First day.
PENELOPE.
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.
Parker holds my hand on one side and Cole on the other. Liam is in the front and Aiden 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 Cole’s sister said has really freaked me out.
Nobody is going to like me.
“They will all love you,” Parker 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.”
Liam opens the doors and we walk inside. I’m mostly hidden behind Liam, but I can still feel everybody’s eyes on us. And since I’m touching Parker and Cole, 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. People are curious about me, of course they're going to stare.
Our first class is on the third floor, and I’m surprised that it’s just an English class. It’s so… mundane. I’m not sure what I expected—transfiguration? Potions? Magical creatures? I laugh in my head at my own joke, knowing the guys will have no idea what I’m even referencing.
Parker shoots me a wink. “Even shifters have to learn how to read.”
I grin.
“The fun classes happen after lunch,” Aiden says.
I turn to look at him and when I do, I see him staring at my legs. He looks up and his turns red as he realizes he’s been caught checking me out.
My legs aren’t that great, actually. Paige is the one with the nice curves. I just have bird legs and I’ve always hated them.
“They’re not at all bird like,” Aiden protests.
He’s sweet.
But I know they are.
“What classes happen after lunch?” I ask, as we get up the third floor.
I’m definitely going to get a workout in at this school.
None of the guys answer, so I glance around and see that they’re all sharing a look. I can tell from Parker and Cole’s thoughts that they’re worried we will be separated after lunch. The thought makes my heart race.
I don’t want to be separated from them.
“I won’t let them separate us from you,” Liam assures me. “I’m alpha, they have to listen to me.”
“Your dad is alpha, they technically have to listen to him,” Cole counters.
“It wouldn’t make sense to put her in another class,” Parker says. “Even though she’s not a wolf shifter, we don’t know what she is. Since we’re her mates, it makes sense for her to learn about shifters.”
Everybody agrees that Parker is right, and I hope he is.
We walk into the classroom. It’s already filling up, even though class doesn’t start for another ten minutes. I can tell from Parker’s thoughts that it isn’t normal for class to be so full so early, meaning they’re probably here early because of me.
Great. Even at Shifter Academy I’m a freak.
“You’re not a freak,” Cole whispers to me.
“Move,” Liam says to a group of people sitting in the back of the room.
I expect them to tell him no or to at the very least smart off or complain, but they don’t. They just get up and move to different desks.
Liam points to where we should sit.
Liam sits in the back corner with me in front of him and Cole in front of me. Parker sits by Liam in the back and Aiden sits by me. It’s not perfect, but it’s probably the best we’re going to get.
I get the feeling nobody will mess with me as long as Liam is around, but girls bully in different ways than guys. They bully you with looks and comments. They will do it by spreading rumors and confronting me in the bathroom where the guys can’t be. And as hard as I try to be brave, I can’t help but be a little scared.
A pretty blonde girl walks into the room, and I only look up because everybody else in the room looked up first. The girl has on a tank top that is completely against my old school’s policy. It’s cut really low—so low that I’d be worried about accidentally popping out. But then I remember what the guys said about the shifter world. There really isn’t a modesty issues because they are naked when they shift. Meaning they’ve probably seen this girl naked.
They will be disappointed when they see me, because I don’t look like the other shifter girls. I don’t have curves like them.
The blonde girl looks at me, but only for a second. She has completely dismissed me as a threat and now has her eyes on Liam. She walks over toward his desk, swinging her hips.
I hate her already.
Not because she’s pretty, but because she’s looking at Liam like she wants to devour him.
“Hey, Alpha Liam,” she says, bending over. I’m certain she’s giving him a show.
I am so angry that my hand is shaking, but I won’t give her the satisfaction of knowing that I’m upset.
“Bridget,” he says, not looking at her.
In fact, he’s looking at me.
He reaches up and grabs the end of my hair. It’s not just for my benefit, I realize as she turns to glare at me, but I don’t meet her gaze. She turns back to Liam.
“What is she?” Bridget asks.
I can hear the disgust in her tone and don’t have to see her face to know she’s wrinkling her nose like I smell bad.
“She is my mate and it’s none of your business,” Liam says.
“You’re my future alpha, so I think it is my business,” she argues. “I don’t want some weak witch as my alpha’s mate.”
Weak?
I know that I’m weak but hearing her say it out loud hurts my chest.
I really am weak. I don’t deserve to be mated to their alpha. For all we know, I’m human with supernatural abilities. I don’t belong in this world.
I just want to go back home.
Just then, a loud clap of thunder shakes the building and rain pours from the sky. I jump at the sound.
That literally came out of nowhere.
“She’s not a witch,” Liam says to Bridget, defending me. “And if you were a good shifter, you’d be able to smell it.”
I’m glad he says it, but I still feel guilty. This is the kind of girl he’s been waiting on and now he’s stuck with me.
Thunder rumbles more in the distance, distracting me again.
“Was it supposed to storm?” Cole asks, turning around to look at Parker.
Parker shrugs. “I don’t think so.”
