I nodded politely at the two Alphas as they approached me."Thank goodness you're all right," said Alpha Hartwin, clearly relieved."Thank you for your concern, Alpha," I replied weakly.Alpha Gibson looked at me with sad eyes. "If it weren't for you, Genesis might've died. I owe you my deepest thanks for saving my son, Bernice.”Actually, though, it was all thanks to Aggy’s carelessness in hiding the antidote from King Max, who had apparently planned to poison half the academy with wolfsbane.That made me even more anxious about Aggy.What if King Max found out that his massacre had failed because of her mistake?“It wasn’t me, Alpha Gibson. It was Aggy who hid the antidote in the dorm,” I corrected him."Still, if it weren't for you, I'd have lost Genesis."I simply nodded and didn’t push the conversation further. My thoughts were too messy; I needed to figure out where King Max was hiding.“We’ll go check on the others in the infirmary,” Zach said.Suddenly, he reached out and took
I leaned against the balcony railing and stared at the vast, dark forest behind the academy. Hours had passed since King Max revealed himself, and I had no idea what would happen next. I felt like darkness was creeping in, ready to swallow me whole.King Max had targeted me.Out of all the werewolves in the world, why me?Why had I, once just a human, been dragged into something this massive? Good grief.'He’s not immortal.'Beorn’s deep voice echoed in my head."Isn't that true for all of us?" I replied weakly.'Max can be defeated.'“Wait, why did you become my wolf in the first place? You were supposed to stay with King Max, not suddenly attach yourself to me like some clingy ghost.”Beorn burst out laughing, his voice booming in my head. I waited until he calmed down. Somehow, it felt like he wasn’t taking any of this seriously.'Do you know why you survived and became a werewolf?'I shrugged. “Dunno.”'Because I was so sad seeing you on the brink of death. You were supposed to li
I kept my eyes on Axel, who was sitting alone and seemingly enjoying his dinner. His eerie calm sent chills down my spine. All day, I had only heard from Genesis and Jasher, and neither of them had mentioned anything suspicious about Axel.When I mentioned Aggy, they were just as confused. How could Aggy be close to Axel without any of us knowing? It didn't make sense.“Bern, are you not going to finish your food?” Aggy’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.I turned to her and glanced at her plate. "You're not eating either. Are you feeling sick?”“No, I’m just not in the mood to eat.” She shrugged. "I want to go on a diet."Even her excuse sounded off.Genesis and Jasher, who were sitting with me, exchanged suspicious looks. I could tell they were beginning to realize that something was wrong with Aggy, too.Piper and Paige, who were sitting across from us, suddenly started coughing softly at the same tim
Healer Theresa entered the infirmary with Genesis. Her face tight with irritation, she looked at Jasher."Did you apologize to Bernice?" she asked.Jasher nodded. "I did, Healer.""Well, I don't know if this will be reported to the dorm head or your homeroom teacher. But for me, the important thing is that you regret your actions and don't repeat them.""I understand, Healer.""Not everything can be solved with anger, Jasher."Jasher let out a quiet sigh. "Yes, Healer. I regret it.""Go back to your dorm with Genesis," said Healer Theresa, then turning to Shirley. "You too, Shirley."I cleared my throat softly. "I'm fine now. Can I go back to the dorm, too?"Healer Theresa looked at me with surprise but simply raised both hands and nodded.We all left the infirmary together and walked side by side back to the dorm hallway."We have to expose Axel," Genesis murmured. "Who is he, really? Could he be a spy from the Alpha Council?""A spy for whom?" Shirley asked skeptically."Bernice, ob
Ugh! The pain throbbed harder and spread across my entire face. I groaned softly and squinted my eyes. I saw Healer Theresa and Zach talking in low voices. I could hear them clearly enough."Oh my God, what was Jasher thinking, trying to punch the new kid? Bernice ended up being the victim," Healer Theresa said, tsking."Just make sure Bernice is okay, Healer.""Yeah, sure."Zach left with Healer Theresa. Once they were gone, I opened my eyes and let out a quiet sigh. If this plan didn't work, all my pain would've been for nothing.I heard a commotion outside the infirmary, followed by the door creaking open. Genesis rushed in, looking completely panicked."Oh, thank God! You're awake!" He grabbed my hand. "I'm going to beat up Jasher! Has he lost his mind to hit you like that?"I pulled Genesis down and whispered in his ear. "It was deliberate. We're executing the plan now. Make sure you and Jasher stay with me tonight.""Shit," Genesis muttered. "Sorry. But this isn't how it was sup
With Jasher's help, I organized the remaining books in the library, thus fulfilling my promise to Miss Olive. I was overcome with sentimental feelings because Miss Olive wasn't there to see how neat the library looked, with every book in its proper place."Bern?" Jasher placed both hands on my shoulders from behind. "Are you okay?"I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes. "Yeah, I just feel relieved that I've kept my promise."Jasher hugged me and kissed my cheek. "Miss Olive would be proud of you."We walked out of the library and headed to the cafeteria, as it was dinnertime. When I arrived, my friends were already waiting in line.I walked over to them and happened to pass Shirley, who was already carrying her food."Hey," she greeted me flatly.I nodded. "Hi."Paige, Piper, and Aggy looked puzzled when they saw me talking to Shirley."Hey?" Aggy echoed in a mocking tone."Since when are you two friends?" Piper asked, eyeing