“And my nephew Callum has taken interest,” Councilwoman Navarro says brightly. Her eyes glitter like shimmering rubies. “We would be happy to welcome her into the Navarro bloodline.”
A calculating gleam enters the others’ eyes.
I’m not a person beneath their gazes; I’m merely a weapon to add to their arsenal.
The headmaster claps his hands lightly. “There is still time for her to choose.” Nodding, he addresses me next. “You have three years at this academy, Sienna, and it’s only been a single turn of the moon, if even that. Let us see what your heat cycle brings, and we will reevaluate your connections with your suitors.”
Gag me.
“Sounds wonderful,” I reply, hiding my bitterness beneath a cheery lilt in my voice. “Can’t wait for my next assessment.”
A vein pulses in Alpha Dire’s forehead. “This is no laughing matter. You are a hybrid, and as such, shifter law demands your death.” His face blotches as he speaks. “I have every right to demand your head?—”
A chorus of protests erupts from his colleagues. The few shifters on his side fall in line, but the rest oppose on various grounds.
She’s too interesting not to study first.
We don’t yet know her true nature.
Killing her may affect both her fated mate and the wild one.
Such laws are outdated and should be abolished.
On and on they go, barely finishing one sentence before another person begins. The headmaster doesn’t take his twinkling eyes off me, like he’s in on a secret he’s keen to share. “Regardless of what she is or is not, Sienna Ashburn remains a student of this academy.” The others fall silent as tendrils of smoke curl past the edges Loreander’s smile. “Therefore, untilsuch time as she graduates or joins one of the many packs or bloodlines interested in cultivating her boundless potential, she falls under my jurisdiction. No harm shall come to her.”
Alpha Dire looks like he might explode but doesn’t argue. None of them do. They begin talking among themselves, and I stand still to observe them the same way they do to me. The grumpy ones flock to each other as much as the enthusiastic ones do, their cliques separated by species. Alistair hangs back, arms crossed and gaze steady as he glares at me.
I have a feeling that this will be our new normal: icy silences broken only by tempers so hot that we burn for each other.
Closing my eyes, I squash the internal fire threatening to consume me. It was bad enough to know that three mencouldmate with me—but knowing that the goddamn elders are taking bets makes the pressure ten times worse.
All I’ve wanted is to graduate and earn my place among a pack of my choosing, as is my right for beating every other shifter in this godforsaken academy to the top.
But what if fate has other plans?
I shiver at the thought of an unseen force pulling the strings. I doubt they have my best interest in mind or I would have never lost my family to begin with. Everything beyond that has been one cruel twist after another, all leading up to this very moment.
I’m surrounded by people who want me for all the wrong reasons, and it fucking hurts.
I blink away stubborn tears as Headmaster Loreander wanders to my side. The elders, now engrossed in conversation among themselves, ignore their alleged prize and disperse without needing to be dismissed. Alpha Dire storms past his son without so much as a goodbye, but Alistair lingers, his eyes tracking my every move.
Does he enjoy watching others pluck at me like vultures?
The lingering ache in my chest grows until Alistair swallows hard and looks away, promptly following his father deeper into the castle.
So much for having a fated mate who actually gives a shit about me.
“I would not fret. Your fate has yet to be decided, Sienna Ashburn.”
I force myself to turn around.
Headmaster Loreander waits patiently for my attention. “Fire is a rare gift, Sienna. You should not fear it.”
“Fear isn’t exactly the emotion that comes to mind.” Surprise, mostly, with a hint of trepidation, but I don’t fear fire. After what it’s taken from me, perhaps I should.
He nods. “That is good. Your emotions may be key to unlocking your powers. It would be wise to control them.” Lifting a manicured brow, he smiles. “Including your temper.”
I purse my lips and cross my arms simultaneously. “I don’t have a temper.” At least, it’s notallmy own anymore. Sighing, I shake my head. “It’s like I can feel his anger before I recognize that it’s not mine, and by that point, the two have merged. Our emotions blend together until I can’t tell them apart.” I don’t clarify whichhimI’m speaking about since I’m not entirely sure. Any one of my potential mates seems capable of manipulating my feelings.
