Page 28 of Renegade

I was in all kinds of trouble. I’d snuck out of the dorm like a thief in the night, found a clearing where I could let Night out. She was desperate for a run, and for the good of this school and the world in general, I had to let her.

But letting my darker wolf run was only one of the troublesthat weighed me down.

The other was the now-constant barrage of murmurs and sometimes outright confrontations from other students. Most were about the rumors that I was the one who had murdered that student, but I suspected that the sneers and hisses were more about the Three Kings than anything else.

With everything going on and the distractions, I was finding it harder to concentrate on my studies. I’d lost my focus and I intended to get it back.

Now to deal with the unruly beast inside me. I didn’t know how Night came to be. I retained no memories from before my parents died when I was four. All I knew was that once I had Sol. She was my only wolf before that. And then my parents died, and I had Night. Sol wasn’t named before Night. She didn’t need a name. She was my only alter ego, my wolf. But then there were two, and I needed a way for my child brain to keep them separate. My last name meant light so I named my first wolf that. The other one was named Night because when she took over, everything went black. I didn’t remember any details about my parents’ death, but I knew that once I got scared, she had come forth, taken over, and I woke up not knowing what had occurred.

She wouldn’t let me remember, but I somehow knew that she knew everything. She was protecting me from it.

Then there were the Three Kings. They called to my wolves without words. They didn’t have to be around to be on my mind. They were ever present and both my wolves lamented their absence during the days and nights. I knew that a mate or mates was not in the cards for me, but then I had no explanation for what I was feeling about the three of them.

My feelings weren’t one-sided, either. They had reached out to me in different ways and none of it was friendly.

I was so naive. The Light Kingdom had made me that way. I had limited access to others. To the world. My first months onthe run had been less of a learning curve and more of a learning fall off a cliff.

Maybe I was so innocent about mating that I’d assumed things when they were simply being nice.

Then why didn’t they talk to any other females? And why did I have these moments with them that made the world around us and all my fears cease to exist?

Run. Now. Release me.

Then there was that little addition. Night was openly communicating with me now, and it wasn’t always nice. Demanding little wolf.

I inhaled the chilly night air, checking that no one was near before I stripped off my tank top and shorts, the perfect pre-shifting attire. Once the clothes were off, Night took over. My bones cracked while my muscles pulled and strained, allowing the phase from human to wolf. The change was painful this time. The longer I kept my wolves in, the more it hurt once they did.

Now on all fours, Night let out a howl so loud that I was sure we’d be caught. She took off at a cheetah’s pace, darting through the trees. She was having so much fun that we didn’t scent or hear that someone was close.

I made my way back to my clothes, but someone was already there, holding them out in front of him.

Adan.

Damn it all.

“Karelis, is that you?” he asked. “I didn’t…is this your wolf?”

An Excerpt From Urban Academy 9

Prologue

Erik

Battle raged all around us. Valentina and her friends were doing well. Dean had stepped into this personal vendetta against Valentina and Onyx, but they now had a team behind them—willing to fight beside them. Shifters of all kinds. Vampires. All of us were sick and tired of Dean and his bullshit.

“Erik.” The past spoke to me, freezing me in place. No matter how many lifetimes or centuries passed in my life, that one voice could coax me from the depths.

“Diana,” I said, falling to my knees. I had always bowed before her presence, not because of her goddess-like nature, but the force of my love for her was that powerful. I worshipped at her throne—even after she abandoned me. “Is it truly you, or have I died?”

“It is me, my love.” Her voice was a whisper but I heard it clearly.

“My love? How can you call me that when you abandonedme?”

She was everything I remembered. Long hair. Even the dress. It was as though her form was frozen in time. “Abandoned you? You know better, Erik.”

“I do not. I came home from feeding and there was no trace of you. No trace. You left me with nothing.”

Diana floated over. Her feet never touched the ground. There was a pink haze all around her, glittering but thick. It was her power, tethered to her like an aura. “I never left you, Erik. I was taken from you. There’s a difference.” Her hands reached out to touch me but there was no contact. She was a ghost, after all.

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