I don’t want to do anything that could make her feel bad or upset or lost.
I don’t want to do anything that could make her feel like she’s trapped.
Once this is all over, and once we’ve discovered who has been capturing the wolves, and why, then I’ll have to let her go.
But something tells me that letting Heather go after all of this is over is going to be the hardest experience of my entire life.
Chapter Thirteen
Heather
“So the War of the Shifters was in 1734,” Megan says.
“No, it was in 1735,” Erin
corrects her.
“You’re both wrong,” I smile. “1736.”
The girls sigh and write down the correct dates on their papers. We’re in one of the common rooms in the main castle, and we’re studying for an upcoming test in Barker’s class. I’ve been at the academy for nearly two weeks now, and I feel wildly comfortable here.
More comfortable than I should.
That much is for certain.
When Flynn stole me away, I thought I’d be killed or captured, locked up in a dungeon, but that couldn’t have been more off base from my reality. The truth is that I’m basically free to wander around the academy. I get to eat when I want, exercise when I want, and relax when I want. Aside from my classes and tutoring sessions, I’m pretty much free to do as I please, but that doesn’t mean I’ve been able to relax.
I know that Flynn has people watching me. I’ve noticed at least two different wolves who always seem just out of sight. They’re always in the corner of my eye, and I’d guess that they’re supposed to make sure I don’t leave the campus or anything.
That’s fine.
I mean, where would I go?
I definitely wouldn’t leave without my cats and even if I was going to leave, it’s not like there’s anywhere I’d want to be. Now that I know my dreams are real, I have endless questions that I want answered. I want to find out exactly where I should go next and what I should do. I want to know everything there is to know about the wolf pack.
“You’re good at this stuff, you know,” Erin says.
“Yeah, especially for being human,” Megan points out.
“What’s wrong with being human?”
“Nothing,” Erin says.
“Everything,” Megan says at the same time.
The two girls exchange looks, and then Erin looks at me.
“Look, the thing is that most of the students have never met a human. Most of the wolves live in the woods and come around for pack meetings. There are a few towns around where the wolves live, but they’re all shifter towns. The people who live on campus are either students, like us, or teachers who never feel like leaving campus. They’re perfectly fine just sitting around with their books.”
“There’s not really anything wrong with books.”
“There’s also nothing wrong with wanting more from your life,” Erin points out.
“Erin’s a dreamer,” Megan explains, as though Erin isn’t right there. “And she wants to go away as soon as she graduates.”
“Of course I do,” Erin says. “I want to go out into the world and find my mate. Then I want to travel around with her and explore.”
“And you?” I ask Megan. “What do you want?”