Page 26 of Plug and Claim

He and the Populars were all she could think about as she spooned yoghurt and berries into her mouth. That was the sort of pack she needed to join—one where their omegas were worth more than another pack’s alpha. If the Populars ruled the wolves, then it was where she needed to be if she hoped to have a chance of uniting all of the packs.

Kira glanced down at her long white socks. Would her virginity really give her first choice of what pack to join? The thought that anyone would take such interest in whether she’d had sex before or not was unnerving.

“I’ll drop you off at your first class,” Susie said, glancing at the timetable she’d given Kira. “Looks like you have potions, ick. Fair warning, wolves are always terrible at potions, so don’t feel bad if you suck at it.”

The classroom was on the ground floor.

“Last door on the end,” Susie said. “I’ll see you at lunch.”

“Wait,” Kira said. “I want to say thank you. And also, just for the record…”

Susie turned back. “Yes?”

“I think the whole white socks and virginity thing is really fucking stupid.”

Susie laughed and patted her on the arm. “I know. But you may as well make the most of it.”

Oh, I plan to.

It was bizarre to think that she was now a prize to be won. It would be interesting to see who the candidates were, even though she’d already made up her mind on who she wanted. There was only one alpha who was deserving enough to win her.

Smile, Mark. Enjoy your victory. You’ll have exactly five seconds before I knock that crown off your head.

It was time for a new alpha to take charge.

Chapter 10

Potions Class

Kira

Kira sat at the back of the classroom, hoping she would be less conspicuous when she failed to replicate the thick, orange sludge called ‘Havagash’ bubbling in the cauldron on Professor Parna’s desk.

Kira stared down at the textbook the wispy-haired professor had lent her. He’d given her some helpful tips on how to achieve a pumpkin-soup-like consistency, but she didn’t recognise half the ingredients on her desk.

“Don’t look so worried,” said a female vampire sitting at the desk beside her. She had disinterested eyes and a black bob with a very short fringe. “It’s not that hard.”

“It’s not?” Kira asked. She couldn’t tell from the vampiress’ flat tone if she was being helpful or patronising.

“No, it’s not. As long as you mash the sulphur to a fine enough powder, you’ll be fine.”

“Right,” Kira said, pulling the mortar and pestle towards her. “And the sulphur is…”

“The yellow one. And don’t add too much moonstone essence—you only need a drop. Otherwise, you’ll be numb for weeks.”

“Numb?”

The vampiress gave her a wicked smile that mimicked the wings of her eyeliner. “Oh yes. It numbs your mouth, and if you swallow it, your throat will go numb as well.” She winked. “Popular with your lot in particular.”

“With my lot? Why’s that?” But she already knew. If the wolves had a reputation for being sexually active, she could only guess why a potion that numbed the throat would be helpful.

The vampiress clicked her tongue and grinned. “Honey, don’t be shy!”

“I’m not,” Kira answered, turning her attention back to the textbook. She skimmed the other pages—the more interesting potions had all been crossed out, presumably because they required real witch magic. She sighed and peered into the small cauldron on her desk. It looked like milky broth.

“I’m Victoria,” said the vampiress, extending a dainty hand across the aisle.

“Kira,” she said, shaking her hand. Her gaze lingered on Victoria’s long nails, which were a bright shade of fuchsia.