Chapter 7

Dylan

D ylan walked over to the four-poster bed and threw her suitcase onto it. There was a dresser to the right with six drawers, and Dylan found herself thinking it was unnecessary to have that much space when people weren't meant to stay there for years. She frowned at the thought that maybe she would be here for that long when she thought about how the mentor would need to review her progress before allowing her mate to come here to evaluate if he would want her back.

Yeah, leave it up to the dickwad who rejected me in the first place. That won't cause any problems at all.

The room was painted a dark blue, and there were decorations of stars and a full moon on the ceiling. The carpet looked as though it was a deep green, and the wood was a brown color. Dylan laughed, knowing the decorator must have tried to create an ambiance that matched the woods. A small fake tree was in the left corner by her bed. She noticed a large double door on the left side and a door on the right-hand side of her bed. She checked the double doors first, and it was a closet. It was spacious enough for her to walk into, and there was a three-tiered open-faced cabinet and a rod between the cabinet and the wall to hang things. On either side, some shelves were smaller, and Dylan figured it was for shoes.

A lot of damn space for clothing. Who has this much clothing?

The bathroom wasn't huge, but it had enough room for a clawfoot tub, a glassed-in shower behind it on the left, and a toilet and decent-sized sink with a cabinet beneath on the right. There were a couple of towels, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies in the cabinet. She assumed a small space for other things she would need for her hair. The mirror above the sink opened up, and there were shelves behind it as well.

"It's like a damn apartment in here. I'm just missing a kitchenette!"

A knock at her door grabbed her attention. Dylan took her time to walk over and smelled the person standing on the other side's scent through the door's crack. Bergamot and lemongrass filled her nose, and Dylan was relieved to smell her friend. She opened the door quickly, and Serafine beamed at her.

"Settled in yet?"

"Getting there. Come in."

Serafine walked in and asked to sit down on the bed. Dylan nodded, closed the door, and walked over to the bed to start unpacking. Serafine smiled at her.

"I feel like we have penthouse suites in this place. They are so nice! It's better than my room at home."

Dylan snorted. "Yeah, it's like they expect you to be here for years instead of just a few months. It's got me wondering if I will ever leave this place."

"I know, right? It's so weird. But I do know you can come back from here. A friend of mine was rejected and brought here. She came back a year later. They had a lot of issues to work through. She was with someone before she knew her mate was, in fact, her mate. She was totally in love with this guy and didn't feel the pull to anyone in the pack, so they thought they were safe. You can get that feeling before you come of age, you know? They didn't. So, when she came of age, and the possibilities of bonds opened up, wouldn't you know! A different guy was her mate. She didn't fight it or anything. Like you even could when you find your mate. It's so instant, you know? And her mate couldn't handle that she still had some fond memories with her boyfriend. Well, duh. They were together for about two years. Every few months, she would hang out with other pack members to see if there was an inkling of a bond showing up, but no. The guy rejected her. She came here. In the first few months, she excelled in her courses. He came here for a progress update, and they apparently exploded on each other. Louve actually made a new class where he had to come here once a week for them to work on their bond and talk to a counselor about the issue because he was so hellbent that she still wanted the boyfriend and not him."

Dylan listened to the story, and her eyebrows raised while her mouth dropped. "You mean to tell me that he was so bent out of shape about her loving someone before him that it took almost a year and counseling before he could get over it? She bonded herself to that asshole?"

"Yeah. I was surprised, too, after I heard it. When she came home, she told me all about it. After that story, I was shocked to see him so affectionate and doting on her. He even listened while she told me about it! He was like, 'Yeah, I was an idiot.'"

"Well, at least he knew he was an idiot."

"That's what I said!"

"So, he made her stay here for a year? No wonder there is so much space in these dorms. They are expecting people to stay here. Great. I didn't want to be here longer than a few months!" Dylan huffed and threw some of her clothes into the dresser.

Serafine giggled. "Well, you do know you can go home if you complete the classes, regardless of whether your mate deems you worthy, right?"

WHAT?!

Dylan spun on her feet and stared at Serafine wide-eyed, and she continued. "Yeah. You can go home, from the sounds of it, even if the mentor feels like you haven't done enough. I asked my friend a lot of questions before I came. Louve doesn't mention it because she wants us to focus on enhancing ourselves and fixing the bond between the mates. They feel as though, if you know, you can just focus on the classes to get out instead of building a relationship with your mate. That's the whole point, right? They want us to fix the bond with the mate because it's special if you find your mate."

"Doesn't mean I want to be stuck here against my will."

"Exactly! If you prove that you are working on yourself, completing the work they give us, and completing the classes your mate found you needed a little work in, they can't keep you here. It's against the rules."

