Page 51 of Legacy Wolf: Semester One (Legacy Wolf #1)

ATTICUS

Last class was done for the day, but I didn’t follow Phelan back to the room.

Instead, I hung around the classroom next door and waited for Jack to emerge.

But just as I was about to talk to her, that freaking Knox appeared out of nowhere and planted a kiss.

On her lips. And with his arm draped around her shoulders, they strode outside!

Were they off to fuck? In the same place we used to?

I slumped against the wall, resisting the urge to follow them.

That used to be me and Jack, sneaking off to get naked and sweaty.

The only good thing was Knox would be graduating soon and I’d never have to see him again.

And if Jack was sad next semester, I’d swoop in and comfort her. Translated that meant having sex.

No! No! my wolf intoned.

Quiet! I hated it when my beast disagreed with me.

No one had been able to resist my charms in the past. When I wanted someone or something, I got it.

Had I lost my ability to beguile omegas?

If they were in doubt, usually a quick hair flip would seal the deal, though thinking back to when I first laid eyes on Jack, she was the one who made the first move.

Had she ruined all future sexual encounters for me? Did latents have special powers I wasn’t aware of? Whatever it was, I wanted it to stop and for me to return to when one raised brow from me and omegas would rip off their clothes.

I rubbed the back of my neck as if wanting to rid myself of a second skin and revert to the Atticus of old. The one who commanded attention wherever he went.

Run!

We can . It was a reasonable suggestion because if I didn’t shift, I’d be consumed with thoughts of Jack. I couldn’t understand how a latent had taken hold of my thoughts and my… heart and wouldn’t let go.

Phelan had mentioned about shifting, and I should text him and ask him to join me. But I needed to be alone, feel the wind on my wolf’s face, relish the chase, ending in a kill and the crunch of bones and sinew in my wolf’s mouth as he devoured a deer.

There were some older students—mainly bears—who were disrobing and shifting. I avoided them and walked farther along the edge of the woods before making sure no one was nearby. Scenting their beasts sent my mind racing back to Jack whose beast was lost to her, maybe forever.

But as soon as my wolf took his fur, I pushed my human thoughts away and made myself be at one with my beast. The pungent sweat streamed over his body as he picked up the scent of deer, instinct guiding him as he twisted and turned and finally outwitted the frantic deer.

When he settled to eat the spoils, tearing flesh with his sharp canines, I allowed my human self to consider Jack and why I was so hung up on her.

Admitting that when she told me no, she didn’t want to have sex anymore, it was probably one of the first times in my life anyone had said that to me, other than Sombertooth professors.

My mind went to Coach threatening to remove me from the archery team, and that brought that fucker Rawling to mind.

He’d foiled my every attempt to get him kicked out of college, but there was always next semester.

But I reeled my thoughts back to Jack. She wasn’t my mate. If she had been, I would have sunk my teeth into her the first time we fucked. Part of me almost wished she had been my mate because what I felt for her was more than a fuck buddy.

I’d been an ass, glowering at her, sneering at Knox, eavesdropping on her conversations and demanding she say “How high?” when I said, “Jump.” A wave of embarrassment flooded me as it hit me.

I had to apologize to her. That wasn’t my thing, and if there was any way to avoid it, I’d take that option.

Sorry . Having eaten his fill, my wolf was now on my ass, insisting I apologize to Jack.

Why can’t you agree with me?

We didn’t communicate as he loped back to where I’d left my clothes, and I took my skin. The bushes stank with bear scent, but there was no one else around as I got dressed.

Making my way to the dining hall, I stood outside and peered inside, not seeing Jack, though Knox was there.

My stomach rumbled because what my beast ate didn’t satisfy me and vice versa.

But Jack loved to eat and rarely missed a meal, except at the beginning of the semester when she and her latent roommate were the objects of curiosity and gossip.

I caught Jack’s aroma wafting down the stairs before she appeared.

She didn’t so much as glance in my direction until I strode over to her and extended my hand.

Being the fearless Jack I was familiar with, she didn’t cower or shriek or tear into the dining hall, but she narrowed her eyes and spat out, “Don’t do this, Atticus. We are done and dusted.”

“That’s not what this is about. I’m here to say sorry.”

That got a reaction from her, and she folded her arms. “Really?” Her skeptical expression suggested she didn’t believe me. And she had every right not to trust me.

Words usually came easily to me but not when confronted with a fierce Jack—if she’d been in touch with her beast, I’d have described it as in bear mode—I stammered. “I… ummm… I, well…”

“Hurry up, Atticus. I’m starving.”

“I’m sorry for being an ass, both when we were sort of together and after you broke it off.” It was rare for the word “sorry” to come out of the mouth, and as it rolled off my tongue, I kinda liked it.

“You were an ass and you still are to Rawling.”

No way was I apologizing to that fucker. “I enjoyed us when we were an us, and if possible, I’d like to be friends.”

“Friends?” she shrieked.

“There’s no need to tell the whole college.” I glanced over my shoulder as people peered in our direction.

“Do you have friends?”

Fuck, she was supposed to agree and we could both get on with our day. World peace could be achieved sooner than negotiating with Jack.

“Phelan, for one.” But was he? Phelan and I didn’t have much in common other than our families being close and us having known one another for years. And while he used to tolerate my shit in the past, now when my behavior was what some called outrageous, he called me on it.

“The people in the Sable Hounds.” That wasn’t exactly true, but Jack wouldn’t know that I kind of bullied them into doing things, like the stunt with Rawling.

“I doubt it.”

Gods, I wanted to wipe that smug expression off her face… with a kiss. I sighed because that wasn’t happening. Not ever.

“I’d like to try,” I said.

“Being friends?”

I nodded.

“Do you know how?”

“Damn, Jack, why are you so…?”

Stop , my wolf insisted.

“Sorry.” I studied my feet. “I’m not very good at this.”

Knox stuck his head out the door. “Everything okay?”

Jack gave him a dazzling smile. “Fine. I’ll be there in a minute.” She faced me. “You really are terrible at this, and my guess is you’ve not done it before.”

I nodded. “Yeah, but I’d like to try.”

“Okay.” She held out her hand. “Friends.”

I took it and we shook. “Friends.” I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but it felt good.

“Do you know what friends do with one another?” she asked.

“I’m guessing no sex,” I ventured.

“Nope.” She popped that P hard, and my cock stiffened. “There’s more to life than sex.”

That was rich coming from her, the omega who stopped sleeping with me and jumped into bed with Knox.

“But you?—”

She cut me off. “As we’re friends, no more glowering at me and Knox, got it?”

Damn, this friendship deal was not what I expected. “Fine.”

Jack flipped the hair off my shoulder, a familiar gesture when we were together, and gave me a peck on the cheek.

“This is going to be interesting.” She waltzed into the dining hall, leaving me frozen in place, mouth gaping, wondering what I’d signed up for.

Maybe I should head to the library and research this friendship caper, get some hints on how to go about it.

“I thought we were shifting together,” Phelan said at my shoulder. He’d have scented my wolf and knew my beast had been hunting. He followed my gaze into the dining hall. “Give it up. She’s moved on and is never coming back.”

“We’re friends now,” I announced, to which Phelan reacted with maniacallaughter. “Fuck off,” I yelled as I left him outside and went into the dining hall for dinner.