Chapter 10

Dylan

H er following classes weren't nearly as interesting after Etiquette class, and Dylan couldn't understand how that became her favorite class of the day. Pack Politics was mostly about the professor going over what to expect during the course and making everyone introduce themselves to him the way Lunapei taught them and stated something special about themselves. Dylan announced to another class she was a Shadowborn. Professor Miklos was not shocked in the least that she was a Shadowborn. He told her he could tell from her aura that she was something special. Apparently, he also practiced divination and could sense things about people. He was on the shorter side for werewolves and plump around the middle compared to most aging ones. His hair was salt and peppered with more salt than pepper, too. Dylan thought she noticed his hair moving weirdly and wondered if he was wearing a toupée. If so, that meant this man was the oldest wolf she ever met and over five hundred years old.

Like that doesn't freak me out at all.

Lunch was spent with Camilla and her squad glaring at her and Serafine the entire time. Jackson was seated at their table, but he spent more time talking with his friends than he did with Camilla. Dylan noticed how Camilla leaned into him and tried to give him a kiss and such, but he brushed her off. Serafine pointed it out, but Dylan tried to look like she wasn't paying attention. She snuck enough glances to know what Serafine was talking about. To her, it looked like Jackson wasn't interested at all, and Camilla stating she was with him was just a hoax. Typical Queen Bee thought she had everything she wanted, but in reality, she had none.

Which I knew from the moment I met her. She will not like me when I am someone who is very much you get what you see.

Pack Magic was just like Pack Politics. Professor Wilcox was a vibrant person. Her wavy brunette hair fell to her shoulders, and her brown eyes would soften to almost the same yellow shade wolves had. Dylan noticed some of the males would look at Wilcox, nearly drooling, and Dylan couldn't blame them with the level of the curve the woman had tied with her kind and fun personality. Serafine and Wilcox were nearly twins in the personality department. The woman was very happy and bubbly throughout the class. She discussed what the class would be like throughout the semester and then had everyone introduce themselves. Wilcox at least looked at Dylan and didn't judge her for being a Shadowborn. If anything, she seemed more interested in Dylan for being one and told Dylan after class that she could come to talk to her anytime she needed it. Since she was a lot like Serafine, Dylan thought she might take her up on that offer.

She had half an hour to go back to her dorm and change for combat class. Serafine decided to stay around the building since she brought her combat outfit with her and would meet up at class. Dylan replayed the day's events and remembered how most of the students were in the same classes. Dylan understood that it was helpful information for young werewolves if they were sent here. The etiquette class alone taught Dylan something she didn't know, and she had been training to be a Luna since she was around ten.

Dylan was lost in her thoughts as she walked back. So far, she didn't think things would be bad here. The classes seemed interesting enough. Even politics and pack magic, with the overview, gave her the insight that she would learn things her mother planned to teach her and more. The teachers were nice, although Lunapei was stricter than the others.

"Hey, you." His voice was like silk against her skin.

Dylan jumped at the sound of Jackson's voice. She let out a snarl from him surprising her and kicked herself simultaneously for not being aware of her surroundings. She was alone here. Her pack was hundreds of miles away. She couldn't afford to allow her guard to be down like this. She straightened herself out and tried to appear as though he didn't startle her. Jackson was leaning on a tree with one shoulder and his hands in his pockets. Dylan smiled at him and then continued walking to the dorm. Where he stood under a single willow tree gave him enough coverage to where she wouldn't have noticed he was there unless she was looking.

Or more aware of my damn surroundings.

She heard him chuckle. "Playing hard to get?" he called out to her.

"Nope. I only have a short time to get to my room, change, and get to the building for combat class. I don't have time to stop and talk to playboys."

Jackson jogged up to her and then matched her stride. Dylan felt the energy between them crackle, so she stepped away from him to add more space, so they didn't touch. She felt her wolf stir inside of her. She could feel her wolf wanting to touch him, but Dylan fought the urge.

"Combat class? That's awesome. After hearing you are a Shadowborn, I can't wait to see your shadow form."

"Shadow wolf."

He looked at her with a sideways grin. "Touchy subject?"

"The proper term is Shadow Wolf. We are here to learn how to do things properly, yes? Well, that is the proper name for that form."

Jackson laughed. Dylan's wolf rolled around at the sound of it, and Dylan cringed at seeing her wolf falling so hard.

"I heard you mention combat class. Any idea why your mate would want you to be able to kick his ass even more than you can now?"

Dylan glanced at him sideways. "What makes you think I can now?"

He chuckled. "There is no way in hell you can't kick his ass with the way you carry yourself right now."

