“Let me out and I won’t give you any trouble.” The mage studied me for a moment and then nodded.
“Nope, I know you won’t.” He smirked. “Not if you want to see your witchling again.”
Anger rolled over me as my bear fought against the magical constraints, but it was no use. Even a shifter with my strength couldn’t break the cuffs.
I huffed loudly while forcing my shoulders to relax. “Look, just let me out, yeah?”
“That’s why I’m here, Wilder.”
“Some clothes would be nice,” I added when I stood and the blanket dropped to the floor.
The mage threw a pair of pants at me before unlocking the cuffs. I caught sight of another armed mage in a uniform standing out in the corridor and guessed they weren’t taking any chances.Pathetic.
The pants barely fit my ass, but at least my dick was no longer hanging free. I’d take that as a win.
“What about my shit? I hope you picked up my stuff.” Damn, if they’d lost my truck keys, I’d be fucking angry. My phone and wallet too.
“Cool your jets. You can have them once you sign the release paperwork.”
Thirty minutes later I stood on the path outside the concrete building with all my worldly possessions in a plastic bag. It had been a long time since I’d spent the night in lockup, and I was keen to put some distance between me and this shithole of a town.
The detention center lay ten miles east of the small market where I’d found my mate. I could have demanded they transport me back there, but my bear needed to stretch his legs after yesterday’s trauma.
Once I’d passed through the magical perimeter surrounding the detention center, I shifted. The lingering pain from being stunned melted away as my bear soaked up all the sounds and smells of the forest.
This was our happy place. Where we felt most comfortable. Away from humans and their stink.
My bear picked up the bag containing our belongings and loped into the forest, eager to get back to our truck so we could find our mate.
By the time I reached the parking lot where I’d left my truck, I had a plan. I knew exactly where the mage had taken my mate but no way of reaching her. Starfall Academy had the best security in the country. Those in power went to great lengths to ensure their little darlingswere safe and also that the humans in the surrounding area were safe from the students.
Back in the day, I’d attended Starfall, along with my cousin, Thorrin. I hadn’t forgotten how cutthroat the place was. As a large shifter, I’d been safe enough, but some of the weaker students there were not so lucky.
I wasn’t about to leave my mate unprotected. If anyone dared hurt her, they’d regret it.
“Maverick, long time no hear from.” Boon and I hadn’t spoken since I quit working for the Shifter Council. I didn’t blame Boon for what happened, but he still owed me. He sighed. “Since I assume this isn’t a friendly catch-up, wanna tell me what you need my help with?”
“I need you to get me a job at Starfall Academy.”
Boon went silent for a moment, clearly surprised at my request.
“Um, why? Of all the favors you could have asked for, this wasn’t on my bingo card.”
My jaw ticked in irritation.
“Look, can you do it or not?” Boon was a fixer, but even he had his limits. The Supernatural Council had the final say over what happened at Starfall, but the mage headmaster, Montgomery, was powerful in his own right. He didn’t take kindly to outside interference.
“You’re in luck, as it happens. The PT coach had an accident last week, so they’ve been looking for someone to cover for him.”
“What happened to him?” Not that I gave a shit.
“Got ripped to shreds by a feral wolf. The guy’s been in a coma ever since.”
Feral shifter attacks were becoming more frequent, which was a concern. The problem was, nobody knew what caused law-abiding shifters to turn feral.
After what happened to the vamps, the Shifter Council was justifiably worried some shady organization was deliberately targeting our species to shift the power balance in favor of the mages. Tiberius Vane had been very vocal about his belief that mages and witches were the superior magicals. Mage-supremacy pressure groups were on the rise, and unprovoked attacks on lesser species were depressingly common these days.
“Can you get me in?”
