Flower Moon Rising (Lupine Hollow Academy Book 1) Read online

  “Aw, Shannon, you’re no fun,” Chann whined with a pout.

  “Besides, she likes our twin thing,” Zev added with a wink.

  “What are you doing here?” Surprisingly, it was Alarick’s frosty voice now interrupting, and I groaned as I debated diving back into the bed. I had hoped to have my first one-on-one with Alarick in private. It was one thing to thank Shannon for helping save me, but knowing that without Alarick’s power over Rhiannon I’d probably be dead—not to mention that he carried me to Mr. Cole fast enough that I probably wouldn’t scar—meant I owed him a debt as well. Part of me could understand what Raff had been going on about with paying my mother back. There was a nagging sensation in my stomach telling me that I owed him much more than a thank you. Shannon as well, for that matter. But as much as I owed them both, I hadn’t expected to tell him that in front of everyone either.

  “Alarick,” I offered in greeting, sending a smile his way. Shyness was riding me hard, especially after him seeing me that weak.

  “Penelope,” he replied with a stiff nod. Yep, I must have imagined him calling me Penny—he still wouldn’t even call me Pixie. A large box rested in his hands, its bright purple and silver striped paper marking it as a present.

  “Is it your birthday?” I asked Shannon in surprise, wishing I’d known so I had time to get her something, not that she’d fault me for it considering we’d only met yesterday. Birthdays had always been important to us when I was growing up. No matter how tight things had become through the years, Mom always made sure there were presents and a cake on my birthday, and I had done the same for her. After this year, though, I wondered if I would ever be willing to celebrate my birthday again. If I hadn’t been so caught up in the foolishness of it… the thought petered out as I focused on Shannon and waited for her response.

  “No,” she laughed. “My birthday’s in September.” I shot a confused glance at the present he carried, the girly wrapping standing out brightly in the small, bare room, before eyeing him cautiously.

  “It’s yours,” he confirmed with a nod of his head, though a small smile tugged at his firm lips and carved cheekbones.

  “It’s not my birthday,” I said, guilt pouring in my stomach as memories of my most recent birthday tried to flash through my head. I couldn’t be buried in that pain today, especially if I ended up facing Rhiannon again. I needed my head clear, not buried in the pain of my past mistakes—it was clear I was going to be making plenty more blunders here for me to regret in the future.

  “Doesn’t change the fact that the gifts are still for you,” Zev replied with a smile. “See, here’s ours.” He plucked up a small package wrapped so poorly in neon pink paper, that it was covered in a ton of stickers to patch the tears. I couldn’t help but snicker.

  “Hey, trying counts!” Chann defended with a grin, reaching up to ruffle my sleep-mussed hair.

  “Then can someone explain the presents?” I pushed my hair from my eyes, grimacing as the bandage tugged.

  “At least let me look at those wounds while you chatter,” Mr. Cole interrupted with a growl, stalking through the group surrounding me. “You all have classes this morning, and only two of you are supposed to be here.” He shot a pointed look at the boys, though none of them seemed bothered by it. I wondered if he had multiples of the same suit, or if he had really managed to rest through the remainder of the night without any lines showing on his pristine suit. I didn’t even see a shadow of stubble I would have expected, though it was possible his rooms were close enough to wherever I was that he could take care of those necessities without leaving me completely unaccompanied.

  Guiding me to the chair, he gently unwrapped the bandage from my hand, and studied the slice that ran across my wrist to my palm. I hissed at the sight of it—somehow seeing it seemed to increase the throbbing. Butterfly bandages held it together, but the edges were an angry red. “I take it your healing didn’t really stick, huh?” I asked, swallowing hard against the nausea roiling in my stomach.

  “You’re human,” he explained softly, as he inspected the wound. “I can keep you from dying if I get to you soon enough, but the wound was deep. I healed enough of it so it shouldn’t scar, but you need to limit your use of it or I’ll have to redo the healing.” His dark eyes met mine, his mouth firm. “It’s not an easy task for either of us, so try to be careful. Let me check your cheek.” As he began to peel back the tape holding the bandage to my face, I winced, turning my attention to the others who were watching his inspection intently.

