Academy Of Beasts XXVI: Reverse Harem Shifter Romance

By Becca Fanning

Ashes all around me, but from them we will rise. A second year begins at the Academy, and I don't know what to make of it. Familiar faces come with familiar questions and glances, and those I can deal with. It's the new faces that worry me. I see the same expression I had when I first showed up here a year ago. There's hope, but also fear. USA Today Bestselling Author Becca Fanning is proud to bring you this Reverse Harem Academy Romance serial, packed with all the action, intrigue and great chemistry you can handle!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gizmo Media
• Release date: Feb 19, 2022

Book preview

Chapter 1

Panic sent my heartbeat into overdrive. I couldn’t be here again. I didn’t think I could survive going through the pain and loss and confusion a second time. What am I doing here? The question repeatedly echoed in my mind as I spun in circles, taking in the destruction. Smoke rose from the ground and swirled around me. The white wisps taunted me with memories of my former life going up in flames. Squinting against the fog, I struggled to see.

I didn’t know why I even wanted to see anything. The memory of my childhood home in a heap of rubble was fresh in my mind. I’d never forgotten it as long as I lived. A year ago, that was what I had awakened to― my entire life up in flames.

I let out an unsteady breath. I couldn't believe it had already been a year. It felt like only yesterday. Probably because everything remained fresh in my mind, kept alive by troubling memories and vivid dreams.

Fiona.

The soft, melodious voice filtered in through the sound of my rapidly pounding heart. My heart stuttered, came to a halt, stuttered, and galloped again. It couldn’t be.

Fiona.

Mom? The single word emerged in a sigh of longing.

My head whipped from side to side as I tried to locate her. Her voice sounded so far away. I tried harder to peer through the smoke, even though my eyes burned and watered. I’d give anything to see my mom again.

Mom, is that really you?

I spun again, and there she was. I went still, gawked at the image of her. She was wearing her favorite blue sweater and the worn jeans she refused to throw away. She called them her lucky gardening pants. According to her, whenever she wore them to the garden, she got the magic of the green thumb. I let out a laugh of sheer joy. It was so good to see her again.

When I could finally move, I took quick steps toward her, ready to hurl myself into her arms. I halted when her image seemed to waver. Blinking, I tried to bring her image back into focus. Wait, was I… hallucinating or something?

Mom?

Hi, my love. She sounded clearer. Sounded the same. Her voice was still gentle. She looked the same too. Her auburn hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders, and her smile was still sweet and serene.

How could it be her? She was… gone. Are you really here?

I never left, she said.

I blinked, and my brows furrowed. The last I checked, she died, so no, she hadn’t been here for quite some time. She left me. Still, a surge of hope that I’d gotten her back blossomed in my chest.

I’ve always been with you. She smiled again. In your heart.

My shoulders dropped and the budding hope fizzled and died. Of course, that’s what she meant. It was good to see Mom again, but the terrible memories would creep in if I stayed here much longer. I wanted to be anywhere else but here. What are you doing here? What am I doing here? I surveyed the charred mess that was once our living room. So many happy memories were made here. And they all burned. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. I had to will myself not to burst into tears.

What happened here? Mom asked.

My mouth opened, but nothing came out. We were attacked and my parents were killed. It was hard to get out. Saying it would make the surfacing pain worse.

You need to find out what happened.

I… don’t understand. I already knew the tragedy that took place.

Find out what happened, Fiona, she pressed.

The urgency underlining her words gave me pause. But, Mom―

I blinked, and she was gone. No! She couldn’t be gone already. Frantically, I searched what was left of the room for her.

Mom?

Mom!

---

My eyes fluttered open. It took me a moment to realize that the voice shouting Mom was mine. I bolted upright, automatically inspecting my surroundings. I was no longer in the rubble of my former home but in my room, in bed. At Beast Academy. I stared ahead, my mind racing. What was that dream about? I learned that my dreams weren’t just dreams. It turned out that when I had certain visions, they were premonitions of sorts.

This one had me stumped. My adoptive mother was telling me to find out what happened made no sense. She and my dad were killed a year ago. An attack by a deadly rogue group called the slayers had invaded our home and murdered them. The slayers. The name alone sent chills running down my spine. The insane group of shifters had murdered other shifters to attain their pelts. A shifter’s pelt allowed its wearer to inherit its powers. They had been a formidable group. By some miracle, I survived when they attacked my family. The whole thing was a big blur in my mind. There were too many missing pieces for me to know exactly how I’d survived.

What happened here?

Mom’s voice echoed in my mind. I let out a long breath and glanced out the window. The sun was rising, painting the sky a pretty orange. I took a moment to appreciate the view. A new day and a new school year. I refused to start my second year at Beast Academy on a bad note. Surely, the dream was just my mind trying to conjure up some drama. I mean, last year had been eventful to the extreme.

In fact, it had been downright deadly. There had been pain, misery, war, death. I survived… barely. Without warning, I was launched into a magical world of shifters and witches. It was my world now. I was fully a part of the magic. It wasn’t all bad. Along with the danger and surprises along the way, I made special friendships and found love. I