Alpha Betrayed: A Dark Shifter

JULIET

As Natalie pulls past the guard station and through the giant archway set into the stone wall surrounding this fortress-university by the sea, I expect to be nervous.

Scared, even.

After all, I’m pretty sure that I’m heading into unfriendly territory and the task before me will be anything but easy.

But as I stare out the tinted windows, studying the faces of the potential students milling around the grassy quad at the center of the posh-looking campus—throwing frisbees and eating muffins wrapped in soggy brown paper or whispering behind their hands about another group lounging on the other side of the lawn—all I feel is…old.

True, some of my fellow orientation goers are still teenagers, but many aren’t. Thanks to forced military service still obligatory in many packs and various shifter-reject drama, Natalie said the average age of a first-year student is actually twenty-two.

It’s more their energy that makes me feel old. The shine of hope and innocent excitement in their eyes, the absence of the cold rage that’s sustained me for so long. Most of these kids look like they’re here to get a degree and make new friends, not rest up and formulate a plan for the hostile takeover of their father’s pack.

I remind myself that my fellow students wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t been through some kind of hell—this is a school for rejects, after all—but my gut isn’t buying it.

“Everyone looks so happy,” Ford mutters beside me in the back seat, making me huff beneath my breath.

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” I whisper. “It’s weird.”

He glances my way, his silver eyes locking with mine enough to make my stomach tremble. It’s been that way since that lapse in judgment in his bedroom, but I wouldn’t take it back. It’s been a long time since I felt that powerful or…calm. Even when he’s making me burn, something about Ford soothes the savage, feral thing inside me.

And bossing him around as he writhed beneath me was very, very satisfying.

Who knows. Maybe I’m a Domme in the bedroom or something.

Wouldn’t that be hilarious? The pint-sized Domme and her giant submissive stepbrother. It sounds like a bad skin flick, the kind a hair too kinky for consumption by normal people.

But even as the thought twists through my head, another part of me argues that Ford is right. We never really lived together or had a “familial” relationship of any kind. Before the past week, I spent more time with my classmates and best friends in college than I ever did with Ford. He’s my stepbrother in name only and hooking up with him isn’t as kinky as it looks on paper.

That voice, however, is as dangerous as anything lurking behind these walls. That voice has the potential to screw up all my plans, and I don’t intend to let that happen.

So, I ignore the tight, achy feeling between my thighs when Ford squeezes my knee and promises, “I’ll find you at dinner, okay? If not before.”

We told Natalie we weren’t interested in second breakfast today. We’re ready to get down to more serious business than eating. Like meeting our dormmates and booking an appointment with the campus medical department to have my tracking device and shifter prevention system removed.

By this time next week, I might finally know what it feels like to live inside another body for a while. The possibility is enough to push thoughts of Ford’s lips and hands and all the other parts of him I’m increasingly fascinated by from my head.

I nod and sit up straighter, glancing past him to the tall, gray stone building with the massive turrets on either side. “Very gothic.”

Ford leans down to get a glimpse at the top of the structure as Natalie parks the car in front. “Very pretentious.”

“Oh, it is not,” Natalie says, piping up for the first time in nearly an hour. She thankfully realized pretty early on in the drive that we weren’t in the mood for easy banter. “It’s historic and lovely.” She turns to smile at us over the front seat. “And the oldest dorm on campus so be sure to get to the showers early in the morning if you want hot water. Your dorm isn’t nearly as fancy to look at, Juliet, but the hot water is abundant. Do you want to go with me to walk Ford in and get a tour? The common rooms are gorgeous.”

“It’s okay, I’ll stay here,” I say, figuring it’s better for Ford to meet the other wolves without a Variant in tow. We want them to speak freely in front of him. At least at first.

“All right.” Natalie’s smile stretches wider as she motions toward the quad. “Feel free to stretch your legs if you like. I’ll be back in about fifteen, twenty minutes.”

“Hang in there, Growly,” Ford says, brushing my hair from my forehead. “Play nice with your new friends and I’ll see you later.”

I smirk up at him. “You, too, Titsworth. Hope the other puppies don’t tease you too much.”

“Yeah, not much chance of that.” He g****s and rolls his eyes, more to lighten the mood, I think, than because of any real worries about his silly new last name.

Ford also realizes we have much bigger things to worry about than being the butt of dumb jokes.

That’s the only reason I feel such a connection to him. We’ve lived such similar lives the past two years and we have the immunity to petty concerns to prove it. But that’s where our similarities end, and I would be an idiot to forget it.

Ford wants to share Hammer’s throne, but once he realizes I’m serious about ruling alone, he might very well try to take what’s mine. And Ford is a newbie here, too, but he’s an Alpha wolf, at the top of the Lost Moon food chain, and he mastered control of his shifted form before he started kindergarten.

I have so much catching up to do it’s laughable.

And probably impossible, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to give it everything I’ve got. Paloma told me time and again that escaping the circus was impossible, too, but I did it. Yes, I had Ford’s help, but I’ll have his help now, too. No matter what might happen between us once my father’s ousted, I trust that Ford has my back right now.

That trust gives me strength.

It also makes me vulnerable to being betrayed, but that’s the tightrope we all have to walk, shifter, human, or anything else.

Every good thing has a dark side. And vice versa.

Thirty minutes later, once Natalie returns and drives me to my new digs, my dark side allows me to take the temperature of my new living situation quickly. The jaded thing inside me studies every curious face and hopeful smile on the way up to my third-floor room—in a building that looks more like a park toilet from the 1960s than the gothic palace reserved for the wolves—and quickly realizes we have nothing to fear here.

