Chapter 5: Pride and Prejudice
1090 Words
Sam's POV
The pasture was quiet.
The grass felt soft under the pads of his great paws. It had taken quite some time for the sheep to learn he wasn't the type of wolf to threaten them. He was there to protect them, their vigilant guardian.
The two Great Pyrenees that he had purchased to keep a constant watch on the sheep no longer even lifted their head in his direction. They trusted him implicitly. They napped in the shade while he prowled, doing their job for them so they could get some much needed rest.
It was about as physical of a representation of his feelings about the school as he could get.
This flock of innocent sheep, they were like the women who walked these halls. It was his job to protect them, to help ensure they achieved their final form, their most important form.
If shifters were ever going to recover from losing their Lunas, they must, at the very least, raise up a line of women who could take on those roles unnaturally.
He had been pleased in his short tenure as dean here.
Several women had gone on to become incredibly influential, powerful in their own right, under his indirect tutelage.
Sam's heart ached with emptiness. He had foolishly hoped when he had accepted the position that his own mate might be out there.
It was a foolish hope, of course, but it seemed if anyone had the opportunity to find a mate, it might be him. He knew the idea of a mate wasn't just a meaningless love story.
His grandparents had been the last shifters to find mates. When he lost his parents in a house fire, they had been the ones who raised him. He had to ignore the twinge of jealousy when he thought about the genuine love they had for each other.
He didn't deserve to find a mate, if that was an option for him at all. His sick and bandaged hope that his position might help him find a mate ensured he never deserved to find one. His priority should be making his people stronger.
And it was.
Sam was absolutely set on returning shifters to their strength. If there was anything he could do here to help, he was going to make sure it got done. Mandatory self defense classes had been his idea; these women needed to be able to defend themselves. Enough women had gone missing.
There was enough murkiness in this world.
It's why he had taken to guarding the sheep. When the previous gamekeeper had retired, Sam had anxiously taken over that position. It wasn't a full time job, anymore. He could easily tend to the animals in his spare time. So much of the school operated autonomously anyway, the staff didn't need him the way previous deans had been needed.
He'd decided the dean's home could be used purely for ceremonies and events. He had moved into the gamekeeper's lodge and found himself much more at home here.
Something in the atmosphere had changed, today, though.
Not the same way that the arrival of new students usually did. He was accustomed to the electric buzzing in the air. The chatter of anxious voices, the prickly feeling of nerves, he was used to these sensations.
This year, there were two distinct feelings that were different.
The most notable feeling was the smell of rot. It tinged the edges of his vision in black. It brought forth images of decay, of creeping things, of nightmares. It smelled the sickly sweet of rotten things.
But under that, under all of the everyday hustle and bustle, the stirring of new students arriving, there was a steady, pounding heartbeat.
At first, he thought he'd lost his mind.
Sam knew it was impossible for a heartbeat to echo in your chest, but that was the feeling. He'd been afraid he'd lost his mind. Then, he was sure he'd imagined it. And now, it thumped along inside his chest, alongside his own heart, singing like a lullaby. It was becoming a comfort in the handful of hours it had been here.
He wanted to lay in the soft green grass of the pastures forever. It was the perfect place to contemplate the meaning of it all. He could puzzle through the sensations, sorting his emotions into neat little boxes.
There was no time for that. Soon, he would be expected to address the returning students. He needed to get back and prepare for the more important part of his day.
He padded down the hill, relishing the feeling of the wind filtering through his fur for just a few moments longer.
The stable sat cattycorner to Earthwick Cottage. On the far side of the stable, there was an outdoor shower. He mostly used it for cleaning animals, now, but from time to time he enjoyed it himself.
Sam trotted to it, shifting to his human form and turning on the water. Three walls kept the shower fairly private, and he was able to take a lengthy shower in peace, luxuriating in the cool water.
He dried off and pulled on his clothes, khaki work pants, a white dress shirt, and leather suspenders. He would change into something more becoming of the dean later, but for now, he could continue to hide behind the title of gamekeeper.
The thrumming in his chest suddenly grew louder, like rushing water. His heart began to pound at the sensation.
What in the world could it mean?
Sam stuffed his hands in his pockets, walking slowly towards his home. It was just a few paces off, a small vegetable garden separating the pen in front of the stable from the yard of the gamekeeper's lodge.
He tried not to stare, scanning the landscape as casually as possible.
A dark haired girl in the standard school uniform walked watching her feet towards Earthwick Cottage. She kept a brisk pace, though she stopped to admire a few soft purple wildflowers blooming in front of the cottage.
He made a mental note to tell the groundskeeper not to pull them up. They weren't weeds if she enjoyed them so much.
Sam was shocked at himself.
Why would he care? Weeds were weeds, he had a reputation to uphold, a reputation for the entire school.
But he couldn't bring himself to imagine the woman's reaction if she found them removed.
She disappeared in one of the doors, and the thrumming in his chest quieted to a dull roar.
- Writer
