Page 1 of Beastkin

Chapter 1

Karrick

It had been over a year since I’d stepped foot onto the Widdershins Academy campus. And yet, the moment I stepped through the portal and into the stone circle, I felt like I’d come home. I took a deep breath, tasting the Appalachian woods surrounding the magical dome of protection around the school. Already I could feel the magic buzzing against my skin, familiar and comforting in a strange way.

Widdershins Academy was the one place I could be myself. And yet, nearly half the student body had parents who would rather see me and my kind dead. And some of those students shared their parent’s prejudices.

However, I’d been in touch with Atlas Faolan, my old roommate, while I’d been away. Out of the few letters we’d exchanged, it sounded like things had changed quite a bit since Damien Cromwell’s attack. The school board, for one, was now equal parts monster and witch, making decisions much more even between the two. Of course, that didn’t mean the outside world had changed at all, but inside the academy grounds I could at least hope for fairer conditions.

But right now, none of that mattered. I was just happy to be back, happy to breathe the cool mountain air with hints of autumn on the way, and happy to just exist. That being said, on my way to the admin building, I caught myself looking over my shoulder constantly. Memories of Damien’s attack were brought to the front of my mind, especially when I saw the same section of path where it had happened.

Maybe I wasn’t quite as recovered as I thought. But I swallowed it down. I wasn’t going home. One year alone with my parents worrying over me every minute of the day was enough. Right now, I wanted to find my room, go to the gym, and figure out when the next party was. I needed booze and a blowjob real bad.

I shouldered my bag and quickened my pace toward the admin building, forcing myself to stop checking the shadows between the trees. The familiar Gothic architecture loomed ahead, its spires cutting into the gray sky like dark fingers. At least some things never changed.

The woman behind the reception desk, Ms. Hartwell, I remembered, looked up with a warm smile that seemed genuine rather than the polite mask most staff wore around students like me.

“Karrick! We’re so glad to have you back.” She shuffled through a stack of papers, pulling out a thick envelope. “I have your room assignment here. Given everything that happened, the board approved your request for a single room in the newer wing.”

I accepted the envelope, surprised by the weight of relief that settled in my chest. “Thank you. I wasn’t sure if that would go through.”

“Of course, dear. You’ve been through enough.” Her expression softened with something that might have been pity, which made my skin crawl. “Your room is in Aspen Hall, third floor. Much quieter than the main dormitories.”

Twenty minutes later, I stood in front of room three-fourteen, key in hand. The hallway was indeed quiet, almost eerily so compared to the chaos I remembered from my old dorm full of sports bros. Iturned my key in the lock and pushed open the door to reveal a space that was mine and mine alone. No roommate’s mess, no competing schedules, no pretending to be asleep while someone brought back a hookup. Not that Atlas had been a bad roommate at all, but I’d hear horror stories from the others. It was just better to be on my own for now.

The room was larger than I’d expected, with tall windows that faced the forest. I dropped my bag on the desk and moved to look outside. The view stretched across the grounds toward the old stone bridge, where students often gathered between classes. Everything looked peaceful, normal even.

That’s when I saw him.

A figure stood at the edge of the tree line, partially obscured by shadow but unmistakably watching my window. My blood turned to ice. Even from this distance, something about his posture, the way he held his head, struck me as familiar in a way that made my stomach lurch.

I blinked, and he was gone.

I pressed my face closer to the glass, scanning the forest edge, but saw nothing except swaying branches and dappled sunlight. My hands were shaking slightly as I stepped back from the window.

“Get it together,” I muttered to myself. It was probably just another student cutting through the woods, or maybe maintenance staff. My nerves were shot from being back here, that was all. The last thing I needed was to start seeing threats in every shadow. IlovedWiddershins Academy, and I wanted to forget all those moments that had tainted my memories.

I forced myself to turn away from the window and focus on unpacking. The familiar ritual of organizing my belongings helped steady my nerves. I hung my clothes in the narrow closet, arranged my textbooks on the desk, and nearly plugged in my phone charger before I remembered the wards around the school made technology useless. Instead, I turned the phone off and tossed it into the drawer of my nightstand. Finally, I felt settled in… and grounded once more.

But even as I moved around the room, I found myself stealing glances at the window. The forest remained empty, peaceful even, but that didn’t stop the anxious knot from tightening in my stomach. Maybe coming back so soon had been a mistake. Maybe I should have taken another semester off, let the memories fade a little more.

A sharp knock on my door made me jump, my heart hammering against my ribs. I took a steadying breath before crossing to answer it, my hand hesitating on the handle for just a moment.

“Karrick?” Atlas’s familiar voice called through the metal, and relief flooded through me so suddenly my knees nearly buckled.

I yanked the door open to find him standing in the hallway, looking exactly as I remembered; tall, broad-shouldered, with those distinctive golden Alpha werewolf eyes that had always made me feel a little like prey. His dark hair was a little longer now, curling slightly at the edges.

“Damn, it’s good to see you,” he said, and before I could respond, he pulled me into a hug that was all muscle and warmth and the faint scent of pine that always clung to him. For a moment, I let myself sink into it, into the solid reality of his presence. It had been a long time since I’d seen my best friend.

When he pulled back, those golden eyes searched my face with an intensity that told me what he was thinking before he even spoke. “How are you holding up? Really?”

“Better,” I said, and was surprised to find I meant it. “The private room is nice, and I’m glad to be the hell away from my parents.”

He glanced past me into the space, nodding approvingly. “Good call. Things have been quieter around here since... well, since everything happened. But quiet’s probably what you need right now.” He let a grin slip through. “And I get it. I love my parents but… fuck, they can be stifling.”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “So, are you in this dorm too?”

Atlas paused for a moment, shifting uncomfortably. “I’m uh… not coming back to Widdershins. I just stopped by to see how you were doing. Caden came with me. He’s down at the greenhouse.”