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)
Werewolves were born with the shifting but not the control. Let’s just say for wolf moms who choose to breastfeed, they are never so thankful for their speed-healing as they are those first six months. Even so, Mom’s raging, head-exploding glare wasn’t for the little hellion in her arms. It was for the laughing bastard who stopped to take a picture of her instead of helping.
Dad said Mom kicked the entire changing table over on top of him, and stormed out while he flailed and shouted for help.
I burst out laughing then just as I did the first, second, and third time I heard that story. I didn’t always use to be the weirdo who talked to old pictures, but Mom was gone now and my dad... Well, my dad was gone in his own way too. Pictures were all I had left.
“Pictures, and these,” I whispered, taking out the letters and holding them close to my heart.
After the first vampire assassination attempt on my mother failed, she started writing me letters to read in case something happened to her. She dated them for different birthdays and times in my life, but one lonely night, I opened them all—needing her love and wisdom more than I ever needed anything.
She wrote me a letter for my sixteenth, eighteenth, twenty-first, twenty-fifth, and thirtieth birthday. She wrote me a letter for my mating, for becoming a mother, and even for the day I graduated Corvin Academy.
“But, strangely, there was no letter for what to do after murdering my fate Castor Tahan, abandoning Wolf Nation, dashing their hopes for the new golden age of wolves, returning under a cloud of hate and suspicion, and taking up a homicidal mission of revenge that will end with me bringing Wolf Nation to its knees while I stand high above them as their merciless and dictatorial queen.
“No, there’s no letter for that,” I said softly as I took out the picture of Mom on her academy graduation day. She graduated top of her beta class because of course she did. My mom was never anything less than the best. “But I have a feeling you would approve, because who better than you knows that when it’s all going wrong and a douchebag stands there laughing instead of helping you... the only option is to bring it all crashing down on his head.”
Chapter Six
Nia was waiting for me outside my room the next morning. Her nails were long and painted. Her hair styled into a bun. Her cardigan and matching skirt washed and smelling strongly of jasmine, and her expression bland. You wouldn’t have known anything happened to her the night before, which is what she said she wanted, so I got the hint, and didn’t bring it up.
“All I’m going to say is this,” I told her, shutting my door closed behind me. “I don’t know how much in my control this will be, but as much as I can... I’ll stay out of detention.”
Something flickered in Nia’s eyes so fast, I almost missed it. Clearing her throat, she simply replied, “Thank you. I would appreciate that.”
With that, we set off for the mess hall. Stepping inside the loud, bustling cafeteria, it struck me how normal it was. No one had any idea that they were laughing, joking, flirting, and tossing the ball back and forth on top of a crime scene.
And they’ll never know. Orion burned him up and flushed him down the drain. Not a lot of things can beat a wolf’s nose, but fire is one of them.
“Ugh, this is disgusting. What the hell’s in this?”
Badr’s voice stole my wolf’s attention, as it always would until the blasted bond died. She turned my head toward him against my will.
“It’s corn beef and cabbage,” Paxton said. Seemed he had recovered from his impromptu floor nap the night before. “It’s what you said you wanted.”
“I was wrong.” Badr shoved his plate at him. “Get me the chocolate chip pancakes instead. Thanks, man.”
Paxton took it and went off without a word. I muttered as he brushed past me.
“You must be so tired of that.”
Paxton stopped dead. “What? Were you talking to me?”
“Someone should,” I said softly, drawing closer. “Someone should actually talk to you like an equal instead of barking orders at you like a servant. Aren’t you tired of that? Aren’t you tired of him, and his Paxton, get that, Paxton, fetch this bullshit? And for all your loyalty to him, what does it get you?” I laughed. “Oh, yeah. Punched in the face.”
His jaw clenched as hard as his grip cracking the plate.
“You should stand up for yourself, Paxxy.” I trailed a finger up his thigh, making his limbs wind tighter than a bowstring. “Use your voice. You’re the most famous omega in Wolf Nation history. You were chosen by Luame herself to be the father of the greatest generation of shifter wolves. Stand up for yourself. Tell these assholes how you’re going to be treated.”