other side and steeples his fingers. He’s waiting for me to make the first move.

Fair enough. I’m the one with the conditions.

“I’ll run the school and help changed shifters learn about their new life, but here’s what I’m requesting in return for operating this academy for you.”

He lifts one eyebrow, but I keep talking before he can get a word in.

“I’d like to have full-blood shifters here too. Maybe a few prefects or student liaisons for the younger kids and teenagers, and a few adults for the grown-ups. I think it’s important for changed shifters to meet shifters who were born that way. I can only teach them so much, and I’m sure there’s more to this society than what the textbooks will tell us.”

Humming in agreement, he puts his finger over his mouth but doesn’t say anything.

“And I’d like funds to cover the costs of remodeling, as well as money for a sprinkler system. We’ll need groundskeepers, but we can see if a few of the guys here want the job before we worry about hiring. The staff will need annual salaries of no less than seventy-five-thousand dollars a year, and we’ll need a real counselor on premise. I think therapy horses might help some of the new shifters too.”

He chuckles. “Anything else.”

“Oh, and we need new gym equipment.” I bite my bottom lip and try to think of anything I’ve left off. Those were all the big notes I made in my head, so I nod. “That’s it.”

Leaning forward, he sets a plastic card on the desk and slides it toward me with a folded piece of paper. “This is your pack credit line. You can use it for renovations, sprinklers, gym equipment, and food.” He pauses while I pick it up and stare at the black card. “I think you’ll find the monthly credit limit, which is detailed in the letter, more than enough to cover your basic needs. As for the salaries, I can do seventy-thousand.”

“Why not seventy-five? It’s only five grand more.”

“I like your spunk, Raven. Seventy thousand is what we pay pack teachers. Your counselor will have their own salary which we can negotiate when the time comes. As for the horses, it’s a no.”

“Why?” I lift my chin and squint at him, trying to play hardball even though I probably look ridiculous behind this desk right now.

“Because changed shifters can be volatile, and I think the damage one out of control wolf can do to a few horses will be more traumatic than not having horses for them.”

I grimace. “Fair point. What about the groundskeepers? Oh, and we’ll need a few maids. This place is huge.”

“Their salaries can be negotiated as well. They’ll be substantially less than the professors, but they’ll have free board as long as they continue to do an adequate job.”

Sitting back in the chair, I stare at him. “Just like that?”

He looks taken aback. “What?”

“No strings? You’re giving me nearly everything I asked for and you don’t want anything in return?” Surely he doesn’t think I’m that stupid.

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