Moon Called : Werewolf Academy (Book 1)

Chapter 6

Everything blurs into a smear of light and sound. I’m trapped between a werewolf and a speeding truck—then the air sucked out of the world. I wait for the impact, for the end, but all I get is a surge of vertigo that sends me reeling. My knees buckle toward an ancient-looking floor, the smell of old stone replacing the scent of asphalt.

Elijah is there, back in his human form, catching me by the elbow. I shove him off immediately, my head spinning as I take in the high arches of what I think is a castle—or a tomb. Hell knows.

I’m hyperventilating.

Elijah tries to reach for me again.

“Stay back!” I choke out.

“You need to calm down,” he pants, out of breath.

“I told you I didn’t want to come here!” My voice bounces off the confines of the cavernous hallway. “Take me back. Now!”

“So you can run in front of another truck?”

“Anything is better than being here,” I scream. “Please, send me back. I won’t be a problem. I—”

A long whistle cuts through the air, followed by a snicker. “Another pup, Eli?”

My anger flares at the comment, then instantly folds as I realize I’m glaring at a chest that’s as wide as a doorway.

I don’t just take a few steps back; I retreat until I’m practically pressed against a wall. The guy is so tall that I feel like I’m looking up at a monument rather than an actual person.

He looks down at me with an expression that’s entirely too entertained for my comfort, making me feel smaller than I’ve ever felt in my life.

“Let me guess, you got this one from the suburbs?” the boy wonders.

“A motel.” Elijah expels a weary breath. “It’s not what you think.”

“Did you forget to use your enchantment?”

“I did use it on her. She somehow bypassed it,” Elijah gripes, heading toward me. “I need to get her to—”

Before he can finish, I lunge, sinking my teeth into his hand with all the strength I can muster. The taste of blood floods my mouth, metallic and sharp.

Elijah lets out a strangled cry, spitting out a string of curses as he wrenches his hand away from me, glaring with a mix of pain and shock.

The other boy doubles over in a fit of laughter, his booming voice echoing through the vast chamber. “This is gold, man! You’ve really got your hands full with this one.” He wipes away a tear, his mirth only growing louder as Elijah struggles to regain his composure.

“Shut up, Cass,” Elijah snaps, his eyes steady on me as I back away. “There’s no point in running. You can’t get out of the grounds. Stop making it so hard on yourself and come with me.”

“The hell I am,” I shoot back. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

The tall boy scratches the back of his neck, amused by my predicament. “You sure you don’t need help, Eli?”

“I can handle this,” Elijah retaliates. “Go get Humphrey. She needs to check this one out.”

“Why? Why not send her to the commons?” Cass inquires. “Give her some time to cool off, and she’ll figure out that no one here will try to eat her.”

“I can’t.” Elijah inches toward me. “I need to take her to Humphrey.”

“Why?” Cass presses further. “What’s so special about this one that she needs Humphrey’s attention?”

“It’s a long story,” Elijah sighs, glaring at Cass. “Can you just go? As in, now?”

“Fine, man,” Cass smirks at me. “Good luck chasing this one across the courtyard. I bet you fifty she’s going to outshine that Jaxon boy.”

Elijah murmurs another string of curses before he edges toward me, like he’s approaching a wild animal.

My heart feels like it’s about to leap out of my chest, and I have a feeling I’m about to do something irrational—not that anything about my circumstances is rational to begin with. “Why am I truly here?”

“Exactly what I told you. We’re trying to help you and figure out why your mark is different.”

“What’s it to you what happens to me?”

“Because if you run wild, you could become a danger to humans,” he explains. “You could die if you don’t know how to contain your magic or the change. That’s what the academy is for. It’s to help you manage all of it.”

“Why me?” my voice quivers. “I don’t get it.”

“I wish I could tell you why the huntress chose you, but I don’t have that answer for you. You can find out if you learn how to tap into your magic. You can talk to her yourself.”

“I can? She will tell me?”

Elijah sighs, tilting his head to the side, pointing at the mark on my neck. “There’s a good chance. Sometimes she doesn’t give direct answers, but I’m positive she’s got something big planned for you. You’re important to her.”

“You think Luca might know? The guy who bit me?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll need your cooperation to find out.” Elijah’s shoulders eases slightly. “I promise you, we are not going to hurt you in any way.”

“Then why did you use magic on me?”

“To keep you calm. I knew it was the only way for you to listen.” A slight smile forms on his lips. “I sense emotions. It’s part of my gift. You’ll develop one too. An ability unique to you.”

“I’ll be able to sense emotions too?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. Or you might be able to do other cool things. But the only way you’ll be able to find out and manage those abilities is if you work with the academy. Stay here and learn.”

“Right.” I peer down the hall, pushing out a deep breath in hopes of calming my racing heartbeat. “What did you mean by ‘you need my neck’? What are you going to do?”

“You thought we were going to chop it off or something, didn’t you?” he cracks a grin. “We need your neck, with you attached to it. Alive. No funny business, I swear.”

“I don’t get how it is going to help.”

“We need to perform a spell to track the one who marked you. In a nutshell, Humphrey’s going to sprinkle some herbs on your neck and chant. No wolves will get harmed in the process.”

“And this is going to bring Luca here?” I press on.

“Yes. We might be able to get some answers for you. And with some chance, by then when you’ve calmed down enough, I can show you around and how we go about things here. We’re not as rabid and wild as humans claim us to be. If anything, we’re more humane than humans.”

I rub my arms, staring at him. I could run, but from what I understand, there’s no way out, and one of them will catch me eventually. I mean, there’s only so far you can run with a bunch of werewolves on your trail.

Or, I can go with him and get it over with.