N I N E

Chapter Eight: The Tour

NOVA NYX 🌙

"You've got to be kidding me!" I yanked down on the short skirt to no avail.

When Phoenix said there were spare uniforms for me to wear at this Wolf Academy, I initially thought he was joking.

I mean...he had to be because what supposed College, shifter or otherwise, forced their adult students to wear silly uniforms like they were in high school?

Apparently this one did.

Which leads me to my dilemma at hand.

I was a tall curvy girl...much taller and curvier than girls my age tended to be.

I was never athletic...didn't inherit that gene apparently...because every attempt at a sport always ended up with a broken bone and a bruised ego.

Me and sports just didn't mix...and I was okay with that.

What I wasn't okay with was the fact that this skirt was just too short for my tall frame and body type.

If I bent over just fractionally, my ass would be showing...and not in a flattering way either considering that it wasn't as firm as I wanted it to be.

The white blouse was fine in and of itself, if not for a little loose in the chest area (Unfortunately being a curvy girl didn't mean I got both the boobs and the butt) and mellowed out the explicitly of this horrendous skirt.

I would have worn leggings if they were provided to me but unfortunately, the only thing given to me with these uniforms were thigh high socks and black pumps with red bottoms and a small black ribbon on top of them.

Whoever oversaw uniforms needed to be replaced ASAP because they were letting their *Cough Cough* fantasies take over.

The only thing good about these stupid uniforms were the fact that they consisted of dark colors, black, charcoal, and deep burgundy.

I sighed, knowing that there was nothing I could do about the uniform today.

Maybe, while on the tour, I could ask my guide if there was a way I could get new sets of uniforms, ones that were tailored for my size as well as throw in a couple of pants in there too.

I grabbed my jacket and traveled through the maze that was my new home.

After the fifth time taking the wrong hallway, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Kassian chowing down on a bowl of cereal in the living room, watching something on the TV hanging above the fireplace mantel.

When his eyes lifted to mine, I saw them bug out as he accidentally choked on a spoonful of what looked like to be Coco flakes.

My heart panged at the little reminded of my brothers, coco flakes were their favorite cereal too.

He gasped for breath, and I briefly wondered if choking to death would kill a Wolf Shifter.

Not that my brain was on that topic...what would kill a Wolf Shifter?

Were the legends true? Would a silver bullet to the heart kill me?

Still so many unanswered questions I had.

"Holy shit" Kassian muttered, gazing at my indecent skirt "I...I think...PHOENIX! ATLAS! I NEED YOUR HELP!"

"Why are you calling them?!" I hissed at him, throwing my jacket and bag on the back of the couch "What's wrong?"

"This better be important Kassian" Phoenix sighed, sipping on his coffee "I was just about to finish my..."

His words trailed off as he caught sight of me in my uniform.

Atlas narrowed his eyes from behind his friend.

"No, absolutely not" Phoenix barked "Go change. Right this instant."

"Into what genius?" I barked back "All of the skirts are like this. Apparently, whoever was in charge of my uniforms didn't factor in my height as well as the size of my ass."

I twirled to emphasize my point, rolling my eyes when I heard three tiny growls of displeasure.

Kassian muttered something so low that I couldn't hear him, but his friends sure as hell did.

A pink tint blazed across Atlas' cheeks as he turned around and stalked back into the kitchen.

Phoenix's jaw ticked as he stared at my uniform in loathing.

"You're going to be enough of a distraction as it is" he snarled "We don't need something else to add on top of that."

"It's not like I wanted to come here" I sneered, my anger rising "At least at my college, I was allowed to wear clothes that actually fit."

"How fast can we get a tailor here?" Phoenix ignored me, talking directly to Kassian "I could probably talk to Cortez to let us..."

The alarm on my phone blared loudly, reminding me that classes started in ten minutes.

Kassian sighed "We don't have time Phe."

"We can't let her walk out of the house like this" he argued, pointing at me "There's going to be enough eyes on her as it is with being the Last Lupine Heir...let alone the Last Female Lupine Heir..."

Kassian grumbled at his friend's words, rubbing a palm to his eye.

"What if I give her a pair of my trousers?"

I scoffed "I'll be swimming in them."

He smirked at me "You calling me thicc Princess?"

"I'm calling you a giant" I smirked right back at him "I'm tall but you're ogre level tall."

He let out a mock gasp.

"Can we get back to the matter at hand?" Phoenix snapped at us "I rather have you swimming in Kassian's pants then have you flashing the entire school campus."

I snickered at the thought of swimming in Kassian's pants.

