Page 43 of Legacy Wolf: Semester One (Legacy Wolf #1)

RAWLING

Having forced Holden and Phelan out of my head in order to study while pulling all-nighters and drinking copious amounts of coffee, my grades were much better than I expected.

But now that I had some free time, I wallowed in self-doubt about whether Holden was the real deal and if we could make it work, plus thinking about my last encounter with Phelan who’d sent me a thank-you text after he sailed through his math exam.

Even the ping of an email didn’t rouse me from my funk.

“A penny for them.” Jack jumped on the bed and put her head on my shoulder.

“Hmmm? Oh, nothing interesting. Just muddling over something.”

Jack nudged me. “You have email.”

I had more than one but made to close the laptop ‘cause it was almost time for dinner. But that little red dot on the email icon caught my eye, and I clicked on it.

“Jack!” I sat up and scanned the short message. “It’s from Fergus.”

I was surprised to receive your email. I’m happy to talk to you but won’t come to Sombertooth. Too many painful memories. But you’re welcome to meet me at the restaurant this Saturday .

“Can we go?” It was thirty minutes away, and although the college frowned on the students leaving campus, as latents—and I’d started to think of myself as latent, despite not being a shifter—Jack and I had an easier time in town than some of the other students.

People were wary of us but usually polite.

Maybe they could scent we were different from the others.

“Sure. I’ll check the bus schedule.”

We arranged to be there around lunchtime, and Fergus invited us for lunch. When we told Channon and Bardoul about our meeting, the former was interested to hear the details, but Bardoul warned us not to leave campus.

“Don’t worry. We’ll be careful, and we’ll bring you a chocolate croissant from the bakery in town.” That cheered him up, though his nails were ragged.

The rest of the week dragged, and we made a list of questions to ask Fergus. Jack reminded me we’d be talking to a man who lost his brother in a gruesome way—from what we understood—and not to throw questions at him as if our queries were bullets from a machine gun.

When we entered the restaurant, it was humming, with almost every table filled.

The place was bright and airy and had both indoor and outdoor seating.

There was a kids' play area in one corner, complete with a tent, toys, books, and puzzles. Being a family-friendly place, there were a lot of kids running around. While Fergus apparently ran a successful business, it would have been better if we’d come between lunch and dinner.

“How will we ever talk to him? It’s so busy,” Jack said as we hovered at the entrance. “And noisy.”

Fergus guessed who we were and welcomed us, telling the host he'd take care of us before showing us to a booth at the very back of the large room. We made small talk before he took our orders, and he explained he’d be back when we’d finished eating.

The food was excellent—Jack ordered fajitas and I got a risotto. We tucked in, and proclaimed it better than dining-hall food.

Fergus joined us as the restaurant began to empty and the noise level decreased.

“How was the food?” he asked.

“Delicious,” Jack and I said at the same time.

“I’m sorry I didn’t respond to your email immediately. Sasha and I were close in age, and we did everything together growing up.” He fiddled with a napkin as he spoke.

“We apologize for bringing up painful memories.” I explained about my parents and godfather, and Fergus nodded and murmured how sorry he was. Our shared experience bonded us in a way no one ever wanted.

“What would you like to know?”

Jack and I took turns to fill him in on the little we knew about Mika and how we’d stumbled on Sasha’s story.

“I know that he died in wolf form,” Fergus told us. “So we couldn’t see his face when we buried him.” He wiped away a tear and lowered his voice. “Or what was left of him.”

Just as well I’d finished eating because the image that conjured up roiled my stomach.

“Was there a period of mourning after his death?”

“There was nothing. We were told it would bring unwarranted attention to the college. I was in my senior year, and when I returned to Sombertooth after the funeral, no one spoke of Sasha. I was broken and barely scraped through my exams. Once I left, I never wanted to set foot in the place again.”

It was similar to what happened to Mika, though no one was sure if he died in the woods in racoon form or in town as his human self.

“While none of it made sense, and my parents have grieved his loss every day since he died, he appeared to have been killed by another animal. Or someone who wanted it to look that way.”

There was a sharp intake of breath from someone, and I glanced at Jack who kicked me under the table. But it was me, I was the one exhibiting shock. My heart was pounding in my ears, and I wiped my sweaty palms on a napkin.

“And you have no idea who?” Jack said.

Fergus shrugged. “No. But it was on Sombertooth grounds.”

I didn’t know how pertinent that was. It wasn’t as though the school had any real “security.” A student security guard checking names in and out would deter anyone intent on harming a student. But Sombertooth had inbuilt security: a few hundred wolves, along with bears, tigers, and lions.

After thanking Fergus for the lunch and spending time with us, we left, but we sat alone with our thoughts on the bus ride to the college. Jack hushed me when I mentioned Sasha, saying to wait until we were in our room.

“What do you think?” Jack asked as we locked our door, and she scrolled through the notes on her phone.

“I keep thinking of Fergus and his family, grieving for a son and brother and having to bury Sasha in wolf form.” I was too young to remember my parents' funeral, but the memories of Rawlins’s were so recent, I could pull up images, piecing them together, almost like a video.

“Yeah, that hit me hard too.”

“Is it important that he was in wolf form?” I was trying to figure out how relevant that was.

“If the person who killed him was a shifter, he may not have sensed danger.”

“Or he shifted because he was scared and was trying to flee.” While the shifter world was new to me, I thought it odd Sasha died in the forecourt. I’d only seen the wolves and others shift close to the woods.

Jack must have been thinking the same thing. “And why was he in the forecourt?”

“Because he was being chased, but was it a game?” My mind went to the Sable Hounds and their hazing rituals. “Or was he running for his life?” We might never find out. And how did Sasha’s death relate to Mika’s?

Despite having a big lunch, Jack and I were hungry for dinner. Channon joined us, along with Bardoul.

“How was your day?” Channon asked.

“Informative. Confusing. Sad.” I gulped my soup, and the hot liquid splashed on my shirt.

“Oh.”

I changed the subject because Bardoul’s eye was twitching, and he was glancing over his shoulder.

“Wanna come to our room and watch TV? There’s a new series launching today. Aliens invading Earth and causing chaos.

They both agreed to join us in thirty minutes, but as we were leaving, Holden came in.

“Hey. I was looking for you today and you didn’t answer my texts.”

Having been with Phelan who ignored me when we weren’t having sex and never inquired where I was and what I was doing, Holden’s inquisitiveness was a little claustrophobic. I’d turned my phone off at the restaurant and wasn’t in the mood to answer multiple messages from the tiger shifter.

“I was out. Sorry I didn’t get back to you.” Why was I apologizing? There was no rule saying I had to reply immediately to the guy I was interested in.

A line appeared between his brows, suggesting he was confused or irritated. But I wanted to spend the evening with my friends, so I didn’t invite Holden to join us, saying we could get together tomorrow.

“I think he was expecting you to fall at his feet and say how sorry you were.” Jack glanced back at Holden as we left the dining hall.

“What? No. He was just concerned about me. Perhaps he was disappointed and had planned something nice.”

Jack had totally misunderstood his intentions, making what he said into something bigger than it was. I’d message him later or in the morning. Right now I was tired because today had been emotionally exhausting.