Chapter 21

OLIVE

I wake up the next morning feeling lighter, as if a burden has been lifted. The love of a mate can truly heal anything.

Last night, Ezekiel stayed with me in the shower for a while, washing my hair with such tenderness.

He then carried me back into the bedroom, dried me off, and brushed and dried my hair.

For such a strong and powerful wolf, he’s a big softie when it comes to me.

I love knowing that I’m the only one who gets to see this secret side of him.

About an hour ago, he reluctantly got out of bed, wished me a good first day back at college, and told me he had some demon matters to attend to.

I quickly get out of bed and get dressed. I choose my caramel, roll-sleeved T-shirt, black denim A-line miniskirt, and my black Dr. Martens.

I put on some light makeup and put my hair up in a low, messy bun with some loose strands framing my face. I put on my round-lensed, black sunglasses and head out of the pack house.

Oddly enough, I’m excited to get back to my studies, although the nerves are gnawing at me. I’m anxious about how the other students will react.

Will they pretend nothing happened? Will everyone stare? Honestly, I’m not sure which is worse.

Stepping through the main entrance of the college, I see it’s as busy as ever. The loud chatter of students talking and laughing fills the halls.

As I walk to my first class, I notice students looking at me and quickly glancing away, others whispering to their friends.

It’s not all that different from the last time I was here, except now there’s more fear in their faces.

On one hand, I’m relieved that I’m unlikely to have any bullying issues here again.

On the other hand, I wish the she-wolves would see me for who I am: just another nineteen-year-old hybrid wolf that means no harm…unless provoked, of course!

My lessons go by quickly and smoothly. People are giving me a wide berth—and that’s fine by me! I can’t expect everyone to forget that I almost killed Amber in front of them all so soon.

When lunchtime rolls around, I head to the cafeteria to grab some food.

After getting what I want from the lunch line, I turn with my full tray, looking for a place to sit when I hear something unexpected.

“Olive! Over here!”

I look around to find the source, my eyes landing on Amber and Alice who are waving me over and smiling brightly.

I look around awkwardly, half expecting to see another Olive heading her way. We had a good chat yesterday, but this I did not expect.

Amber has surprised me a lot lately. Her wide grin is a welcome change from the scowls and daggers she used to throw my way.

I walk over to their table as Amber shoos one of her friends to move over and make room for me to sit next to her.

Amber asks about the demon, and Alice talks about Daisy being Max’s mate. We talk and laugh the entire lunch break before the bell rings for my final lesson—combat training.

Amber links her arm through mine as we walk to training together. Maybe we could end up being friends after everything we’ve been through.

Even Raven starts to feel more relaxed around her. A lot of the students stop and watch us, the unlikely pair, walk and laugh together.

I quickly change into my sports leggings and bra before heading into the gym.

“Ah, good to see my best fighter back!” Mr. O says.

I smile at him modestly and wait near the side of the gym with the rest of the students.

Mr. O pairs me with him.

He tells the students it’s because there’s an odd number, but he whispers to me it’s actually because he wants another shot at taking me down after I floored him.

I chuckle.

He starts by using me to demonstrate some defensive strategies and how to get out of sticky situations.

He’s standing behind me. My arms are down by my sides and his arms are wrapped around my arms and waist, securing them in place. My job is to break his hold and regain the upper hand.

I’ve just started to fight against him when I hear the gym doors creak open. I pay no attention to it and continue trying to free myself until I feel Mr. O release me.

I turn just in time to see him flung across the gym hall, luckily landing on a stack of mats on the far side of the gym.

A familiar, enticing scent fills my nostrils and I immediately know who it is.

“Mine!” Zeke growls, pulling me in close to his side.

His wolf is in control, his eyes swirling with the vibrant golden tones of his wolf’s.

“Zeke! What the hell!” I shout at him.

All students are staring in wonder at their king. I mean I would also be staring and wondering what on earth the king is doing in my sweaty gym.

He’s a celebrity in the shifter community.

Mr. O stands up and brushes himself down.

“Phew, sorry! My fault! I should have known better than to use the Alpha King’s mate as my demonstrator!” he says almost too cheerfully for someone who has just been launched across the gym.

Zeke’s eyes turn back to their steely silver color. He’s back in control.

“Sorry, my wolf lost it when he saw your hands on our mate,” he responds.

“It’s okay, I get it. Us males are especially possessive in the early days, especially if we haven’t yet marked our mate.

"Not to mention the more powerful the wolf, the more hostile they become!” Mr. O says nonchalantly.

“Oh goddess, Mr. O… Please, stop talking!” I cringe.

“Nothing to be embarrassed about, Olive. It’s all very natural!”

The rest of the students all snicker and giggle at my expense.

“Okay, that’s enough! That’s enough of that!” I say, embarrassed, while I grab Zeke by the hand.

