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  Professor Wolf

  Omega University

  By: J.L. Wilder

  Click to Receive a Free Copy of Brother’s Wolf (Full length)

  Table of Contents

  Professor Wolf

  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

  Next in Series: Her Beta Triplets

  More Books by J.L. Wilder

  About The Author

  Professor Wolf

  Chapter One

  CAIT

  “Name?

  “Caitlin Sterling.”

  The registrar typed in her name. Caitlin held her breath; this was the moment. She was about to find out if her attempt to alter the student records had been successful or not. If it hadn’t, she would be sent across the road and into the complete nightmare that she knew awaited there. But if it had—

  “Caitlin Sterling, freshman, wolf, beta, age eighteen?”

  A smile of pure relief broke over Cait’s face. “That’s me.”

  Well, almost me. With one little detail changed.

  The registrar handed her a thick blue folder. “Welcome to Shifter University.”

  Shifter University. It had worked. She was really there.

  She traced her fingers over the institution’s logo on the cover of the folder and waited as the registrar scrolled through screens on his computer. “Okay,” he said. “Your orientation group is meeting by Claw Hall. There’s a map in your folder that will tell you how to get there. Your group leader is Victoria.”

  “Okay,” Cait said.

  “You’re living in Dormitory One, room 163. After orientation, you’ll be able to go there and settle in. Then, you’ll have the rest of the night to yourself.”

  “When do classes begin?” Cait asked.

  “Tomorrow,” the registrar said. “You’ve got a schedule in your folder too.”

  “I didn’t sign up for any electives,” Cait said.

  “We don’t have any during the first semester,” the registrar said. “You’ll all be taking the same course load. Then, after the first semester is over, you’ll be able to specialize in something if you want to.”

  “That’s great.” Cait felt a rush of excitement at the idea of choosing a specialty. Hell, just the idea of making a choice felt magical. When was the last time she had actually chosen anything for herself—apart from walking onto this campus.

  “Of course, some classes are reserved for alphas only,” the registrar said.

  Cait nodded. That was no big deal. She felt no desire whatsoever to enter the world of the alphas. It would be a relief, actually, to have most of them on a separate track after the first semester ended. “I’m sure the course offerings for betas are more than enough to interest me,” she said.

  The registrar smiled. “I hope you enjoy your time here at Shifter U,” he said. “Go ahead and head over to your orientation meeting now. You don’t want to be late. That’s where a lot of people make their first friends.”

  Cait tucked the folder under her arm and left the administrative building. Once outside, she pulled out the map she had been promised.

  It was so confusing! The campus was huge. Well, that was to be expected, she supposed. This was the only place for shifter learning in all of Canada, and she knew that wolves and bears alike came from all around to study the ways of shifter life there.

  I’m just lucky I got the chance at all.

  It hadn’t been easy convincing her father to let her come to school. He was deeply traditional, rooted in shifter culture, and he had wanted her to marry young. There were a lot of alpha potentials in their pack who had had their eyes on Cait for years.

  A bunch of assholes.

  She located Claw Hall on the map and made her way over, doing her best to put her father and the pack back home out of her mind. She didn’t want to think about what they would say if they could see her now.

  A cluster of students stood in front of the stairs leading up to Claw Hall. Cait hesitated, but then she berated herself. If you’re going to do this, you have to be tough. You have to act like you belong here.

  So she walked over with her head held high. “I’m looking for Victoria’s orientation group,” she said.

  “I’m Victoria,” a tall, slender, dark-haired girl said. “Are you Caitlin Sterling?”

  “Yes,” Cait said. It was never going to stop being amazing the way everyone here seemed to expect her, as if she belonged, as if she weren’t completely out of place.

  Victoria nodded. “That’s everybody, then,” she said. “Let’s go inside, and we’ll talk about what you can expect during your first semester at Shifter U.”

  Victoria led the way into Claw Hall and down a corridor with tile floors. Cait looked around at the rest of the people in her orientation group. They all looked to be about her age, and there was a mix of male and female students.

  They entered a classroom. Victoria grabbed some folding chairs from the wall and began to arrange them in a circle, and the rest of the group caught on and helped. A few moments later, they were seated, facing inward. Victoria smiled.

  “I’m glad you’ve all got your folders,” she said. “That means registration went all right for everyone. You should have a dormitory key in the little envelope stapled to the top of your folder—yes, that’s the one. Don’t lose that, or you’ll be in for a hassle from the administration.

  “Now, does anyone have a problem with their schedule?”

  A young man raised his hand. “I want to study combat, but it’s not included on my schedule,” he said.