Dylan side-eyed her friend. "Your friend just learned this while here and passed it off to you?"

"That, and there is a handbook in that side table by the bed."

Dylan didn't notice the small bedside table and quickly ran to it to open the drawer. There was a charger for any phone in there and a small book with a black binding. On the front was the school seal and the words they lived by. Dylan thumbed through the book and found the page with the process and rules of the school. She noticed what her friend mentioned within the rules. The school could not keep anyone here against their will. They had to complete the courses and be approved by the mentor to return home. However, if a student felt they were wrongly kept here after their review, they could petition the entire board of directors and present their case of how they did, in fact, complete the courses and could return home regardless of whether the mate accepts them or not.

"I'll be damned."

"Yeah, because there is always a chance that a female has multiple mates, right? She could find someone here or even return home and meet the other mates she was destined to find. I have noticed that people don't end up here when they find multiple mates at once. It's always when only one of the main bonds has shown up, and the person isn't happy with what they have, and they end up here. Like, think about it. When you only have one mate to make happy, that is when you have people sent here. Have you ever seen somebody who was given multiple mates at once end up being sent here?"

Dylan thought about it and realized there was truth to those words. Cassie found two mates, but neither of them rejected her. She dug through her memories and remembered someone finding three mates within her pack; one rejected her, and she was not sent to this school. Instead, the mate who rejected her and the female had to discuss things with the pack Alpha. He did not have to move if the mate did not want to complete the bond. The female didn't have to accept him either after being rejected. Since there were other mates for her to bond with, the situation's outcome was different.

"I never thought about it like that. So, I ended up here because I was only shown one of my mates, and he rejected me? Damn it. I wish I had just rejected him first. I was so hesitant even to accept a mate. I didn't want one."

"You didn't want a mate?"

Dylan shook her head. "No. Males of our race are always so possessive and bossy and constantly make the females feel like they have claustrophobia with how they have to be around their mate. I hated the idea of having this person around me all the time! I understand that once the bond is completed, I won't feel that way anymore because my soul will need him, but the whole idea of having to deal with a male dictating everything about my life when I could manage my life without someone like that made my skin crawl."

"So, you didn't want a mate because you liked the freedom of being single?"

Dylan shrugged. "I guess. It was more like I didn't want to babysit a grown-ass male all the time." She laughed. "Their egos are always so big that it's hard to swallow. I liked the idea of just making the guy stay at arm's length."

"You do know that, once bonded, if you ask for space, your mate or mates would give it to you, right?"

Dylan rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know. I know it is literally like having a best friend, protector, the rock to keep you centered, and a lover all rolled into one. Sounds amazing unless you are me. I like not being tied to something. I mean..." Dylan felt the wave of uncertainty roll through her. She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell Serafine this part of herself, but she felt secure with her simultaneously. "What if I end up holding him back? The reason why I was sent here was because I can't seem to control my astral form. I've tried to brush it off that it isn't a weakness, but it kind of is. I could lose a battle because of something like that."

Serafine grabbed Dylan's hand and held it. Dylan could feel her friend's sympathy in the way Serafine looked at her. It felt good to see sympathy instead of pity. Dylan always feared she would see pity in those she opened up and told that to, but not Serafine.

"A good mate wouldn't see it as a weakness. They would see it as a way to build a better bond between you two by helping you become stronger."

"Well, so far, I'm zero for one on finding a mate who doesn't see it as a weakness. According to this stupid class schedule, I need to work on my attitude, my understanding of pack magic, pack politics, and combat skills, and fix my issue with my shadow wolf."

Serafine perked up. "Wait, those are your classes?"

"Yeah. What are yours?"

"It's pretty much the same, but I also have Emotional Regulation because he doesn't like how bubbly I am. If I could control my emotions more, I would understand how annoying it is to always be positive."

Dylan growled. "Your mate wanted to change your personality? That is such a dick move. Ugh. Can I punch him if I get the chance to meet him?"

Serafine laughed. "Sure. As long as I can videotape it."

"Deal!"

Serafine helped Dylan put her things away in an organized system. It looked better than Dylan could have ever figured out how to do herself, so she thanked her friend. When they were done, an announcement went over the sound system. Serafine and Dylan covered their ears and doubled over from the high frequency.

"Dinner will be served in five minutes. Please make your way to the dining hall in an orderly fashion."

Dylan growled at the sound, trying to pinpoint who the voice was so she could tell them exactly how she felt about them deciding to use that system inside a Werewolf Dormitory.

Do they not freaking know it hurts our damn ears?

