Chapter 224

 “I eat nasty like popcorn,” I said, then shook my head. “Let’s not talk about her anymore. I have bigger things to worry about like the Moon Ceremony.”

No point fretting about what BJ might do. Might as well focus on what I could control and then try to enjoy my time with my friends. With how things had gone so far, I might not have many good moments.

“The Moon Ceremony is like a hunting party,” Danielle said. “It’s a big shifters’ tradition that happens once a year. Every student shifts, then hunts in Humboldt Forest. Sometimes, the hosting royals, like Prince Jared and Prince Shade, will join us.”

I looked up at them beneath my eyelashes. “So... uh, you all know how to shift?”

“Of course.” Summer grinned. “Since we were children.”

Son of a bitch. I rubbed my sweaty palms along my jeans. “I, um... I’ve never shifted before. I don’t know how.”

The girls’ eyes widened.

“Where have you been all these years, Pip?” Paris said in a teasing and sympathetic tone.

Still, my chest tightened. “Here and there,” I said.

“Pip was a lone wolf when Prince Shade found her,” Danielle said. “I bet no one taught her how to shift, unlike us. But that’s going to change.”

While I’d been in jail, the princess must have learned a lot about me. I wondered if Shade was her source. Anyway, she was also a princess, so playing political games was part of her job.

“You’re no longer a lone wolf, Pip,” the princess continued. “We’ll teach you, and you’ll shift perfectly before the ceremony starts.” Her expression darkened. “But you need to learn discipline and control your rage. You’re loyal to a fault when it comes to your friends, but if you put yourself in danger again, we’ll lose you for good.” Her lips thinned with worry. “It can’t happen again.”

“Fine, I’ll be careful,” I promised, then reached for a slice of red velvet cake.

 FOR THE NEXT couple of days, the girls spent every waking hour drilling me and teaching me to shift, but no wolf showed herself. We couldn’t even get a simple whimper from the beast.

“Maybe I’m not a shifter?” I asked in dismay as three wolves growled at me to get me to follow suit.

Danielle had shifted into a beautiful white wolf, while Summer and Paris had fluffy fur in different shades of gray. All three had tried using their wolves to convince mine to pull her head out of my ass, but she ghosted all of us.

I simply didn’t feel the animal inside of me, even though I couldn’t deny I’d seen my hand turn into a wolf’s claw when I’d fought one of my hunters weeks ago. Maybe that had been some kind of magic?

After uselessly growling some more at me, the girls shifted back into their human forms and got dressed.

“Our wolves sense that you’re a shifter,” Danielle said, her brows drawn together in confusion. “And the Alpha Heir brought you here because he sensed it too. He’s one of the most powerful shifters and wouldn’t have made a mistake.”