I bade “Madam Scary Dark Witch,” aka Kalama, goodnight, and grabbed my box of cold pizza and cheese sticks before heading to the door. The cafeteria was mostly empty—all traces of the Selkie attack gone. A few groups of students still sat at the Formica tables even though dinner was over, all of them chatting about … who knew? Probably weekend plans or sucky class assignments. I had far too much of the latter to worry about the former. Not to mention the sorry state of my dorm.

Ugh. The only food I had was the three meals served at the school or what I could snake from the coffee cart if it didn’t sell and was near the expiration. We’d literally been given nothing. I was surprised we had running water.

“Hey, Nai,” Noble shouted from across the room.

I spun, and my boxed dinner slid from the stack of books I carried. Reaching out, I managed to swing the stack and prevent the loss of dinner and then looked up.

He sat atop the table with Justice and Honor on either side, a cluster of girls spread on the benches at their feet. Evil Barbie was one of them. Anyone who needed a reminder of pack hierarchy needed only to see this. The princes appeared as if ministering to a harem of admirers. Funny, Rage wasn’t here with them. Justice muttered something to Noble, who cut him off with a shake of his head.

“Are you coming tomorrow night?” Noble asked me, raising his chin, his smile promising mischief.

Sighing, I shook my head. “Nope. Not even sure what activity or thing you’re referencing. I’ve got too much work tomorrow.”

The corner of Honor’s lips turned down. “You don’t have work tomorrow. It’s Saturday. No work. No school.”

Must be nice.

I snorted. “I’ve got homework and housework, things I can’t do when I’m working my three jobs. No. Still not going.”

“But it’s the bonfire,” Noble explained. “You’ve got to come. We’re going to eat s’mores—”

“And drink mage wine,” Honor added. “Everyone gets happy drunk. You should totally come. You need happy—I can tell.”

The girls at his feet shot me a glare, which I gladly returned. Okay, maybe I was in need of happy, but I had no time for it if I wanted to pass my classes.

Justice took a deep breath and met my gaze, his green eyes searing into me. “You do look like you could use a dose of happy.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Everyone will be there,” Noble added as if that would sway me.

I tore my gaze from Justice and forced a swallow. “No can do. Sorry, guys.”

I was used to Noble and Honor being nice, but Justice? What was going on? Before they could intervene further, I bade them goodnight.

Their farewells followed me out of the cafeteria and into the evening. I crossed campus to Crescent House and entered through the side door. The kitchen lights worked as did the refrigerator now, a bonus of having Nolan and me working to pay our clan tax, so that was mage-freaking-tastic.

After devouring the pizza, I caught up on homework, reading ahead in the fire textbook until my eyes practically bled.

The biggest problem with sitting in class all day was the sensation of wanting to crawl out of my body. I was an active girl; I liked hiking in the woods behind our house in Montana or chasing my packmates down to the creek. Now that the school week was over, and I was at home, I had a solution.

Stepping outside into the cool night, I sucked in lungfuls of crisp clean air. After ducking behind a hedge, I stripped down naked, folding my clothes off to the side. Closing my eyes, I relaxed, letting my wolf surge forward and fill my being. I hadn’t shifted since I’d gotten here. A week without shifting felt like an eternity to a wolf. Taking deep breaths, I let the change come over me, my bones cracking and rearranging, my pelt of fur rolling down my arms and across my back until I was on all fours. It didn’t even hurt anymore; it just felt good to finally let my animal slide free of its human cage.

Run? her voice, my voice, our voice, asked.

Yes.

I darted into the woods, taking in the scents and sounds surrounding me with a sense of familiarity and wonder. Soft mulch, spongey beneath my paws, churned with the smell of decomposing leaf litter. Around me swirled the scents of verdant growth of the forest: pine, cedar, honeysuckle, lavender, sweet wild onions, and leaves—everywhere. Scat from rodents and deer, droppings of birds, and Nolan’s markings were here too.

Huh … I could fix that.

In wolf form, instinct usually ruled our being. Typically, only the very powerful or very practiced shifter could maintain full control of their human mind when in the being of their wolf. I was neither, and yet I’d always been able to access that rational portion of my mind that allowed me to reason, even as a wolf. Still, I was going to pee on Nolan’s markings as a big eff-you to my cousin.

I raced through the woods, smelling hundreds of different wolves, some scents old and others very recent. Not surprising, considering the school was crawling with wolf shifters. Beneath the layer of wolf, there were other scents: fox, hawk, and, as I drew close to the shore: seal. All of the shifter races had once had a place of royalty among the elite of Shifter Island.

Rumors trickled out to us in Montana that the High Mage Council had supported the division of shifter races right after my uncle died. They said that the new alpha king, Declan of Midnight, was given permission to remove all shifter races from the island but for the wolves. Most of the hawks/falcons flew away; the selkies shifted and swam away. The kitsune, bears, panthers, and other land-based shifters were given boats, but one old woman, who visited years ago, said only a few boats escaped. I shivered to think what happened to the rest.

Suffice it to say, the new alpha king was not known for his mercy.

Slowing my pace, I caught the strong scent of a wolf, and I turned, facing the woods behind me with a snarl.

A low growl answered back as a black wolf stepped from the trees. He sniffed the air and then dipped his head low, rear up in the air and tail wagging with his ears erect like he was going to pounce on me. His sleek fur was as dark as the night sky above us. My heart flipped, and a deep yearning pulled at me when I recognized him.

Mate. My wolf’s instincts identified the wolf just before my rational human side, but I strangled down the portion of me filled with excitement.

No freaking way. This was the same guy who knocked me out, dumped me on my bed, and left me not even a week ago. I wouldn’t let him near me except to rip his eyes out!

My fur bristled, and my ears remained erect, tilted toward the offender. I curled my lips back as I crouched, ready to fight if necessary.

He might be an alpha heir, but he wasn’t my alpha, and I had zero problem showing him that I was dominant too, something many males on this island seemed to forget about the females. My father had trained me in multiple fighting styles. I was not going to be dominated by Mr. Kiss and Leave.

‘Mate?’ The wolf’s eyes narrowed as the low timbre of his wolf’s voice coursed through me, filling me with want. ‘Mine.’

My heart stopped. No way. This wasn’t happening. I knew mates could speak into each other's minds in wolf form, but having it actually happen was another story.

‘Mate,’ he said again as if wondering why I wasn’t pouncing on him and humping his leg. He stepped forward, his posture relaxed; his tongue lolled out as he wagged his tail.