The Last Wolf: Moon Shifter Academy Read online

  Contents

  Front Matter

  Acknowledgments

  Title Page

  Back cover

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Thank you for reading!

  Copyright © 2021 by M.S. Kaminsky

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system—except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a blog, magazine, or newspaper—without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. All the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Published by Open Pollinated Productions LLC, New York, NY

  Special Thanks

  To my husband whose love of animals warms my soul.

  To my parents who nurtured my reading habit and encouraged me to follow my dreams.

  With huge gratitude to my amazing beta-reader team! Thank you for believing in what I do.

  mskaminsky.com

  The Last Wolf

  Moon Shifter Academy 1

  M.S. Kaminsky

  Back cover

  A sixteen-year-old shifter who is the last of her kind. A school for magical creatures on the brink of catastrophe. Learn who to trust fast or it’s extinction, baby.

  My entire life I dreamt of studying at Moon Shifter Academy, a school for magical creatures hidden in New York City's Central Park. There I can ditch Diurnal—the drug that keeps me stuck in boring human form—and harness my bad-ass wolf-shifter self.

  Against my parents’ advice, I head to the big city before school starts and move in with Eddie, a cute boy I met upstate. But first summer love fast becomes first summer heartbreak and then, just before school starts, my parents are murdered. If I’d listened to them and stayed upstate, they might still be alive. Nothing to do but throw myself into my studies and make them proud, right? Wrong.

  School is a bust. The principal’s single-minded goal is to protect us from blood mages, our sworn enemies. To make life more confusing, I learn that with Mom gone, I am the last female shifter in the wolf line. Now the blood mage who killed my parents hunts me too. But not if I can hunt him first.

  PROLOGUE

  THE THICKET OF purple bushes has shiny, silver thorns as sharp and long as claws. I hide behind them and close my eyes. If I stay still here and keep my eyes shut tight, maybe I’ll be safe?

  Fuzzpet, a furry handful, nestles in my lap and whispers what I need to do. When I say the word, run.

  No one knows about my pet. Not even Daddy or Mommy.

  But a monster is nearby! I hear him sniffing around, trying to find me. I shiver, and a tiny spurt of pee warms my shorts. Leaves rustle several feet away. A horrible guttural growl fills the air. I peek through the branches. They scratch my cheeks, but I see nothing.

  Be careful, Fuzzpet whispers. He’s close.

  “What kind of animal you?” I whisper out of habit.

  Shhh, Fuzzpet’s numerous tiny mouths warn with a shy smile. Danger.

  What kind of animal are you? It’s a game Fuzzpet and I play. Not a mouse, nor a frog, neither cat nor dog, far too tiny to be a bear…

  Fuzzpet tells me secrets. Mommy and Daddy never tell me secrets or why they moved to this strange place. They’re too busy with their grown-up work. But two months ago, I turned five. Five is old enough for secrets.

  He found you! Fuzzpet cries. Run.

  Seconds later, the branches part, and a giant wolf’s head pokes through. Red eyes widen at the sight of me.

  Quick! Fuzzpet squeaks.

  Darting from the thicket, I dash down an incline into deeper dark parts of the forest I’ve never dared visit. Behind me, the wolf follows.

  Faster!

  My legs feel like mush; tears sting my eyes.

  “Which way?”

  That hole over there.

  Yes, the hole is small, and the monster is large. I will hide inside.

  You’ll be safe.

  I glance behind. Fangs draw closer, shining like Mommy’s kitchen knives. I’m almost there, but I stumble.

  “No!”

  The wolf’s howl tears through the forest.

  I almost make it, but I’m too late. His jaws clasp around my left knee. I drop Fuzzpet, and he rolls away into the hole, safe. I try to follow, but sharp teeth pierce my skin. Bone breaks with a terrifying pop, crushed beneath his rage.

  “Stop!” Mommy enters the clearing, out of breath. “What are you doing?” she screams.

  Moments later, the professor arrives behind her. He slaps his hand to his cheek. “Good god!”

  The big bad wolf will eat me. That is my last thought before I pass out from the pain.

  CHAPTER ONE

  TWELVE YEARS LATER.

  Eddie passes out just as I’m about to start the breakup convo. “Um, Eddie?”

  A soft, purring snore is my answer. I consider waiting until he wakes. No, after being up two days straight, he’ll sleep awhile.

  I’ll just leave. It’s better this way.

  He lies, naked, on an unmade twin bed so small it forced us to sleep like puzzle pieces. Gentle snores continue while I hunt through the jumbled mess of his apartment. A sliver of sunlight angles across his handsome jaw with its blond scruff. Again the excuses come, reasons to give him another chance.

  No, just, no. Focus.

  I don’t want to forget any small scraps of my life. Once I leave, I won’t be back.

