Page 27 of Legacy Wolf: Semester One (Legacy Wolf #1)

RAWLING

“Mr. Blakesley, are you with us or should I bring in a bed and let you nap?”

“Sorry, Professor Stanton. Could you repeat the question?”

The astronomy professor strode up the aisle and studied me. I stared back, unblinking. Was he checking out my pupils, thinking I was taking drugs?

I gulped. “Sorry, I was up late looking at the moon and the stars.”

“Someone’s a suck-up,” Atticus said in that soft but not soft enough tone that everyone could hear.

But the professor wasn’t in the mood for any of Atticus’s BS.

He turned on his heel and snarled, baring his teeth.

Oh shit, was he going to unleash his beast in the classroom?

If so, I was here for it. I glanced at Jack and she mouthed “tiger.” Gods, even better.

Surely, Atticus’s wolf would be no match for the astronomy professor’s beast.

Gripping the edge of my desk, I prepared to hide underneath if a fight ensued. Last thing I needed was to get in the middle of two shifters and their animals, along with their claws and teeth.

But Atticus didn’t rise to the challenge and visibly shrank before the professor. The tension vanished and there was a collective sigh of relief. The professor strode to the front of the classroom and, forgetting me and my lack of attention, assigned us a task and had everyone work in pairs.

I put my head close to Jack’s and whispered, “I thought we’d see fur flying.”

“Nah, that wouldn’t happen.” She explained the professor would never unleash his beast on a student and even Atticus had too much self-control. “Besides, the Big A understands the hierarchy. He’d be booted out of college and probably hauled before the wolf council.”

There was a council! Gods, there was so much for me to learn. It was a whole new world, and more than once in the past few days, Jack had closed my mouth as I wandered around, agog at making a discovery that changed my life.

Jack must have sensed I wasn’t interested in what we were supposed to be doing—it was pretty obvious that my mind was elsewhere—so she took over.

I side-eyed Atticus who was paired with Phelan.

Like me, Atticus wasn’t concentrating on the task, and Phelan was staring at his laptop while his fingers flew over the keyboard.

I shivered, remembering those fingers trailing over my skin.

While I’d only caught a glimpse of Phelan’s wolf the night when Jack spilled about shifters, I’d been front and center, sort of, as I stood behind the bush when Atticus shifted.

The alpha was handsome in a haughty way, especially when he flicked his long hair back, but his wolf was magnificent.

I’d never tell him that because his ego was almost too big to fit through a classroom doorway.

Had he ever shown his wolf to Jack? I refused to ask ‘cause she’d probably ramble on about how big human Atticus’s dick was and how she referred to it as a beast. Ewww!

But I didn’t know if that was a thing; a shifter allowing his animal out in front of a latent person?

I had to make a list of questions to ask Jack.

Poor Jack. Last night I woke her in the middle of the night and kept her up for an hour, pummeling her with queries about the shifter world.

The only other person who was aware I was human was Professor Shaw, but I was wary of approaching him with my discovery.

Why? I couldn’t say for sure. Maybe if I was exposed as a human, he would plead ignorance because of my ring, but if I announced I knew the secret, he couldn’t hide behind that explanation.

I fiddled with my ring, aware that removing it would create chaos and result in my being kicked out of Sombertooth.

In my first few weeks here, I’d have welcomed being tossed out, but having Jack as my roomie, along with Channon and Bardoul as friends, I was more content. There was also the Phelan issue.

Once again, I went over the situation in my head.

It was sex. Great sex. Amazing sex. But just sex.

He wanted nothing more, and I agreed. But I chafed at keeping it a secret.

Shit, if Atticus and Jack could maintain a sex-only fling and be openly friendly and affectionate, couldn’t Phelan acknowledge me in public? Tweak my butt, maybe?

I’d do it to him and see how he reacted, but on discovering he had a wolf inside him, I reconsidered.

My thoughts wandered from Phelan to Rawlins. Everything he’d ever said and done had to be examined in a new light based on him being a wolf shifter. Not everything. He loved me with everything he had. I was certain.

But I had questions about how he met my parents.

He was naked, so he must have been in wolf form or about to shift when he discovered them, lost on that hiking trail.

It seemed innocent enough, but what if… what if he wanted to meet them?

Was it a set-up? My parents weren’t shifters, and Jack assured me my scent was 100% human.

What reason would my future godfather have for engineering a meeting with my folks?

If he’d revealed his shifter side to them, there was no evidence of it and it had died with him.

None that I was aware of. I set aside that question for when I knew more about the shifter world.

But on examining my ring, I wondered why my godfather had given it to me. Did he know I’d need to cloak my human identity at some point? I rubbed my hands over my face as Jack completed the task, and she jerked her head at the door, meaning we could leave.

“Aren’t you going to hand it in?” I asked, referring to what she’d been working on.

“I sent it.” She held up her laptop.

Right. Just as well there were no exams today because I’d fail if there were.

We sat by ourselves in the dining hall. Bardoul had gone to work in the kitchen and Channon went to the library.

“Let me guess. That guy in the corner, looks kinda squirrely. Is he a squirrel?”

“No. But you’re getting close. He’s a raccoon.”

Jack was teaching me how to identify different shifters by their scent, but I kept forgetting and examined their face, body, and personality. Also, if I caught a sneaky peek at their tattoos, I didn’t need to smell them.

“Stop using your eyes,” Jack told me repeatedly. “You’re so human.”

“Why don’t I have a scent when I’m wearing the ring? Isn’t that weird and a huge red flag?” I was tempted to grab some of Phelan’s dirty clothes and roll around in them. “You scent of bear.”

Poor Jack. I felt so sorry for her never knowing her beast. Maybe that was why she was so kickass and why I suspected she was the more dominant personality in her and Atticus’s “relationship.” Not that I wanted to think of her being dominant during sex… Oh no. Think of something else, Rawling .

“Not really. Some latents don’t scent of anything except latent.”

“Is there any way we can entice your bear out?”

“Don’t think so.” She shrugged. “Now pay attention. Close your eyes.”

A group of shifters were at the table beside us, but Jack hadn’t identified their beasts.

“Allow your sense of smell to capture their scent and tell me what you think and feel.”

“Soil, dirt, but old dirt, if that makes sense. There’s a hint of wet dog which is a bit ewww. At least one of them is a wolf.” My eyes snapped open. “How’d I do?”

“They all are.” She grinned, and we high-fived, earning me a glare from Atticus.

I decided to really piss him off and leaned into Jack’s throat and sniffed.

Her scent was different to the wolves, but there were two conflicting smells.

Maybe one was the latent aroma, so I concentrated on the second.

This reminded me of berries and a stream on a strong day.

And there was a hint of cherry. That had to be her bear shifter smell.

A chair scraped over the tiled floor, and all eyes went to Atticus, half standing, nostrils flaring while he glowered at me. Considering he and Jack were “just fucking, nothing more,” he sure was acting like a jealous lover.

Jack mouthed, “Stop it,” at him, and he slumped onto his chair while I picked up my tray and strolled past him and Phelan. Keeping my gaze away from Phelan, I leaned close to Atticus and sniffed as he and others had done to me many times. I made a face before Jack dragged me away.

When we made it outside the dining hall, she told me to stop it. “Atticus loathes you. You know this. Do not bait him.”

“I can look after myself.” That was such a lie because no way could I, a human, defend myself against a wolf. Jack was right. I needed to cool it.