– two really good-
“Would you get up!?”
I start awake to see Rafe’s face peering over the edge of the bunk, frowning at me. “Seriously, Ari! The
bell rang like ten minutes ago – I have no idea how you’re still asleep!”
I re at my brother a little, already in a bad mood, wondering how he’d feel if he got about two hours
of sleep after getting the crap beat out of him the day before. Rafe rolls his eyes at me and hops down,
getting ready for the day.
I was up for hours after I got back in bedst night, trying to figure out how I feel about all of this. At the
core of me, I know that keeping my secret is the most important thing. But still…
Two mates, in the same ce, at the same time! And me here by what feels like chance –
God, it’s almost like…fate or something.
I mean, our family does have a history of this sort of thing happening – mom and Aunt Cora’s mother is
the Goddess, after all, and she definitely threw some twists into their lives. But still – it’s all just so…
bizarre.
had almost drifted off to sleep against night when the barrack door opened and a tall figure came in –
his shoulders almost wide enough to fill the doorway itself. He’d moved slowly across the room in
complete silence, but when heid down in his bed his bodynguage was…miserable.
Luca came in a littleter, not bothering to be stealthy. He too had moved to his bed, but had paused
for a second, looking towards my corner of the room.
I had hastily whipped my covers over my head, holding my breath, desperately praying that he wouldn’t
come over to me.
Because even though my wolf howls for him – for them? I am so not ready to face this. Not with
everything that’s at stake – and not with my enrollment at the Academy at risk, and certainly not with
how…
Well, I blush to think of it, but how na?ve I am about all of this boy stuff. I mean, I know that I was
supposed to get married, but part of what I had thought was so appealing about Edward was that he
didn’t push me for anything more than a chaste kiss. Even though he revealed that he had other ns
once we were married, I had thought that he would give
me the slow–burn romance I need.
Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.
But mate stuff?
From everything I’ve heard, it’s like lightening.
And I am…not ready to be struck. I mean…am I?
“Seriously, Ari!” Rafe shouts, reaching out and grabbing the front of my uniform. I gasp as he hauls me
off my pillow. “Get up! We have to get to breakfast in two minutes!”
“I’m already dressed, Rafe!” I snarl, batting his hand away and throwing my legs over the side of the
bed. “I just have to put my shoes on
99
Rafe’s eyes go wide and he grabs me again, hauling me down off the bed and bumping my body hard
against the metal rails as he does. I give a shriek as I go down.
“Ari,” my brother growls, holding me tight against him. “Where the f**k is your hat!?”
I gasp, my hand going to my head as I realize that my hair is still tied in a bun at the base of my head
not exactly spilling around my shoulders in a way that screams girl but certainly
visible –
–
“It’s on my bunk!” I squeak. Rafe res at me and takes his own cap off, shoving it hard on my head
before jumping up to grab my cap. Then he grabs my boots off the floor, shoving them against my
chest. “Put your shoes on, you idiot,” he growls, “and learn to be more careful!”
I’m blushing hard now as he pulls my cap onto his own head. I pull on my boots, not bothering to tie
them before beginning to tuck my hair up beneath the brim of my cap.
“Heyyy cousinnnns,” Jesse says,ing over to beam at us way too cheerfully, clearly aware that
there’s drama but ignoring it. “Did you guys sleep well?” He turns his wicked grin on me. “I had a really
weird dream.”
“No time,” Rafe snaps, grabbing my arm the second I finish tucking my hair in and hauling me to my
feet. “We go now or we miss breakfast. And if we miss breakfast, we miss rankings, which we
desperately need to know. So, let’s move!”
Jesse still smirks at me as we both hurry along behind my brother, raising an eyebrow and clearly
demanding an exnation for my midnight assault. But I just hastily shake my head and nce at
Rafe, silently begging Jesse to keep it a secret. Jesse shrugs, tacitly agreeing but letting me know he’s
not happy about it.
The three of us barely skirt through the door before it closes. A few candidates call out behind us and
bang on the door, but the Captain clearly wasn’t kidding about getting to breakfast on time. I move
through the line with my brother and my cousin, filling my tray with food, but beingst through means
slim pickings. I get a sausage, two cartons of apple juice, and a very sad little orange.
When we take the final three seats at the edge of a long table, Rafe rolls his eyes at me and shoves
two biscuits onto my te.
“Hey!” I protest. “I don’t even like biscuits –“
“It isn’t about like, Ari,” Rafe mutters, tucking into what looks like a bowl of cold oatmeal. “It’s about
calories, and you need them, so eat up.”
I do as I’m told, forcing myself to chew the dry biscuits and washing them down with apple juice.
Passively, I hope that the food at the Academy is way better than this. As I eat, I look around, and as
much as I pretend that I’m not looking for them…
Right over there, my wolf cheerfully points out, focusing my eyes immediately on Luca, whoughs at
the center of a group of guys two tables down, and then the other one, who sits by himself, moodily
eating a gigantic te of food.
I quietly peel my orange, letting my eyes drift between both of them, studying their movements,
wondering why on earth my grandmother the Goddess picked them out for
me
–
When Rafe stands up to get a napkin, Jesse elbows me, making me jump.
“What the hell is going on with you?” Jesse hisses, and I blush, shaking my head.
“Nothing,” I murmur, concentrating on my orange. God, I can’t believe I just let myself stare at my
mates
what was I thinking –
–
–
“I know something’s up Ariel,” Jesse growls, and I spin to look at him wide–eyed, not only because he
used my real name but because my sweet–tempered cousin never growls.
“Jesse,” I say, my eyes pleading. “Look, I’ll tell you, all right? But…” I nod hastily at my brother, who is
on his way back.
Jesse sighs, clenching his jaw. “You promise you’re all right? And you’d tell me if you weren’t?”
“I promise,” I say, my voice pleading. Jesse sighs, nods once, and then turns back to his
nearly empty tray. Rafe sits down with a fist full of napkins, looking suspiciously between
1. us. But before he can say anything, all heads in the room turn towards the Captain, who has just
stood up at the head table.
“Candidates,” he says, his voice booming out over us. “Today we will post the first ranking.” He points
above his head at a giant ck screen, indicating where the ranking will be listed. “Rankings will be
calcted ording to your performance in all training activities, as well as aspects like adherence to
the rules, prompt attendance, and decorum. At the end of the first two weeks, the bottom 20% of
candidates will be dismissed from the academy. As this is an entering ss of 120, that is the bottom
24 candidates. I suggest you take your rank seriously.”
The Captain res around at all of us and then nods once. “Agility training is next. You have five more
minutes for breakfast, and then will report to the gym at 08:00.”
Without another word the Captain leaves his ce at the head of the table and, as if on cue, the screen
shes on, our names already arranged.
My eyes fly over the board and my heart sinks to find my name exactly where I thought it would be.
Spot 120. Ari rk.