LUNAR ACADEMY

CHAPTER 9

"So when are we going to get to the part of you having a wolf, Camille Alexandrè?" I just sit there, transfixed because how do I answer that?

I decide not to give him anything in case he's just bluffing. "You are not supposed to give false hope to a girl who lost her wolf, Seth. That's basic manners." I address him by his name, remembering it from the time the shifting 101 professor mentioned it when I was 'unconscious'. Whether he is surprised or not that I know his name, he doesn't show, he just stares at me unblinkingly.

"Really that's the best you could come up with?. I FELT your wolf, Cam. It's reached out to my wolf and it didn't seem like it was just waking up." I swallow a little. He seems so sure. How do I deflect it? I have never prepared myself to have this conversation with anyone and I stumble looking for the right words to say

"Maybe it's just woke up? Maybe seeing its mate made it realise it is time to stop hiding?" Seth doesn't even look convinced. I reach out to my wolf for support but she just remain silent.

Great!

Guess it is left to me. "That's why I didn't tell anyone about this." He said, gesturing to the space between the both of us. "Werewolves who lost their wolves are usually unable to find their mate. Our wolves are the ones the Moon Goddess design the mating bond for. We are basically just the vessels." He raises his head to look at me for the first time since starting this conversation

"Whosoever you tell that you have found your mate will immediately know that you have been lying about your wolf. So while I will love to flaunt you to all of my friends and the whole pack, I know you must have a really good reason for wanting to lie about your wolf. I will keep your secret." There is a pause before he adds "for now. My wolf will be itching to meet its mate. I doubt I'll be able to hold him off for long." I roll my eyes at that.

No way will I just agree to mate with him even if there weren't a cloud hanging over our heads. If his wolf expect me to just lie on the grass with my legs wide open for it to mate with me, it has another thing coming for him because Eww! We are not animals. Okay. Maybe we are but I still expect to be wooed with flowers and chocolates.

I don't bother denying it. I know a lost game when I see one I just tell him "Thank you for keeping my secrets. I do have a good reason for hiding it but I will sort it out soon." So maybe I'm lying when I say I will sort it out because I don't even know where to begin even if I want to but I have to give him some hope.

Most male wolves, after finding their mates, act crazy and turn to obsessive control freaks. I'm glad he isn't rushing me on completing the mating bond though. "You're welcome mate." He replies, smiling cheekily, seeming pleased with himself.

"We still need to be close to one another during classes." My face must have expressed my displeasure because he says.

"To calm my wolf down. It won't be happy if you are that far from it. It will see the entire class as a threat to you. I'm sure you wouldn't want him biting off people's heads." I'm not so sure I will hate that. It's not like they have been nice to me anyways but I just shrug at him. He continues. "You don't have to worry about people noticing. I'm a very friendly guy." He smirks at me.

I immediately take it the wrong way. I'm sure he didn't mean it like that but the words itch at my skin. I'm sure if you've told me days ago that I have a territorial side, I would have called you the biggest liar the world have ever seen but now. Look at me!

I see that he is waiting for an answer so I tell him "Sure. As long as I still get to have some space." He nods and stands, gesturing to the window "I need to head back. I will see you tomorrow. We have history." He continue standing there, awkwardly as if waiting for a hug or goodbye kiss, I'm not sure which one.

When he sees that he isn't going to get whatever it is that he is expecting, he begins to walk towards the window. I follow him because there is no way he is going to jump. We are at least three floors up and jumping down this height means broken bones and maybe a body bag. I reach the window-sill just in time to see him gliding, basically riding the air. The wind bending to his command as he effortlessly commands it.

He lands a good distance away from the dorm building. Damn! that was smooth. I wonder why he's in MOEM class if he already knows his element.

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I check my phone to see that I have four messages. One is from Natasha asking to know when we are going to start working on our project. So, she's a serious student. I instantly take that back when I read the rest of the message where she says she's asking so she will know when she will book her nail appointment and what party she will be able to attend this weekend. I roll my eyes at that. The second message is from Mandy. She forwards Natasha's message with a question mark.