"My mate is also an Alpha. It would be hard to kick his ass." She didn't know why she was defending Silas at all right now. He didn't deserve it after rejecting her. Something about his questioning made her feel like he was digging for information on her. Since Jackson hung around Camilla, she wasn't taking chances.

"You think I wasn't paying attention while we were at the fire? You didn't back down from Camilla, and you were ready to take her and her friends on. From my experience, people who talk like you do can back themselves up, especially with the power you carry."

Dylan opened the door to the dorms and quickly walked up the stairs, making her way to her room. Jackson stayed on her and waited for her to answer him. Dylan thought about kicking him so he could fall down the stairs so she could get away from him, but that meant possibly touching him. A million thoughts went through her head at that. If she found her second mate here, could she go home? If Jackson was her mate, would he reject her too, make her go through more classes, and delay her chances of going home? Her wolf paced inside her mind at either option.

Touch him. Let's find out.

No.

If he is ours, at least this unstoppable urge to touch him would go away.

No, it won't. It would increase, and we would need to be around each other at all times. I don't need that right now.

He's waiting for you to respond, by the way.

"I'm an Alpha's daughter. Of course I carry power, but that doesn't mean I would actually have throttled Camilla for trying to display her dominance. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get ready for class."

Dylan walked down the hall and got into her room before he could say anything else. She heard his melodic laugh as she closed the door. Her heart fluttered at the sound, making her lean her head on the door. She didn't want to get caught up in another mate right now, but it was becoming a reality fast. The overwhelming feeling of needing to be next to him and touch him had her heart racing and her knees wobbling. Dylan took a deep breath in an attempt to settle herself. She sighed heavily and forced herself to get into her combat pants and shirt, both of which clung to her body. Somehow, she felt more exposed in this outfit even though it covered every inch of her from the neck down. She shook her head at the mirror image and ran out the door to get to class.

I won't be late on the first day. I won't be late on the first day.

When she walked to the back of the school, she found the rest of the class waiting for their teacher to come. A huge area of at least fifty square feet was covered in mats for their class. There weren't enough students to cover the area, but she at least knew during the sparring matches they would have enough room to move around for any of their maneuvers and they would not be limited by the amount of space, or lack thereof. Jackson noticed her and smiled at her. Dylan rolled her eyes and walked to the opposite side of him where Serafine stood. He found this amusing from the way he looked at her. It took far too much effort for her not to look over at him while they waited.

She noticed the class was made up of the same werewolves she had seen throughout the day. It was still weird to her that everyone was taking the exact same classes. Even if they were rejected for different reasons, they must all fall under an umbrella of classes for the school to keep everyone together. It would make some sense. That meant they had only a handful of teachers to pay to be here instead of many for various things.

A booming voice caught her attention. A mountain of a man came strolling onto the mat. He stood well over six feet with broad shoulders, and Dylan could feel the power rolling off him in waves. She felt it brush against her own as her wolf rushed to the surface, feeling someone powerful in their presence. His hair was cut short, but she could tell it was a medium brown from the sun hitting it, and his eyes were a lighter shade of brown than she was used to seeing. It was almost the color of amber as the sun reflected on them. "Hello, wolves! Welcome to Combat Training! I am Master Teowulf! Throughout the semester, this class will teach you how to attack and protect yourself during battle properly. For centuries, I have taught the wolves throughout our packs how to fight and made us the power we are today!"

Everyone looked around to see what the other was doing in response. While he was pausing, Dylan wondered if the man wanted them to clap for him. If so, this was going to get very interesting throughout the semester. It was one thing to have pride. It was another thing to expect praise from a bunch of students. Throughout her studies, Dylan had never heard of this man. If he were the trainer for all the packs, he would have trained the Shadowborns. This could also mean he hated Shadowborns like the rest of the population she has come across.

Teowulf looked around at them and lifted an eyebrow. "Really? None of you have heard of me? I understand that I have been teaching here for the last few decades, but surely your packs have mentioned me at some point?'

Jackson lifted his hand slightly. "Are you the one who wiped the floor with Taimen about a century ago?"

Teowulf beamed. "Yes, that was me."

Murmurs spread through the crowd of students. Taimen was a stupid werewolf who thought he could take on the Monarch. He attempted to challenge people who were under the Monarch's power so he could be within rank to challenge him. Werewolf Pack Laws state no one can challenge another unless they are at least three rankings from the person they are challenging. When it comes to outsiders, they at least need to be able to challenge their fourth in the pack and win. At the time, Teowulf was the Monarch's fourth, and Taimen had to challenge him to get to the Monarch. Teowulf beat Taimen so badly that no one heard from him again.

"Now, we aren't here to discuss my successes throughout my life. We are here to teach you to be combat-ready by the time you return to your packs. I will go around and get an individual assessment of where people are already at with combat training. Then, I will pair you up with someone for some light sparring today. Nothing major yet. Just want to see where people are and what I am working with."

