Chapter 27

Dylan

A knock on their door brought Dylan out of her deep state of unconsciousness. Hunter and Jackson decided teaming up against her was the most fun they ever had in their life and continued to show her exactly why having multiple mates was a good thing until the wee hours of the morning. Dylan was sandwiched between the two men, making her realize the bed would need to be slightly bigger if they planned for the three of them to sleep on it for the rest of the semester.

Another knock, and Dylan groaned. She didn't want to get up, but neither of the men seemed to be waking up. Dylan somehow managed to roll over Hunter and almost fell on her ass in doing so. She ran to her closet to the robe with the school's insignia branded on it above her left breast. She tied it so no one could see she was as naked as the day she was born as well covered in some love bites.

Well, outside of the new mark on the other side of my neck.

She opened the door to find Lupe on the other side. There were two guards with her, and Dylan was officially awake.

"Professor Lupe? How can I help you?"

Lupe frowned and took a deep breath. "I need to speak with you. In my office."

She heard the bed creak behind her and then rustling around until both of her men were behind her. Dylan looked back at them, and their faces only read business.

"What's going on?" Hunter said in a deep rough voice.

"I will clear that up with Dylan in my office."

"No. We are going with her."

Lupe looked at him and narrowed her eyes. "I am more than capable of keeping your mate safe."

"I don't care. There is a killer on the loose, and I won't be leaving my mate to defend herself if I can help it. We are going with her. Let us get ourselves cleaned up first."

Dylan sensed there was no room for pleasantness in Hunter's voice. Not once did he ask permission in his small rant. He told Lupe how it was going to be and wasn't going to settle for anything less.

"Fine. I understand. Please be in my office within the hour. Do not stray away and ask anyone for any information." Lupe turned on her heel and walked off. She patted one of the guards, and they stayed put as the other followed her out. Dylan closed the door and locked it.

"Why would she want to talk to me? I was here all night."

"Most likely to ask more questions. I know how interrogations go."

Hunter practically stomped off to the bathroom and turned on the shower. She didn't like how charged up he felt through the bonds. He wasn't just angry; he was livid. Jackson was nervous but still felt like he needed to be as riled up as Hunter. They both were not happy about her being dragged back in for questioning. Hunter had witnessed her fight with Camilla, and then she was home all night with Jackson. There was no room for error for them to be thinking she had done anything other than putting Camilla into place.

They all showered quickly and then clothed. There was no talking during this, making Dylan wish she could return to the night before when she was surrounded by love and her men. As they walked to the school, the guard walked with them. Hunter snarled at the poor guy once for walking too close to her. She gave the guard a sympathetic smile because there was nothing else she could do. Hunter wasn't going to listen to her in this state. Jackson barely listened to her when he was like this, and she knew there wasn't a chance Hunter would when he thought she was going to be put in danger. Dylan knew Lupe was just going to ask her some things to clear the air and then that was it. No one could put any blame on her since she had been literally locked in a room with two lustful men.

Walking through the halls of the school was ominous. There were some looks at Dylan as she walked up to the staircase that led to Lupe's office. The dining hall had let out the students for etiquette class, so they all could see her. Dylan allowed her wolf to come to the surface, making her eyes glow at them. Every student bowed their head and looked in another direction, none of them willing to challenge her.

In front of Lupe's office, Jackson moved himself behind her and then Hunter knocked on the door. This was a strategic move to show Dylan was protected from all sides. Dylan rolled her eyes as she waited for the professor to open the door and she folded her arms over her chest. It wasn't as if she couldn't protect herself. But yet again, she was reminded that she was mated to two dominant males now. Things were going to be like this for the rest of her life.

Lupe opened the door, and her face showed annoyance at Hunter, who was the one to greet her. "Step aside, Mr. Hawthorne. No threat or harm will be coming to your mate."

He didn't move. Dylan slapped him on his back, and he still didn't move. She switched her efforts to a growl, but he pretended he didn't hear her.

"Good lord, move Hunter! Stop trying to challenge Lupe. We are here to talk."

Lupe stepped aside and allowed them to enter when Hunter turned his head to look at her.

I don't like that she needs to talk to you. Something is off.

Lupe isn't the enemy, Hunter. Something must have happened, and she needs to make sure we were in our room all night.

Lupe sat in her chair and Dylan moved to sit in one of the seats. Hunter stood near the door and leaned against the wall while Jackson sat next to her. Dylan rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I extend my congratulations again, but also my sympathy. You are mated by two very dominant wolves, Miss Pierce."

"Tell me about it. I spent my life asking the Great Moon not to give me any. Then she gives me an Alpha who rejected me, then a Beta, and I don't even know what Hunter is."

"Alpha," he said.

Dylan turned around to stare at him. This was news to her. She didn't think Enforcers had rankings.