  It would be easy to overlook something important amidst the piles of record albums, turntables, and DJ equipment—including three giant disco balls—that clutter the tiny space. On top of all that are the arcane electrical doohickeys that Eddie—DJ Edison—incorporates into his sets.

  In the distance, subway wheels screech as a Manhattan-bound train exits onto an elevated track. My pet rat Wilbur sits in his cage on the kitchen table, gnawing a carrot stick, antsy. Wilbur doesn’t like travel. Neithe
r do I.

  It wasn’t supposed to end this way. My first summer love. My first serious love. My first shattered heart. Four months ago, I thought I’d never have a boyfriend. Ever. Look, I’m no catch.

  Antisocial? Hell, yeah. I’d rather snuggle with a book than a boy. Pretty? With my various disabilities, eyebrows as dark as thunderclouds, and a jaw a bit too brickish to look feminine, I vote definitely not. Yet Eddie thought I was gorgeous. But he is well, Eddie. Say no more.

  In the kitchen, I grab a ripe apple from the counter and pour a tall, cool glass of water. Placing them by his mattress, I brush a lock of hair from his brow.

  “Goodbye, Eddie,” I whisper.

  Backpack secure over my shoulders, Wilbur’s cage under one arm, I walk to the door and exit. I lock it behind me and slide the tarnished key he gave me underneath. A flash of panic strikes as I check for my wallet and phone. Phew, I have them.

  Before leaving, I take a quick selfie to journal the moment. This is me. I post the pic of me standing in the doorway, alone. Like I’m meant to be.

  Don’t stall. Go before you change your mind.

  I turn and hobble down the five flights of stairs I’ve come to know well over the past two months.

  When I moved to NYC from upstate New York for the summer, I moved for Eddie. Well, for him and to study at Moon Shifter Academy. My lifelong dream. But school doesn’t start until the fall. I didn’t need to be in this big, stinking city for any reason except for love. Now love is gone. Eddie killed it.

  “Kat? Kat!” Eddie’s voice rings from the top of the stairs just as I reach the landing. Not having expected him to wake up for hours, I stumble out the door and into the East Village side street. I limp along the block fast as I can, trying not to jostle Wilbur too much. I call my aunt.

  “Kat!” Anika answers on the first ring. “Where have you been?”

  Eddie’s building vanishes in the crowd of Sunday morning dog walkers and early shoppers. Moments later, I spot him in the distance. He’s thrown on sweats and a t-shirt—one of the tight ones that show off his jacked body. Even from here, I can tell it’s backward.

  Please don’t see me.

  Traffic bustles past while I scan the streets for an empty cab.

  “I’m sorry, Auntie, I had important stuff to take care of.”

  For extra cash, I’ve been helping my aunt at Anika’s Oddities, her creepy taxidermy and curio shop. However, I didn’t show up the last few days. Things got intense. After having skipped several shifts, I need to ask if I can crash with her until school starts. Awkward.

  I turn the corner, cross the street, and dodge onto the avenue.

  “Kat? Hello? What happened? Are you coming to help today?”

  “Yes, of course, for sure. On my way. I’m sorry, I suck. I should have called. I’ll be there soon.”

  To my left, a cab honks, and a girl laughs. My shoulders tighten as I assume it’s someone making fun of my limp. Behind the cab, a beefy woman in her twenties revs her Harley. She shoots a glance my way that becomes a long stare.

  Meanwhile, a terrier goes absolutely mental trying to attack me while the bewildered owner pulls the adorable little fur ball away. “What’s got into you, Cedric?”

  When I was fourteen, I begged Dad to get me a wheelchair. A wheelchair so I wouldn’t have to walk. That’s how desperate I felt. Dad stormed from the house, ashen-faced, tears in his eyes. “You can walk just fine!” he shouted.

  Dad never forgave himself for that day. Nor did Mom. Both refused to talk about it, so I stopped bringing it up. The day the monster attacked. Now I know better. Not a monster, a wolf shifter. Why did it want to hurt me? I was just a little girl.

  The cab pulls to the curb, and the motorcycle roars off. The girl continues past, kissing her boyfriend’s cheek and giggling. They don’t even glance in my direction. Farther down, Cedric tries to eat a moldy crust of bread and pees on a trashcan. It’s not all about me.

  I hop into the cab and rattle off my aunt’s address. A bike messenger kicks the side door and swears at us as we pull into traffic. My cabbie stabs his left middle finger out the window and spits at the poor dude but misses. Horn blaring, the cabbie rockets across two lanes of traffic and turns left, all while taking a quick swig of coffee and checking a text message.

  Leaning back against the cracked faux leather seat, I kinda love the chaos. It matches my mood, and hey, I’m in New York F-ing City. In a few short weeks, I’ll learn to tap into my full-on wolf shifter self and make my parents proud.

