Respect?

I laughed maniacally. “Pretty sure you need to know what that is to be able to teach it.”

We’d gathered an audience, and while I might not know much about the ins and outs of this place, being an alpha meant not letting others dominate you, Rage included.

I crossed my arms. “If you want my respect, you’ll need to earn it.”

Someone gasped, and someone else snickered.

Maybe I’d find the snickerer later; they might be the only other sane person here. Right now, I needed to leave—pronto. I hefted my bag and marched toward the Crescent Clan’s quarters. Hopefully, Nolan would be nicer than I remembered. I was done with asshats for the day.

I stormed toward the building with the crescent moon on its faded door. The grounds on either side of the walkway were overgrown with weeds—not a bloom in sight. Several steps leading up to the door were broken and crumbling, and I grimaced at the vines crawling up the gray stone … poison ivy.

Leaves littered the ground of the portico, and the volume of debris in the corners indicated years without attention—probably ever since our clan’s banishment.

Great.

Reaching up to the door, I knocked, but the sensation of attention from behind served as motivation to try the handle. This was my clan’s dorm anyway, right? The knob turned, but the wood grated against the jamb as I shoved the door open.

Stepping inside, I noted the afternoon sunlight filtering through the windows, illuminating the layers of dirt and grime. Everything was covered in years of dust, from the chandelier above to the—I dragged my flip-flops through the gray dust and shook my head—marble floor below.

Gross.

After kicking the door closed behind me, I shouted, “Hello?”

Nothing.

The stale air carried the scent of rodent droppings. I saw no evidence that this area had been disturbed recently. Did Nolan even live in this dump? Not that I’d blame him if he didn’t. I’d rather camp in a tent then live in this biohazard. I dropped my bag next to the stairs, figuring the bedrooms would at least be one level up, and then set off to find Nolan. Hopefully, I’d find a snack along the way. I was starved.

My flip-flops slapped against the floor as I wandered in and out of the dusty, unkempt rooms. This place was massive. I spied a ballroom, a game room with foosball, pool, and air hockey, and a study, all down in the south wing. But the neglect made it all the worse. Seeing a dusty, half-broken foosball table was a crime but less so than the books piled on the floor in the library.

My stomach rumbled in protest of my missed meal, and I closed the door of a musty sitting room and then headed back to the foyer. From there, I moved to the north side of the first floor, getting my bearings around this place.

The sunlight waned, and I flipped the light switch in the kitchen, groaning in dismay. How could we have no electricity? Did that mean no refrigerator?

What little light streaming through the windows illuminated the boxes covering the counter. I knew they were food. I could smell it. Rotten bananas and sour milk—which meant someone had lived here recently enough to spill milk and still have it stink.

Nolan, you filthy pig.

The groan of the door protesting its abuse caught my attention, and I shouted, “Nolan?”

“Eww, this is nasty,” a young woman griped, her voice floating down the hall to me. “Effin’ alpha king and effin’ Midnight Clan.”

No idea who she was, but I liked her already.

“Hello,” she called in a singsong voice. “I know you’re in here, Crescent girl. I’ve come to save your sorry tail from an alpha heir beatdown.”

I chuckled—couldn’t help it. Is that what the others thought? That Rage would actually hurt me? I mean he was a total asshole of the highest order but … beatdown?

No way. She must have been outside just now and caught my little spat with Rage.

A young woman about my age stepped through the doorway, and her expression of disgust melted into a grin. “There you are.”

She was several inches shorter than I, maybe five and a half feet, with auburn hair and fair skin dusted with freckles. She wore a green dress, full-on medieval-times attire, and her hair was pulled up into a fancy twist with a crown of flowers. The three-quarter moon mark stood out on her forehead. Harvest Clan.

With a smile, she crossed the black and white tiles of the kitchen floor and extended her hand to me. “My name is Kaja. I’m from Harvest Clan.” Shaking her head, she added, “Please spare me the farmer jokes.”

I snorted. “Wasn’t going to go there. I’m Nai.”

We shook hands briefly.

I never dreamed I’d actually make a friend here. I thought it was a kill-or-be-killed kind of mentality on the island.

“The way you told Prince Courage off like that … epic. Had to meet you and save you from dying of dust inhalation.” She indicated the thick layer of grime that rested on everything.

I chuckled. “Sometimes, men need to be put in their place.” Then I pointed to the nasty kitchen. “What’s up with this? Does my cousin seriously live like this?”

Her face suddenly became somber, “Well, we all get maids and stuff paid for by the crown. When your pack got … uh… ”

I understood her message, loud and clear. We no longer had the luxuries of a clan that was accepted here.

“Are we supposed to wear a costume?” I asked, indicating her outfit and changing the subject. What had the boys said on the way in? Something about things being more formal…

Kaja laughed and then waved her hand up and down, pointing at my body. “Tonight, we are. Aren’t you going to change before the opening ceremony?”

Crap. I’d forgotten. “Yeah, totally—”

“You don’t have Alpha Academy-approved dresses, do you?” She flattened her lips and snorted.

“Nope.”

She frowned. “Did they send you the supply list and dress code?”

Anger flared between my shoulder blades like a searing poker right through my back. “No. They didn’t.”

She grabbed my wrist and tugged. “Come on. If we hurry, we might still make it before the High Mage Council arrives. I’m not letting Midnight sabotage you. You and I are going to be bestie-pals, just so we’re clear.”

A grin pulled at my lips, and I followed along, letting her drag me out of the kitchen while she chatted me up.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” I asked when she took a breath. “Not that I’m not grateful, but you don’t know me.” Technically, we were all in competition with each other for the alpha king position. I’m sure it was assumed Rage would take it, but rules stated any one of us could fight for it after we graduated.

She glanced my way with her eyebrows raised high. “First of all, I’m tenth in line to be alpha, and I have eight more siblings at home. So I’m just here to make my mom happy in case my entire family dies overnight.”

I snort-laughed. Eighteen heirs! I couldn’t imagine that many siblings.

“Second, the Midnight heirs disappeared this morning, and there was a big freak-out. The whole island was locked down—and you came back with them, bringing fireworks with you. I don’t need to know any more than that.”

“Well, I’m grateful to have a friend,” I told her honestly. This girl was a bit forward, but I’d take that any day over stuffy and priggish.