Big Bad Academy

I’m silent, and Lily stares at me for a second.

“What am I missing?” She asks.

“Flynn thinks I’m his destined mate,” Heather offers helpfully. “We both have mating dreams about each other, but he’s conflicted because I’m not a shifter like ya’ll.”

“Heather!”

“What?” She shrugs. “You were really going to make her guess?” Heather shakes her head. “Come on, Flynn. Secrets are useless here.”

“They’re definitely not useless.”

“Well, it sounds like they don’t have a place here.” Heather turns back to Lily. “Flynn told me some people are missing. He thought I was involved, but now he just thinks I might have some insight. Apparently, my books reveal a lot of information about the pack.”

“There are some similarities,” Lily comments, looking over at me.

“Similarities?” I growl.

“Just a few,” Lily shrugged. “But I mean, those are just coincidences.” She seems to think about it for a second, and then she says, “You know, like the layout of the school. It’s pretty similar to ours.”

Perfect.

Just perfect.

If Lily knows this, then it’s possible that other people know this. Has someone been using Heather’s books to track down members from our pack? Are her books related to the disappearances? Perhaps more importantly, do her books hold any clues as to how we can find our missing pack members?

We’ve lost three people: one each month for the last three months. There’s another full moon next week. There has been a full moon each time someone’s disappeared, which means we don’t have a lot of time. There doesn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason as to who is being stolen away. Not having much of a lead to go on is probably the hardest thing right now.

While I’m completely relieved that Heather isn’t responsible for the shifters vanishing, part of me feels anxious about it. Her being the villain would have been very neat and tidy.

Now?

Well, now we’re starting from scratch once more.

When I look at Heather, I see a brave woman who seems strong and kind. Her cats are moving around her legs, rubbing against her ankles. Even they trust her to take care of them in every way. I know she’ll never truly be my mate, not if she gets her way, but in moments like this, I really, really want her to be.

Thinking like that isn’t good for anyone, though.

Least of all me.

“Lily, it’s time for you to leave,” I tell the wolf shifter.

“But we haven’t even gotten to hang out yet, and I want her to sign my books. Besides, Flynn, how often does a girl like me have a chance to hang out with her favorite author in the world?”

“I’m sure there will be plenty of chances.”

“Flynn!”

Without another word, I move in front of Lily and start moving closer to her. She automatically backs up one step at a time until she’s in the hallway, and then I close the door and turn back to Heather.

“Not a fan of Lily, huh?”

“It’s not that.”

“Then why’d you boot her out of here?”

There’s no judgment in Heather’s vo

ice: only curiosity. That sort of attitude only makes me like her more, which is terrible because I don’t think I should like her. I want to so very badly. I want her to be my mate. My inner-wolf is clawing at me from the insane, begging for me to let him loose, but I can’t. I have to hold back around Heather because she’s the only person who can help us solve this thing.