Ezra's POV

Damn wolf.

I'd been feeling restless for days. I went hunting three times in the past week, and went for more runs in my fur than I could remember, but my beast just wouldn't settle down.

I ran toward the cabins. Branches and twigs snapped under my paws, and the woods' critters scurried away.

I shifted back to my skin mid jump and pulled a pair of shorts from a tree burrow where we kept them, quickly putting them on before walking the rest of the way on two feet. The last thing I needed was a human stumbling upon my wolf in the woods. Although we had magic barriers, one could never be too careful.

I emerged from the edge of the trees towards the back of my cabin. I paused, raising my nose to the wind, and took a deep whiff. There was something in the breeze, the hint of a scent, there and then gone, that made my instincts snap into focus.

I looked around and took deep breaths, but nothing stood out. I frowned. Did I just imagine it?

Shaking my head, I made my way into my cabin and took the stairs two at a time. My wolf just growled in the back of my mind, pacing around in circles.

Zach was probably in the cabin next door with Ashley, his mate.

The word instantly sent an intense surge of pain through my chest. My wolf whined, but I pushed him back and jumped into a cold shower. Maybe the cold water would help clear my head.

Zach and I got held back in the pack this morning for some business. It didn't turn out to be a big deal, however, so we headed here earlier than expected, luckily for Zach.

He went to surprise his mate, while I took my wolf out on a run, hoping to calm down. He'd been more cranky than usual today. It was as if he was anticipating something, and I had no idea what it was.

After I dried off, I went into my closet and pulled on a black t-shirt and sweats. Everything in the closet was black. Everything had been black since that cursed day.

Somedays, I still woke up in the morning wondering why the moon decided to save my cranky ass and not them. Some days I wondered if things would have been different had they been alive, if things would have been better.

I pushed back the pain behind my usual wall of coldness, and made my way downstairs for coffee. But a quick look in the kitchen told me there was no coffee to be had. We hadn't gone grocery shopping yet. I sighed. I would just have to get it from one of the coffee shops.

I patted my pockets. Damn it. I didn't have my wallet or my phone. I gave them to Zach earlier before my run.

I growled under my breath, annoyed with myself and my wolf, and hit the front door. Zach would be at Ashley's.

As soon as I stepped outside, my wolf stopped pacing. I froze, sniffing the air. It was that smell again. Except it was much stronger. I tilted my head and followed the thread of the sweet scent to Ashley's cabin.

The closer I got, the faster my heart beat. My stomach tightened, and my wolf howled in my mind. He was trying to tell me something, but the scent was all my senses could focus on. What was wrong with me?

I knocked on the door, my hand moving on its own. Deep breaths. I couldn't get enough of it. The world retreated to the background, and blood rushed to my ears.

A movement inside, followed by the most addictive voice I had ever heard. "I got it!"

The word was a whisper on the edge of my mind. It got clearer as the person on the other side of the door got closer. My heart pounded faster and harder, and my blood felt like molten lava running through my veins. A bead of sweat trickled down my back. What was happening?

The whisper got louder. My wolf howled in the back of my mind.

It couldn't be...

The door cracked open. The scent became so strong it was all I could feel. I stared at the door, wide-eyed with shock and disbelief, as it opened to the most beautiful creature I had ever seen.

My heart rose to my throat. Our gazes locked, and something snapped into place with a resounding click.

Mate.

Long red hair tumbled down her back and over her shoulders in wild waves, a fiery halo surrounding her pale, radiant skin, almost matching the redness of her plump lips and the flush on her cheeks.

She looked at me with a hypnotizing gaze. Mismatched eyes that words couldn't describe, a brown so dark and a blue so pale they seemed to see deep into the darkest corners of my soul.

I breathed in more of her scent. It almost knocked me off my feet.

Someone spoke in the background. But nothing else mattered. I couldn't take my eyes off her. I was so afraid she might disappear, that I was just hallucinating or that I died and she was an angel guiding me to the moon. Because she definitely looked like an angel.

