Horace

EVERETT

Rory is staring at me with wide eyes full of worry.

I press my face into the crook of her neck and breathe in her scent.

“Are you angry?” she asks.

“What?” I sit back and furrow my brow. “Why would I be angry?”

“Because I want to study at the college when I should be here helping you with the packs.”

She’s crazy if she thinks I could ever be truly angry with her.

“I told you I have that under control. Besides, I know how much you wanted to continue your studies after school.”

“So you’re not angry?”

“Not at all. I mean you could have told me you were going to sneak in.” I tickle her a little and she flops backward onto the pillows.

I lie down next to her and brush a strand of hair off her face.

“It’s a good idea,” I say, thinking about it properly for the first time. “The college campus is one of the safest places you can be.”

“It is?”

“Its protective charms and hidden entrance make it hard to infiltrate. Plus, what kind of psycho would attack a school anyway?”

The more I think about it the better it sounds. If Aurora starts spending her time attending college on the hidden campus, she’s less likely to be here if the rogues return.

“There’s just one problem,” I say. “Dean Fang is notoriously strict about rules and she isn’t the biggest fan of humans either.”

“You’re not lying.”

I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

“You met Dean Fang?”

Aurora rolls onto her back and laughs.

“Oh, I met her. I never thought I’d say this, but that woman needs to spend less time in a dusty library.”

“She’s always been like that.”

“Wait, she was the dean when you were there? How old is she?”

I roll over and drape my arm around Aurora.

“Older than some of the gargoyles.”

We both giggle.

“Let me speak to her,” I say. “Maybe I can convince her to let you go.”

Aurora sighs and runs a hand down her face.

“Thank you,” she says. “But you can’t do that. I need to get in on my own, to show her I’m worth having there.”

I place a kiss on Aurora’s forehead. I’m impressed, but I should have known she wouldn’t want to take the easy route.

“I can’t always stumble into good fortune,” she says. “Sometimes I need to figure things out myself.”

“She’d be a fool not to admit you.”

Playfully, I bite down on Aurora’s shoulder and she squeals.

***

RORY

“I’m not used to responding to the summons of a luna,” Dean Fang says as she enters the room I’ve chosen for our meeting.

She squints at me and I do my best to maintain my most welcoming smile. I must look like a demented Stepford wife, but I know I need to make a good impression on the dean.

“So why have you brought me here to your little pack house?”

I gesture to one of the sofas in the sitting room and wait for the dean to sit before I do. She places her bag on the cushion beside her and settles in.

“Would you like some tea?” I say as I begin to pour a cup from the set laid out on the coffee table between us.

“Cut out the formalities. I know you want to attend my school, but the college is not under your mate’s jurisdiction. Lupus University is an independent body, not governed by a pack or its rulers.”

“Yes, I know that,” I say, picking up the milk jug and splashing a little into each cup.

“Then you know nepotism won’t work on me,” she says, holding her chin as high as possible.

“Don’t worry, that isn’t why I asked you—”

“I won’t let you in,” she says bluntly.

“I just thought we could talk about it,” I say, holding out a cup. She doesn’t move a muscle.

“You think just because you’re a luna you’re worth dismissing centuries of werewolf tradition?” she asks.

“There has never been a non-wolf student admitted to Lupus University and there never will be, my dear.”

I take a deep breath and straighten my spine.

“I just think you should hear me out.”

“Young lady, I have met a great many people over the years. Wolves and humans. I don’t care how important you think you are, I can tell you now that you are not exceptional. And I will not be making an exception for you.”

“If you would just take a second to listen, I know you—”

“Do not presume to know anything about me.” The Dean stands, glaring down at me with fire in her eyes.

“You snuck onto my campus and proceeded to help yourself to our resources. It is clear to me that you are nothing but an entitled, sneaky little human.”

My lip begins to quiver and I’m not sure if it’s anger or if I’m about to cry. I grab the edge of the sofa, unwilling to show weakness in front of this old witch.

“If that’s everything, I’ll be heading back to my school.”

Dean Fang picks up her handbag and spins on her heel, heading for the door. With each step she takes, I can see every chance of me studying with Professor Xander disappearing.

Every hope of developing my powers and being able to save the ones I love is slipping away.

“No, wait!”

I jump up and grab her arm, but she pulls away from me. Her handbag flies across the room, emptying its contents on the carpet.

“Look what you’ve done!”

“I’m so sorry,” I say, my cheeks blazing. “I didn’t mean to... here, let me help you.”

Hastily, I flop to the floor and begin scooping up packets of tissues, lipstick, candy in a clear plastic wrapper.

At the same time, Dean Fang snatches up her bag and bends down to collect her things.

My hands land on an ornate pocket watch that has fallen open.

Inside is a black and white photo of a man. He’s very handsome with a dark, bushy mustache and a strong brow.