Right! We need to fix a date to start. I see another message from Mandy. This time she asked how'd it go with Seth and say we shouldn't make babies on our bed. I groan at that, blushing furiously. Oh I'm sure she will give me a lot of s**t about him. She seem like the type.

Does she know about my wolf? I mean if Seth told her we are mates then she got to know about my wolf, right? Great! We need to talk.

I have barely survived one week here and two people already know my secrets. I will have to be extra careful from now on. Can't have the wrong people finding out. I'm sure they have spies here. They are a very well structured organisation. I can't risk exposure.

It's barely 4 p.m. and I decide to take a walk around the campus. I look down at the little fat on my tummy and I groan. I need to start working out ASAP. My thighs and arms are no longer toned. As experienced, I can no longer take a punch without being out of consciousness for two days. I am definitely slacking.

The last text is from my dad stating he and mum will be heading back to NYC tomorrow morning. My parents! I don't know how I will tell them about the news of my mate. I certainly cannot tell them now. There is no way I will let them know I have been lying about my wolf. I will have to tell them why I lied. That's not even an option.

My dad have never really been excited about the prospect of me meeting my mate. His parents were mates but his Dad constantly abused his mum for years. My dad was not even aware of it until later. He had see the bruises on on her body and when she confronted her about it she had said she got them from practice.

One day, his dad-- my grandpa lost control and hit her in front of my dad. My dad raged on and lost hold of his wolf. Only when his wolf relinquished control did my dad discover what he had done. He had killed my grandfather. His Alpha. He didn't regret it though. My mum refuse to talk or even see him for years on. She said my dad took her mate from her.

He was a bad mate but her mate regardless. They had their happy moments, she says. I hate that my grandmom is eternally tied to my grandfather just because the moon goddess deem it so. I have heard a lot of mate pairing gone wrong but most times they don't leave the person causing them harm. it is sad!

I change out of the clothes I'm wearing into a sundress my mom and I bought when we went to France some years back to visit her family.

My dad's family immigrated from France in the 1940s when the Werewolf War started.

Humans started the rebelling against werewolves when they noticed our population increasing. We were stronger and faster than them. We also have predictory instincts. The Humans were afraid we will hunt them into extinction. Their fears were very valid.

They started a war against us seeking to eliminate us before we get out of control. Witches have their bloodlines mixed with that of the Humans so naturally they sided with the humans in the world. It was catastrophic. A lot of deaths were recorded on both sides. It was bloody. If it was just werewolves versus humans, we won't have suffered as much loss but witches are a whole different ballgame.

They are only a few of them remaining but what they lack in numbers, they make up for in skills. While werewolves have their wolves, elemental magic and any other power the Moon Goddess choose to bless us with, the witches have everything. I mean everything.

They just have to know the spell for a particular thing and it's done. There is no limit to their power. The hierachy in the witch community is established by the number of spells a bloodline has been able to accumulate over the centuries.

The Malus family are the oldest, most wicked family. They are about seven of them left, just utttering their name is enough to instill fear in the hearts of most wolves. I don't pray to encounter any of them in my lifetime. I even heard that their young ones are locked in a room full of spells until they are 14. They spend their early years memorizing spells their ancestors have traveled, fougt and killed for.

Only the females become witches I shudder to think of what happens to their male children.

The witches didn't wipe us out only because a coven of witches later came to our aid. With the coven's help, we were able to reach an agreement that will benefit both sides. We formed a Treaty with the humans. We had to go into hiding and vow to remain in the shadows. To hide away from humans. There are shields on all packs to prevent humans from accidentally stumbling on them.

Some werewolves live in the midst of humans but they are held to a vow of secrecy. To break that vow is to die. My family live in New York with humans. I attended schools with humans. This is actually my first time being around so many werewolves. So far, I don't hate it.

I check in with my wolf as I stand in front of the bathroom mirror. I send her a mental image of myself in the dress asking her how I look and she just jumps up and send me a mental picture of her, grinning wolfishly. I smile at the cuteness of it.