  “Someone want to take my mind off the skin he’s tearing from my face and explain the present thing?” When Alarick growled softly, I added, “I’m not a charity case, you know.”

  “It’s nothing to do with charity,” Shannon reassured me, biting her lip as she watched Mr. Cole work. “It’s a debt.”

  I groaned, wishing I could bang my head against the wall while Mr. Cole carefully inspected my cheek. I didn’t want it tearing open again, that was for sure. I’d look like the joker if it scarred. “I thought you were shadowing me because of the debt. Besides, it’s just Raff’s debt, not yours,” I pointed out to the twins.

  “We claimed you as one of ours. Promised our protection.” Alarick’s words were a deep rumble. “We failed at that promise. A new debt is owed.”

  “Look, you don’t owe me anything,” I rushed to explain with a wave of my hand at the absurdity. “Heck, I was trying to get up the courage to tell you how much I owed you. I mean, without Shannon and you, I’d probably be dead,” I admitted quietly.

  Alarick shook his head, his blue eyes hard as ice as he watched Mr. Cole’s quiet inspection. “It doesn’t work like that. We were supposed to protect you from harm. Zev and Chann left you alone—”

  “They had to study,” I interrupted indignantly.

  “—at my order, and if it weren’t for Shannon insisting on studying with you to make sure you were ready for today, I wouldn’t have checked on you and you would have died,” he finished as though I hadn’t even interrupted him.

  “It’s not like that,” I insisted. “None of you could have known Rhiannon would go off the rails.” I paused for a second, considering them before asking, “Right?”

  Shannon sighed, adjusting her glasses. “We knew she’d try something. We just didn’t think she’d actually try to kill you.”

  Fury reignited in my chest, wiping away the guilt and fear that wanted to take residence there. I was happy for that—I’d rather be furious than afraid. “What’s going to happen to her, anyhow?”

  “She’s had her rank demoted,” Mr. Cole spoke up as he attached another bandage to my cheek. “She also wasn’t allowed to let a healer see to her face, so she’ll take longer to recover from the damage, though she’ll still heal faster than you.” He straightened, adjusting his glasses. “I want to see you back here after your classes so I can monitor your face. I may need to try and push more healing into you.”

  “She’s not, I don’t know, expelled or something?” I shrugged, knowing the words were stupid when I said them.

  “She’s pack,” Alarick stated, as if that’s all that mattered. “It’s not like your human world.” The inflection he put on “human” smacked of disgust, his nose wrinkling and his eyes flashing as he tossed his head.

  “Just open the presents like a good girl so we can all get to class, okay?” Chann shot me a wink to soften the snappish words.

  I grumbled but complied, grabbing the large package from Alarick’s outstretched hands, before settling down onto the bed to balance it better with my injured arm. I couldn’t resist the little flutter of excitement that raced through me—I mean, who didn’t like presents? I swore, nearly bobbling the box as it came into view. “You can’t give me a laptop!” I yelped in horror.

  “I already did,” Alarick countered, moving his gaze to the twins. “Give her yours so we can go.”

  I pushed up from the bed, frantic, pacing in the small room. “I’m serious. I can’t accept
this. There’s no way.”

  “We already got it for you though,” Zev argued, pouting prettily, though his eyes twinkled with laughter. “And if you don’t like his, you definitely won’t like ours.”

  I groaned, glancing at the other package. “Just tell me so we can get back to arguing.”

  “It’s just a phone,” Chann replied, rolling his eyes. “That way if you need us fast, you can reach us.”

  “Yeah, we just added you to our plans; it’s no big deal,” Zev added, blowing me a kiss.

  I swallowed hard against the nausea roiling in my stomach. “You can’t give me these things, guys. One, you don’t owe me.” I held up a hand to stop their objections. “Even if we were to agree to disagree on that, it wouldn’t change the fact that these presents are way too expensive!” I was sure the phone in that wrapping paper wasn’t some small, pre-paid convenience store buy like my old one. “I’d never be able to buy you guys gifts like this.” The snarky part of my brain crossed my filter as I added, “We don’t all have trust funds.”

