Chapter 8: Three Months Later

Three months later, I was still there.

“Okay, Kayleigh… It’s the last full moon of summer, Harvest Moon, and I convinced Cole to let us party in the penthouse. First of all, you’re coming, and second, you need to get out of this apartment and shop for an appropriate party dress.”

Tessa looked at me with her chocolate brown eyes so much like Cole’s it was hard to say no.

I’d thought more than once about leaving the penthouse and finding my ‘uncle’. I knew he wasn’t far away, but Tessa had made it her mission to be my friend, and I’d enjoyed every minute of it since Cole and his roommates always seemed to be gone.

The money I left home with was getting low and even if I didn’t go find this ‘uncle’, I’d either have to show up to the Alpha Academy for school to claim the scholarship that came with housing and food or I’d have to find a job and place of my own to live.

Neither Tessa nor Cole wanted to listen to me say this. But I knew that I couldn’t just stay in this apartment indefinitely. I needed to start a life of my own.

I’d gone on short day trips with Tessa for lunch and spa days. Thoughts of being caught by that crazy Luna began to relax and I completely let my guard down.

She took me somewhere new to shop for the Harvest Moon party. I tried not to seem out of place as Tessa walked me into a mall that seemed like a crystal city.

“Humans come to this mall too, but it’s completely run by shifters.”

“Do humans know this?”

“Of course not.” She laughed. “The shifters in Alexandria have agreed to keep their existence unknown. But we don’t mind taking their money.”

I nodded my head but still thought it was a lot like playing with fire.

As we walked through the mall, I couldn’t help but notice the number of eyes that were turned in our direction. I mentioned it to Tessa.

“Oh, don't worry about it. A lot of kids from the Alpha and Luna Academies hang out here and they know I’m Alpha Cole’s sister, so they probably realize you’re the mysterious rogue living with him.”

I felt my brows furrow. She had said a lot in that one sentence but only one thing stuck in my head.

“The Alpha and Luna Academies?”

“Yeah, it’s two schools but they share the same campus. Cole is the head Alpha on campus apparently… So everyone is always in his business. I’m headed to the Luna Academy and so I have to be careful what fake people may want to be my friends… What’s wrong?”

I was thinking about the scholarship I had to the Alpha Academy.

“There is a lot I haven’t told you…” I said at length.

“No, really?” she said it sarcastically, but then became serious as she noticed I was serious. “Cole told me a few things, but made me promise not to pry. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

“We should take a seat,” I suggested.

We found a bench and I relayed everything, even how I met Cole and he saved me from the crazy Luna.

When my story came to an end, she looked at me with large sympathetic doe eyes and gave me a hug. I felt my body relax into it, feeling the relief of unburdening myself. Even though we were the same age, Tessa had a motherly quality about her that reminded me of Ms. Julie.

Like her brother she was a sweet person and a great friend.

“Okay, so now I will tell you something about me. I feel premonitions. They aren’t very strong because I don’t have my wolf yet. However, as soon as I met you, I knew that you were meant to be with my brother… What?”

Again, she was looking at the expression on my face as it shifted to disbelief.

“So, I know that you may not believe me, but the Moon Goddess made sure Cole was there to save you.”

I blinked at her several times. I wasn’t sure what to say. I wasn’t a big believer myself.

“Okay, but see, you were in trouble and then you were saved by the head Alpha at Alpha Academy where you will be going to school, which is on the same campus as Luna Academy where I will be going!”

She clapped her hands together as if she were just given the best news in the world.

“I am glad to know that I will have at least one real friend at school now,” I admitted.

She hugged me again and I hugged her back. But when we got back up to finish shopping, I couldn’t avoid the looks we were getting now that I knew what they knew about me.

Tessa insisted on getting our nails done and I agreed. I liked the long tips and silver nail polish.

We were headed to one of her favorite shops when I heard a familiar voice.

“Hey, roomie!”

My attention was drawn to the store front of a rock climbing gym. Cole’s pretty boy blond roommate, Blake Greyson, waved us over.

“Blake,” Tessa cooed at him. “I didn’t know you were coming over here.”

She gave him a cheerful hug and he patted her head.

“My last week of summer teaching rock climbing to humans.”

Tessa giggled.

“You ladies want to give it a try?” he offered.

“No, thanks, we are dress shopping for the party,” Tessa explained.

“Oh, right, and you probably couldn’t do it anyway.” He directed his challenging gaze towards me.

Tessa and I exchanged looks and, ten minutes later, were halfway up the rock climbing wall. Tessa was a little behind, but Blake and I were neck and neck. My muscles were stressed and my breathing was strained but the adrenaline flow was amazing. I had not felt that energized since my last track race.

Blake seemed annoyed and impressed as I kept up with him.

The closer we got to the top, I felt my second wind pick up and I began to bypass him.

I caught the look in his face and couldn’t help laughing. He seemed to be impressed and embarrassed at the same time. I made it to the top and took a seat on the ledge until he caught up to me and then we both waited for Tessa.

“Kayleigh, you are a total bad*ss. Just wait until they get a load of you at the Alpha Academy.”

I gave her a look and she covered her mouth the next moment.

“What?” Blake looked between the two of us. “Is it true you are going to the Alpha Academy? But how?”

I shrugged and then smiled. “I got a rogue scholarship.”

“Whoa…” A strange smile spread across his face. “Wait until Cole finds out.”

Tessa and I left Blake to finish shopping for party dresses. I couldn’t get Blake’s comment out of my mind.

“What will happen if Cole finds out that I have a scholarship to the Alpha Academy?” I asked Tessa.

“Well, he may or may not like it if the girl he likes is going to a school flooded with other hot Alphas,” she said and laughed. “He doesn’t even like sharing you with me.”

“He would be jealous?” The idea was a little strange.

Even though he had saved me earlier in the summer, he’d treated me more or less like a little sister ever since we arrived at the penthouse. That was whenever he and the other guys were around.

“And then some,” Tessa assured me. “But, don’t let that stop you. Please! The education is the best a shifter can get and I will be there too. On the Luna side of course. But we could still be roommates on campus.”

“I do think it will be a good idea to go. I worked really hard for that scholarship. And Ms. Julie… She would want me to go.”

“Exactly!”

I hadn’t told her about my ‘uncle’, but I had decided to finally give him a call before school started just so they would know that I was okay.

Tessa stayed in my room until sunset and we got ready for the party together. I wore a silver dress to match my nails that stopped mid thigh and pinned my hair up in a crown of cascading curls. My makeup was light with peach tones and Tessa insisted that I wear her diamond earrings and choker.

She was in a floor length red dress with a slit on both sides running all the way up her thigh. Her hair was down and over her shoulders in beautiful waves. Rubies dangled from her ears, a matching pendant hung around her neck.

Before we opened the door to the party, Tessa gave me an approving glance and said, “I should tell you that Harvest Moon parties have a way of turning into orgies.”