“Don’t touch that!” Dean Fang says, grabbing the pocket watch out of my fingers.

She shoves it into her bag, looking flushed.

“Is that your mate?” I ask.

Instantly, Fang’s hands clench into tight little fists, and she averts her eyes.

~That is her mate. Or it was...~

I stand slowly and offer the dean the last few items I’m still holding. She begins placing them in her bag without meeting my eyes.

“He’s not with us anymore, is he?” I ask gently.

“No,” she snaps. “He was taken from me. By hunters.”

Things begin to click into place in my mind. Dean Fang hates humans because they killed her mate.

Most wolves aren’t able to function when they lose a mate, let alone run an entire college.

Maybe I’ve judged her too quickly.

She’s an impressive woman, that’s for sure.

But maybe she’s judged me too quickly as well.

“I’m very sorry,” I say. “That must have hurt a lot.”

The dean moves her jaw from side to side. Clearly, the memory of her mate is still fresh in her mind—still painful.

“I bet there’s a lot you’d like to say to him if you had the chance.”

I take a step closer.

“You wouldn’t know anything about it.” She flicks her hand as if she’s trying to swat away a fly.

“I know what it’s like to want to hear from someone you can’t reach.”

I picture my mother in my mind.

“But maybe I could do something for you.”

Dean Fang scoffs. “You’re a silly girl. What could you possibly do?”

“Please, sit,” I say, heading back to the sofas. The dean doesn’t budge. “I may be young. But you were wrong when you said I wasn’t exceptional.”

She raises a stiff eyebrow.

“I can walk in the realm of spirits. I could speak to him if you like. Give him a message?”

“Nonsense,” she says, but I can tell she’s softening.

“I promise it’s true. Just have a seat.”

Reluctantly, the dean moves back around to the sofa and sits.

“What was his name?” I ask.

“Horace,” she says.

I nod reassuringly. “Just give me one minute.”

I cross my legs and close my eyes.

I remember the spell I used to access the spirit realm. The words blaze in my mind’s eye as if reciting them has burned them into my memory.

Quietly, I say the enchantment and I’m swallowed by darkness.

Mist swirls around me and I feel as if I’m floating until my feet touch the ground. I begin to move through the spirit realm, listening as the voices call through the mist.

“Horace?” I call out and wait for a response.

***

My eyes dart open and I smile.

Dean Fang is sitting in front of me, watching me closely, fidgeting with her watch.

I take a breath and a moment to readjust.

“Well?” she asks.

“I spoke to Horace,” I say.

Fang turns her head slightly—she doesn’t believe me.

“He wanted to say that he misses you and he loves you. He wanted you to say—”

In an instant, she’s on her feet again.

“Stop this nonsense!”

“It’s not nonsense! He says that he wants you to stop mourning. It’s time to move on and be happy. He said you have to forgive the hunters.”

“What sort of game do you think you’re playing? My Horace would never say such a thing about humans.

“Lying might come easy to you, but how dare you put words in a dead wolf’s mouth!”

“Please, I don’t mean to upset you.”

The dean is moving back toward the door. I stand but I don’t try to stop her this time.

“I should never have come here,” she says.

“Horace just wants you to be happy,” I say.

Fang spins and points a crooked finger at me. “Take his name out of your mouth!”

“He told me to say he loves you, he loves his Snuffles.”

Dean Fang freezes in the doorway.

“What did you say?”

“Snuffles. That was his pet name for you, right? He called you that when I spoke to him.”

“No one knew about that ridiculous pet name,” she mutters to herself.

“It’s really cute,” I say.

She turns, staring at me.

“How did you…?”

“Horace said he’s waiting for you, but to take your time. He used this phrase I’ve never heard. ‘Patience is not the ability to wait but—’”

“—The ability to maintain a good attitude whilst waiting.”

Dean Fang’s eyes mist over and a single tear leaves a trail of mascara down her cheek.

“He always used to say that.” She waves her hand dismissively. “It used to drive me up the wall. But how can you know all this?”

“My parents were gods, Dean Fang. I’ve always been able to access the spirit realm if I died. But I’ve learnt to travel there on my own as well. I want to learn how to use this power to help people.”

Dean Fang lifts her chin and I can see the mechanics whirring in her mind.

“Perhaps... I have been too eager to judge,” she says. “I will allow you to take one class with Professor Xander, on a trial basis.”

“Oh my Moon Goddess! Really?” I can’t help but jump about and Dean Fang looks terrified, as if I might hug her or something.

“But I’ll be keeping a close eye on you,” she says.

“Of course, Dean Fang. Thank you so much!”

With a curt nod, she leaves. Once she’s gone, I do a celebratory fist pump and nearly trip over the sofa leg in the process.

I may still be clumsy…

But now I’m a clumsy person who is going to college!