Initiation (Wolf Blood Academy Book 1) by RaShelle Workman (best book club books for discussion txt) 📕

With it situated there, I picked up speed, jogging until I reached the Academy’s entrance. Then I tucked it into my sweater pocket.

At the enormous double doors, I took a deep breath. “I can do this,” I whispered.

The creature tittered softly, and I patted it lightly, hoping it would stay silent. Then I yanked open the doors.

I had no preconceived notions about what the inside of the Academy would look like. Not a single one of my random thoughts did it justice. It was regal. Majestic even. With lush cranberry wallpaper covered in golden filigree on the walls. A grand wooden staircase with a thick rail led to an upper level. Pictures of handsome men and women—half-wolf and half-human were framed and hung on all of the walls. Above was a twinkling chandelier dangling from a black ceiling interspersed with thousands of tiny glittering lights, almost like the night sky. The floors were checkerboard in black and gold colors. On the gold squares were the emblems representing the different houses. Directly in front of me was a supersized wooden desk carved with intricate designs of wolf heads.

An elderly man with silver-rimmed glasses and a balding head with side tufts of gray hair stood behind it. When he saw me, his already permanent frown deepened.

“What are you doing out of bed? Curfew was ten minutes ago.”

How late was it? Time seemed to move much more quickly here. Or at least haphazardly. “I was left in the coliseum after the first test.” Anger at what the guy did by deserting me caused my cheeks to get hot. “No one told me how to shift back to my human form. I was all alone.” I tried not to sound as annoyed as I felt, but some of it leaked out anyway.

“I see.” He leaned over the counter, getting closer to me. “Name.”

“Diana Valene.”

At my name, surprise lifted his caterpillar eyebrows before his eyes narrowing shrewdly. “Well, Miss Valene, your father is expecting you.”

“Oh good,” I said, my lips tight. “And where is he?” I had a few things I wanted to tell him.

“Right this way.” The man turned and bent over, disappearing. There was shuffling before he appeared to the right of the desk. He was a slight man. Shorter even than the desk.

My mouth fell opened as I studied him.

“Close your trap and keep up.” He glared a moment, then turned and walked away, hurrying.

He was fast, and I had to jog. He quickly crossed the spacious common area and reached a set of colossal double doors. They were thin but went all the way up to the ceiling.

The man pounded the door once with his fist and stepped back.

Both doors opened simultaneously, but there was no one operating them.

He started off again before I could question how they worked. On either side of the long hallway were doors. Some were open, and as we went by, the person inside would pause and catch my gaze. Others smiled.

At the end of the hall, the man turned left, and I followed him down another hallway until we reached another set of double doors. These were propped open, but the man stopped just before entering and cleared his throat.

My father, who sat behind a sleek golden desk, looked up, irritation on his face. Until he saw me, and then he was less irritated. At least for a moment. He didn’t acknowledge the man but spoke directly to me. “Come in. It’s about time. I was beginning to wonder if you really were my child, after all.”

The creature in my pocket made a sound, almost like a tiny hiss, and I stuck my hand inside, hoping to calm it as I cleared my throat.

“Hello, father.” I went over to the nearest chair and sat as the creature wrapped its claws around my pointer finger.

My father put his hands together, resting them on top of the desk. “You were bitten by a werewolf?” He watched me, his eyes unblinking. It was disconcerting.

“That’s right. Some men tried to kill me, and then the… wolf rescued me,” I said, working not to sound nervous. That I was sitting in front of my father after all these years was no big deal. I snorted at my thoughts because it was a big deal. Dammit.

He made a face. “Uh-huh. And your mother finally told you what you are?”

“Yep,” I said, but thought no duh! “Then I got an invitation followed by a threat, which is why I’m here. After I arrived, I was taken to the coliseum, where I was told to shift. I did that, then I was left alone in the dark until I finally shifted back. I got out and made my way here.” I forced myself not to roll my eyes. “Now you’re all caught up.” That sounded more sarcastic than I meant it, but whatever.

He did roll his eyes, and I bit the inside of my cheek. “You made a fool of me. You know that, right?” He picked up a stack of papers, pounding them on the table before setting them back down.

“If you’re looking for an apology, you aren’t going to get it,” I said, leaning forward.

The creature hissed again.

Before my father could ask what the sound was, I coughed to cover it up and went on. “This is new to me. I had no idea what to expect, so if you aren’t going to help me, then you’re just going to have to deal with whatever happens.”

Surprisingly, his eyes brightened, and I couldn’t be sure, but I thought it looked like respect. “A mouth full of sass.” He shook his head. Then his eyes narrowed and became twin slits. “What of the monster thing that seemed to come out of you? Had you ever experienced something like that before? What did it feel like? Were you able to control it?”

I listened and realized he was desperate for answers.

He seemed to recognize what I felt and sat back.