You're an Alpha?

Yes. At least I would be if I wasn't an Enforcer. But I was highly ranked while at school and not many wolves can reign my wolf in.

"Lovely." She said to no one in particular.

"I wish I could say there is a cure, but there isn't. This is just your new life." Lupe's lips twitched and Dylan knew she was fighting off a smile.

Dylan sighed. "I at least know they are loyal and can rip anyone to shreds if they try anything stupid against me."

"You are an Alpha yourself, Dylan. I assume you will be taking over your pack when your father steps down?"

"That's the plan."

"You will need dominant males to help you rule. Your mother was a dominant female, so it helped balance everything. If you had submissive men, then things could get murky."

Dylan shrugged "It's whatever. I thought this would be a pain in my ass, but so far it has been a blessing."

She smiled. "Give it time."

Dylan laughed and Hunter growled. Jackson sniggered at Hunter's growl and looked back at him.

Spend a hundred years without a mate and go on killing sprees and see how much you like your female making jokes that you are a pain in her ass.

Jackson smiled. You forget, my friend. We can be actual pains in her ass.

Dylan looked at him, and he winked. My ass is off-limits.

No butt stuff? Jackson whined.

NO!

I guess we will have to be a pain in your ass in other ways.

"Scratch that, Lupe. They are a pain now."

She laughed. "I really am happy that you three have found each other. It could make this all very easy at this moment. Another body has shown up. It was right outside of the werewolf dorm. This time... It was Gianna Adams."

Dylan's jaw dropped. It was Camilla's other friend. The other friend tried to make the offs uneven at the full moon run. Now Dylan understood why she was under scrutiny. If they were Camilla's friends, it looks like she was on a vengeance streak and eliminating everyone that was connected to Camilla. If it had been by the dorm, where she and her mates were all day and night, then it could have been in their opportunities to kill her with no one watching because everyone was in class and dinner but them.

"We didn't leave our room, Lupe. Aren't there cameras or something in our halls to check?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm afraid. We have to do the standard questioning process to clear things up. None of you stepped out of your suite yesterday?"

"No," the three of them said in unison.

"She was found shortly after your ceremony. We will be bringing in Miss Osmera as well."

Dylan growled at the accusation of her friend. "Sera wouldn't harm anyone unless it were self-defense."

"I understand how you feel, Dylan. However, you three and her were the only ones by the dorm at the time of her death."

"We can't be the only ones. It was around dinner time, right? The whole school could've been everywhere. I know some go to that town or whatever to get food sometimes. I haven't, but I know it's there."

"It was around your ceremony's ending that she was killed."

"It still couldn't have been Sera. She has a giant heart and is practically a damn saint. I can't imagine it being her."

There was a sound out of Lupe that almost seemed like a growl. Dylan wasn't sure if she was on the receiving end of that growl or not. Jackson moved his chair closer to her and she felt Hunter get closer to her from behind, so it looked as though Lupe was growling at her.

"Miss Pierce, I understand your need to protect your friend, but we need to be vigilant about this. We have someone attacking students. We cannot allow this to just go on leisurely. Miss Osmera was around the area during the time of death. We need to ask her some routine questions. I do not believe she was the person behind this either, but I have a job to do and students to protect."

Dylan gritted her teeth. Just because she understood the logic behind why Serafine needed to be questioned didn't mean she had to like it. The chances of the killer being Serafine was less than one percent. Someone as amazing as her friend couldn't be a serial killer.

We need those answers.

I don't know if Lupe will tell us anything.

Serafine is pack. We outrank her. Use that as leverage.

Good idea.

"Fine. I hope to find out the answers to her questions. As a wolf more dominant than her, I feel as though she is part of my pack. Serafine answers to me. If I could, I would have her transfer to my pack."

Lupe nodded. "I can grant you that. I can see your wolf is on the surface, and she is going to protect Serafine like a normal Alpha would."

"Good."

I wonder if she would allow us to sit in here while she questions Serafine, Hunter told her through their bond.

I doubt it. She's probably extending as much courtesy as she can just by saying she would give us the report.

Never hurts to try, baby. I care for Serafine, too. I want to know if we can sit in so we can show her support while she is being questioned. Jackson told her.

"As someone who considers Serafine to be her packmate, can I request to be present when she is questioned."

Lupe frowned. "No. I apologize but that is only open to her actual Alpha. I called him already, and he is not able to get here today or even tomorrow to complete the questioning, and we need to move swiftly."

Did she call my parents? "What about mine?"

"They stated they trusted you to conduct yourself properly and didn't need them to be present."

Yeah, that sounds like them.

"If there are no more questions, you three are free to go. I will see you on Friday, Miss Pierce."