She was other-worldly.

She. She was not supposed to exist. I had been forcing myself to get used to the thought of not having her, ever since that cursed day. Ever since he took them and cursed me to forever be without the other half of my soul.

But I did. I found her. She was right here. My wolf shoved to the forefront of my mind, trying to push me toward her.

She looked back inside the house then back at me.

"Uh...Can I help you?" she asked and I had to clench my eyes shut and push my wolf back, because the sound of her voice just made me want to pull her to me. I clenched my fists so hard I could feel my nails drawing blood from my palms.

I had to control myself. My wolf was pushing me towards her but I couldn't. Not yet. Her enticing smell reminded me that she was a human. She didn't know anything about us.

She was a human.

The thought made me open my eyes and look at her small, fragile frame. A human who would get hurt easily. A human I could easily lose. A familiar pain flared in my chest at the thought.

Her features suddenly etched in worry as she looked at me with those eyes. God, those eyes.

"Ezra?" Zach's voice registered to my ears, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from her. I found myself wishing she spoke again.

She turned to look behind her and I mourned the loss of her eyes. My wolf whined in my mind, pushing me forward.

"Dude, what's wrong?" Zach's voice filled my head. I finally tore my gaze away from her and looked at him. He, Ashley and Sam were looking between the two of us in confusion.

"She's the one, Zach. She's my mate." I mind-linked him, speaking telepathically as only supernaturals could.

His eyes widened. He whipped his head towards her, slack-jawed, staring in disbelief at her like she was a miracle.

And she was. My miracle.

"Is something wrong?" she asked slowly, still looking at Zach. I couldn't stop the low growl that vibrated off my chest. God, that voice.

I had to get out of here before I did something I might regret. I dashed to my cabin with an abnormal speed, not even caring if a human saw. I had to get my shit together.

I slammed the door close behind me, breathing as if I'd just ran a marathon, then made my way out the back door and into the woods, breaking into a run. I didn't shift. If I did, my wolf would take over and go right to her.

Wind wished past my ears, and my heart roared in thrill and fear.

I just found my mate.

But how? She wasn't supposed to exist. He made sure of it. I was cursed, damn it! My feet pumped on the forest ground, and I ran faster, trying to escape the memories. It was easier, maybe because of her.

I doubled back when my head was relatively more clear and my wolf calmed down enough to know I was not going to barge into Ashley's in my fur.

Dripping in sweat, I made my way to the shower upstairs and jumped under the cold water. I missed her scent already.

I found Zach downstairs, leaning against the island with his arms crossed. He straightened up.

I plopped down on the couch and held my head in my hands, staring mindlessly at the gray carpet. My hands were still shaking.

Zach was one of the few people around whom I could let my guard down. We grew up together. He was my cousin, and he would be my second in the future.

"Ezra," Zach said hesitantly, "are you sure she's..."

I lowered my hands and glared at him. He held up his hands in surrender. I understood why he would think that. The curse was public knowledge in the supernatural world. It had happened in the same incident that shook the werewolf kingdom.

But I couldn't mistake it. I couldn't mistake her. Just thinking about her made my skin twitch, my wolf pushing to take over again and go to her. I wouldn't last long.

"How is he?" Zach asked as he sat down on an armchair.

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling fur prick at my fingers. "Still trying to break out of my skin. But calmer."

I looked at Zach. He was biting back a smile, the bastard. I could almost feel his wolf jumping around, excited.

"What?" he asked. "It's a pretty big deal, bro. I'm happy for you"

"Thanks," I grunted. My fists clenched on my thighs. I couldn't help worrying about her. She was human. A fragile human.

Zach sighed and leaned forward in his seat, his face turning serious. "I know what you're thinking, Ezra," he said. He knew me better than anyone else. "She might be human, but don't forget who you are."