The words, although innocent enough, conjured up a very naughty image in my mind.

'Bad Nova!' I chastised myself 'Do not think about your kidnappers that way!'

"The shoes don't help" Atlas grumbled from the kitchen doorway, interrupting my internal thoughts "They add to...her legs look longer in them."

"I can at least help in that aspect" Kassian said, running out of the room.

He returned a moment later with a familiar pair of shoes in his hands.

"My DOCS!" I squealed, reaching for them, and kicking off the stupid heels "Where did you find these? How do you have them?"

"I saw them by your front door" He grinned sheepishly at me "And since you weren't wearing any shoes the night, we...brought you home...I decided that these would do when you woke up."

I shot him a grateful smile, lacing up the last lace of my shoe as tightly as I could.

I stood and sighed, feeling my feet wiggle in their familiar environment.

"The Professors will have a fit that she's not following the dress code" Atlas' lips curled up at the corners, his small grin enhancing his already gorgeous features.

"She's an Heir" Phoenix shrugged "They can grumble all they want but they know not to get on our bad side."

I raised an eyebrow at his comment "You think you're above the rules?"

He smirked at me.

Kassian tapped my hip from his perch on the armchair behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder to find him grinning up at me "Princess...the rules don't apply to us."

~🌙~🌙~🌙~🌙~🌙~

I looked down at the small piece of printer paper in my hand, wondering how I was going to survive these classes.

1.     From the Beginning: The History of Wolf Shifters and the First Packs

2.     Basic Shifting 101

3.     Shifter Defense

4.     Learning the Lore

5.     Study Hall

6.     Living from the Land: Medicinal Review.

A few normal classes that everyday college students would take were mixed in, like English and Psychology, but I was told by Kassian that those classes didn't really count at the Academy like the main curriculum ones did...which was a bummer considering that I had absolutely no idea what any of these classes were about.

The only two classes I was excited for were the Lore and Medicinal ones.

Kassian and Atlas bid us adieu the moment we stepped inside this grand castle like building, my overstimulated brain barely hearing their goodbyes as I took in the hauntingly beautiful Academy that could have given Hogwarts a run for its money.

Crescent Celestial Academy, School for the Shifterly Inclined (as I liked to call it), was every bit what I expected from a College that housed some of the most deadly shifters in the world.

The atmosphere was dark gothic mixed with a unique kind of elegance that somehow worked well together.

The moment I stepped into the front office with Phoenix at my side, the secretary at the front desk shot me a look that was a mix of surprise and awe.

I squirmed, uncomfortable at her scrutinization.

Despite my uncomfortability, I shot her my best smile.

"Hello" I said pleasantly "I was wondering if you had a minute to talk."

The woman all but jumped out of her chair, speed walking toward the front desk.

"Yes of course!" she stuttered "What would you like to chat about Ms.Lupine?"

I gritted my teeth at the use of my new last name, not really liking the sound of it but understanding why they insisted on using it.

I was...after all...to them...A Lupine.

"I was wondering if there were any rooms available in the girls dorms?" I asked pleasantly "As you know, I'm new here and I'm not really comfortable sharing my space with three creepy men."

Phoenix let out a deep chuckle which had the secretary jumping up in surprise at the sound.

"Uh..." she glanced hesitantly at him "Unfortunately Ms.Lupine, the girls dorms are full for this term. Besides, even if they weren't otherwise occupied, the school isn't allowed to permit an Heir to live in the campus dorms since that would require establishing new safety protocols for not only you but the students around you."

I could practically feel Phoenix's haughty smirk from right next to me.

I frowned at her answer.

"And the Academy doesn't have a problem with a young innocent woman being roomed with three men?"

She shook her head, giving me a confused look "We have no problem with the Heirs sharing their compound together."

I reared my head back in shock "Why the hell not?"

"What?" she asked startled "Whatever do you mean?"

Phoenix stepped forward, giving the secretary a small smile.

"I got it from here Janice" he said, knocking on the front desk "Please let our Professors know that I'm giving the newest Heir a tour."

"Of Course Alpha Fenrir" she inclined her head "I'll also get another TA to cover your morning courses."

My eyes widened at her words, my head automatically swinging to the man next to me.

"You're a TA?"

"Of course" He glanced down at me "I'm the top of my class and only the best teach at Crescent Academy."

"But you're a student?"

"I'm almost done" he said "I graduate in the Spring and will take over my dad's position next fall."

He ushered me out of the office ahead of him, nodding to the left for me to follow him.

