Filed to story: Shifter Academy: Taming Her Wild Mates (Ivy) Book PDF Free
Jesse grins. “I’m flattered, Ben, but my tastes don’t swing that way.” Ben clicks his tongue and shrugs like it’s a great loss, making Jesse laugh.
Before I can ask any more about his room, though, a bell rings somewhere in the room, making me go still.
“What the hell is that?” I ask, a little freaked out, looking everywhere for it.
“Dinner bell,” Rafe says, and I look at him curiously as he stands up and heads to a little door at about chest-height in the far corner of the room.
“How do you know this stuff?” I ask, getting up and following him, immediately curious. What’s this little door – how did I miss it before? And what the hell does it have to do with dinner?
“Because I read the handbook, Ivi,” Rafe mutters, swinging the little door open and revealing – of all things – a little wooden box waiting on the inside, the edge closest to us open. “Oh my god,” I breathe, peering around Rafe, “it’s – it’s a tiny elevator…”
“It’s a dumbwaiter,” he corrects, laughing at me and pulling out the fairly large cardboard box that’s waiting inside. “This is how food is delivered – and, apparently, packages.”
“That’s so cool!” I cry, laughing and following Rafe as he carries the package back to our little living room area by the fireplace.
We all lean forward and watch as Rafe pulls a pocket knife out of his new black pocket – where did he get that? – and quickly cuts the tape to the box, opening it and revealing…
“Oh my GOD!” Jesse shouts, grabbing for the packet of his favorite cookies that is sitting on the top. “I love these! Mine! No touching! No takebacks!”
I gasp in excitement as I realize that it’s a care package from our parents. Rafe starts to sort through everything, beaming like the rest of us. “Wait, we can get mail here!?” I gasp, delighted.
“We can,” Rafe says, grinning at me and handing me a packet of the peach-ring candy that we’ve both loved since we were kids. “Ben, help yourself – do you see anything you like?”
“You can’t have my cookies, Ben!” Jesse shouts, his words muffled around the ones that are already in his mouth. “Don’t even try!”
There’s a little bit of mayhem then as we sort through all of the stuff, pulling it out and trying to decide which bits belong to whom, encouraging Ben to take what he likes and trying to ensure that he feels welcome and included in our haul.
Jesse and Rafe go out of their way to make me feel included too, because obviously the package was intended for them – mom and dad still think that I am, mysteriously, somewhere else. But Rafe immediately presses the fuzzy green throw blanket into my arms, saying it’s for me even though I know mom picked it just because it matches his eyes. But I accept it, because it’s cozy to have something mom picked out, and because Rafe is being nice.
And Jesse – he makes sure that he gives me half of his candy and snacks, which is truly a great sacrifice because my cousin is a notorious bedtime snacker – sometimes he’ll fall asleep with his hand still in a bag of chips.
But the thing that really breaks my heart is the two thick envelopes at the bottom of the box, Rafe and Jesse’s names written in mom’s and Aunt Cora’s handwriting, respectively.
Rafe and Jesse look up at me when they see them, guilt all over their faces.
Because there is no envelope for me.
Rafe looks at me with a little grimace, slowly taking the envelope out of the box and moving to tuck it into his back pocket for later, not wanting to make me watch.
“No, read it!” I say, flapping my hands at him and working hard to tuck my disappointment low in my stomach. Because, I mean, I know that if mom knew I was here she would never have left me out – would probably have written me the longest letter of all. I can’t be hurt by this, and I don’t want him to have to wait.
“Are you sure?” he asks, hesitating, turning the envelope over in his hands.
Jesse rips his open, digging in, giving me a little shrug. I nod eagerly at Rafe, encouraging him, as Ben gives me a soft pat on the shoulder, not saying anything but…letting me know that he’s here for me.
Rafe sighs but can’t help it. He settles back into the couch cushions as he opens and unfolds his letter, a smile already on his lips as he reads through the first words.
The Hidden Princess At All-boys Alpha Academy
“Did we miss anything?” Ben asks cheerfully, tipping the box towards the two of us as we sit together on the rug, giving Rafe and Jesse their privacy.
“I don’t think so,” I say, peeking into the box again, willing to take up Ben’s offer of a distraction so that I don’t get overwhelmed by my jealousy.
“Yes, we did,” Ben says, laughing and reaching into the bottom of the box.
“What?” I say, surprised, leaning closer. “What is it?”
And my heart absolutely falls to pieces when Ben pulls from the bottom of the box a very, very pretty blue velvet hair ribbon, already tied into a bow with a silver clip at the back. I give an unintentional little gasp when I see it, as my eyes rove over the soft fabric, the little silver trim that runs along the edge –
Because I know, without even having to read the little tag attached to the clip, that this is from my mom, and that she sent it for me.
But my stomach plummets as Ben picks up the tag, his eyes moving quickly over my mom’s small, swirling handwriting.
Rafe – I know that this box is to celebrate you, but I couldn’t help myself.
