Page 64 of Legacy Wolf: Semester One (Legacy Wolf #1)

KNOX

Getting called to the dean’s office was never a good thing. At least it never had been in my experience. Maybe for some genius who always made the best grades or won all the games in their sport of choice, it might be. But for me, it usually had to do with something I messed up.

I stopped outside the dean’s office and braced myself for what was to come, finally raising my hand to knock. He called me in, and when I opened the door, he had a small smile on his face.

“Welcome. Have a seat.”

I didn’t want to stay. If anything, I wanted to run from the room, as irrational as that might’ve been. Not that I would.

“Thank you.” I sat down. “I was surprised to hear from you so close to graduation.” Only one of my classes this semester actually counted toward my degree, and I’d already submitted and reviewed a grade for my final project.

I had a four point GPA, unlike most of the other students.

My actual pencil-and-paper finals didn’t really matter for me.

Not for passing anyway. They were still high-pressure, though.

I was an A student. So much of my identity was rolled up in that.

“The timing is far from ideal, I agree.” He stood up and handed me a folder before retaking his seat. “Sombertooth is starting a new program, and next year will be the pilot run. We’ve selected a handful of students to be a part of it, and we would like you to be one of them.”

“I’m honored that you thought of me, sir, but I’m graduating soon.” What I was doing from there I didn’t know. I’d been offered spots in my first two grad school programs. I just needed to pick one.

“Hear me out before you decline?”

“I can do that.” I didn’t see how anything he’d have to say would matter, not when I was going to be out of here. But I could listen.

“We would like to add a new five-year master’s program to Sombertooth. It’s not a new concept but one we hadn’t explored.” He leaned in and said in a hushed tone, “The board likes to get all the tuition money they can out of students.”

Of that I had no doubt. If they didn’t, students like Jack’s good friend wouldn’t need to be cleaning up our messes in the dining hall just for a chance to earn their degrees.

Whereas other students could focus on their grades, he had to work full-time and somehow manage to keep his grades up.

It was a flawed system at best, rigged system at worst.

“I think that’s a great idea.” I still didn’t see what it had to do with me.

“Then you’ll consider being a part of it? With a full scholarship, of course.”

“I’m graduating,” I reminded him.

“And this would be a huge change of plans, absolutely, but I think finishing grad school a year early with no additional cost might be worth it.”

“Fine, you have my interest. Tell me everything.” When I left his office with the promise to get back to him by day’s end, I already knew what my decision would be.

Sombertooth hadn’t been my first choice for grad school, but that had been 100% about the high tuition rate.

Unlike with their undergrad programs, they didn’t have a lot of scholarships for their grad school students.

This program could conceivably be a game changer for me and for a lot of others.

Cutting out a year alone made them competitive.

Adding the full ride for me to give it a test run wasn’t an offer I could refuse.

It didn’t hurt that it meant I had more time with Jack.

I liked her, probably too much. She had a mind of her own and didn’t take crap from anyone.

She didn’t let her latency make her feel less-than.

If anything it made her stronger. I hadn’t been ready to say good-bye, and now I wouldn’t have to, at least not for more than just the summer.

Instead of going back to my room to make a pro-and-con list, I went straight to the tree line to let my beast out for a little bit.

All my excitement was getting him riled up, and he needed the release.

Once he was exhausted and ready to give me back my skin, I planned to head right back to the dean’s office and figure out all the paperwork I needed to fill out to cancel my intent to graduate.

I was going to be a Sombertooth student for one more year.

Atticus

When I walked around the corner to see Jack hugging Knox over her excitement at getting a soccer scholarship for being the team’s most valuable player, I was jealous.

Not only did her success in soccer remind me of my failure…

that I was no longer top dog on the archery team, but it rubbed in my face that it wasn’t my body she was getting naked with anymore.

Did that make me a dick? Probably. But I’d run out of shits to give, if I had any to start with.

It wasn’t until later in the day that I discovered that Knox wasn’t graduating like he was supposed to. At first I thought the rumor was bullshit. Knox lived on the dean’s list and never did anything wrong. Why wouldn’t he graduate? If anything it was more shocking that he hadn’t graduated early.

And then I learned about the pilot program. Learned as in I overheard Jack talking about it when I was intentionally in earshot, but without making my presence known which was basically the same thing.

“He’s going to get his Master’s degree next spring,” she said to Bardoul as the two of them sipped coffee on the grass, with me inside and the windows open.

“That’s great,” Bardoul said. It made sense the guy was excited about it. Being a scholarship kid, anything that saved a buck would sound like freaking Christmas.

“I guess. I mean, I want him to stay, but also, if he really wanted his next degree from here, wouldn’t he have applied here in the first place? Sombertooth wasn’t on his long list, much less his short list.”

“If he didn’t want to stay here, he wouldn’t.” Bardoul had a point. If I were to guess, the other schools were clamoring for the nerd.

“Yeah, I guess, but what if he thinks staying here means he gets me full-time, you know? I have soccer to focus on and school. I mean, Knox knows all of this, but still…what if he is staying for me?”

“Did you tell him all you had on your plate?” I walked away as she started to tell her friend that she had. That didn’t surprise me. You always knew where you stood with Jack. And for the first time, I started to wonder if that was why I longed to be with her so much after she broke up with me.

Maybe it wasn’t that I actually liked her and wanted more with her, even though it felt like it at the time.

It could easily have been that she was very clear in not wanting me anymore, as fucked up as that sounded to myself.

Sure, ego played a part in it, who liked to be dumped, especially by someone who could make you come so hard you forget your name.

But it was more than that. I read it more as me wanting someone other than a fuck buddy.

But now I was listening to her talk about another man, and my biggest take away was that my eavesdropping was a waste of time and why bother hanging around for the rest of the conversation.

Realization dawned that I wasn’t wanting more from Jack.

I was finally over her. I mean, if she asked to blow me or ride me or anything involving the two of us naked, I’d be right there for it.

But beyond that? Yeah, I was good with things the way they were.

She could have her nerdling or not. It was all the same to me. I was done longing for latents. The next person I put my dick into would be worthy of me. And that was that.