Holy Mother of Mages, this was confirmation that my mate was a Midnight prince.

I could feel his presence, his yearning to be with me. But … which one was he?

The four black wolves advanced until they surrounded me.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my gaze darting from one to the next, but the question was for my mate. “What is this?”

Instead of an answer, they snarled at me. All of them, in unison.

My heart jumped from panic to full-blown freak-out. Would they attack me to force me to shift?

‘Shift.’ His word was a call to action, and I battled with the desire—almost a desperate need—to force my wolf out. But I couldn’t.

‘I can’t.’

One of them lunged forward, jaws snapping, and I spun away, bumping into another one of the wolves.

“Sorry,” I stammered, reaching out to pet the one I’d run into.

‘Mate,’ he growled, and the sound wound around my core. ‘Shift.’

Panting, I shook my head and begged, “Please. I can’t. Don’t do this to me.”

Why couldn’t he just understand—

One of the black wolves launched forward, teeth bared, and I stared, filled with disbelief.

No way would my mate ask his brothers to attack me. No way—

I yanked my arm back with a gasp.

“What the hell?” I screamed at them. He’d barely missed me. “Honor, I’m going to kick your ass!”

My mate snarled, and I jerked toward the sound. But instead of attacking me, he charged the animal who’d just lunged my way.

The two wolves snapped at one another, back and forth, and my adrenaline spiked. Crap. Crappity. Crap. Crap. Crap.

These two were brothers. They wouldn’t hurt each other.

But I knew better.

Even the loyalty to clan or family would be overruled by the animal’s instincts. I’d seen members of my pack, even siblings within our pack, fight. Even if my mate had asked his brothers, and they’d agreed … all human promises could be forgotten by the wolf.

The snarl of the wolves tore through my entire being.

Could I do something with my magic to break up the fight? Maybe. But which one of them was which? And how much was too much. And—

Two of the wolves turned and then advanced on one.

‘Mate. Help.’

His plea shot through me, and I clenched my fists.

Oh, hell no.

No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than my wolf snarled. Seeming to appear out of nowhere, she surged forward. Desperate to save our mate from a fight with his own brother, her instinct overwhelmed me. My body seized, and I pitched forward with a snarl, my bones crunching and rearranging as fur exploded from my skin.

I inhaled, a low guttural growl of warning, and then, leaping forward on all fours, I sank my teeth into the nearest wolf’s flank, not deep enough to cause serious injury but hard enough to be a warning.

The creature yipped in pain, trying to spin toward me, and created the perfect gap.

I released him and pushed through the space toward my mate.

His wolf crossed the space between us and nuzzled me.

‘Mate. Strong.’

I inhaled, letting his scent fill me with comfort. He was safe.

He continued to nuzzle me, and suspicion trickled through me. I glanced behind me, and sure enough, the other three wolves were gone.

‘You set me up.’ I’d meant it to sound accusing, but honestly, I felt nothing but relief that he was okay.

‘Mate. Learn. Shift. Safe.’

I knew what he was saying, and I nuzzled him back. While I might not shift in self-preservation, my wolf had no reservations when it came to protecting my mate. ‘But I don’t know if I can do it on my own.’

‘Practice.’

I snorted, the sound odd coming from a wolf, and then barked with laughter. ‘Fine. I’ll practice.’

‘Run?’ he asked, his yellow eyes alight with enthusiasm.

How could I say no to that?

‘One thing first. Thank you for the food.’ Even if I didn’t know if it was Rage or Justice, I still appreciated the kindness. I leaned forward and sniffed his once-injured shoulder, but it smelled totally healed.

I didn’t want to talk about the attack on the academy, how his mom was doing, why he wouldn’t tell me who he was, or anything else. I’d save all that for Samhain in a few days when I could confront his human side. Right now, I wanted one last night with his wolf.

‘Mate.’ He nuzzled me again and then nipped at me playfully. ‘Run.’

He darted into the darkness, and I chased after him.

The next morning, I woke and ran through my usual routine. Hair in a messy low bun to cover my neck mark, ignore Nolan and hide my mate marks from him as I grabbed breakfast, and then time to head over to Nell.

After crossing the foyer of our dorm, I wrenched the door open and gasped, stumbling to a stop, face-to-back with Rage. Even before he turned, I knew who he was. How exactly? No clue.

More importantly, why was he here?

His black shirt hugged his broad shoulders, dipped around his biceps, and tapered at his waist, accentuating not only his physique but also his wealth. No way those shirts were standard issue.

Out of habit, I snaked my left hand behind my back to hide my mate mark and then rolled my eyes. How ironic would that be? That I could be hiding my marks in front of my actual mate.

He pivoted and stared down at me, saying nothing.

I stared right back.

My breathing grew more shallow the longer we stood there, him exuding rugged sexiness like spilling a bottle of pheromones. I licked my lips, and his gaze dropped.

I needed out of here pronto or I’d forget how much I hated him. I did still hate him, right?

Yes! I hated all of them. A little. Every Midnight prince held the secret that could set me free. After last night’s “training session,” it was clear they all knew which one of them was my mate, and like a loyal band of siblings, they told me nothing. Which pissed me off.

“Can I help you with something, Rage?” I snarled.

He cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. “Why are you mad?”

Glaring at him, I snapped, “I didn’t say I was mad. I asked you if you needed something.”

“But you’re angry.” He continued to stare down at me, and his expression shifted from scrutiny to pride as his chin jutted and nostrils flared. Crossing his arms over his chest, he filled the small portico, blocking my path. “Why won’t you tell me why you’re angry?” he asked.

“You already know.” My gaze dropped to his fingers, bare of any marks. Of course.

When he said nothing, only swallowed hard, I pressed on. “It’s just…”

I pursed my lips, stopping my pathetic plea. I wouldn’t chase a mate who didn’t want me. Either him or Justice, I wasn’t going to beg. I was done and changing course. I wanted nothing more than to get away from here, away from his impenetrable gaze. “Why are you here, Rage?”

He shifted his body weight as if anticipating an attack. “I came to tell you thanks.”

I was 71.5% sure what he meant, but that 28.5% wanted confirmation.

“Thanks for what?”

“For saving my mom.” His voice grew softer as he continued. “The potion you got saved her life. She … she’s totally fine.”