Werewolf Academy Year Three - Jayme Morse Page 0,9

to just be home with the Darken.

After the three months I had spent being held as prisoner in Milos’s dungeon, the withdrawals that I felt from being away from my mates were more intense than ever before. Even though I had gotten to see each of them throughout the school day, I missed the others when I was with only one of them.

I just wanted one-on-one time with them… all at once.

And knowing that I felt that way—knowing that I needed them so bad—made me feel weak. In fact, I felt weak a lot of the time. Here I was, the Princess of the Werewolves, the first natural-born werewolf to ever exist. The first girl Alpha of an all-male pack who had ever existed. I was supposed to be this strong, completely badass werewolf.

But the reality was that I wasn’t. As strong as I supposedly was, I still hadn’t even been able to rescue myself from Milos’s dungeon. I hadn’t been able to escape… not on my own, anyway. Not without the guy who had rescued me. If it weren’t for him, I probably would have still been locked in that dungeon, still trying to figure out a way to get out.

Even though I hated him with every ounce of my being, the truth was that I loved him, too. Because when it came down to it, I owed him everything.

He had saved me once before, and now he had saved me again.

The only difference this time around?

He was one of the five werewolves who owned a piece of my heart.

“Okay, we need a game plan,” Aiden said as my mates and I sat around the living room later that night.

“None of us are comfortable with you being so close to Iris,” Colton commented, running a hand through his longish blonde hair.

“Fortunately, one of us is with either with you or not too far away from you for most of the day,” Rhys said. “But it just isn’t enough.”

“If something happens, I’ll obviously let you guys know through mind-speak,” I told them.

“No, that’s not enough. We need more of a system in place. We don’t want you going anywhere alone. Ever,” Theo told me.

“Fair enough,” I replied with a shrug. It wouldn’t have been the first time one of my mates had followed me around to protect me. Considering I was afraid of Iris and Milos, and I had no idea what their next move would be, I wasn’t about to protest.

The truth was that having one of my mates with me all the time was actually pretty comforting. Not that I would have told any of them that. I didn’t want them to know how weak I was. Not after all of the time they had spent training my weakness out of me last year.

“We don’t even want you hanging out with Maddie by yourself,” Theo informed me.

“There’s a party this weekend,” I informed them.

“No,” Theo said firmly.

I shot him a look. “I already promised Maddie I would go. Branden’s throwing his annual back-to-school party. It wouldn’t be the same if I don’t go.”

“The risk of you running into Iris is just too big. Since the party’s not during school hours, there are technically no rules in place,” Theo replied.

“Technically, there are rules in place. We’re not allowed to harm anyone or use dark magic on campus,” I insisted. “Besides, I can’t live my life in a bubble just because Iris decided to show her face on campus this year.”

It still blew my mind that she had the audacity to come here even after she tried to kill me.

The worst part about it was that she probably would have killed me.

If it weren’t for him.

I had survived her once. I wasn’t about to nearly die because of her again. Even if that meant not going to the party.

“Fine,” I said with a sigh. “I’ll tell Maddie I can’t go and break our tradition of going together.”

“Actually, I have an idea,” Colton said then. “What if one of us just goes with you?”

“Yeah, that seems like our safest bet,” Rhys agreed.

“Better yet, why don’t you just bring all of us?” Aiden asked.

“Okay, let’s be real. I can’t bring even one of my professors to a party for students, let alone all of you.”

It was like they had forgotten all of the lectures Headmaster Black had given me in the past about not broadcasting the relationships I had with them on campus. Not that I really cared to follow Headmaster Black’s