Page 20 of Alpha’s One-Night Stand (Shifters of Clarion #3)

I can’t even believe this is happening. Saffron, Chad, and I are all in the student lounge at the dorm. Saffron’s wearing gray sweats, her red hair tied back from her sallow face. It’s been a long night already.

When we got back to the dorm, there was already talk about what happened out there. When Saffron walked in, we were bombarded with questions. If Chad hadn’t been there to tell everyone to back off, I think they might’ve torn us apart in their fervor.

Saffron got dressed and then started walking through the halls yelling, “Meeting in the lounge!”

And now here we are, stone quiet after she told us what happened. Something had snatched up the other runners.

“Are you sure?” one of the other students asks, a pale guy with black hair. “Couldn’t they have been lost?”

“Hello?” says the girl sitting next to him. She was thin and blonde and cheerleader pretty. “Didn’t you see the way Laurel ran out of there? Something’s in those woods.”

“You didn’t get a good look at it?” I ask Saffron. She shakes her head.

“Shit,” someone says over the fearful murmurs around us.

“We need to gather the Alphas,” Saffron says. “Form a search party.”

No one responds. Incredibly, they’re all looking around at each other like she isn’t talking to them. She scoffs and shakes her head.

“Okay, listen. I know there’s no love lost between the Scarlets and . . . well, everyone else. But if there is something out there mean enough to kidnap us, what the hell makes you think they’ll stop after taking Scarlets? No one is safe.”

More silence. Then the blonde says, “We should really leave it up to the professors. I mean, they’re fully realized wolves—”

“Fuck them!” she says. “Whatever is out there, I want to rip it limb from limb myself. And if I have to go out there alone to save all you cowards, then I guess that’s what I’ll have to do.”

“You don’t have to go alone,” Chad says. Everyone’s gaze turns to him. “I’ll go with you. And any other Alphas in this dorm will as well. Right?”

His voice changed with that last sentence. It wasn’t just stern, it was like a vibration. I have to admit, it’s turning me on.

And it looks like it worked. Five other Alphas in the group stand up to volunteer. “Good,” Chad says. “Back to your rooms. Change into dark clothing and be back here in fifteen minutes. The rest of you, stay in your rooms until the all-clear.”

As the room starts to empty, I stand up and say, “I’m coming with you guys.”

Both Chad and Saffron glare at me like I’ve lost my mind.

“No,” Chad says. “You’re not ready.”

“Neither is Saffron. Or any of the Alphas. We’re all first years. Let me help.”

“This isn’t up for debate. You haven’t even fully changed yet. It’s too risky. Right, Saffron?”

Saffron doesn’t say anything. She’s wrinkling her nose and looking away from us. “Saffron?” Chad presses.

“Aw, fuck. You know, I was really hoping that just this once things wouldn’t work out like my vision.”

Me and Chad exchange glances. That’s right. She hasn’t told us about her vision.

“She’s gotta come, Chad,” she says with a resigned sigh.

“Give me a break,” Chad protested.

“Hey, I don’t make the rules. I saw it. It’s gonna happen. She’s coming with or without your permission. At least this way you can keep an eye on her.”

Chad grinds his teeth bitterly. “Fine. But you stay close to me when we’re out there.”

“Great. I’ll be right back.”

I rush off to get dressed, and right before I leave, I hear Chad mutter, “Fucking Scarlets . . .”

Fifteen minutes later, we’re sneaking out of the back door of the dorm and across the campus toward the woods. Saffron, the stealth expert she is, takes the lead. “Watch my every move,” she whispers before we venture out.

We get across campus by moving through the line of shadows around the buildings. Chad makes sure to have the others surround me with him right next to me. I’d never say it out loud, but I feel safer already.

We get to the edge of the forest, and chills start to run up and down my spine. The memory of the eerie chapel is still fresh in my mind. Saffron turns to us and says, “Follow me closely. And we stay together. And Yarra? When I tell you to run, I’m not bullshitting. Get the fuck out of here. Got it?”

I nod and she nods back. “Okay, let’s go.”

We creep into the forest, taking careful steps over fallen branches and stepping lightly through dried leaves. The cool night air is fragrant with pine, and I swear I hear the soft sounds of animals in the woods.

I never could before. Interesting. I wonder if my powers are starting to manifest.

Saffron suddenly stops and turns her nose up to the air. She turns to the Alphas, her eyes glowing red in the darkness. “Spread out, but not too far.”

The other wolves do as they’re told, giving her some room as we continue to move forward. Chad stays close to me, his body heat welcome as the temperature drops around us.

“Feel that?” Saffron whispers. “We’re close.”

We move along a little further, and suddenly, I pick up a scent. It’s strong and . . . foul. Like burning sulfur. I put my hand to my nose as I look over at Chad and Saffron. They stop and exchange worried glances.

“What?” I whisper. Saffron nods her head to the side. I look and see there’s an old cabin that I swear wasn’t there a minute ago. It sits in the dark, a heavy fog hanging over it.

“Dark magic,” Chad says.

“They’re in there,” Saffron says. “Wait here, Yarra.”

I start to protest, but she turns and glares at me, her eyes blazing like hot coals in the darkness. A chill of fear goes through me, and I back away. This must be the dangerous creature Chad tried to warn me about.

Saffron’s ember-red eyes turn to Chad. “You ready?”

“You better believe it.”

Without warning, Saffron leaps forward, changing into a wolf as she charges into the cabin. Chad’s right behind her. He shifts into a massive wolf that’s so dark it almost blends into the shadows. All the other wolves that came with us change as well, running for the cabin in a wave.

I’m terrified. I honestly don’t know what to do. It feels equally as dangerous to be here as it would be to go into the cabin.

I creep toward to the cabin. I figure it’s better to be in proximity to the other wolves than out in the open by myself. As I approach, I can sense the dark magic emanating from within. Growls, and snarls, things being toppled over—

Lightning flashes inside, illuminating everything for a split second. I see the silhouette of two people moving away and toward the back. Another flash and I hear the yelp of an injured wolf. I panic and run for the door.

I race inside to find all the werewolves, including Saffron, dangling in mid-air. They all look to be in mid-pounce, except Chad. Chad is lying on the floor among a pile of broken furniture.

And standing in the middle of it all are two figures. My stomach drops as I realize that one of them is Nana, cowering by the wall.

The other, standing with his hand outstretched, magically suspending all the wolves by some unseen force of magic . . . No. It can’t be.

“Cole?”

His eyes flash toward me, focusing. They’re glowing red, almost as red as his beard. The snarl that was on his face as he held up my friends has dropped. He clearly wasn’t expecting me to be here.

A growl rumbles off to my left, and a black wolf leaps at him. Chad. Cole shifts his stance and waves his arms in a big arch. The air rises up and pushes us all back, sending us flying into the wall.

I hit the door, my head banging the wood so hard I see stars for a moment. I fall to the floor, the wind knocked out of me. I look up just in time to see Cole grab my Nana by the arm, then wave his arms again and disappear.