These people mean me no harm. They want to welcome me, to assure me that I’m safe here, and to offer me their friendship, if I’m willing to accept it.

And suddenly, I decide that I am.

I not only need allies to survive; I want to expand my circle of trust to include these fragile, anxious people who clearly know what it’s like to be vulnerable. But they aren’t letting that stop them from reaching out and offering their fellow rejects kindness and support, which is an act of bravery bigger than anything most wolves will ever know.

“Here we are,” Natalie says, smiling at me over her shoulder. “Room 315. Since you’re the last new student to check in, you’re in a triple instead of a double, but one of your roommates is a special case and won’t take up much room.”

“A special case?” I ask, just as a girl with dark brown skin and corkscrew curls pops out the open door and says, “She’s an owl!” making Natalie and I both flinch.

“Sorry,” the girl says with a laugh. “I was so excited to meet you that I was lurking by the door.” She thrusts her hand out toward me. “I’m Layla. Incoming freshman. I hail from Georgia originally, but I’ve lived all over, and I spend my furry time enjoying everything the black bear life has to offer. But I’m a big old teddy, so you don’t have to be nervous if you’re a smaller furry. I’m not the bullying kind.”

“I can tell.” A genuine smile curves my lips—I like this girl already—as I take her hand. “Juliet. From Alaska. Phoenix shifter. Also, not a bully.”

Her eyes widen as she releases my fingers. “A phoenix? Wow, that’s so cool. I’ve never met a phoenix before. Can’t wait to see what you can do.”

I huff out a laugh. “You and me, both. I’ve never shifted.” I motion toward my wrist. “Implant. So, I’m going to be jumping into a lot of new things in the next few weeks.”

Her expression sobers, proving she’s no dummy. “That’s a lot for sure. Well, just know you can count on me for whatever. You missed the first dorm meeting last night, but basically, we all decided to help each other in whatever way we can.” She glances between Natalie and me as she adds, “We’re determined to get every Variant in this dorm through the trials and prove we have just as much to offer Lost Moon as the wolves and the cats.”

Natalie beams. “I love that. And I fully support you. I think we’re going to have a really special orientation this year.” She nods toward the room as she asks, “Have the things I had my office send over for Juliet arrived?”

Layla nods. “Yeah! About an hour ago. I went ahead and made your bed and stuff. I hope that’s okay. I just wanted you to be able to relax and settle in right away, since the festivities start tomorrow.”

“That’s great, thank you, I appreciate it,” I say as we move into the small space and Layla motions toward the twin bed on the right side of the room. It’s covered in a luxurious duvet covered in blue flowers with a matching lamp on the table beside it. A blue steamer trunk sits at the foot of the bed and the desk next to it is piled with notebooks, pens, and other school supplies, as well as a supple brown leather backpack.

“There are clothes in your size inside the trunk,” Natalie murmurs, placing a gentle hand on my back. “A gift from me to help make your first few weeks here a little easier.”

I look up at her, my eyes stinging. “Thanks, Natalie. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. Truly.”

She smiles, her eyes shining, too. “I know you do, darling. And I know you’re going to do so well here. I mean that. You have challenges to face, but if anyone can rise to meet them, it’s you. You’re an impressive person.”

“Aw, you guys! You’re going to make me cry,” Layla says, sniffing. “Seriously, the staff here is so nice, Juliet. I’m crossing all my fingers and toes I get in just so I can get my nerd on with sweet teachers for once. All my teachers in high school were mean or boring. Sometimes both.”

I pull in a breath to respond, but a flapping sound from the corner behind the door pulls my focus. It’s a snowy white owl with light gray markings around her bright yellow eyes.

Eyes that are way too intelligent to belong to an owl who’s just an owl…

“I thought you were kidding about the owl,” I murmur.

“I know, shifters usually only have mammal forms,” Layla says, smiling at the owl. “But Diana’s different. Special. But I’ll let her tell you her story in her own time.” She motions toward a black device beneath the owl’s perch that looks like a complicated calculator. “She communicates with her word board but it’s charging right now. We were up late gossiping about all the things.” She gives my arm a meaningful squeeze. “We have so much to catch you up on. We’ve only been here three days, but it’s been eventful, if you know what I mean.” She cuts a quick look Natalie’s way before adding, “But that’s a conversation for later.”

Natalie smiles, clearly taking the hint. “Well, then, I’ll leave you girls to get caught up. If there’s anything else you need from me, Juliet, you can reach me at the admissions office during school hours or the operator can patch you through to my private number. I’ll be sure to let them know that I want you to have access to that. You and Ford.” She turns to Layla. “Ford is her good friend from back home, a wolf shifter. But I’m sure Juliet will tell you all about him. He’s a very sweet young man.”

I accept Natalie’s hug goodbye and promise her I’ll reach out if I need to. I thank her again for all she’s done and join Layla at the door to wave as she walks down the hall.

The moment she disappears into the stairwell, Layla turns to me and says flatly, “So is this wolf actually a ‘sweet young man’ or a flaming asshat of epic proportions? Because, girl, the wolves I’ve met here so far are not what I was promised in the brochure. If you know what I’m saying…”

I sigh. “Yeah, that’s what I heard from another source. We should talk. Share what we know.”

“Hell yeah, we should,” she says. “But let’s do it over snacks in the quad. I don’t know about you, but I don’t intend to cower in my dorm just because the cats and the wolves have claimed the lawn as their territory. I didn’t come all this way and survive what I did to be some kind of second-class citizen.”

A hoot sounds from inside the room and a beat later Diana lands on Layla’s shoulder, her eyes flashing with determination.

I smile. “Good.”

Looks like the Variants are going to be more badass than I anticipated, and I’m here for that. One hundred percent.