My shoulders eased a fraction. He was right. Of course, he was right.

She was a vulnerable human. But I was the future alpha of the Regalis pack, the heir to the werewolf throne. And if anyone touched a hair on her head I would show them hell on earth. My wolf growled in approval and the memory of her beautiful eyes made my resolve grow ten folds.

My little miracle.

"So, what do you want to do about it?" Zach asked."

Nothing. For now," I answered firmly. "I don't want anyone to know. No one but you, Ashley, Jason and my father."

"Sam already knows. He figured it out on his own."

Of course he did. But it might be a good thing. Sam was playful and he adopted that devil-may-care attitude most of the time, but he was one of the few people, and the only vampire, I trusted in "my back.

"It's alright. He knows to keep quiet about it."

Zach nodded. "He'll also keep an eye out for his kind. You know what some of them did last year."

A furious growl ripped through me. If any of those bloodsucking assholes touched her, I would rip out their fangs.

Last year, a group of vampires attending school here were caught drinking from a human student. We found out later they had done it on several occasions, and after finishing their snack they had compelled the human to forget about it. They had gotten away with it for almost six months, but after getting caught they were expelled and then punished by their coven head.

School laws prohibited supernatural students from doing any act that might endanger the secret of our existence. That included vampires drinking from humans on school grounds, witches using their magic or werewolves shifting outside the magical boundaries in the woods.

The number of humans who attended the school was very small compared to the supernatural students. Humans were accepted into the school in order to keep supernaturals from closing in on ourselves, and to acclimate the young supernaturals to life in the real world where they would have to hide their identities.

My muscles tensed and relaxed. I was itching to go to her.

Zach looked at the ground, his eyes distant. He must be mind-linking.

"What is it?" I asked.

"They're back from lunch," Zach said. "Want to join them?"

My heart jumped. I wanted to. I wanted nothing more than to be permanently stuck by her side. Just a little longer. I was still too fidgety. "Not yet," I said. "What's her name?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" he said, his smile mischievous.

"Asshole."

He grinned. I felt a presence pushing inside my head, then Sam's voice resonated through our link.

"Ezra! My man! Congratulations," he said in his annoyingly cheerful voice. I grunted in response. "Oh, come on! Prince. Don't be so cranky. This is a day to be celebrated."

I sighed and rubbed my temples. "Just keep quiet about it for now."

"Don't worry, I'm not an amateur," he said. "I'll keep quiet about it and make sure no one comes near her. So starting today, I'm announcing myself her personal bodyguard."

I growled. "keep your damn distance, Sam."

"Oh, but it's too late." He chuckled. "Little red and I are already enjoying our intimate time together."

I was out of the door in a second. Zach followed close behind me. That damn vampire. I knew he was just trying to get under my skin, but I couldn't help my reaction.

Instead of ripping that door off its hinges like I wanted to, I stood for a few seconds in front of it and took a deep breath. Her scent lingered, helping to calm me. Zach looked immensely amused next to me.

Sam's laughter inside spurred me to knock. A second later, Ashley opened. She smiled, her dark eyes twinkling. "Come in, guys."

I stopped short of the threshold, frozen in place by her powering scent and the sight of her sitting there looking like the miracle that she was.

The world snapped into focus again, and I realized I was standing there staring at her like an idiot. I moved inside, taking deep breaths of her scent, craving more. It felt like breathing for the first time.

She was sitting in an armchair, while Sam sat in the couch close to her, with a shit eating grin that I wanted to slap off his face.

Ashley sat next to her, Zach on the arm of the couch closest to his mate. Which left me in the armchair across from her.

"Orla, this is Ezra. A friend," Ashley said with a smile.

Orla. My tongue rolled out the name. It was perfect.

I couldn't take my eyes off of her. My need to memorize the smallest details about her exceeded my need to not come off as a creep.

Orla sent a small wave my way, her magnificent eyes flickering uncertainly between Sam and I.