Dylan nodded and got up to leave. Hunter opened the door for her, and Jackson quickly trailed behind her. She heard the door close, and it was just the three of them and the two guards in the hall.

We'll discuss that bullshit at home. Hunter said through the bonds.

Yep. Sounds like a plan.

Friday came quickly and Dylan was actually thrilled she was getting out of the suite. As much as she loved her two mates, it was getting to be nothing but them tangled in the sheets. Lupe didn't want them around the school or anywhere else while an open investigation was going on. Since there wasn't much else to do, they just ended up in bed. School work was given to them, but it was all easy and they could help each other with the assignments.

Now it was time for her to have one-on-one time with Lupe. Dylan thought more about the investigation, and she hadn't been told about Serafine's interrogation. Dylan kept trying to catch her friend in the halls of the dorm to ask, but she couldn't find her. Panic had set in and that's when she finally saw her. Serafine didn't want to talk about it and just went to her room. No matter how hard she tried, Dylan couldn't get Sera to talk. If she wanted to know what had been discussed, she would need to go right to the source.

Lupe was standing in the middle of the mats with her eyes closed. She was wearing her usual combat gear and Dylan walked to the mat without saying anything. She wasn't sure if her teacher was meditating or just waiting. If it was meditating, she didn't want to interrupt. Lupe opened her eyes the moment Dylan touched the mat. Her eyes glowed and Dylan still kept her eyes looking past Lupe's head so it didn't appear she was challenging her teacher.

"Afternoon, Dylan."

"Afternoon."

"I believe you wanted to know the outcome of Miss Osmera's questioning."

"Yes."

And she better tell me the truth.

"It was like you said. She was in the clear. After questioning her, it was evident that it was not her. She didn't go near the woods after the ceremony, and she was with you before the ceremony."

Dylan's wolf let out a rumble of content. "I told you so."

"We had to be thorough."

Dylan crossed her arms over her chest and continued to look past her face. "I know. Doesn't change my mind that you were looking into the wrong people. I know those three weird kids keep hanging around the woods."

"Three weird kids?"

"Yeah, there are these three weird kids that tried to jump out at me after I was accused of killing Hazel. I hate to break it to you, but they are probably the ones who are behind all of this. They are super weird and don't even know how to smile. They talked in unison and even said that my aura was weird. I don't know what that means but if somebody is looking at my aura and saying that it's darker that to me is weird enough to be looked into. On top of that, after Hunter and Jackson confronted them, they took off into the woods. That was shortly before the ceremony."

"Why did you not bring this up the other day?"

Dylan shrugged. "I didn't remember about those three. I don't even know their names. They seem like the kind of guys that would be hanging around the kid Cole."

"Cole?" Lupe's eyes widened. "I know who you are speaking of. I will bring those three into question. Thank you for this information."

"No problem."

"Did Cole speak to you about joining the secret club here at the school?"

Dylan shook her head. "So there really is a secret club here?"

"Yes. Only the elite students get asked to join."

Dylan remembered that she was invited. It must have been the invitation to meet at the library. It was now on that Friday that Cole asked her to meet them.

"Is the invitation to meet them at the library?"

Lupe smiled. "Yes, it is. If you know about the first place to meet, then you have been invited to join. Cole must not have gone into detail because you were not in a secure place."

"That was after the fight with Camilla. I found him in a group of his friends by a fire afterwards. I was trying to find my way back to the school and ended up finding them instead."

"Interesting. Well, I am glad the invitation was extended to you. I think you would be a good fit for them."

Dylan wondered what this group was even about. Cole did mention that he could help her with her issue of not being able to hold her astral form. Is that how Lupe knew about them? Some secret societies moved in the shadows enough to where not even the teachers knew about them.

"Why did you say that?"

"It is a group mostly of Shadowborns. They all know what it is like to be an outcast within this school. There are some of the cleverest students I have ever been honored to meet. There are some students that have mastered abilities like I have."

That was music to Dylan's ears. If they knew about the abilities that Lupe knew, that means that they could certainly help her with her problem in her astral form.

"You mean to tell me, if I join this society, I will have another way of mastering my actual form as well as learn other abilities?"

Lupe laughed. "Yes, that is what I am talking about. When they learn there are Shadowborns on the side of the school they tend to offer them to join their group. There have been some that are not Shadowborns, but they tend to take on more like themselves than they do not."

"I guess I need to consider that option more heavily then."

"I would think this would be a perfect opportunity for you."

"Is it true they just stick around the school?"

Lupe looked at her confused. "More like they are choosing to learn as much as they can. The school has considered giving them teaching assistant jobs here since they don't really want to go back home."

"That would seem like a good opportunity for them."

"Yes, but enough about that. You are here to learn how to control your wolf. Let's get started."

"Yes. Let's."