I didn’t know, but now I understand.
Why was I always the last to know stuff about Rawling? I needed to get my wolf schooled on how to determine who was a shifter and if I had any more siblings roaming the earth.
The professor faced Rawling’s wolf as Mrs. Ardilla scuttled toward him, still being very squirrel-like. She took the baby, and he mumbled that the baby could have been his grandchild if life had turned out differently. Mrs. Ardilla backed off, holding Eira.
The professor’s face was drained of color. “This is impossible. You weren’t a shifter. You were something else,” he yelled.
I’d had enough of this shit, and I strode toward the professor as Rawling took his skin. Well fuck, I’d seen him naked during the pledging activities last semester, but I hadn’t paid much attention to his junk. Why was he so impressive ineveryarea.
We were standing shoulder to shoulder, and I realized we were the same height. Rawling wept as he took Eira from Mrs. Ardilla. I took off my blazer and put it around his shoulders. Nice wasn’t in my nature, but I could make an exception.
“I don’t… don’t know… what just happened. Can someone explain it?” His face was buried in Eira’s hair.
“You found your wolf. Big deal.”
Every shifter experienced their first time differently, but thinking you were latent and discovering you had a beast—and not just any beast, but probably the biggest in the school—must have been disconcerting. Not that I cared.
“Rawling.” Now Phelan was here, and they’d be lovely-dovey and they’d hold it over me about my brother’s wolf being bigger and scarier than mine.
“Get me out of here, Phelan.”
A crowd had gathered, and Phelan led his mate away who was still clutching Eira. I waved at her and then yanked my hand back. Who did that? Wasn’t me.
“My ring.” Rawling paused, and I went to pick it up. It was in four pieces, but Phelan pushed me out of the way. He placed the bits on his mate’s palm, and Rawling curled his fingers around it. We shared a glance.
“Show’s over, folks.” Mrs. Ardilla was waving her hands, and the crowd dispersed.
“You misled me.” No one spoke to a professor like that, but he’d put an idea in my head, and now with Rawling being a shifter, I outranked everyone in the school again, and I needed answers from Professor Shaw.
“Atticus, remember your place.”
I ignored Mrs. Ardilla.
“You made me believe he was human and the ring was protecting his true identity.”
“You’re lying, son.” He puffed out his chest, but he appeared to have shrunk. He was always so confident, with his tweed jackets and stuffy attitude, and now he’d aged ten years. “I did nothing of the sort.”
He lifted his chin and stormed off, muttering, “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
I didn’t know what he was going on about, but I put my hands in my pockets and strolled back to Phoenix House. Students slapped my shoulder and congratulated me on having such a powerful shifter brother. My first instinct was to snarl at them and say I was better and bigger and more beautiful. It wasn’t true, but that had never stopped me before.
But I was kinda enjoying being associated with Rawling and his beast. We were brothers, and we could take on the world together, though that was me getting ahead of myself. Maybe it was time to let the animosity go, or some of it, anyway. It had festered inside me long enough, and I didn’t like who I was when I was constantly snarking.
I doubted Rawling and I would ever be best friends, but I could bask in the spotlight of having a brother with a formidable wolf. Life had taken a downturn after Jack beat me and Rawling’s identity was revealed. I fingered my scar. But now the future was looking up, and I was going to enjoy every minute.
THIRTY-ONE
RAWLING
Phelan must have guided me up the stairs because I was in the infirmary, and dressed in a bathrobe. It was soft, and I savored the familiar scent of the laundry detergent.
Jack ran in and babbled to Phelan about shifting and wolves. Didn’t she have a bear? That was pretty new. I should talk to her about it. She asked if she could put Eira down for a nap. Did I reply? I recalled my mate gently removing my daughter from me and putting my little one’s forehead close to mine. I breathed in her distinct scent, but my nostrils and mouth had a sensation I couldn’t get rid of. It was similar to when I was pregnant and a metallic taste coated my tongue.
But now my mouth tasted of wolf? What?
I’m here.
Oh gods. My knees sagged. I was done with hearing voices.
