Page 20 of Big Bad Academy

“So you’re saying that shifters are real.”

“You don’t seem surprised.”

“I write paranormal romance books, Flynn. There’s not a lot that surprises me.”

“What if I told you that the school is run by a wolf pack?”

She stares at me.

“And I’m one of the top dogs.”

“Well,” she looks away and starts staring at the paintings on the walls. “That is interesting.” She reaches for one of the paintings, but stops just short of touching it. It’s a piece of art my mother painted long ago, back before she passed away.

Heather looks at it for a long time, and I don’t have the heart to yank her back and tell her to keep her paws to herself. I should, but she seems genuinely calm about the fact that I just told her shifters are real.

She’s much too calm.

Any ordinary human would have freaked out or rolled their eyes, but she didn’t. Why not?

“What do you know about shifters, Heather?”

“Well, apparently, I know that they truly exist,” the corner of her mouth quirks up, and I can’t tell if she’s teasing me or not. I hope not because this is actually a serious thing we’re dealing with. If she thinks I’m messing with her, then this is going to take a long time.

That’s time we don’t have.

With a sigh, I pull my shirt off. Instantly, I scent her arousal, but I also don’t have time to play. Some of the most important members of our pack are gone, and she could hold the answer to finding the person or persons responsible.

That is, assuming she’s not the one behind the disappearances.

“What are you doing?” She asks.

“Proving to you that I’m not messing with you.”

I strip down entirely, and I don’t miss the way she stares at my cock once I’m naked. She doesn’t even bother trying to look at my eyes. Nope. She seems totally unconcerned with the fact that I’m honestly and truly naked.

“Hey,” I finally say. “My eyes are up here.”

“Yeah, whatever,” she mutters. She doesn’t look up. Her gaze is intently focused right on my dick, and while I’d love to have her attention focused on me there, it’s also not the time. There will be plenty of time for that later, and it’s not right now.

With a sigh, I close my eyes and shift. Instantly, my bones change. My skin vanishes. My fur comes in and I’m a wolf. There’s no denying what I am. I’m bigger, stronger, and I have two spare legs I didn’t have before.

Heather doesn’t even blink, which confirms my suspicions that she already knew about shifters, but it also upsets me. I don’t want her to be guilty. I don’t want her to be the person who is responsible for my pack members disappearing, but it’s starting to look like maybe, just maybe, she is.

She looks at me carefully, considering me. Is she going to touch me? She reaches out her hand, but then pulls it quickly back. Hastily, she looks around, but no one is here. It’s just the two of us. If she’s going to do anything, this is her chance, and I feel my heart begin to pound as I wonder if she’s going to pet me.

More importantly, I wonder why I want her to pet me.

It’s certainly not a normal thing to want or crave.

Not from a human.

And not for me.

“Wow,” she finally whispers. Then she takes a step forward. Once again, she holds out her hand, but unfortunately, the bell rings just as she does, and students start pouring out of the classrooms. They’re laughing and talking and joking around until they see us, and then the entire crowd falls silent.

“Who the fuck is that?” Someone yells out.

“Hey, no swearing!” A teacher shouts.


Tags: Sophie Stern Fantasy