Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 114617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Where my dorm had mermaids and sapphire, the alpha dorm had fiery red splashed all over the place, and violent, thrilling scenes of battle carved into their walls. Even with Nia standing next to me, my wolf stirred in my chest. My small incomplete bonds tugged her in five different directions, trying to lead her to the mates destined for her. I bypassed the many rooms, wondering which of these steel-lined doors concealed them from me.
We reached the end of the hall and the back staircase. Nia led me down and out. Throwing open the door, it was me who nearly tripped and fell flat on my ass. I couldn’t help it. My wolf roared to life so suddenly, my heart tried to jump out of my chest.
My fates had the same reaction.
Edric stumbled mid-run. Orion slid down the wall he was scaling and hit the ground with an audible thud. Nyx lost his invisible boxing match. Paxton spilled the drink he was holding.
And Badr roared—shooting up and getting ready to tear Paxton a new asshole for showering his lap in yellow drink. I guessed it was lemonade.
“What the fuck, man!”
“Yo, it wasn’t him,” Edric said, voice hard. “It was her.”
Just like that, five pairs of eyes flew to me, and only me. The quick and wise Nia was already behind me, staying the hell out of the firing zone.
I flicked off my fates and looked around the small little courtyard we found ourselves in. The night before, I only moonwalked around the dorms—taking what I needed. I didn’t snoop anywhere else. I figured Dagem would be extra alert on my first night in the castle, and looking for any excuse to give me a demerit and begin the biased process of booting me from Corvin.
The courtyard was shaped like a pentagon. It was actually quite cute with the running track on the outskirts, the benches, the flowerbeds, and in the middle of it all, a fountain of a howling wolf.
It was the perfect place to kick back with the pack after classes, or enjoy a midnight kiss. For my fates, it looked like they skipped the midnight kisses so that they can wake up early and begin training.
“Oooh, such go-getters,” I crowed. “Up before dawn and training while everyone else is still dragging themselves out of bed. Training with your shirts off no less.” I flapped a hand at myself. “Were you trying to get me all hot and bothered first thing in the morning? Because it’s working.”
“Paxton, stay back,” Badr ordered in his alpha voice.
My brows shot up when Paxton crashed onto the bench, dropping down so hard. But then he disappeared behind a wall of glistening muscle and furious growls.
Badr, Edric, Nyx, and Orion surrounded us in seconds.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Badr snapped.
“Who?” I asked, tone nothing but curious. “Her or me?”
“Both,” Orion growled.
I tried to focus on their faces— I truly did. That is of course where the teeth that would be ripping out my throat were. But my wolf kept dragging my eyes down to their rock-hard pecs, myriad of tattoos, and bodies so hot steam literally billowed off them in the cool morning.
I loved my wolf, but having a horny fucking animal in my head who was nonstop trying to rut these five assholes’ dicks off, was a distraction I didn’t need right now.
“H-H-Headmistress Dagem gave me permission,” Nia spoke up. “She said I’m to show Daze around and tell her where her classes are.”
“Daze?” Nyx scoffed. “You two have been getting cozy. Already trading fucking nicknames.”
“Wha— No,” she cried. “It’s not like that. I was— I was just—”
Soft, caressing fingers stroked Nyx’s chest. Heat singed them as strong and impressing as his fluttering heart—tapping a message against my path. Being this close to him put my mind under a thick, heavy fog it didn’t want to come out of.
Nyx was like those long-haired, muscled hunks that graced old romance covers. Strong, chiseled, tanned, gorgeous, and a complete fantasy. The kind of man you fantasized about while enduring lackluster sex with the actual man you were stuck with. A guy like him wasn’t real—
—but there he was. Standing in front of me. Whole, handsome, and gaping at me like I slapped him.
Nyx jerked back, grabbing my wrist reflexively.
In a blink I snapped out of my haze and cursed, heat rushing to my face. What the fuck was that? I yelled at my wolf. Which was basically yelling at myself. You can’t go around groping them!
“Sorry,” I blurted before I could stop myself. “I didn’t mean— It was my wolf.”
Nyx looked at me brows blown and hand shaking like he couldn’t believe what I’d done. To be fair to him, I suspected his wolf was giving him no better time than I was. A harder time—actually. The drive for an alpha to be with his mate was twice as fierce as an epsilon’s.