Shadow Mate - Jen L. Grey Page 0,22

the thickening woods, my eyes took in all the squirrels and wildlife. The amount of wildlife here proved how protected they kept this area. Back home, there were some rabbits, squirrels, and snakes, but not like here.

We had to run for over twenty minutes before Kai turned us around and had us heading back in the direction we came. The three girls took off running faster than the rest of us, but I wasn't in any hurry to get back. This was the first time I'd felt at peace since coming here.

Both Kai and Tripp stayed back with me, and the three of us ran in comforting silence. As we approached the buildings, I hurried back to my spot inside the tree line to change back into my clothes. As I trotted over to the area, a faint smell of strawberry bubble gum filled my nose, followed closely by the rancid stink of a skunk.

I hadn't smelled that when I was here the first time. I hurried and shifted back to my human form and reached to grab for my clothes, but they were soaking wet. Oh shit.

Bringing my tank top to my nose, I almost vomited. Somehow a skunk had sprayed all over my clothes.

It had to have been those three, and it explained why they'd run off in such a hurry to get back here before me. I'd been so stupid. I couldn’t shift back into my wolf and hope to find a way into the dorm. It wasn’t like I could scan my badge to get in... my heart sunk even more.

"Hey, Mia. You okay?" Kai's concerned voice burst through my concentration.

"I've got a problem." The longer I tried not to tell him, the worse it would be.

"What's going on?" His footsteps headed in my direction. “Damn, what’s that smell?”

Here it was. They wanted me humiliated and it was perfect timing. "My clothes. That smell is my clothes." I had to rip it off like a bandage.

"That's why those three were running back here so fast." Tripp's voice sounded angrier than I'd ever expected.

"If you leave your keys on the ground, you can shift back and..." Kai's voice trailed off. "Shit, those are still in your pockets, right?"

I hadn’t even considered that. I held my breath and grabbed my shorts with one hand, turning them so the keys and badge fell out onto the ground. "Yup, they’re here." At least I had that going for me.

"One second, you can wear my shirt," Tripp said.

“No, don’t.” I refused to embarrass myself further than needed. At least as a wolf, people might have thought I shredded my clothes to shift.

“Are you sure?” Tripp’s voice was full of surprise. “I mean, if you put those clothes on, you’re going to stink.”

Kai growled. “I knew those three were no good.”

“Okay, it’s 1202 on the twelfth floor.” At this point, I had nothing else to lose.

"Hey, what's that at the edge of the bush?" Tripp’s voice was getting closer.

“Stay back.” I didn’t want him to see me naked. My eyes landed on a white piece of paper that was folded in half and was being held down by a branch. "It's a note."

As I unfolded it, I read words I hadn't expected.

Do I have your attention now? - Liam

That asshole had set me up. He found three new freshmen so desperate to be at the top that they agreed to humiliate me. If he thought this was going to change things, he’d be learning differently. No matter what though, I had to act like it didn’t faze me. Let the games begin.

Chapter Seven

"What does it say?" A few branches broke as Kai took a step toward me but he stopped short.

"It's from Liam." If I had thought I might not feel complete hate for him earlier, I was now corrected. He was an asshole and a scumbag. I never understood why someone would be called a douche until this very moment. "He just wanted to let me know that he was behind it."

"Who the fuck is Liam?" Tripp's voice was laced with anger.

"Only the northern heir to The Blood Council." Kai almost sounded defeated. "Which means there’s nothing we can do."

"I'd heard those guys were assholes, but this is low."

"I'm shifting. I'll be out in a second." The longer I stood out here, the funnier I was sure this was for them. After shifting, I bent my head down to pick up my shoes, but obviously they hadn't forgotten about them. They