AWAKE

  Wolfe Asylum Book 2

  Copyright 2022 ©

  Abigail Grant

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents, either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  DESCRIPTION

  I went from a troubled teen, to a sitting duck in a pond full of creatures that are after my blood.

  Last night, something from a nightmare tried to end me, until Alden showed his true face and saved my life. I should fear the beast inside of the man, but my heart won’t let me.

  I thought I was tough, a strong young woman with a hell of a temper. Little did I know that my world holds things more terrifying than I could have imagined.

  And I might be one of them.

  It’s time for me to chase some answers from the people I thought I could trust.

  And if it comes to dying a coward, or becoming the monster myself… I think it’s time for this girl to show her teeth.

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  CONTENTS

  FREE GIFT

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CHAPTER 1

  I’m wrapped in the most delicious scent as sleep fades away and my mind brings me back to consciousness. “Mmmm.” I can’t hold back the yummy noises as I snuggle deeper into the warmth of my bed that smells like spearmint and pine trees. So warm.

  I don’t want to open my eyes just yet. It’s Saturday, so sleeping in is very much on the table after my first week at Wolfe Asylum. It’s a strange name for this boarding school at the edge of the Tahoe National Forest, but I’ve come to feel at home here already. At least, much more at home than I felt in juvie.

  Something shifts beneath me, and my mind jumps into gear. Beds don’t move. I let my eyes slowly open to take in a dimly lit hallway. It’s the hall on the third floor of the school that houses the girl’s dorms. What the hell?

  I turn my head, feeling that warmth against my cheek, and I freeze when I realize that the warmth is a bare chest. A very muscular, delicious-smelling bare chest. I’m wrapped in large arms, being held like a cradled child on someone’s lap. I hesitate to raise my head, somehow knowing exactly what I’ll find when I look up.

  “You’re awake.” Alden’s rich voice is barely a whisper, rough and low.

  I force my gaze upward and lock onto those deep blue eyes. Alden is looking down at me with so much concern on his handsome face. This close to him, I can see the lines of detail in his irises and the fast-growing stubble on his square jaw. He licks his lips like I’ve seen him do so many times. A nervous habit. As if someone as gorgeous and built as him could ever be nervous.

  “Uh…” I struggle finding the words. What does a person even say when they randomly wake up in a sexy guy’s arms in what looks to be the middle of the night? “What’s going on?”

  He shifts his arms, hoisting me higher on his lap so that our faces are on the same level. His eyes slightly darken, turning into a dark, stormy blue as he scans my face for some sort of answer. “Do you remember what happened before you…fell asleep?”

  I think back to going to bed last night. It was like any night, nothing out of the ordinary. “I said goodnight to Fay and read a little on my kindle before falling asleep.” Fear fills my body for some reason, but I push that down. “That’s it.”

  Alden sighs, his warm breath blowing a few strands of hair from my face. “Oh, I uh…” Something like guilt crosses his face. “I found you sleep-walking downstairs. You were afraid, like you had a nightmare, and then you passed out. I thought I’d sit here until you came to, so I didn't wake up Fay.”

  I can feel my face screw up in a twist of confusion. I’ve never wandered around in my sleep before, ever. Alden raises one of his hands and touches the side of my face, stopping my breath. His thumb is slow and soft as he strokes my cheek. His eyes fall to my lips, and I can feel the fast beat of his heart beside my shoulder, keeping pace with my own.

  “Just push me away,” he says, pain layering his voice.

  My breathing comes out ragged as I’m pulled tighter against Alden’s chest, and then an image flashes through my mind. It’s Alden, with sharp fangs and black eyes, leaning toward me under the stars. He’s telling me he won’t hurt me as the lifeless body of a horned creature lies behind him. A creature he killed.

  I gasp, scrambling out of Alden’s arms and landing hard on the polished wood floor. He drops to his knees beside me, his eyes wide with worry as I scramble away from him. I remember everything. I did fall asleep in my bed last night, but I woke up to the sound of howling.

  I went outside of the school to stargaze and ended up nearly attacked by one of the students after he transformed into some horned beast with dark eyes and long claws. A wolf saved me. It attacked the creature and killed it before suddenly turning into Alden. He’s an actual friggin’ werewolf!

  Alden reaches for me. “Hey, Ivy. It’s okay.” His hands grab mine and he pulls me to my feet. “It was just a nightmare. I’ve got you.”

  He tries to pull me back into his arms, but I step away from him. He’s dressed exactly as he was in my so-called “dream”. Shirtless, wearing black basketball shorts. It wasn’t a nightmare at all.

  “Ivy?” Alden’s voice is soft, but he doesn’t try to grab me again.

  I watch him, the gentleness in his eyes and the strength of his body. How can he be a monster? Why did he carry me up here instead of killing me when he had the chance? Is it all a game?

  I straighten my shoulders and run fingers through my messy hair. “You’re right. I must’ve had a really bad nightmare.” I try to smile reassuringly, but I know it falls short. I can’t tell him that I know what he is. Not until I’m sure of what I’m dealing with.