"Is it okay that we're here, Ashley and I?" she asked hesitantly. It took me a moment to get over the affect of her voice, when her words registered, my brows furrowed. What was she talking about?

"Why shouldn't you be here?" Zach asked.

"Well." She glanced at Sam, who looked too smug. "Sam said that Ezra has gynophobia. That's why he acted that way and ran away when I opened the door."

Silence. Then Zach and Sam were convulsing with laughter.

Gynophobia... I looked at Sam. I was going to kill him. Slowly. The damn vampire.

Orla looked in confusion between Zach and sam. Ashley shook her head, trying to be polite and bite back her smile. "He was joking, Orla. Ezra is not afraid of women."

Orla glared at Sam, a delicious blush rising to her cheeks. "Jerk," she muttered under her breath.

Her gaze flickered to me, and she gave me an apologetic smile, displaying a set of dimples. "Sorry about that."

I nodded, unable to find my voice.

"So, are you all sophomores?" she asked.

"Yeah," Zach said. "We can introduce you to some freshmen if you want."

"That would be nice," she smiled. "I don't really know anyone around here."

"Don't you worry, little red," Sam said. "I'll keep you company."

"Thanks, but I'll pass," Orla answered swiftly. Ashley and Zach laughed as Sam choked on air. I wanted to smile. The mischievous glint in her eyes was adorable.

"How come you're Sophomores. You look older." Her eyes widened. "I mean, in a good way. That is, you look more mature-"

Ashley laughed. "Don't worry, we're not offended. And yes, we are twenty one, except for Sam. We sort of took a break after high school."

"Oh." She looked at Sam. "How old are you?"

"Twenty five," he said with a wink. "Plus minus a few years."

Zach snorted. Ashely jabbed her elbow in his side. Sam was certainly not twenty-five years old. He was five hundred and sixty five years old.

He wasn't the oldest of his kind, but he was still old even amongst vampires.

"So you're a scholarship student?" Zach asked. Orla nodded.

Sam whistled. "I'm surprised little red. I didn't expect you to be that smart, I guess I was wrong."

"And I didn't expect you to be that smart. I guess I was right." Orla replied with a cheeky smile.

Everyone laughed, including Sam. My lips twitched up involuntarily. I hadn't seen someone put sam in his place in a while.

"So what did you do in your break? Travel?"

Ash and Zach's gaze flickered to mine. Ash nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, you could say that."

"Nice," Orla said, clearly impressed.

Travel was not exactly what we had done. After finishing high school, werewolves usually went through pack training. The duration and contents of the training depended on the position of the wolf in the pack. For warriors it consisted of hand-to-hand combat, fighting strategies and tactics amongst other things. They, along with Alphas and upper wolves, had the longest training periods. Mine took almost five years of training under my father and his closest subordinates even before I finished high school, then in another pack in Europe afterward.

After pack training, wolves could choose to be active members of their packs. But they were usually encouraged to follow some form of higher education and a degree, in order to help them blend in with humans when needed.

For me, I followed a degree in Business management. I would be taking over as president for the Regalis Group Corporation after my father retired.

As conversation flowed, Orla glanced my way and realized I was staring. She smiled and shifted in her seat, her eyes flickering away then back again. I looked away. I was making her uncomfortable. But I couldn't keep my eyes from seeking her again.

Ashely stood and stretched her arms up with a graon. Zach rubbed her back. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm tired of being inside and I want some coffee. How about we go out?"

Orla was still sitting, Ashley looked at her with a smile. "Come on, Orla."

Orla smiled in something close to relief. She jumped to her feet, and Ashley linked their arms together.

We strolled to the common room, a space on the ground floor of the cafeteria building. Ashley gave me a wink and moved so Orla was walking beside me. My heart was beating wildly in my chest, and I couldn't help but steal glances at her as she spoke with Ashley, her face animated and the fiery halo of her hair dancing in the soft autumn breeze.

