"What are you doing?!" I yelled at Theo. Other students who were walking on campus near us were staring in our direction, but I didn't care.
Theo continued to growl, and I noticed fangs, yes, actual canine fangs, even though he was in his human form.
"Stop that!" I grabbed his shoulder, trying to pull him away from Aiden, but it was a pointless gesture. Theo was so much stronger than me; he didn't even flinch while I was using my whole body weight to try to get him to move.
He kept growling at Aiden for a few moments longer before turning away from him, composing himself.
"What the hell was that about?" I asked once he was finished.
"Theo has a really bad temper," Rhys offered, his dark blue eyes sliding over to meet mine. "Most Alphas do."
"But Aiden didn't even do anything to him," I insisted.
"It's because you're Theo's..." Rhys started to explain, but Theo cut him off.
"Not yet, Rhys."
I just glanced from Theo to Rhys and then back at Theo again.
"You're going to have to get used to this when you hang around us," Colton told me. "Or when you hang around any pack of wolves, for that matter. There's a lot of dumb arguments among male pack members, sibling rivalry type shit."
I sighed. That was all going to get old really fast, but I supposed that I was going to have to get used to it because one thing was for sure. Nothing was going to stop me from wanting to hang out with these hotties.
"Anyway, can we actually do this whole campus tour thing?" I asked.
"The Sorting Ceremony is in just a few hours."
"Yeah. Let's do this," Colton said, looking relieved to change the subject.
Theo moved to stand next to me. "See those four buildings?" He pointed across the grassy courtyard to four stone buildings that lay adjacent to one another. "Each of the four Houses is housed in one of those buildings. Your dorm will be in your House's building, and most of your classes will be held there."
"What are each of the Houses? I mean, is there any meaning behind each of their names?" I asked.
"There is. Your House is based on how you became a wolf. The Descendants are the werewolves who descended from powerful bloodlines, like you," Theo replied, meeting my eyes. "The Lupines are the werewolves who were born into this family, but who may not have necessarily been the most powerful wolves. The commoners, I guess you'd call them. The Marked are wolves who weren't born into this life, wolves who were bitten. There are far less of them." He paused. "The Crescents, however, are a bit different from the others. Their House isn't based on how they became wolves. It's actually a bit more complicated than that."
"What is it?" I questioned.
"Have you ever heard the saying 'the dark side of the moon'?" Theo asked, glancing over at me.
"I guess," I replied with a shrug.
"Not much of the moon shows when there's a crescent moon," he explained. "The Crescents are thought to only have a little bit of good in them, and mostly bad."
"So, the Crescents are bad wolves?" I asked with raised eyebrows.
Theo nodded. "Yeah. Their classes are more focused on overcoming their bad sides and the dark magic they are capable of," he explained.
"Wow." I paused for a moment. "So, werewolves can be good and bad."
"Most of us are good." He paused. "The Crescents make up the smallest House because there aren't as many of them. And not all of the Crescents end up bad later in life. Many of them are able to overcome it."
"But not all of them," Colton added. "Some wolves are just bad, and you need to learn how to differentiate the good from the bad."
"This is all so much to take in," I admitted quietly. Not only did I have to adapt to the fact that I was now a werewolf, but now I had to learn how to identify the bad ones, too… and figure out how to stay away from them.
"So, if those are the four Houses, then what's that building?" I asked, motioning to the one we had just come out of, the one where Headmaster Black's office was.
"That building is home to the library, the Dining Hall, the auditorium, and certain classes," Aiden explained. "It's where you would meet with your advisor."
"I'll have an advisor?" I asked with raised eyebrows.
"It will be the Head of your House," Rhys replied.
"If you guys aren't students, then where do you live?" I found myself questioning.
"We live in a house right off campus." Theo pointed in the direction of a large house located next to the trees lining Werewolf Academy's courtyard. "None of the professors live on campus. It's against the rules."
"So, you guys all live together?" I asked.
"Yup, even when Theo is attacking me, I still have to go home with him," Aiden replied with a sly grin.
"I'm surprised you haven't murdered each other yet," I admitted.
"We may not always get along, but we're brothers," Theo replied. "Not in the biological sense, of course. But we have been friends and in a pack with one another for hundreds of years now. We are really like family."
It dawned on me then that I was about to interfere with this pack, this family. Being attracted to not just one but all of them had the potential to destroy them, especially if I became involved with any of them. I probably should have just let them go. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin this brotherhood.
"You really think it would be that easy?" Theo asked. "Sorry, Raven, but you're stuck with us now. We made a promise to your parents to keep you safe, and that's exactly what we're going to do, whether you want us to or not."
I rolled my eyes. "You know, it really drives me nuts that you're able to hear my thoughts at all, but the fact that you respond to them is even more annoying."
"Sorry," he replied with a smirk. "Maybe you should think less."
"Or maybe you should just butt out." I was only half-kidding. Sure, it was annoying, but honestly? A part of me secretly liked being this connected to this gorgeous guy.
"Aw, you like me." Theo's blue eyes locked on mine, and his lips turned upwards, into a grin.
"Again, would you please get out of my thoughts?"
"I could try… but you're the one that keeps putting me in them," he said with a shrug.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head at him, but I was smiling as I did it.