ALEJANDRA.Forrest comes back into the oval office to get the rest of us after he’s done talking to his dad.Oval office.I giggle.We’re halfway down the stairs when I bump into the back of Forrest. He and Desmond have both stopped and they’re looking at me. I look behind me and see that Puma and Phoenix are also staring at me.“What?” I ask.“We’ve never heard you laugh before,” Puma says, voice filled with something I can’t describe.“Oh.” I drop my gaze, uncomfortable with them all looking at me right now. Forrest and Desmond start walking again, so I follow behind them.I’m honestly kind of worried about falling down these stairs. They’re so tall, I’d probably fall forever.“Don’t worry, I’d catch you,” Forrest is quick to assure me.Ah, right.Forrest is in my head now.Or has he always been?“You guys have a lot of things you need to tell me.”“We will. Soon,” he promises. “We just need to get through the next few hours first.” The next few hours.I can do that.“Why did you te
ALEJANDRA.The guys are acting weird—tense. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that Forrest’s dad is coming. He’s the alpha, which I think means he’s like the president of the wolf shifters. I don’t exactly understand the leadership system just yet. All I know is that he’s alpha and that someday, Forrest will be alpha too.Forrest acts like an alpha. The guys always do what he says, and he expects me to do the same.Ha.Me? Listen to his commands? That’s not going to happen.One thing I know for sure is that I’m not a wolf shifter. So, technically, he’s not my boss, even if he is my mate.I’m a little confused by the term mate. I thought it meant soulmate. But if I’m both Desmond and Forrest’s mate then I must have heard something wrong. Or maybe wolves have more than one mate. That would be weird, especially when I introduce them to my parents.How could I explain to my human parents that I have four werewolf boyfriends?Wolf shifters, I correct myself. They’re not werew
ALEJANDRA.My head is swimming by the time we leave the meeting with Alpha Romano. I have so many questions, yet the second I get alone with the guys I can’t think of one. I think my brain is just exhausted from the long day.It has been such a long day.Was it just this morning that I woke up on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean?Yeah, I guess it was.Now, it’s the afternoon as we’re leaving the castle. The guys say we’re going to our off-campus dorm, which I find incredibly confusing because weren’t there boys and girls dorms in the castle? Or maybe the seniors stay somewhere else.Tomorrow I guess we will go to class. I don’t even have a schedule, and I have no idea where I’ll be going or what classes I’ll be taking. I don’t even know if Margot Westwood got my transcript from my last school.“Don’t worry. Everything is settled.” Desmond speaks up, answering my unasked question.But how is it settled?I’m just so confused.I’ll also never get used to having somebody else in
ALEJANDRA.“Was that room meant for me?”I can’t believe that is the first question I’m asking, but I’ll go with it.If I’m being honest, I’m a little scared to ask what I really want to know.“It was technically meant for Forrest and his mate,” Puma answers.“And the clothes that happen to be my size?”Forrest clears his throat, obviously uncomfortable with my question. “I had them ordered when I met you and knew that you were my mate. I knew we’d eventually end up here, and I wanted you to have plenty of clothes.” Ah, I guess that makes sense.“I have plenty of clothes,” I say, giving him a pointed look before continuing. “At home.”“I just figured it would be easier for you to have stuff here and there so you don’t always have to pack.” Right.Because packing it hard?Or maybe that’s just because he’s the alpha’s son, which means something. What, I’m not sure.“What does alpha mean?” I ask.“It means leader,” Forrest answers.“Leader?”“He’s being modest,” Phoenix interjects. “Forr
ALEJANDRA.Everything in the closet is my size, down to the shoes. And it’s all adorable—things I would actually buy and wear myself. I’ll have to figure out who Forrest got to buy all the clothes and thank them.I don’t like the idea that Forrest bought all these clothes for me. I have plenty at home.At least I don’t have to worry about my sisters borrowing my clothes. Mine are all too small for them. I’ve always been envious of the fact that my mom and sisters all share clothes with each other.I wonder if there is anything specific we have to wear to school.Nope. Wear whatever you want.Puma is the one who answers.I don’t think I’ll ever get used to them being in my head. It’s like the universe is paying me back for always being in other people’s heads my whole life. It’s not like I’ve wanted to listen though. I just can’t stop it.It’s hot outside, so I just put on a white sundress. It has spaghetti straps and flares out a Little Aast my waist. It fits perfectly too and isn’t t
ALEJANDRA.Inhaling a calming breath, I stare at the doors of the castle. I’m about to walk in for my first day of classes and I’m nervous.So nervous.Puma holds my hand on one side and Phoenix on the other. Forrest is in the front and Desmond in the back. I probably shouldn’t hold their hands knowing that all the girls are going to be glaring at me when they see me.What Phoenix’s sister said has really freaked me out.Nobody is going to like me.“They will all love you,” Puma says, and he squeezes my hand. “They’re just jealous you have such awesome mates.” I laugh and give him a tentative smile.“Let’s just get this over with.”Forrest opens the doors and we walk inside. I’m mostly hidden behind Forrest, but I can still feel everybody’s eyes on us. And since I’m touching Puma and Phoenix, I can feel their anger. They don’t want people staring at me because they know it makes me uncomfortable.I love that they want to defend my honor, but there really isn’t anything they can do. Pe
ALEJANDRA.That Bridget girl isn’t the only one giving me dirty looks.A lot of girls are. Guys too.I wonder what they’re thinking. Probably the same as Bridget—that I don’t belong here. That I’m not worthy of having four wolf shifter mates. And I know that. More than anything I do. But I want it. There is a rightness to this that I feel deep in my soul, and I can’t even begin to understand what it means. All I know is that I do belong here, even if nobody else thinks I do.The guys are careful to keep anybody from touching me, like they promised. I’m grateful for this. It’s one thing to be glared at, but it’s another to know what somebody is thinking about you. But even the guys can’t protect me from everything. Not in high school.Forrest, Phoenix, and Desmond go to grab us all some food while Puma and I go to sit down at a table in the lunchroom.This lunchroom is unlike any I’ve ever seen before. The room is massive and has a lot of different tables—some big, some small. Al
ALEJANDRA.Dean Westwood tried to separate me from the guys. They vetoed that before she could even get the words out of her mouth, which relieves me.I need them. I’m pretty sure holding Puma and Desmond’s hands is the only thing keeping me from having a panic attack. It’s the only thing that is keeping me from overthinking about what that boy thought.Slut.Of course this looks bad.I have four mates.Four.It’s not normal.Not that turning into a wolf is all that normal either.I guess I thought it would be different here. I thought I wouldn’t be the weird pale girl who doesn’t like to be touched. I thought I would fit in and maybe make friends.Instead, people think I’m weird. They think I’m… A slut.Desmond grips my hand tighter.I know he can hear me. They all can. But it’s not like I can control my thoughts.Margot looks between me and the four guys around me, then she looks at the boy on the other side of the room who appears terrified.He’s also got a very dark