Dylan felt Serafine nudge her to look at her. "Is it just me, or is Jackson constantly staring at you?"

Sure enough, when Dylan peered over at Jackson, he was looking at her. Their eyes connected, and she felt heat pool in her stomach. He smirked at her, and it felt like an eruption of butterflies throughout her body. Dylan rolled her eyes and shook her head to try not to look as though she wanted to dash across the mats and jump into his arms. "Yeah, he's been doing that a lot today."

"The hottest guy in the school is staring at you, and you are annoyed about it?"

Dylan laughed. "I didn't want a mate, but then I got one, and he rejected me. I don't want to have a fling while at this school or find another mate I might have. So, yeah. I'm annoyed."

Serafine looked Dylan up and down. "You do understand that trying to avoid the bond will only make your wolf more intense and agitated until the bond is formed, right?"

Dylan groaned. "I forgot about that. I don't really care. I don't want to deal with this. It has been nothing but a pain in my ass. I just want to connect with my wolf to control her and our astral form better. That was the reason I didn't mind coming here. At least I could get that under control and not lose a fight because I didn't have control. It's not my fault my mate hated that I was a Shadowborn."

"I get that. I really do. But I'm sure not all of your mates will do the same as him. Jackson knows you are a Shadowborn, which hasn't stopped him."

"I don't know if he is my mate. I will try my hardest to never find out."

Serafine laughed. "Yeah, let me know how that goes."

Teowulf made his rounds and ended up speaking with Dylan last. Dylan rolled her shoulders and stood straighter as he stepped in front of her. He gave her a small smile and held out his hand. When she put her hand in his, her wolf pushed for their power to surface. Teowulf's power collided with hers, and Dylan felt the energy crackling between them as their eyes met. It was not her intention to spark a challenge, but somehow, she was staring right into his eyes as if she wanted one. Teowulf moved himself to the side to look past her, signaling he was not bowing in her presence but wasn't challenging her either. This could mean that his wolf saw her as equally dominant or didn't want to risk challenging her.

"My, my. I didn't think I'd come across someone like you. Valko is your father, yes?"

Dylan nodded. "Yes."

"He is a formidable person in our world. He is possibly the most powerful Shadowborn I've ever known—well, maybe until now. Isn't he mated to Loveta? She was powerful, too. I thought your siblings would be powerful like them, and yeah, they carry some power, but nothing like yours."

Dylan leaned her head to the side. "Thank you?"

He laughed, and it boomed through the area. "Yes, it was a compliment. Sometimes, the last born ends up with all the power. I would know. I had three siblings before me, and they did not wield the same amount of power as I did. I assume you've had combat training under your father?"

"More our Beta than my father, but yes. I've had years of training."

"Good. I think the only opponent worthy of your attention is Jackson since he is the only ranking wolf here."

Dylan stifled her groan and glared over at Jackson. He was going over to the mat, and Dylan took a deep breath before getting there. The smile on his face said it all. He wanted to do this a lot more than she did. She couldn't tell Teowulf she refused to spar with Jackson because she thought he was a potential mate. That would force Teowulf's hand to ensure she went through the combat so the bond would form. This place was to help those who had mate issues so the bond could be fixed, and other possible mates could be found for those who came there.

"You ready for this?" Jackson asked her as he moved around, stretched his muscles, and loosened himself up.

"I'm guessing you are."

"Oh yeah. Knowing you are a Shadowborn, I want to see what you can do. I have never met a Shadowborn before, let alone sparred with one. Maybe you can teach me a thing or two," he joked.

Dylan stretched her muscles for a few seconds and shook her hands while waiting for Teowulf to give them the go-ahead to start their sparring. Everyone was paired up and given space to complete their sparring. Dylan and Jackson remained where they stood, but she could feel many of the other students' eyes on them as Jackson started to circle her. Dylan followed suit and kept her eyes on him. The look on his face screamed predatory, but the pull in her chest told her it was all to keep her in his sights. She shuddered under his gaze but didn't let her guard down. Just because she thought they were mates didn't mean they were, and if she was wrong, this could end badly. This all could be a crush, an intense one, but still a crush.

Then he lunged. Dylan jumped to the side in time, but his fingers nearly brushed against her. Dylan knew it wouldn't spark the mate bond if she kept the contact with their clothes. That would be the best way to go about this sparring match. However, she had the issue of their hands being exposed. As she tried to think of a plan to put Jackson on the ground without touching him. Jackson sprinted at her faster than she thought he could and tackled her to the ground. Her back hit the mat, and her breath left her lungs with his weight on top of her. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head.

Then, the world fell away; it was just the two of them on the mat.

Fuck. He is my mate.