"If this place is supposed to understand every species and how they live together in harmony, why the hell did they still put that dumbass system in?" Dylan snarled.

"Well, for one thing, it is probably because it would stop us in our tracks. Did you feel the command in those words?"

Dylan cocked her head. "No. There was a command?"

"Yeah. Is Louve a Luna?"

Dylan laughed. "Not a chance. If she were a Luna, she would have fought harder for a different system inside this place. No Luna would EVER allow every Werewolf in this school to deal with that."

Serafine shrugged. "I guess you are right on that one. I wonder why they would implement that. At least do it on a lower frequency so it's not harmful to us."

Dylan nodded. "Well, we better get our asses down there before they blast us some more with that God-awful sound."

Dylan led the way, making sure she followed Louve's scent back to the building and into the dining hall. It was the only way she could think of to get there since there wasn't anyone they could follow after waiting a few minutes to leave.

We wouldn't have waited so long if they didn't blast our ears.

The dining hall served various foods that seemed appealing to all species. There was a section with rare meats and other calorie-filled foods that all werewolves needed. It helped assist with shifting and keeping up their strength. If a Werewolf was injured, the meat needed to be bloody, and they needed a lot of it to heal themselves. It also helped keep the wolves fed so they wouldn't lose control. A well-fed wolf meant they wouldn't go seeking food from the wrong source to get it, such as bodies. If someone lost control of their wolf, it could mean they would attack anyone to be fed. Feral wolves were not a good thing to have on the to-do list.

Dylan filled her plate with a helping of meat and added some cheesy potatoes to it. She wasn't exactly hungry but needed to eat something to satisfy her wolf. She hated the idea of eating regardless of whether she was hungry or not. She knew quite a few wolves that would argue that with her. Males tended to need a lot of food and often. Dylan decided it was to keep themselves at a tolerable level.

Serafine led the way and sat at a table that was next to a large window. She seemed to light up under the orange glow of the sky as the sun was setting. Dylan didn't argue about where they sat and ate. There was no reason to care about that placement. She sat down and just shoveled food into her mouth so she could go back to her room.

Serafine interrupted Dylan's determination to eat and get out and asked, "Did you hear about a secret society here?"

Dylan lifted an eyebrow. "A what?"

"A secret society of werewolves. They are supposedly well hidden and have a hideout and everything."

"Okay. So, let's say there is a society here, because I highly doubt there is one, what exactly would be on their agenda? What would they even do here? And why do we care?"

Serafine cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Secret societies tend to have an agenda. If they are evil, they usually have a plan to take over the world. If that is the case, what on earth would they do with a bunch of students who were rejected by their mates?"

Serafine laughed. "I heard they are like the ones who advocate for Werewolves. They will be the ones who listen to all the conversations in the hall and hear if there are things that the students need to live a better life here. I bet they are the reasons why we have those awesome closets and stuff in our rooms."

"You'd think they would have advocated for that stupid system to be ripped out of the walls of our dorms so we don't have to be hurt every time they make an announcement."

"I'm pretty sure the council would have overridden that one."

"I guess you are right. So, what else would you think they would do for us?"

"Who knows? We can ask around."

"Maybe. I wouldn't want to be signing up to join them, though. I just want to complete these damn classes and go home." Serafine frowned. It didn't look good on her at all. It broke Dylan's heart to see her even a little upset. "What?"

"I don't know. Hearing you say you want out of here so badly just kind of stung a little. Maybe I was hoping our earlier talk would make you not want to get through this as quickly as possible so you could leave."

"Oh. I do want to say that your friendship has already made this more bearable than if I hadn't met you. You are definitely a reason why I won't mind being here. I'll spend every second I can with you while I am here, but I don't believe I need to stay here longer than I should. I want to do what it takes to go home because that is where I belong. Hell, it is where you belong, too. Don't you want to go home?"

"Of course! I just already feel at home because of you. I don't have many friends at home."

Dylan growled. "What? How is that possible?"

Serafine bashfully looked away. "My mate isn't the only one who didn't like my positive outlook on life."

"Dumbasses."

Serafine shrugged. "I guess."

"Listen to me. I will be the best friend you have always wanted during my time here. If you want, when we go home, I'll see if we can put in a transfer for you to come live in my pack."

Serafine straightened herself, and Dylan saw happiness dancing in her eyes. "Really?"

"Hell yeah! I would love for you to join my pack."

"Sounds like a deal!"

"Okay, that settles it. We will do everything we need to go home, and then we will see about you joining my pack!"

"I love that plan!"

Dylan held up her hand, and Serafine slapped it in a high-five.

Maybe things won't be so bad here. I guess tomorrow will tell me what I should expect when I start these classes.