Chapter Seven

By the time lunch came around, I was ready for a break. In high school, I could attend class, buzz through my homework, and show up to ace the test. It occupied a small portion of my brainpower.

The Werewolf Academy was an entirely different story.

Lectures and homework were only part of the equation. We had to do reading and take notes on it. Tests questions would be plucked from lectures, homework lessons, and written material. My bag was ten times heavier from the study guides alone, and I had my first test in two weeks. Even in my old high school, textbooks were digitalized. Not here.

Shifter Mythology.

Ava thought it was boring but, while I loved it, there was a ton of information to soak up in a small amount of time.

I would need gallons of coffee in the near future.

"What's that look for?" Dahlia asked, wrapping her arm around mine and falling in with my steps. Hurried steps since I was ready to get something to eat in my belly. My brain had been working overtime with the influx of all the new information, and I seriously needed a refuel.

"It's the look of an overloaded brain and an empty stomach. I hope they have something good for lunch."

She laughed. "That bad, huh? Good thing we have some classes in common. We can definitely study together. I'll help. Don't sweat it. And, for the record, this school always has amazing food."

She wasn't wrong. Once we got in line, the smells of savory, seasoned meat and side dishes wafted toward me. I got one of everything and eyed the iced coffee station. I would definitely be hitting that up once I was done.

"Other than being overloaded, how was everything?" Dahlia sat next to me. I wondered why she wasn't sitting with other people. I hadn't seen her talking to anyone before, during, or after class, either, which was a surprise. She was nice and funny. Who wouldn't want to be friends with her?

Then again, I wasn't going to come out and ask.

Their loss.

"Good. I tried to talk to a few people, but they kind of ignored me. I don't blame them. I'm the new girl."

She nodded. "Trust me. The newness has nothing to do with it. A lot of the students come from the same packs and clans. They have friends built in and don't accept others easily."

I nodded. "Noted. Except you. You have been friendly since meeting me."

Her eyes fell to her tray. "You were nice to me."

I turned my body toward her a bit. "Are others not nice to you?" My wolf's hackles rose as though Dahlia were pack to her already.

"A story for another day. There are eyes on us and, I would suspect, ears, too."

My gaze went to a table across the room where Artemis, Neo, and Ian sat, heads close together deep in conversation. Just as I was about to turn my attention back to my friend, all three of them met my stare. "I had a class with Ian this morning. Math."

"And? Did you pay any attention at all?" Dahlia had dropped her voice to a whisper. My shifter hearing could still pick it up, but listening ears probably couldn't.

I snorted. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Those three, well, let's put it this way, see how they are now?" I nodded. "That's the way they've always been. They especially don't go out of their way to talk to any females. Don't date, either, from what I've heard."

"They talked to you. Let's not start a riot over yesterday." I laughed her notion off.

"I never said they weren't polite. But the way they were looking at you wasn't gentlemanly at all."

"I—" Before I could ask her more, since I didn't think they looked at me in any but the normal way, Minx, Ava, and their mates stood on the other side of the round table, trays in hand.

"Mind if we sit with you guys?" Ava asked.

"Not at all." I was glad they had approached me. I never had any family, but now I had two half-sisters and six brothers-in-law.

They all sat down, and my wolf calmed. I wished Artemis, Ian, and Neo had joined us, but it was clear there was something important was going on in their lives.

"Okay. One at a time," I said. "Spill it. Tell me how all of you met. Spare no details."

Minx laughed. "Well, I met my mates by busting into their study session on my first day here."

"And I was assigned the extra room in a suite with all men. And when I walked in, they all sat there, not speaking, mouths wide open. I thought they hated me." Ava wrinkled her nose.

Everyone at the table cracked up at their candor.

My half-sisters and their mates dropped into a banter about how things went down. It was cute and everyone was blushing.

"What about you?" Ava asked. "You haven't met your mate yet? Or mates? I mean, it seems like a family trait."

"Not yet," I said.

"Huh," Dahlia muttered.

"What?"

She shook her head, smiling. "Nothing. Nothing at all."