"As you know, Crescent Academy was founded fairly soon after the Penta was formed" he strode throw the empty halls with all the confidence in the world "The Leaders at the time thought it would be best for the new generation of shifters to have a safe space for them to learn what it mean to not only be apart of a Pack but to also come into their own as shifters. Before the Academy, new shifters would find it hard to navigate not only the heightened emotions that came with shifting but also the control of their wolves."

He pointed out classrooms and large gathering areas as we walked by.

"What kind of heightened emotions?" I asked "And how does that help with controlling your wolf?"

"Anger, sadness, or even just plain old happiness could give your Wolf an opportunity to break free at any moment" he explained "If you can't control your Wolf than you pose a serious threat to those around you. While we expect accidents to happen with new wolves, we try to minimize as much damage as we can because sometimes conflict between shifters can affect Pack dynamics."

"And how many packs attend this place?"

"All of them."

"What?" I gaped.

"All Packs from around the World attend Crescent Academy" he said "And being Heirs means that we each control our different territories full of them."

"So what's the different between an Heir and an Alpha?" I asked "Back there, the secretary called you an Alpha instead of an Heir."

"Alpha is the Leader of a Pack" he said "Technically, I am an Alpha. All the Heirs are. Our parents handed the reins over to their Packs to us by the time we turned eighteen."

"How old are you guys anyway?" I found myself asking "If you're about to graduate, you can't be older than twenty-two."

"Twenty-three" he corrected "I just turned twenty-three. Atlas is twenty-one and Kassian just turned twenty last month."

"Old Men, the lot of you" I muttered as we passed by the Cafeteria, the smell of bacon and waffles wafting from the door making my stomach growl "Are we done yet?"

"Not even close Princess."

I raised my eyebrow at the nickname.

"Okay Kidnapper" I rolled my eyes "Can we at least take a break? I'm starving and the fashion dilemma from this morning made me skip breakfast."

"We just started" he pointed out "We have a few more hours to go."

I gaped at him "Hours?"

He nodded.

"If you think I'm bitchy now, wait until I get hangry" I warned "You don't want to see me when I'm hangry."

"You're telling me your personality gets worse?" he asked, generally surprised.

I smirked at him "You're telling me your little file didn't make note of that?"

He sighed, looking down at his watch "Classes let out in five minutes."

"Perfect!" I exclaimed "Gives me just enough time to grab a plate and go."

"One minute."

I grinned widely up at him which had him stare down at me with a quizzical look on his face.

I took a step towards the food court when I paused, looking back at him as the nagging question from this morning popped into my mind.

"When you turn into your wolf, were do your clothes go?"

He choked on air "What?"

"I've read Shifter romances before" I said, tapping my forefinger on my chin "And I've always wondered where the clothes go when you shift. Do they just tear right off you or is there like special kind of magic when your clothes are miraculously spared? Do you constantly have to worry about clothes or do you care if everyone see's everything, biscuits and all?"

"My God" He pinched the bridge of his nose "Do you not have a filter? What normal person asks that?"

"I think we've already established that I about as far away from normal as possible" I snorted "But seriously, where do your clothes go?"

"Our clothes aren't spared when we shift" he finally answered "When we shift, we either have to take them off beforehand or, if we're on school grounds, The Academy outfits the forests with these special cubbies that blend with the trees that holds extra clothes."

I nodded "Cool."

He sent another weird look my way, about to ask something when his phone rang.

My eyes snapped on the little rectangle "You have a phone?"

"We all have phones here" he snorted, glancing at the screen "What do you think, we're heathens?"

I cracked a smile at his words.

"When can I get my phone back?"

He stayed silent.

My eyes jumped to his as I repeated the question.

His lips pursed as he, once again, chose not to answer.

"Seriously?" I gaped at him "You're not even going to give me my phone back?"

"You don't need it" he said firmly "Anything you need or want, you'll tell me and I'll take care of it."

"I want a phone."

"No."

"What's the point of telling you about something I want if you're not willing to give it to me" I threw my hands up in the air "What about my friends?"

"What about them?"

"How am I supposed to contact them?"

He smirked at me "The old fashioned way."

I blinked up at him, not understanding his meaning.

His smirk widened into a devious grin "Send them letter with our messenger pigeons."

My eyes widened "You use messenger pigeons here?"

"No," His grin turned into a full blown laugh "Did you really believe that?"

I narrowed my eyes, scowling at him "You're such a dick."

He phone rang again and this time, he answered it, keeping that god awful annoying smirk on his stupid face.

"One minute" he mouthed, holding up a finger to emphasize his point "Get your food and hurry that ass back to me. I'll be waiting."