  Victoria nodded. “Combat isn’t available to incoming freshmen,” she said. “You’ll be able to choose Theory of Combat second semester. You’ll also have the option to sign up for excursions that include physical sparring in both human and animal form.”

  “I want to learn battle tactics, though,” he said.

  “I’m afraid battle tactics is a class that’s only offered to alphas,” Victoria said. “Everyone in this group is a beta, and our experience here at Shifter U is designed to be different from that of the alphas because our lives and our roles within the packs are different. An alpha’s job, his responsibility, is to lead his pack into battle. Tactics aren’t something you’d ever need to know unless you were planning to challenge your alpha, and that’s not something we encourage betas to consider. It’s against our nature.”

  The young man sat back, looking frustrated.

  Cait could sympathize.

  Someone ought to tell him that he can learn whatever he wants, she thought. Someone ought to tell him to take matters into his own hands instead of waiting for permission.

  But that wasn’t the shifter way, and Cait knew it. Shifter life was centered on waiting for permission before doing anything. And everyone at Shifter Universit
y was there to learn how to better integrate themselves into shifter life.

  Everyone except me. I’m just here because I have no better choices.

  She wondered how many of her fellow students had come here from packs, the way she had. Was it possible that anyone here had been living on their own, an independent life, and had simply chosen to come to learn more about the shifter world?

  Cait couldn’t imagine doing that.

  Then again, maybe if I really were a beta, like the rest of them, things would be different for me.

  Victoria was passing around handbooks now. “One for each of you,” she said. “It contains the code of conduct here at Shifter U. We’re going to go over it now as well because it’s something the administration really takes seriously. Everyone at Shifter U comes from a different background, and you’ve all lived under different rules. But the Shifter Council set up this institution to bring us all back into shifter culture because the standard of living was beginning to drift. So the rules here are stringent, and if you’re found in violation of any of them, the punishments can be severe.”

  “How severe?” a blonde girl asked.

  “Expulsion,” said Victoria. “Shifter U takes pride in graduating every student who makes it to their senior year. But we also lose several along the way. Only the best and the most dedicated will make it to graduation day, and if you do graduate from Shifter U, it’s a seal of approval from the Council that you’re a great example of shifter culture.”

  Cait glanced around the room. The betas around her had a lot of different reactions to what Victoria was saying. Some of them sat forward in their seats, clearly eager to begin proving that they were good examples of shifter culture. Others looked wary or even mutinous, and Cait guessed that they, like her, weren’t there strictly by their own choice.

  “So let’s talk about the rules,” Victoria said. “If you want to follow along, you can turn to page thirty-six.”

  A few people did. Cait flipped her guide open, dog eared the corner of page thirty-six for reference, and closed it. She was more interested in watching Victoria’s face as the rules were laid out.

  “The most important rules we have here have to do with the dynamics between ranks,” Victoria said. “All of us are betas, of course, and that gives us a lot of freedom. But there are still restrictions on what we can do.”

  “Like when it comes to what classes we can take,” said the young man who had wanted to study combat.

  “That’s right,” Victoria said. “The alpha-only classes are taught in Alpha Hall, and unless you have a special permission form, you’re not to go there. It’s a place for alphas to focus on their learning without having to worry about anybody else.”

  “Is there anywhere else we can’t go?” another boy asked.

  “Not on our campus,” said Victoria. “Although you can’t enter another student’s room without their permission, of course, and all the academic buildings are locked after midnight. But there aren’t any places that are off-limits.”

  “On our campus?” a girl asked. “What do you mean?”

  Victoria hesitated. “Come to the window,” she said. “You can see it from here.”

  The group of betas left their seats and clustered around the western-facing window.

  “There,” Victoria said. “On the other side of the highway, just beyond that row of pines. See the building?”

  They nodded.

  “That’s Omega University,” Victoria said.

  Cait felt a chill crawl over her.

  “That’s where all the omegas go,” someone commented.

  “That’s right,” Victoria said. “And none of us are allowed to visit their campus. Not us, and not the alphas either. There are organized social events when the two schools come together, and you’ll be able to socialize with them, befriend them if you like, on those occasions.”

  “Befriend omegas,” one of the boys spat. “That’s a joke.”

  “It’s not a joke,” Victoria said, her voice suddenly stern. “Omegas are a vital part of any pack. They may not play the same role you do, but the roles they play are very important.”

  “Yeah, fucking,” said the boy. “That’s all omegas are really good for.”

