JJ King - New Moon

I want to thank Rebecca Hamilton. Meeting you was a turning point in my life, one that has given me unmeasurable joy and appreciation. Your mentorship has made me a better author, a better plotter, and a better person. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

I stared at the academy crest stitched to the blazer that lay perfectly folded on the bed of my private room in Hell and muttered a curse under my breath.

Alpha Wolf Academy. The crme de la crme of shifter universities in North America, the most sought-after spot in half the world, and the last place on earth I wanted to be.

Id had plans to attend a regular university with my lifelong friends, like a regular wolf shifter. But no, my parents had decided to go behind my back and apply for a scholarship to the academy where Pierre LaFlamme himself had sent his children. I could still hear my mothers breathless excitement when shed announced their application had been accepted.

Just imagine. My little girl walking the same halls Katherine LaFlamme walked! Gretchen Jensen had sighed dramatically and beamed, then ran off to call all her friends and spread the good news.

That had been a little over six months ago, when I'd been making plans with my best friends, Sara and Bethany, to go on a road trip across Canada before starting our first-year studies at Kilo Wolf Academy, the eleventh-ranked shifter academy in North America. Wed still gone on our road trip as planned, dancing our way from Newfoundland to Quebec over the course of four weeks. But, instead of travelling back with them to start school, Id unloaded my belongings from the old Honda Civic Bethanys parents had given her and moved into my dorm room a day before classes were to begin.

The blazer had shown up while I was in the shower.

It was unnerving to realize someone else had a key to my dorm room, although, admittedly, there wasnt much in here to steal, should anyone have that goal in mind. In fact, of all the students Id seen while peeking out of my window and glancing cautiously down the hall of my dorm, I was certain my belongings were the last anyone on campus would want. Not when Fendi purses and Gucci kicks were the norm. My peers were the elite, the rich, and the powerful... and I was here on scholarship.

My phone buzzed insistently, reminding me I'd be late for the first assembly of the year if I didnt get ready now. Id built in time for a blow out and full make-up based on my mothers insistence that I provide the best possible first impression. As much as it galled me to fancy up to fit in even remotely, I knew Id feel more confident behind some war paint.

I stuck my phone in the small speakers my dad had bought before I'd left and clicked on my favorite Myles Kennedy song. With the soothing sound of his melodic voice in the background, I set to work.

The assembly started just like any assembly Id ever attended, with the headmistress striding across the stage to stand at the podium. Behind me, hanging from the ceiling like an enormous banner of prestige, was the symbol for Alpha Wolf Academy, the abbreviation flanked by two majestic Celtic wolves. It was striking, I admitted, even if it symbolized everything I despised.

Headmistress Matilda Donahue was an imposing woman. She was tall and fit with wide swimmers shoulders and enough curves to make her beauty equally strong and sensual. I took in the womans knee length black skirt and sapphire blouse, understanding that the pieces, despite looking simple, probably cost more than my entire wardrobe. The shoes I recognized by the bright red soles.

Yup. I shook my head. This isnt my world anymore.

Spite flared hot in my veins, the kind that had seen me through more than one uncomfortable situation over my twenty-two years. I might not be rich, famous, or well established, but I was here now, and anyone who didnt care for that would have to suck it up. That included me, I accepted bitterly. No one here would accept me if I kept feeling and acting like an imposter.

The speech was welcoming and informative, but mostly ignored by the majority of the school population. I listened intently, the same way Id carefully read the pamphlets delivered with my acceptance package once Id come to terms with my educational future. If I was going to be displaced, at least I would know the rules and the terrain. Id spent the previous day roaming campus and finding the rooms where Id attend classes. Id even swung by my professors offices to see if they had copies of the syllabi on hand.

It wasnt that I was anal about these things; it was just that I was at enough of a disadvantage as it was. Id be damned if Id willingly contribute to an even greater imbalance of power.

After we were dismissed, I stayed in my seat, fidgeting with the friendship necklace Sara and Bethany had given me on our last day together. I didnt expect to fit in with the popular crowd, but I wanted to know who they were so I could stay far away. Experience had told me that cliques were the enemy and that mean girls were the real powerhouses behind society.

A small group of girls made their way toward the exit now, perfectly coiffed with long, expertly highlighted hair and expensive makeup. They wore the same uniform I did, with the same emblem, but theirs looked tailor made to fit their endless curves and long lines.

I pushed to my feet regrettably and tugged at the hem of my slightly too-short skirt. My 510 frame was too long for the regular length, and I hadnt thought to ask for a longer hem.

A young man with nervous eyes and an unfortunate cowlick that made his hair stand almost straight up over his forehead stumbled as he stepped from his row, losing his tenuous grip on the pile of books in his arms. He went crashing to the floor at the collective feet of the hot girl posse. The look on his face when he glanced up and saw them glaring down at him through narrowed eyes made my soft spot for the underdog jump into action. I dropped my backpack and rushed to help him.

Dont worry about it. It could have happened to anyone, I murmured soothingly, picking up a calculator and a calculus book while he stammered out apologies and rushed to scoop his belongings out of the girls way.

Seriously? One of the girls sighed dramatically. She tapped her heel impatiently, apparently annoyed by the few seconds it had cost them to wait for their way to be cleared, rather than step around the mess and continue on their way. Couldnt you go be a moron somewhere else, Benny? The vitriol practically dripped off her forked tongue.

I guess Id found the mean girl clique.

I couldnt help myself. I tried, I really did, but I couldnt stop the automatic glare that sprang to my face as I glanced at the complainer.

She was glossy. That was the word that sprang to mind as my gaze brushed quickly over the shiny blonde hair, bright white teeth accentuated by soft coral gloss, and lightly tanned skin. She wore diamonds at her ears and in the curve of her nose, a simple body mod I would have normally appreciated if it hadnt been for the look of contempt on her gorgeous face as she stared down.

The blonde caught my look, and her eyes went wide with surprise, as if shed never been subjected to disapproval in her life, which couldnt be true given her current behavior. Her eyes narrowed, locking in on me, like a government face recognition program, trying to suss out my social standing in this foreign jungle. She opened her mouth to say something but snapped it shut when another girl said dryly, Seraphina. Well be late if we dont leave now.

There was nothing bitchy in her words, nothing horrible or snotty, but I felt the dismissal like a shove to the floor. My gaze left the blondes face and came to rest on this new girl.