Bridget huffs, clearly upset about being ignored and dissed by Liam.
“Why are you still here?” Liam asks her.
“Because I belong here. I’m a shifter,” she says. “Why is she here?”
“She has a name. It’s Penelope,” Parker growls. “And watch what you say about her.”
Bridget turns from Liam to look at Parker. “Why are you standing up for his mate? Shifters are jealous. You should know better.”
“You already know that she’s ours. All of ours.” Cole narrows his eyes at her. “If anybody is jealous, it’s you. In fact, you reek of it.”
The guys laugh.
Wait, can they smell strong emotions? Or maybe they just know because she’s a wolf shifter. Aren’t they all in each other’s heads?
The idea of them being in her head makes me feel sick to my stomach, but doesn’t that make me just as bad as her? I refuse to be jealous anymore.
The guys say it’s fate, but they still have a choice. Who would want to share a mate anyway? It sounds like they got duped. No wonder these people think I’m some evil temptress, I’d probably think the same thing if I were them.
I hear shuffling behind me and look back to see Liam get up out of his desk. He grabs my hand and pulls me with him out of the classroom. I don’t say anything until we leave the room.
“What’s going on?”
He doesn’t stop pulling me until we walk into an empty classroom, and even then, he holds onto my hand.
“There is nobody but you,” Liam says, his voice lower than I’ve heard before. “It doesn’t matter if there was a choice, I would still pick you every single time. Bridget is nobody to me—to all of us. I’d be pissed if fate chose her as a mate for me. But fate knows better.”
“It’s not fair.” I drop my gaze to the floor
He puts a finger on my chin, gently nudging it up. “What isn’t fair?”
I look him in the eyes and sigh. “You’re not supposed to have to share your mate—and with three other guys.” I shake my head. “It’s too much, Liam. I can’t ask you guys to do that.”
“It’s not up to you to decide,” Liam says gently. “It’s my choice. It’s Cole’s choice. And Aiden’s and Parker’s. Just because what fate has decided for us is different from the normal doesn’t mean we’re going to run away from you. You’re everything to us—everything to me. Can’t you see that?”
I want to look away from his intense gaze. I want to run away. But I know he wouldn’t let me run far.
“We just met each other not even a week ago,” I say. “And even then, I thought you were crazy. You told me you were a wolf.”
He smirks. “I am a wolf.”
“But you realize how insane that sounds to a human, right?”
He shrugs. “I suppose. Humans aren’t very open minded. It’s why we choose to keep our existence a secret from them.”
“I don’t blame you for that.”
Because if humans knew the truth, they’d try to police everything and everybody. If I’ve learned anything from these wolves it’s that they won’t let anybody control them, so that would be an issue.
Liam’s deep voice is nearly a rumble as he speaks. “I’d let you control me.”
My eyes widen.
I can’t believe Liam, the future alpha, just said that to me.
“Don’t you know by now that I would do anything for you?”
He reaches a hand to my face and pushes a piece of hair behind my ear. His hand leaves a warm trail on my cheek that tingles.
I will never get used to touching him.
I’ve spent my whole life avoiding being touched by anybody, and now I find myself wanting to be touched all the time. It’s like I crave it.
“Will you be patient with me?” I implore him. “Because this is a lot. And I’m still not sure what you guys expect from me. Am I really supposed to jump into dating four guys? Like, yeah, I have this crazy connection with you, but we just met and—”
Liam cuts me off. “Penelope, we will be patient. We never intended to rush you anyway.”
“Okay,” I say, nodding my head.
“Don’t listen to what Bridget was saying. Even if you’re not a wolf shifter, you belong here with me. You’re my mate.” He encases my hand between his. “I don’t care that you’re not a shifter. I don’t even care that you have three other mates. There is literally nobody else in the world that is more suited for me than you. I choose you. Every time.”
I lick my lips, which are suddenly feeling very dry. “I choose you too.”
He grins. “Let’s get back to class before the rest of the guys leave to come looking for us.”
“Are we late now?” I ask.
“We are, but it’s okay. I’m alpha.”
I laugh.
I have a feeling that him being alpha means he gets away with a whole lot of stuff.
I’ve never been patient.
I’ve never had to be. I’m the future alpha. Anything I want, I get.
But with Penelope, all the rules are different.
Usually when a shifter meets their mate, they bond within the first couple of days. But Penelope doesn’t know our world. She needs time to understand and get used to all of this. No matter how much waiting is killing me, I will do it for her.
I’d do anything for her.
But to hear the things she thought about herself—that she would even try to compare herself to somebody like Bridget.
Bridget has only ever tried to get my attention because I am alpha. I don’t know what she thinks she will gain by it, because I have always stuck to the no dating rule. And if I ever would’ve broken it, it definitely wouldn’t have been with her.
Penelope is so far above all the girls here. I feel like fate choosing her as a mate is more than I deserve. Penelope deserves far better than me.
Yet, she thinks I deserve better than her.
That’s crazy.
Nobody is better than Penelope.
I’ve just got to get her to believe that.