  “Ms. Miller,” Mr. Cole snapped, his voice icy.

  I winced at his tone, but cast pleading eyes to him. He was a teacher, he’d be able to tell them how inappropriate this was. “Your parents couldn’t have agreed to spending money for this,” I countered pleadingly. “Tell them I can’t accept these,” I begged him.

  He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall. “If you don’t accept the gifts, it’s socially considered that you don’t accept the payment of the debt. The gifts they give will continue to get larger—and more public—as they attempt to assuage the debt they owe.” I could only stare at him, my eyes wide, as I tried to process what he was saying. “Flowers do not signify an apology here, Ms. Miller. Our culture states that they owe you a debt—they promised protection and you were injured due to their inattention. These gifts fall within the appropriate guidelines for both their stature and the size of the debt.” He shrugged, tucking his thumbs into his suit pockets. “Should you decide that you don’t forgive them, and you do not accept their apology, then refuse the gifts. However, be prepared for something much larger in the near future. And don’t believe their families will interfere, because they won’t.”

  “While we have trust funds, we also have jobs within the pack and earn money in that regard,” Alarick informed me, crossing his arms over his chest and raising his chin, his blue eyes brilliant. “However, Mr. Cole is correct.” He sent a nod of approval to the teacher still waiting quietly, his arms crossed over his chest as he studied me with his fathomless, dark eyes. “Our families—any pack member, really—would front the money if we didn’t have it.” He cocked his head in challenge, a haughty curve to his lips as he studied me. “We’re already close to classes as it is, and you still need to go get changed. Will you accept the gifts, or should we make a more public display? I’m sure it wouldn’t bother you to have us lavish you with even more expensive gifts in the middle of your first class. Father has informed me that you don’t have a car…”

  “No!” I squeaked in panic, reaching up my hands to cover my mouth as I looked between them. “Look, okay, you win!” I snatched the laptop from the bed, holding it tightly against my chest as I looked between the smirking men surrounding me. Even Shannon was smiling, although she did her best to cover her grin with her hand. “I don’t concede that you owe me anything, but these will be really useful while I’m here.”

  “Great,” Chann chirped, tossing an arm around my neck. “We’ve already loaded the phone with all of our numbers, and everything else you’ll need. Let’s go get you ready to start your day then. You’ve already missed breakfast, but we brought some toast for a snack. It’s not like someone your size can eat that much.”

  I chuckled, carefully balancing the gifts as I let them lead me from the room. “That’s what you think. Size means nothing, my friend.” I glanced at Mr. Cole with a weary smile. “I’ll check back in after classes,” I assured him, as they ushered me back toward my dorm.

  Chann, Zev, and Alarick all stood guard outside my room while Shannon followed me inside. Surprisingly, there was no mess, and my alarm must have shown on my face. “Alarick, Chann, and Zev spent the night cleaning it up so you wouldn’t have to deal with it,” she whispered with a pointed glance at the door, as I darted to my closet after a panicked look at the clock on my desk. I bemoaned the lost chance for a shower, but the argument over their ridiculous presents had eaten into my morning. I scrambled to toss on new clothing, momentarily grateful for the dress code, which allowed me to keep my clothing matched without having to worry about what items I grabbed.

  “One other thing I owe them for,” I grumbled, as I attempted to fasten my tie with my bandaged hand.

  “Here.” Shannon stepped forward, competently twisting the tie around into a pretty knot. “There are also faux ties in there, just so you know. They’re like ribbons, the long ones can be done in a bow, and the short ones are fastened with a pin. Some change it up for style reasons, but it’d be useful while your hand heals. There, all done.”

  “Thanks!” A pounding on the door had me swearing. “Coming!” I darted to the bathroom. “I’ve just got to brush my teeth and my hair real quick.” I groaned when I caught sight of myself for the first time in the mirror. A large, white bandage covered the side of my face, with bruising poking out of the sides in shades of purple and green. My hair was knotted and sticking up in odd little peaks of brilliant color.