  Alden nods, a slow, relieved breath leaving him. “I’m sorry about your dream, Ivy.” His words sound sincere. “But you’re safe now. I won’t ever hurt you. I promise you that.”

  I wrap my arms around myself, needing comfort, and I turn toward my bedroom. “I uh…I should get back to bed.” I meet his gaze again, and his body twitches like he wants to move closer. “Thanks for bringing me up here.”

  He nods again. “Of course. I’ll always be here for you.”

  My heart aches from his words, and even more from the truth in them and the unwavering of his strong voice. Maybe Alden really won’t hurt me like he says, but he has proven that he’ll lie for his benefit. Things aren’t what they seem at Wolfe Asylum.

  CHAPTER 2

  Who needs sleep after getting attacked by a mythical creature and saved by another? Not me. I have been up all night since leaving Alden in the hallway. Fay was still fast asleep when I came into the room, and I’ve had way too much time on my hands to do an immense amount of research on the laptop that Miss Wolfe, Stella provided to me.

  I have found more information on horned creatures than I thought possible. Some are demons, others are just folk stories passed down from grumpy elders. I have no way of knowing what that guy really was, without asking Alden, the werewolf or wolf shifter, according to the internet.

  Just the thought of walking among demon and animal shifter students has me ready to run and hide somewhere, but I don’t exactly have anywhere else to go. Fay turns over in her bed with a loud groan, very much not a morning person.

  Her purple and black ombre hair is sticking up in all directions, and she has a red mark on the side of her face that she slept on all night. I smile at the image of my quirky roommate, but my smile falls as I imagine her being some creature too.

  Two beasts in a school doesn’t mean the whole student body are mythical creatures, unless young adult fantasy books are to be believed. Still, even Fay has seemed eccentric since I arrived here a week ago, and I can’t help but wonder if she has been keeping something from me.

  My phone dings loudly and Fay groans again. “Ugh, stupid phones. Kill them all!” I raise my cell to see a new text from my older sister.

  LOR: “I miss you already, little bear! I def don’t miss your dirty clothes strewn all over the house, but I’m sure I will soon. How r u? Picked any fights yet?”

  ME: “No fights yet, but u know me. Any day now.”

  ME: “And I miss u too…mostly.”

  I smile as I lay my phone down on the bed. My big sister has always been my rock. She has raised me from the day my parents died when I was only fourteen and she was nineteen. We were just two teens with no idea how to survive without Mom and Dad. Now, she is building her career as a nurse back in Colorado, too far away.

  “Shoot, are you crying?” Fay is sitting up in her bed, watching me with worry on her dainty face.

  I wipe away the single tear on my cheek and shake my head. “No, sorry. I’m fine.”

  Fay stands up and runs to her dresser, opening up the top drawer to pull out a candy bar. “Here.” She tosses th

e chocolate to me and plops back onto her bed. “It’s said that chocolate cures breakups, periods, and any old blues. I’m sure you’re missing home, so eat the candy and cheer up.”

  I smile back at her and she gives me a big grin. No way is this girl some hideous monster. I open the chocolate bar and take a big bite of the delicious milky flavor. “Mmm, best breakfast ever.”

  Fay giggles and stands up to bow dramatically. “Anytime, my friend.” She moves to the bathroom and I let my smile fall.

  I look around at her side of the room for any sign of weirdness, officially paranoid. She’s into art and incredibly girly, while also somehow pulling off that goth look. Fay did act pretty weird last week when I woke to the color red painted all over our bedroom door.

  “Ugh.” I shiver, remembering what the kid with the horns said to me last night.

  “Even the blood on your door and the earthquake couldn’t bring her to the surface.”

  It was real blood, just like I thought, but Fay was certain it was paint. And I still don’t know who this woman is that the boy was trying to bring out. Maybe he was targeting Fay.

  I groan and throw my head back. Fay comes out of the bathroom and stops beside my bed. “What’s up, Ivy? I know we’re new friends, but I’m here for you.”

  I look up at her concerned violet eyes. “I had a long night. I think I need some more sleep.” Fay nods with a soft smile before heading back to her bed. “Fay,” I say, wanting so badly to ask her if she’s some beast.

  She whips her head around. “Yeah?”

  I hesitate. Just ask her! “Do you believe in fairytale creatures? Like… fairies, or goblins or… werewolves?”

  She tilts her head to the side, her sparkling eyes studying me for a second, and then she scoffs. “Nah. Maybe when I was younger, but not anymore.” Her eyes stay on me for a long moment before she turns away.

  I’ve spent two days in bed, being too afraid to leave my room. Thankfully, Fay has a life and left me alone to sit and freak out in peace for most of the weekend.

  I don’t know what it is, but I didn’t believe her when she told me she doesn’t believe in the supernatural. Call it intuition or whatever.

  I got a text yesterday from an unknown number, and it turned out to be Alden. I was both excited and upset by it, so I chose not to reply. It didn’t stop me from staring at the screen until I fell asleep though.