My hand twitched. I wanted to touch her skin, see if it was as soft as it looked. I relished in the proximity of her body, taking deep subtle whiffs of her scent. Her small size reminded me of her vulnerability.

"Eyes ahead, your highness," Sam mumbled in a low voice next to me.

I gave him a long look. His grin was unrepentant. Students were still coming in with their luggage. School would only start next Monday, after the bonfire weekend.

Almost everyone we passed by would pause in their tracks to give us respectful nods. Some of the new students who would look at us with wide eyes, as if they were seeing royalty. Which, technically, they did.

"Why are they looking at us like that?" Orla whispered to Ashley, nodding towards a group of students. They were freshmen wolves, whose saucer eyes were fired on us. As soon as I turned my attention to them, their eyes flickered down, and they nodded in greeting.

Meeting an alpha's eyes head on was considered a challenge. Usually, wolves would look down, then wait for the alpha to acknowledge their submission before meeting his gaze. It was an instinct that came naturally to werewolves.

"Why, they're entranced by our stunning good looks, of course," Sam said matter of factly. Orla pursed her lips, but her cheeks dimpled and a smile peeked through.

"Remember I told you about me being on the student council," Ashley said. Orla nodded. "Ezra and Zach are also members of it."

Orla's eyes flickered up to meet mine, her pink lips in an 'O' shape. My breath caught in my throat, looking in her eyes from such a close distance I couldn't help but be transfixed by the view. Her eyes were such a beautiful contrast.

She blinked then looked down, her hair doing nothing to hide the flush on her cheeks. My fingers twitched.

The common room was mildly crowded. The several seating arrangement around the large space were mostly occupied. The bar counter stretched on one side of the space, across the stairway that led to the cafeteria upstairs.

We headed to an unoccupied corner of the bar counter, where a female werewolf sat on one of the stools, tapping on her phone. She looked up when we approached, sitting up straighter, she dipped her head my way, her eyes flickering to Orla next to me.

"Hey, Sarah," Ashley said, taking the stool closest to her. She turned to Orla. "This is Sarah, she's also a freshman."

"Oh," Orla smiled. "Nice to meet you. I'm Orla."

"Nice to meet you," Sarah said, her smile reserved and unsure. A human with a group of highly ranked wolves and a powerful vampire was not a common sight.

We settled down at the counter; I sat down next to Orla, and the girls fell into an easy conversation.

Zach and Sam were speaking as well, and I had no clue what they were talking about. All my senses were attuned to the girl next to me. Her voice was a siren's song to my ears.

She glanced at me. I was staring again. Look away, I told myself, you're freaking her out. But I couldn't. I didn't want to. She smiled at me, a genuine smile that made me want to smile back.

"Alright, what do you want girls?" Ashely said out loud, leaning on the counter to look at Sam with a smirk. "Sam's paying."

Sam rolled his eyes then waved his hand. "Go ahead."

The girls eyed the menu board stretched on the wall above the counter. Orla perked up, her smile excited. "One iced chocolate, please."

Sam and Ashley laughed out loud.

"Why am I not surprised," Sam said, shaking his head. She leaned over the counter to stick her tongue out at him.

"What do you mean?" Zach asked, as confused as I was.

"She had two chocolate desserts in lunch, then a large cup of hot chocolate on our way back," Sam said. "She might be addicted."

Orla narrowed her eyes at Sam. "Make it extra large iced chocolate, since Sam is paying."

Ashely snickered then waved over the waiter. The drinks arrived shortly after. As the room got busier, more people came by to greet us. I caught Orla glancing my way after the first four students who came to pay their respects.

Orla had drawn the attention of many curious onlookers; the human surrounded by royal pack wolves. I was very thankful for the fact that Orla was Ashley's roommate. If that hadn't been the case, her being with us would make people too suspicious.

I didn't like the fact that I had to hide her identity. But I didn't want to tell her anything about the supernatural world until she got to know me a little better. And I didn't want to tell anyone about her until she knew everything about me.