I start to drag him to one of the far corners of the gym. By the way, he’s grinning like the Cheshire Cat, taking in my flustered appearance.

“My mate will be my new sparring partner!”

“So now that you’ve got me all to yourself, what do you plan to do with me?” Zeke smirks.

“I’m looking forward to kicking your ass,” I say, laughing.

“Yeah, right. Try me, Little Wolf,” he retorts, winking at me.

Mr. O comes over. “Ready?” We nod, our eyes locked on each other. “Go.”

We start circling, both of us ready to pounce.

I make the first move, lunging at him. I try the same trick I used on Mr. O. I pretend to go low; he falls for it.

I spring up, ready to grab his shoulders and take him down like I did Mr. O.

But just as I’m in the air, I feel a jolt around my waist. I’ve underestimated Zeke’s speed.

He slams me onto the mat. I gasp for air and take a moment to recover. When I open my eyes, I see a fist coming at me.

I roll out of the way just in time and Zeke looks almost shocked that I dodged his punch.

~He’s not the only one with super speed,~ Raven says, puffing out her chest with pride.

I use his surprise to my advantage and knock his legs out from under him. As soon as he hits the mat, I’m on him.

I rush over and put him in a chokehold, wrapping my legs around him for extra leverage.

But I should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy to beat a king.

From lying down, he sits up like he’s just getting out of bed, with me still clinging to his upper body.

~Goddess, does he have abs of steel!?~ I think, frustrated.

Raven, on the other hand, is drooling over our strong mate and his rock-hard abs.

He quickly rolls forward, loosening my grip, and throws me off him.

We’re both back on our feet in a flash, trading blows.

This is the hardest I’ve ever worked in a sparring session. I’m covered in sweat.

Zeke, on the other hand, is barely sweating. He has a tiny bead on his forehead, that’s it.

~Is he a robot!? How is he not sweating?~

The rest of the class has gathered around us to watch. I can hear them whispering about how fast we’re moving.

I can hear Amber and Alice cheering me on from the sidelines, rooting for me to win.

“Time to end this, Little Wolf,” Zeke says.

Before I can respond, Zeke charges at me. He swings with his left hand, which I dodge, only to fall into his trap.

With his right hand, he grabs my throat, lifts me up, and throws me onto the mat.

He positions himself over me and puts his hand on my throat.

Kill shot.

He wins.

I’m panting, not just from the intense workout, but because I’m filled with lust and desire.

Zeke catches the scent of my arousal, his nostrils flare, and he growls in approval.

In one smooth move, he stands up and pulls me up with him, our faces just inches apart.

The rest of the class seems oblivious to the sexual tension between us. They’re all cheering for the king’s victory.

“Good job,” I say, humbly.

“You made me work harder than my best warriors, Little Wolf. It wasn’t easy,” he says, smiling proudly, which makes me blush.

“Now that school’s out, how about we let our wolves run together for the first time?” he suggests, raising an eyebrow playfully.

***

We walk hand in hand to the east side of town. When we reach the tree line, I stop and turn to Zeke with a mischievous look in my eye.

“Think your wolf can handle Raven?” I ask, nudging him with my shoulder.

“Blade knows he can!” He grins, showing his teeth.

“We’ll see about that!” I say, shifting into Raven’s form.

Bones pop and crack, but I’m used to the pain from years of shifting. It’s a freeing sensation, one I welcome and cherish.

Raven’s black fur sprouts from my skin as my nose turns into a muzzle, paws hit the ground with a thud before I take off as fast as I can.

I hear Zeke growling through the mind-link. “You’re making a mistake, Little Wolf. Blade loves a good chase.”

If I could mind-link back, I’d have a witty comeback; but since we’re not fully mated, I can’t respond.

I let Raven take over so she can use her animal instincts and hopefully give our males a good run.

She rubs against a tree and then runs in the opposite direction to try to throw him off our scent and buy us some time.

After another twenty minutes of running, we reach a river. Raven jumps in without hesitation. The water comes up to our belly.

Raven runs upstream so the water will wash away our scent, making it harder for Blade to find us.

I see the forest thinning up ahead; a colorful clearing comes into view. Raven stops at the edge. It’s breathtakingly beautiful.

The clearing is filled with wildflowers of every color. It’s like a rainbow under our feet. Raven walks to the center of the clearing and sits down.

~Ah, you’ve found the perfect spot to wait for your mate?~ I tease.

~Oh, be quiet!~ she snaps. ~Can’t a wolf want things to be perfect? Do you think he’ll think I’m pretty?~

~Raven, are you…nervous? What happened to the wolf who wanted to rip the clothes off any old wolf?~

Raven lowers her head and covers her face with her paw, embarrassed.

~But those wolves weren’t as important to us. They didn’t matter as much.~

Before I can respond, Raven lifts her snout into the air, sniffing.

~He’s here.~