  “Do your teeth, and I’ll take care of your hair for you,” Shannon offered. “You don’t have much, it won’t take me but a few minutes.” Another knock on the door had me nodding my acceptance. “Anything that’ll get me to class on time,” I assured her.

  “This’ll be fun!” Shannon replied with a sweet smile, ducking her head. I grumbled my acceptance, digging my toothbrush from my bag as she tugged a brush through my hair with quick, sure strokes. “Here, let me just pin it so it’s out of your eyes.” She tugged at the hem of her skirt, surprising me when she pulled out a few bobby pins to tuck my bangs back. “You never know when a bobby pin will come in handy,” she remarked with a wink. “Perfect.”

  I spit and rinsed my brush, raising a brow at how fast her capable hands had tamed my rat’s nest. “Wow, you’re really good at that, aren’t you?”

  “Come on!” the twins yelled through the door, pounding on it again.

  “You’ve got Shaw first,” Shannon called over her shoulder as we raced for the door. She snatched a backpack I hadn’t noticed before from the floor and handed it to me, so I tossed it over my shoulder. “Alarick said he stuck your handbook in here, so don’t be afraid to refer to it.”

  “Are any of you in Shaw’s class with me?” I puffed out while I raced after them as they darted down the stairs.

  “Come on,” Alarick urged from the front of our sorry little parade. “We don’t need to lose more points!”

  I growled, trying to pump more speed into my sore, tired limbs. Yeah, working out was obviously going to have to start taking priority.

  “Chann and Zev have Shaw, so you won’t be alone,” Shannon assured me, not even slightly winded as we sprinted at breakneck speed. As sweet as she was, I could hate her a little for that. Well, I could if she wasn’t so damn cute.

  “She’s one of the transfer teachers,” Zev added on a groan, running backwards so he could watch me.

  “How the hell can you do that?” I panted out, too focused on not falling on my face to effectively scowl at him.

  “She’ll be looking for every reason to take points from you,” Alarick called back to me. “She does it to all of us. Just try not to cause too much of a riot.”

  “You’ve got Blakesley and Cole after that,” Shannon informed me.

  Chann barked out a laugh. “They put her with Blakesley?”

  “Hush,” Shannon scolded him, none of them breaking stride. The cramp in my side spread, burning like a brand.

  “What’s wrong wit
h Blakesley?” I gasped.

  “Nothing,” Shannon promised. “None of us will be in that class though. Um, it’s for the younger students.” Oh great. One more way to stand out.

  “Enough chatter. Shannon, get moving!” Alarick ordered. “Make sure you guys walk her to Blakesley. I’ll grab her from there and we’ll do lunch before she goes to Cole.” Chann saluted him as the twins came to rest in front of a door at the end of the long hallway, waiting for me to catch up. Alarick and Shannon took a different hallway, the sound of their feet slapping against the marble disappearing as they sped away.

  “Well, into the wolves’ den,” I muttered, tugging the door open, with Chann and Zev close behind me.

  Chapter Twelve

  Heads turned, faces took us in, and a flow of whispers washed over us. I recognized the brilliant red hair I’d seen in the dining hall as the teacher turned, a scowl marring her pretty face. “All of you are late,” she snapped. “Find seats. Now.” Her lip curled back in a sneer as she looked over Chann and Zev. “The pair of you have been in my classes long enough to know better.” Neither answered her, merely falling into empty desks at the back of the room. Her gaze trailed over my bandages and she gave a derisive snort. “You must be Penelope Miller,” she snapped. “You aren’t excused from being late for your classes just because of your human status. Be sure this will be reflected in your current rankings.” Her gray eyes once again went to my bandages as her lips pressed into a tight line. “I’m sure Raff has already spoken with you in regard to your unprovoked attack on a pack member higher than yourself. You’ll do well to remember that you’re not in the human world anymore, and your thuggish ways are no longer acceptable.”

  I ignored the growl I heard across the room, casting my eyes to the desk, bitterness coating my words like oil as I replied, “Yes, ma’am.”