So while I didn't appreciate how people were ogling her, I had to be patient and keep in mind she was still a human.

When the room got too busy, we made our way back. The sunset fell in a soft orange glow on Orla's skin, and made her hair look as if the strands were on fire. Ashley made sure she walked next to me again, for which I was grateful. And this time, she was a bit closer, as if she was getting used to my being next to her.

We stopped next to our cabins. "See you guys at dinner," Ashley said, giving Zach a peck on his cheek. Orla glanced my way.

The thought of being away from her already made my wolf lash out. She caught my eye and I couldn't breathe again, she was an ethereal sight with the setting sun behind her.

Her eyes glimmered with an emotion I couldn't place. I could swear she saw through my stony front, right through the fragments of my broken soul, to my past pains and future hopes.

I still couldn't believe I found her. Suddenly, I was afraid that this was just a dream, that I'd wake up in the morning to a world without her.

It was a silly thought. But when you go for so long without hope, it becomes such a foreign feeling.

She blinked again then looked down, a thoughtful look crossing her face before she shook her head slightly. her head slightly as if to clear her thoughts. She gazed at Zach and Sam, then at me before smiling. "See you later."

With those two words, she followed Ash inside their cabin. I blinked hard pushing my wolf back, but it wasn't just my wolf who pushed me towards her anymore.

"Meeting after dinner?" Sam asked, making me wrench my gaze from the closed door.

"Yes. Zach bring Jason with you," I ordered. Zach nodded in understanding as we made our way to our cabin.

"I'll just stick around here then," Sam said following us inside. I shrugged, heading to the backdoor.

"Where to?" Zach called.

"To see my father."

I walked in my skin until I was past the spell's borders. The spell made sure humans couldn't see or venture past a certain point in the woods.

As soon as I made it past the borders, I tore into my black wolf and dashed through the woods towards the pack. Regalis was the royal pack. The werewolf king ruled over all werewolves in the world, but he was also the alpha of the Regalis pack.

The school grounds were on the edge of the royal pack land. The pack village was much deeper in the woods, about a half an hour wolf run from the school ground.

I searched in my mind for a familiar presence.

"Dad?" I called through in link and I felt him stir.

"Yes, son? What is it?"

"I need to talk to you. Are you home?"

"No, in my office in the pack house. Is something wrong?"

"No. I just have some news. I'll be there in twenty."

"Alright."

I picked up my pace, savoring the breeze rippling through my fur, until I was nothing but a dark blur zipping through the trees, rusling leaves like the wind.

The sky grew darker, and the light shied away from the forest's thick vegetation.

My mind constantly wandered to a certain red head with spectacular mismatched eyes. I had no idea how I was supposed to tell her about who I was, about our world. How to tell her that a world she only read about in fantasy books was indeed real, very real?

But it didn't matter. I would find a way. She was mine as much as I was hers.

Trees thinned out as I approached the edge of the forest. I shifted back and pulled on a pair of shorts. We kept clothes scattered in tree burrows all around the woods. Although we were part animal, prancing around butt naked wasn't very appreciated.

Pack members dipped their head at me as I walked through cabins until I reached a big, three story structure. The pack house.

Staff scurried around from the kitchen to the dinning hall, where dinner would soon be served, their hurried steps muted against the wooden floors. I made my way to the third floor, the alpha's wing.

"Come in," my father's voice called from the other side after I knocked on the double oak doors of his office.

He looked up with dark tired eyes and nodded to the chair in front of his desk. His black hair was disheveled, as if he had ran his hands through it hundreds of times, and his jaw sported a short beard. He hadn't shaved in weeks.

People around us always said that my brother Zander and I were carbon copies of our father. Although my mom used to say our eyes were different. No one agreed with her though, we all had similar dark brown eyes.

I blinked back the pain and thought of the best way to break the news to my father.

