Free Katlyn (M/F/M red-hot menage shifter romance) Standalone (Shadow Creek Shifters Book 1) by Madison Johns Page B

another boy said, indicating Maxwell.
    Katlyn frowned. “That’ll be enough of that, young man. I won’t tolerate any name-calling in my classroom or on the grounds.”
    A woman’s brow shot up and it didn’t take a genius to know that was the name-caller’s parent. “Robert, don’t make a spectacle of yourself. Listen to your teacher.”
    “But Mom, you told me I didn’t have to be nice to his kind.”
    Katlyn’s brow knitted. What did she mean, “kind?”
    “I’m Annabelle.” The woman introduced herself. “Good luck keeping the children in line,” she said as she headed for the door. “I’ll be back at noon,” she said over her shoulder.
    “Don’t worry,” Katlyn said to Nate. “I promise everything will work out just fine here.”
    He sighed. “I sure hope so,” he said sadly as he left.
    The two other boys in the room introduced themselves as Joel and Ivan, but the girl in the room sat well away from the boys.
    “And what is your name?” Katlyn asked the girl.
    “I don’t even know why a girl’s here,” Robert said. “They don’t need an education.”
    “And why would that be, Robert?” Katlyn demanded.
    “All girls are good for is having babies.”
    In the blink of an eye, the girl rose from her seat, feathers popping up along her arms and her nose extending into a sharp beak as she attacked Robert, who snarled with fangs extending over his pouty lips, brown fur covering his chin.
    “Stop it right now,” Katlyn said as she picked up a yardstick and pounded it on her desk.
    The children parted ways, and Robert wailed, “I’m telling my mom.”
    “Tell her all you want. Perhaps in the future, you’ll hold your tongue. Girls are just as much in need of an education as boys are. Having babies, indeed,” Katlyn said with a disapproving frown.
    “I’m Melody,” the girl said as she took her seat, brown feathers and all.
    “Shouldn’t you children shift back into human form now?”
    “I can’t,” Melody said.
    “What about you, Robert?”
    “Nope, I haven’t learned how to do that just yet.”
    “It seems like you were able to shift at least part of the way.”
    “Mama’s going to be so mad at me,” Melody mumbled.
    Katlyn sighed. What on earth had she gotten herself into? “Perhaps we could get to know each other better first by telling me what you can shift into.”
    “I’m a werewolf,” Maxwell said proudly.
    Robert rolled his eyes. “Big deal.”
    “Much bigger deal than being a lame bobcat.”
    “You’re not all that tough, wolfie. You have a lame leg and everyone knows what happens to weak shifters.”
    Katlyn tapped her fingernails on the desk. “Weakness isn’t always measured by physical strength. I bet Maxwell is very cunning.”
    “My mother says he’ll never be an alpha with a bum leg like that.”
    “What does a bobcat know?” Maxwell retorted. “I’ll get stronger, and when I do, I’ll show you.”
    “How about we don’t show anyone else how strong we all think we are.”
    “I’m a mountain lion,” Joel said. “My parents didn’t have to bring me to school and I can shift all the way into cat form all by myself and back again if I wanted to.”
    “Duly noted,” Katlyn said. “Is Brendan or Chase your father?”
    “No, they don’t have any cubs. My mama said they’re too busy running the ranch and protecting us here.”
    “So you do live on the ranch, then?”
    “Yes. Mama says they took us in after our father was murdered in the Black Hills during hunting season before I was born.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that, Joel.”
    “Thanks, but I was only a baby at the time so I don’t even remember him.”
    Katlyn’s heart was ready to break in two. “That moves us on to Ivan.” She massaged her chin thoughtfully. “I can’t imagine what animal you might be.”
    “I’m a werebear,” Ivan said. “I can shift quite well most of the time. The trick is to concentrate. You have to put it into your head that you’re a human