  “Now, pay attention,” Victoria said. “This is important. You’re not to have sexual relationships with anyone at Omega U. That’s forbidden by the administration. The alphas may date the omegas, if they want, but we betas can’t. Make sure you understand that because it’s crucial.”

  “What happens if we do?” a boy asked.

  “Expulsion, generally,” Victoria said. “I know of one or two exemptions that have been made. But if you’re considering breaking this rule, let me advise you to go to the administration and seek permission first.”

  There was grumbling around the room.

  “Knock it off,” Victoria said. “The betas have it pretty good. We can date each other, and we’re permitted to date the alphas, too. We have nothing to complain about.”

  Isn’t that the truth, Cait thought, staring out the window at Omega U. To her, it looked like a prison, and the tall pines shielding it from view were the bars. These betas have no idea how lucky they are. If I were truly one of them, if I really belonged here, I wouldn’t be able to find a single thing to complain about.

  “If you have any questions,” Victoria said, “you can always come to me. I live in Dormitory One, room 101. Now, I suggest you spend the rest of the evening studying your handbooks, familiarizing yourselves with the layout of the campus, and getting to know your new roommates. Classes begin in the morning. Welcome to Shifter University.”

  Cait wandered out of Claw Hall and out onto the campus lawn. She made her way to the western side of the building and stood in front of the window they’d all looked through together, gazing across the road at Omega University.

  That’s where I should be, she thought. That’s where I belong.

  She couldn’t ever allow anyone at Shifter U to find out that she was an omega. If they would send you away for dating an omega, they would certainly kick you out for being one.

  Coming there had been a long shot. She had always known that. She had known how little chance there was that she would get away with it.

  But everything about the venture had been a long shot. Cait’s father had wanted her to marry, and it was only her pleas that she be allowed to attend Omega University that had forestalled that plan. Then she had managed to enroll in Shifter U instead, dodging the indoctrination that all the omegas across the road were facing.

  Now I just have to get through the next four years without being found out, she thought. If I can do that, if I can graduate from Shifter U and earn the approval of the Council, then I can strike out on my own. My father won’t be able to control me anymore. I won’t have to marry. I’ll do something I want to do. Something I choose for myself.

  Getting through four years without being caught sounded impossible.

  But then, she had already made it through the orientation meeting.

  So I know I have what it takes.

  She squinted at the school across the road, trying to catch a glimpse of the omegas who lived and studied there, but she couldn’t see a thing. It was as if they were fairy tale creatures as opposed to living breathing people.

  I’m so glad I’m not over there with them, she thought.

  She turned her back on Omega University and made her way over to the residential side of campus, where Dormitory One stood four stories high. The next test would be meeting her roommate and convincing her that there was nothing remarkable about Cait. That she was just another beta there to expand her understanding of shifter culture.

  This is going to be a long four years, she thought.

  But God, was it going to be worth it! Just the feeling of being out from under her father’s thumb, away from the tight control of her pack...it was like coming up from underwater.

  I’ll do whatever I want for the rest of the day, she th
ought. And no alphas will be able to stop me.

  It was the most freeing feeling in the world.

  Chapter Two

  GRANT

  “How are the new girls?” Jim asked.

  Grant Larson held up two fingers, signaling the waitress to bring another round, and shrugged. “How are they ever?” he asked. “They come in here not knowing a thing.”

  “You can’t fault them for it,” said his friend. “Look at the backgrounds some of these kids come from.”

  “I can’t look at their backgrounds,” Grant said. “You’re the one who reads the student applications. You’re the one in the admissions department. I’m not allowed to look at those records.” He drained the dregs of his beer as the waitress brought two new bottles over. “Although I’m beginning to suspect that you’re just admitting everyone who applies.”

  “Basically, yes,” Jim agreed. “If a girl wants to reconnect with omega culture, we’re not going to tell her no. That’s the whole reason the Council set up this school in the first place.”

  “What’s amazing to me is how far these girls have drifted from the norms of omega culture,” Grant said. “They’re born into such a rich tradition, and by the time they get here...I don’t know. They’re practically human.”

  “Got some difficult ones this year?” Jim asked.

  “Nothing extraordinary, I guess,” Grant admitted. “It’s just that, by the end of a school year, I get used to working with girls who have been studying their true natures for nine months. I get used to really educated girls who understand their place in shifter society and embrace what they can bring to a pack. And then the new year starts, and I get a new batch of omegas, and it’s like starting all over.”

  “Your class is one of the most highly rated in the school,” Jim pointed out. “You get consistently high reviews from your students. I’m sure this group won’t be any different. They just need some time to learn the way things work here at Omega U.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Grant said.