"Son?" He arched a brow at me in expectancy. Well, the direct approach always suited me the best. My wolf agreed.

"I found my mate."

Silence.

Pin drop silence. The only sound I could hear was my heart beating as my father stared at me, his eyes unblinking. After a few seconds opened his mouth then closed it. Then opened it again and closed it.

Zach would kill to see this.

I arched a brow at my father. He cleared his throat then leaned on his desk, clasping his hands loosely on top of it.

"Are you sure?"

I bit back a growl. Why did they keep asking that? I understood why they would have a difficult time believing me, though.

I had been cursed by the most powerful witch on the face of earth, after all. He made sure I knew I would live without a mate.

Although after news of his death had reached us a couple of years ago, some witches believed the curse would be broken, while the majority stood firmly by the opinion that the curse would remain, even after his death.

I had believed the latter, refusing to give in to hope, so sure that I was cursed to eternity.

How wrong I had been.

"Positive," I firmly replied. "I wouldn't mistake that, dad."

A genuine smile graced my father's features. The first in so many years. He stood up, made his way around the desk, meeting me halfway and hugging me tightly to him.

"Good," he choked out, patting my back. "Good. I'm happy for you son."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. My father let go of me and squeezed my shoulders. I saw something flash in his eyes, a glimmer of much needed hope.

"How?" he asked after we took back our seats.

"She's Ashley's roommate. She's a human."

"A human. It means you'll have to be patient." I nodded in understanding. "But regardless of what she is, she's one of ours now."

"I know. I haven't told anyone yet. Ashley, Zach and Sam are the only ones who know. And I'll tell Jason tonight."

My father scratched his beard. "Good, what do you plan on doing?"

"I'll take it slow." I shrugged. "And I'll keep quiet about it until the time is right for me to tell her."

He slowly nodded. "Alright, let me know if something comes up."

"Okay." I rose. "Good night, then."

"Good night, son."

I walked to the door, just as I put my hand on the knob, my dad's teasing voice stopped me. "I'll be present in the opening ceremony. I expect to be introduced then."

I groaned inwardly, waving a hand over my shoulder before exiting the office.

My heart was lighter on the run back to my cabin. The brief absence of pain in my father's eyes gave me hope. Moonlight poking through the trees illuminating my way. Not that I needed any with my wolf vision.

I shifted on the spell's borders, dressed then walked the rest of the way to my cabin. Meyes flickered to the windows of the cabin next door. The lights were on.

They must have gone to dinner already. It was a shame I couldn't be there.

I shook my head and went inside. Zach and Ashley were glued to each other on the couch, Jason next to them, and Sam was sprawled on an armchair, his cheek on his fist, looking both bored and amused at the same time.

Jason stood up and dipped his head. "Your majesty."

I took the other armchair and motioned for him to take a seat.

Jason was a loyal wolf and a very strong warrior. I knew him for years, and planned on making him the next mater-at-arms. Right now, as a senior, he helped keep a close eye on things in the midst of students.

"I briefed him about Orla," Zach said.

"Good, no one knows except the people present here and my father, "and we're keeping it that way for now," I said, looking at all of them. "Sam, I would appreciate it if you keep an eye on things on the vampire side around here."

"Don't worry about it," he said with a smile that revealed sharp fangs. "No one will come near her."

"Good. Because if anyone does, I'll deal with it personally. And they'll be asking for death by the time I'm done with them."

I looked at Jason. "Jason, keep your eyes open. If the news somehow got out or if there's any talk going around about this I want to know about it," I said. "Also, I don't know how some students might take to her spending time with us. I want to know if there is displeasure about it among the ranks of werewolf students. Understood?"

He nodded, his green eyes sharp. I didn't like the way some students had been looking at her, disapproval in their eyes. As if a mere human shouldn't be walking with their future king. Some supernaturals were biased against humans. I just hoped nothing would come out of it. 

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M.B.