  CHAPTER TWO

  AN OLD AIR conditioner grumbles beneath the window while Anika and I carry boxes from the spare room. Down below, the street hums with the steady throb of traffic, pedestrians, and pigeons—the city’s life blood.

  “Don’t worry. I won’t stay long… just until—“

  “Stay as long as you like,” Anika says. “But we’ll need to go upstate soon to clear out your parents’ place and put it up for sale. Unless you want me to take care of it on my own?” Her gray hairs appear silver in the diffuse light that peeks through the dusty windows. Something in her manner—a quick jab of her lip, tilt of her head—reminds me of Dad.

  “No, let me get settled at shifter school first.”

  Anika groans as she stands and cracks her back. “I hope you don’t call it shifter school in public. Anyway, I need to open the shop. Come down and help when you’re finished.” She gives my shoulder an affectionate squeeze and leaves.

  Now that the room is cleared of boxes, I sit to unpack. Wilbur watches from his cage. I’ve never understood people who live out of their suitcases… or in my case, backpack. Unpacking is a ritual I do without delay.

  Something niggles me.

  I knew I forgot something. My pills.

  Of course. I hid them from Eddie. Any pill was a good pill—or at least worth a try.

  “So what are they again?” he kept asking. I wasn’t completely sure back then either.

  Dad started me on them when I turned thirteen. “They’ll keep your head from exploding,” he said with a wink.

  “No joking.” Mom glared at Dad and knelt down. “Take these until you learn to handle shifter energy. Every day, understood?”

  They give me wicked headaches. A couple of days off won’t hurt. School starts soon anyway.

  I take out my phone and scroll through a few pics on Insta. Should I post something about my parents? The tragic, albeit tiny, newspaper article about their murder? A memorial with a cheesy quote? Other people love posting shit like that. Will it make me feel better to tell the world? To cry my eyes out in public?

  But I can’t. I just can’t. Hell, I haven’t even cried alone yet.

  I scan the last text Dad sent me. I’ve read it so many times it’s burned into my mind. It’s a photo of him and Mom when they were in their twenties. Tropical vegetation surrounds them, and they stand with another couple. Beneath the photo, Dad wrote: Kat, be careful. Don’t— And that’s the end of the text.

  Don’t what? Be careful of what?

  I lean back against the radiator, take a selfie and post it. I write the same thing I always do: This is me. Today, I look a bit more together, but that’s not saying much.

  “Hi, Me. Gosh, you’re looking fugly today.” Giggles turn into laughter that sounds more like howls. I clamp my hand over my mouth, hoping Anika didn’t hear.

  “Kat?” Anika calls. “Are you coming down to help?”

  That afternoon, I sort through a box of new wares in the storefront. I’m surrounded by taxidermied animal heads, odd vintage pieces of furniture, and memorabilia from around the world. Anika is a shifter like me. How can taxidermy be okay? People are weird.

  Anika’s store is what folks called a curiosity shop way back when. Visit Anika if you have an object that’s quirky as hell and smells like mothballs, a musty basement, or 1970s cologne.

  A customer enters, shaking rain from her bright purple umbrella. Three taxidermied animals—two lions and a bear—gla
re down at the puddle the woman leaves on the scarred hardwood floor.

  I approach the woman and force a smile as I hand her one of my newly printed business cards. “Welcome to Anika’s Oddities.” I try to sound confident and friendly like my aunt coached. The woman takes the card, glances at it, and stuffs it in her purse. Anika thought having my own business card might boost my confidence, but we both know I suck at customer service.

  “Can I help you find something?”

  The woman looks down her nose at me like I’m a piece of belly lint. She sniffs, and her eyes rove around the store.

  Fine, be that way. I return to my sorting task.

  Anika exits the backroom with her tarot client, a middle-aged man in a pressed suit. Card reading used to be her main gig, but she got burnt out and now does it for her regulars. I hear she’s talented, but I’m afraid to ask her to do mine, and she’s never offered.

  “Can I get some service here?” the woman complains. Now she wants my help?

  Anika rushes over. “Good afternoon, welcome to Anika’s Oddities.” My aunt’s smile could sell ice cubes to penguins. Even still, with the rash of bizarre murders keeping people off the streets, the store is struggling. “I apologize; she’s new here.”

  “I’m looking for a gift for my husband,” the woman says.

  Anika glances at me. “Kat, will you sweep downstairs? Oh, and grab that box too, will you?” Anika points to a wooden crate that arrived this morning. I grab the rickety stepladder and take the box down, almost sending us both tumbling.

  “Careful, it’s delicate!” Anika calls after me.

  “Yeah, no kidding.” The crate is cumbersome and smells of damp Styrofoam and aged wood, but there’s something else too… It reminds me of my brother’s fur that time we chased each other through the forest back in Russia. I caught a rabbit that day. The warmth of his frantic body wiggling in my wolf jaws felt intoxicating—such life.