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)
“I don’t want you. I’ll never want you. My wolf’s got shit fucking taste in women,” he whispered—his warm, minty breath rolling over my lips. “But I see you for what you are, and you disgust me.”
I nodded along to his speech, lips pushed out. “I see. And do you all feel this way?” I inquired, voice light.
“Absolutely.”
“Obviously.”
“Fuck you,” Badr spat.
I tsked. “Pity. Despite all the threats and insults you made sure I overheard, I had hoped the six of us could call a truce, and enjoy all the sexual benefits that truce would include. But alas”—I heaved a dramatic sigh—“it’s not meant to be.”
“Uh, hold on.” Paxton edged into my vision. “What kind of sexual benefits are we talking—?”
“Ladies, escort Paxton out,” Badr said, glare latched on to me. “He’s catching a viral case of bitchitis.”
I laughed out loud. “Oooh, good one.” I tossed Paxton a wink before a group of alpha girls carried him away. “You don’t need to be so worried about his willpower, or even your own,” I remarked. “Because the truce is now off the table.”
My joking tone evaporated. “I didn’t kill Hall, and I’m no threat to anyone here—least of all the five of you. I even swore an oath to Luame to prove it. All I’m here to do is mind my own business and graduate the alpha track. But if you’re so determined to cause me problems, I’ll warn you right now I won’t take it lying down.
“I don’t need to lay a finger on you to make your lives hell.”
Scoffing, Badr smirked. “That was a cute little speech. I’m so scared. Don’t I look scared, guys?” He turned his grin on Nyx, Edric, and Orion—who laughed along with him. “Shall I tell you how it’s actually going to go down?”
“Please do,” I replied just as conversationally.
“Well then, here are the facts. You did kill Hall,” he said firmly. “You’re the only homicidal psychopath in the building, and he pissed you off on the first day. Gave you two demerits and a detention. Crazy-ass sociopaths like you tend to take things like that a little too personally.
“You got him first, but the other six to go were already on your kill list, and that’s why you forced yourself into the academy,” he said. “Me and the guys take up one through five, but who is the sixth person?” Badr cocked his head. “Care to come clean and tell us all now?”
“Oooh, can’t, because I have no such kill list.” I shrugged. “But be sure to ask the real killer when you find them.”
“That’s all right. You keep singing your innocence if you need to. It won’t make a difference,” he said. “I will prove you killed Hall, I’ll protect that last person on your list, I’ll avenge my brother, and I’ll find that filthy fucking traitor Lucia and throw her in the same hole I’m going to put you.”
I grinned wider. “Ahh, about your little search to find Lucia. I’m guessing that text you just got was from the person you gave my sim card.”
Badr’s smirk melted away.
“Yeah, I knew your little theatrics with smashing my phone was a trick to get your hands on it,” I said. “Lucia caught them trying to follow the number back to her, and she sent them a nasty little virus for their trouble.” I winced. “I hope you didn’t pay too much for that waste of time.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he snapped.
“Sure you don’t. Just like you don’t know who searched my room and all of my stuff yesterday. They must’ve found my backup phone, and that’s why you all thought you could get away with stealing the first one without risking me dropping my blackmail bomb, but that trick will only work once.
“I don’t have a third phone, so if you break this one too, Lucia won’t get my call, and she will hit the doomsday button.” I switched what I was holding to my other hand and held out my new phone. “Go ahead. Take it. Break it. Test me.”
The veins shone stark in his neck, he was straining so hard to hold himself back. But he didn’t take it. Badr made no move to touch the phone.
“No?” I taunted, making him growl. “Oh, well.” My phone disappeared back in my pocket. “I guess there’s just one thing left to say, then.”
Sidestepping him, I placed the cherry sundae on their table.
“Game on.”
“Game on.”
If I’d known the bastards were going to take that so literally, I never would’ve said it.
I beat it across the field, clutching the football for dear life while the howling hounds of hell descended on me. Orion, Edric, Badr, Nyx, and seven other players chased after me—their amber wolf eyes spotlights on my demise.
I had my own team, but they were nowhere to be seen. Hanging out on the sidelines. Kicking back on the grass. Putting on a show of running around in circles. Not a single one of them would defend me. No one was leaving themselves open to catch the ball.