“But Cole?” Madison's forehead wrinkled, and she was at a loss for words.
“We’ve come to an understanding.” Jordan dropped her arm and pointed to Jess. “All of us.”
“Uh … Okay.” If her head could spin, it would be right now. “Why?”
Rage smirked as he watched the entire show.
“It doesn’t matter.” Jordan took a step toward her and jabbed her finger in Madison’s direction. “Got it.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She lifted both hands in front of her face and stumbled back.
“Is there a problem here?” Professor Shaw arched an eyebrow and joined our semi-circle.
“No, not at all.” Rage reached for my hand and tugged me toward the door. “We were just leaving.”
“Yes, we were.” Jess walked around us and headed to the door.
“Okay, good.” Professor Shaw crossed his arms, focusing on Rage and me. “I’d hate for two of my most promising students to cause trouble.”
That sounded like a threat, and I wasn’t sure why.
“I’m not sure which two you’re talking about, but Raven and I stick together no matter what.” Rage wrapped his arm around my waist and straightened. “We just want to stay under the radar and do our own thing.”
“That’s good.” His attention then landed on Jordan. “I think you are done here, right?”
“Of course.” Her usual facade returned, and her blood-red lips turned upward. “Come on Madison, let’s go get our snack.”
Not wanting to waste another second here, I tugged on Rage’s hand, leading him out the door.
“What the hell was that about?” Jess whisper screamed at us as soon as we stepped into the hallway.
“I’m not quite sure.” There were so many things going on.
“Right, it’s like we were in an alternate universe.” Jess glanced back toward the classroom.
“Let’s head back to your dorm.” Rage pushed through a group of students who were standing in the middle of the hallway.
“Hey, what the hell?” Nate hollered even though we didn’t break our pace.
Not even bothering to answer him, I kept my focus on where we were heading.
A hand grabbed my arm and yanked me back. “Do you think you’re too good to answer?”
“Do not touch her.” Rage’s voice thundered.
“Bite me.” Nate focused on him.
I reared back and punched Nate square in the jaw again. His head snapped back, and he staggered back a few steps.
“Hell yeah.” Jess cheered behind me.
Nate shook his head, and he snarled at me. “Bitch.”
“Coming from you, that’s a compliment.” I never disliked someone as much as him—not even Greg.
“I’m about to take you down a notch or two.” He shifted his jaw left and right, working out the punch.
“Like Hell you will.” Rage tossed my bag over to Jess, who caught it, and he stood right next to me.
We both stared down the asshole, and I growled. “Come on.”
“That’s enough.” Isadora stepped from the adjoining hallway and shook her head. She glared at Nate. “Not even a month into the Academy and already causing trouble.”
“No, I …” His mouth opened and closed like a fish in water.
“It’s best if you head back to your dormitory.” She adjusted her black suit jacket over her black slacks. “I have no time for this nonsense. Mr. Jackson and Ms. Wright, please follow me to my office.”
Every time I’d run into her, she had a sour face. “Of course. Jess, I’ll see you back in our room.”
“Yeah, okay.” Jess pulled at her ash blonde hair. “I can stick around and wait.”
“No, that won’t be necessary.” Isadora waved her hand, dismissing her, and marched toward her office.
“It’ll be fine.” I forced a grin and winked. “I’ll be there soon.”
“Come on, she’s going to get angrier if we don’t rush.” Rage took my hand, and we followed behind Isadora. When we made it to her office, she sat at her desk and pointed at the chairs. “Please, sit down.” Even though her words were polite, it was clear that we didn’t have much of a choice.
She ran her fingers through her short, black bob and sighed. “Ms. Wright, ever since you’ve joined this Academy, trouble seems to follow you.”
“It wasn’t her fault.” Rage stiffened and leaned over her desk. “He grabbed her.”
“Mr. Jackson, sit your ass down … now.” She slammed her hand on the desk, and the noise hurt my ears.
Rage didn’t move, his eyes beginning to glow. His wolf was bleeding through.
I grabbed his arm and tugged him backward. “Hey, it’s fine.” There was no telling what he was going to do if he didn’t calm down. He had to be upset over Nate grabbing me. “Come on.”
He took in a deep breath, trying to rein in his control. He stood back and slowly sat in his seat.
Not wanting to piss her off even more, I plopped in the chair as well.
“As I was saying, Ms. Wright, strange things always seem to happen around you.” Isadora held her hands in front of her with the fingers on both hands touching each other. “You haven’t purposely caused any harm, but between Ashley and Nate, you seem to be a magnet for trouble.”
I could see her point. “As you know, Ashley was in self-defense, and so was Nate. As Rage was trying to tell you, he grabbed my arm and yanked me back.”
“And each time, you claim it was in self-defense.” She dropped her hands and leaned back in her seat. “I’m just saying I’ve noticed a pattern.”
“Both times I witnessed it and vouch for her.” Rage’s jaw ticked, openly glaring at Isadora.
“It’s come to my attention that your relationship with Ms. Wright could compromise your judgment.” She laid her hands on the desk and tapped her fingers on the wood. “So maybe I need to be more cautious moving forward.”
Rage frowned but nodded. “Yes, she is my true mate, but I wouldn’t lie about the self-defense. Damien can vouch on the incident with Ashley, and there were numerous witnesses around for today.”
“Yes, I’m quite aware.” She leaned over her desk and focused on Rage. “You’ve been loyal to the Academy, and I hope that continues.” Her green eyes landed on me. “And as far as you, just know I’ll be watching. I see more things than what people realize.”
It probably wasn’t a good sign when the headmaster of Bloodshed threatened you each time you met. “I understand.” At this point, I just wanted to get out of here and run away as far as possible, but I had a feeling that wouldn’t do any good.
“Good, you both are dismissed.” She turned to her left and began tapping the keys on her computer keyboard.
Rage stood and grabbed my hand. “Come on. Let’s go.”
Not needing further encouragement, I jumped to my feet and followed right after him.
I wasn’t sure what had just happened, but the one thing I did know was that the headmaster wasn’t a fan of mine. I couldn’t imagine that the rest of my time here would be pleasant.