Chapter 36

Valentin didn’t try and meet with me for the whole week after my outburst in his office. I didn’t blame him, I didn’t want his help at all. I continued to train on my own, sometimes with Loren, without him. I wanted to be strong but I didn’t want his attempts at “help.”

They were only dragging me down.

The Monday after my altercation with Valentin and Victoria, classes resumed as usual. Loren no longer felt the need to walk me to shifting, given that I had my own form of protection in the shape of a sassy wolf in the back of my mind with a swishy tail. Monday morning, I walked to the forest alone. I was eager to see what my first shifting class with a wolf would hold.

Don’t get your hopes up, she said in the back of my mind. Shifting is hard.

I can do hard things, I retorted as I rounded into the clearing of the forest where shifting class took place. The rest of the students were already there, bags on the floor. There were a few new additions of wolves who had awoken their wolves as well.

You can, my wolf agreed. But this is exceptionally hard. You’ve only just woken me up. So don’t beat yourself up if you can’t get it to work.

I rolled my eyes. She was so pessimistic. If I could shift to break the fated mate bond, I could shift in a normal ass class. I heard a few snickers from my right as I finally made my way to the rest of the class. I turned my head towards the sound.

Two male wolves I had seen, but never talked to, were laughing at me. The one, super tall and lanky with black hair, jutted his chin towards me.

“Nice of you to join us,” he sneered. “Shame the only way you got your wolf to show up was by breaking a fated bond.”

“Kind of stupid,” the other wolf, more toned muscle than the first with blonde hair with black roots, said. “Breaking a fated mate bond as a wolfless.”

“Firstly, I’m not wolfless anymore,” I snapped. “Secondly, I didn’t really have a choice did I?”

“No,” the lanky wolf laughed. “You didn’t. Which makes it even worse for you.” He nudged the toner wolf. “How embarrassing. Being one of the few who gets a fated mate and being rejected by them.”

I felt a growl low in my throat as I glared at them. I balled my hands into fists and felt the same fire wash over me that happened right before I shifted at Mateball. I wondered if it was a sign that I was about to shift.

It is, my wolf chimed in, somewhat surprised. But it’s not worth it for those idiots. They don’t know who you are. Ignore them.

“Smith!” I heard my surname be barked into the air. I unclenched my fists and the fire extinguished from my body. I snapped my head towards the voice. Sure enough, Kairos was glaring at me from across the forest.

I forgot he was the fucking teaching assistant of this stupid class.

My wolf started to clean her paws, leisurely. Stupid class, she mocked. As if it’s not the most important part of being a wolf.

Do you ever shut up?

My wolf “humph”ed before darting off into the back of my mind where I couldn’t see her anymore. I was still death staring at Kairos when I returned my attention to the forest. Professor Valencia was standing next to him, arms over her chest and white eyebrows raised.

“Control yourself,” Kairos barked at me.

“I’m fine,” I snapped back.

“Clearly not,” Kairos hissed. “Your hands started to turn. We control our shifting in this class. We are Alphas not common wolves.”

A growl started in the back of my throat and the fire in my started again. The, Professor Valencia stepped forward.

“That is enough, you two,” she snapped. “Mr. Moonraiser, you should know better. I know you and Miss Smith have had your differences, but I expect decorum from my teaching assistant!”

Kairos shot another murderous glance my way before looking at Valencia. “Sorry, Professor,” he said. Though, I don’t think I sensed a lick of remorse. “I didn’t want Smith shifting and tearing Rigert’s throat out.”

Professor Valencia looked at me. She ran her eyes from my toes to the tip of my head. I felt the urge to crawl in a hole. Something about her was blood curling.

“Very well,” she said before moving to the center of the open circle. “Today we’re going to split into two groups. The more seasoned shifters will be with me, working on running shifts. The younger shifters will be with Mr. Moonraiser working on shift control.”

I didn’t even need to ask to know which group I was going to be in. I threw Kairos a glare. He returned back the same look, licking the front of his teeth. Clearly, he wasn’t in the mood for my bullshit either.

“Split up,” Valencia continued. “Smith, Rigert, Hanson with Mr. Moonraiser. The rest of you are with me.”

I looked to my left and saw the two asshole who were taunting me walk towards Kairos. Great, just great. I huffed before walking in towards Kairos. Valencia and the rest of the wolves shifted immediately and took off into the forest in a flurry of paws and tails.

Then, we were alone with Kairos.

“Controlling your shifting is important for a look of reasons,” Kairos said, pacing in front of the four of us. “If you can’t control your shift, it’ll be hard to do so when you’re under pressure. Your emotions fuel your wolves. Any dramatic shift of them will cause your wolf to take over. It is because of this that we must keep a level head at all times.”

Rich of him to say, I thought.

Moonraiser does have anger issues, but he controls his wolf and that makes him strong, my wolf chimed in. I rolled my eyes.

Who’s team are you on?

The winning one.

I twisted my face. Kairos caught it and used it to glare back at me. Level head, my ass.

“Now, in order to practice keeping level, we’re going to focus on some meditation,” Kairos stopped pacing and stood in front of us, hands behind his back. “Take a level stance with your feet hips width apart. Hands slightly to the side. Close your eyes and breath in through your nose for four seconds, then out for four seconds.”

I narrowed my eyes at Kairos as I assumed the stance. He must be crazy to think I’d take my eyes off of him while there was no Professors around. Who knows what sort of fuckery he’d get up to.

Besides me, Hanson and Rigert both closed their eyes and sucked in a deep breath. I followed suit, eyes still pierced on Kairos. He smirked at me.

“Eyes closed, Smith,” he teased. Rigert and Hanson chuckled next to me. The flames licked my body again as I glared at Kairos one last time before slamming my eyes shut.

Keep in control, my wolf added.

I’m trying, I gritted through my mind.

I kept breathing with Rigert and Hanson, aware of every shift in the grass around me. I could hear Kairos move closer to the three of us. He started with Rigert then walked down besides Hanson.

“Good,” he said. “Remember this when things become too intense, emotionally.”

He around Hanson and stood behind us. I took another breath in, trying to calm myself but something about him being so close to me set me in a rage. I remembered the times he’d pinned me down. The way his hands were locked around my wrists.

I heard Kairos step away from Hanson and towards me. The hair on my skin immediately perked up. I bit my tongue to keep myself steady, focusing on my breathing. Then, I felt a hand snake around my waist.

Immediately, electricity surged through me. I slammed my mouth shut, biting my lip to keep the whimper from escaping my lips. It felt heavenly but I knew who was behind it. The hand kept pressed to my hip while Kairos’s chest came against my back. Another pulse of electricity. I tried to keep my breathing even.

Control, my wolf warned.

Then, Kairos’s head dropped down, his mouth ghosting above the place where my shoulder connected to my neck. I let a noise escape from my lips as I continued to breathe. My eyes squeezed shut even more.

Then, Kairos’s mouth met my skin. An explosion of electricity erupted within me. I yelped and flinched away from him, letting the fire simmering in the low point of my chest consume me. I felt the cracking sensations I’d felt the first time I’d shifted all over again. My yelp turned to a pained animalistic noise.

I landed flat on my stomach, paws pinned to the forest floor as Kairos stood above me, mouth set in a disturbing thin line.