  UNKNOWN: “Just thinking about you. I hope you’re feeling better. -A”

  It’s Monday and I can’t avoid my classes if I want to graduate. I have calculus this morning, the hardest of all of my classes. At least I will have something to focus on.

  I quietly toss my backpack on and step out into the hall, trying not to wake up Fay. It’s a free period for her this morning and she practically commanded me not to wake her. If she is a creature of some sort, it’s certainly one that needs their rest.

  “Hey, Ivy,” a deep voice calls for me from down the long hallway.

  I jump, my heart racing with panic as I turn toward the voice. I’m clearly not handling things well. My body relaxes when I see the gorgeous guy jogging toward me with a big grin.

  “Oh, hi Gabe.” I smile up at his golden-brown eyes. “What are you doing up here?”

  His thick pecs strain against his blue polo shirt that’s unbuttoned at the top. “I came to walk you to class, actually.” His sexy grin could melt a glacier.

  I look behind me as if he could be speaking to someone else. “Me? Ivy Hart? The weird new girl who is prone to injury?” I hold up my wrist that’s wrapped tightly in an ace bandage.

  Gabe takes my wrapped hand in his large, dark ones. He lays my fingers against his chest and the heat from his skin through his shirt is insane. “Good thing I am certified in first aid and CPR.” He steps closer to me. “Will you let me walk you to class? At least with me by your side, I can catch you before you stumble down the stairs.”

  I giggle, falling for his charm even as I compare his good looks to those of another guy that I can’t get out of my head. “Sure. I don’t see a problem with some company.”

  Gabe somehow even grins wider as he laces our fingers together and drags me toward the stairwell. “Sweet. Mr. Anderson’s calc class, right?”

  My eyebrows raise. “How do you know my schedule? Are you a stalker, Gabe?”

  He laughs, the sound bouncing off the high ceilings. “Not really. I saw Fay at breakfast yesterday and asked her about your morning class. I did have to do some begging to get her to cough it up, though.”

  I smile. She is a good friend. I needed one of those. “You really are a charmer, aren’t you?”

  He glances back at me with a wicked gleam in his eye as we hit the first floor and turn toward the math wing. “Beasts like me are good at getting info out of people.”

  My heart leaps. Beasts? “What, uh… what kind of beast are you, exactly?” I blurt out the question with a quiet voice, hoping he isn’t actually some creature.

  Gabe’s eyebrows press together in question. “Why, a sexy beast of course.” He growls teasingly at me and I laugh, much too relieved.

  “Ah, well. That’s quite the image you have of yourself, Mr. Beast.”

  He shrugs, but his smile is confident. “It’s my burden to bear, but I do it for the good of all.”

  I can’t stop the laughter that bubbles up out of me again. He really is a charmer, and much too cocky.

  Gabe stops just outside of my calculus class and places a quick peck on my cheek. “See ya later, Ivy. Thanks for letting me walk with you.”

  My face flushes red, and Gabe runs off before I can respond. A sudden heat flashes across my skin and I shiver against the feeling of eyes on me. I look around the hall, and my eyes land on Alden’s back as he walks away with stiff shoulders.

  My heart sinks. Did he see Gabe kiss my cheek? I really hope not. I shake away the ridiculous thought. Why do I care what Alden saw or didn’t see? Man, I need my head fixed.

  CHAPTER 3

  I walk quietly along the wall from calculus class, watching the students as they mill about and chat with their friends. So normal. Nobody seems to be paying me any attention, and I’m taking this opportunity for some spying.

  Three girls laugh together as they walk arm-in-arm. Two of them are tall and blonde, practically model-types, while the girl at the center is shorter with black hair, dark skin, and turquoise eyes. The smaller girl turns toward a group of boys and her eyes darken and shift to an emerald green.

  One of the blondes nudges the darker friend and whispers in her ear which causes her eyes to return to their normal color. I blink a few times, but I know I hadn’t imagined that. Pupils widen, eyes may darken or lighten based on lighting, but they don’t just change color.

  I swallow hard, searching the other kids for abnormalities, until my eyes land on Fay. She’s standing at one of the few drink machines that sit around the school.

  She pulls out a stainless-steel thermos and places it below a nameless option. They all have a blank option beside the sodas, but I figured that meant nothing came out of those spots. Fay fills her thermos and takes a big drink of it before looking around her.

  Her head turns in my direction, but she doesn’t see me. A red liquid coats her upper lip, so she hurries to lick the drink away before closing her bottle and heading off to the right.

  I look from side to side for any eyes on me and then hurry across the hall to the drink machine. I press the button for the blank option and a thick red liquid pours out. I stick my finger below the stream and bring the fluid to my lips.

  A metallic taste coats my tongue and I shiver at the flavor. I know that taste after getting punched in the face by a girl in middle school and cutting the inside of my lip. Blood.

  “What in the actual hell?” I mutter, horror filling my bones.

  I can feel a presence crowd in behind me just before a male voice causes me to jump. “It’s nasty, right? But I figure we all gotta try it once.”