Bitten (Once Bitten, Twice Shy #1)(57)

In turn, Agnes took an immediate liking to her. Katherine had yet to decide if that was a good thing.

She’d also met the blonde girl who’d so thoroughly remaindered her of Mallory. She’d approached the table that Katherine, Melanie, and her four friends had sat at in the library and introduced herself as Priscilla Wright, with the fakest, most patronizing smile she’d ever seen on a person. As soon as she said her name, Katherine knew immediately that she must have been the daughter of Mrs. Wright, the redheaded secretary.

At lunch, Katherine had met even more people. She’d been shocked to find out that in addition to teaching werewolves, the school also taught non-werewolves. Just in separate classrooms. The non-werewolves consisted entirely of family members of changed wolves. They’d been brought to Haven Falls with their changed parents, children, or siblings to protect them from hunters. Katherine tried hard not to think too much about that.

There were only two non-werewolves in the school that were close to her age, a sixteen-year-old named Nathaniel and a fifteen-year-old named Penelope. She immediately recognized Nathaniel as the nosy waiter at The Bistro. Both had joined Melanie and her group of friends – and by association, Katherine – at one of the small plastic lunch tables in the cafeteria.

Katherine realized pretty much immediately that she’d somehow been thrust into a group of outcasts – people that didn’t fit in with the other werewolves of Haven Falls and were basically ignored by their peers.

She didn’t think she’d ever been so pleased.

After lunch, Pack Dynamics passed without incident. Katherine actually took an honest interest in the class. Proper interaction between pack members was discussed and she was looking forward to better understanding the duties of the alpha, beta, and even omega of a pack.

And then came Mating Rituals.

It wasn’t until it rolled around at one o’clock that Katherine’s day really took a turn for the worse.

Katherine understood quickly that it was really just a sophisticated sex ed. class. In essence, she’d be learning how werewolves courted one another. Apparently, werewolves mated for life and some pairs were so deeply connected that when one died, the other soon passed. There was even such a thing as destined mates, who were apparently werewolves that just knew they were supposed to be together forever as soon as they saw – or rather smelled – each other. Soul mates, basically, as far as Katherine could discern from the syllabus she’d been handed.

After briefly going over the three major aspects of werewolf courtship – choosing, wooing, and canoodling, as the teacher had charmingly put it – she had informed the class that she was going to pair up all the female students with male students so they could discuss the first stage of courtship amongst themselves – choosing a mate. Basically, Katherine had been told to tell her partner what she was looking for in a husband.

How awkward.

And then she’d been paired with Rip Briggs. Rip, like most born werewolves, towered over her and weighed close to twice as much as she did. It was all muscle too – that much was obvious under the boy’s tight, practically see-through, white shirt.

“Alright, little girl,” he greeted Katherine, sauntering over to her desk. “Let me guess, you’re looking for a strong,” he flexed an admittedly impressive bicep, “handsome,” he grinned, running his fingers through his cropped hair, “protector who can provide for you.”

Katherine positively scowled as Rip pulled an empty desk next to hers, plopped down, and proceeded to lean into her space. She immediately moved her desk a good foot away from his. Jerk.

He just smirked at her. “No? Why don’t you tell me then? What are you looking for in a man?” He waggled his eyebrows as he asked her.

Katherine didn’t think people did that in real life. Didn’t he know he looked like an imbecile?

“For your information,” she snapped at him, “I’m not looking for a man. I can take care of myself. But even if I was intent on finding one, he’d have to be intelligent and unpretentious. And in case you were wondering, no. I don’t think you embody either of these particular traits.”

Rip clutched both his hands to his chest. “You wound me.”

Apparently, however, she hadn’t wounded him enough. The irritating boy kept talking. “Anyway, you forgot patient. I don’t care how hot you are, a man would have to have the tolerance of a saint to put up with your smart mouth.” He leered at her. “Don’t worry, though, I have more than one idea on how to put it to better use.”

There was a delayed pause as she processed that.

Then an angry red blush burst across Katherine’s cheeks, spreading down her chest and up to the very tips of her ears. “Excuse me?” she demanded, glaring at Rip.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what I look for in a girl?” he asked, ignoring her furious response to his words.

Katherine scowled. “I don’t give a-”

“I like all kinds,” he told her, pretending like he hadn’t heard her at all. “I could have any girl here, you know. All the girls in this class want me.”

She rolled her eyes. Yeah, all ten of them.

Rip continued. “Just now, though, I’m craving a feisty, little brunette who doesn’t know when to shut up.”

Katherine gasped and parted her lips, prepared to show Rip just how feisty she was. “You-”