Meeting

The rain began trickling down the windows just as the bell rang for lunch. I was already halfway through the day, but it felt like time had sped up just for this. I exchanged looks with Fyn and nodded in reassurance. He didn’t look convinced but stood to meet me outside anyways. I led the way into the hall and we waited for the others by my locker. I scanned over the faces of the crowd as they walked excitedly to the cafeteria. One by one, everyone took their place against the wall with me. Jace was the last to show, giving me a slight nod as he walked past. We fell into step behind him, trying not to draw attention to ourselves. Being a wolf in a school of humans made us stand out regardless, and I caught a few people staring at me. I wondered what they might think of us. Unlike Byron’s pack, we kept to ourselves. He was popular and outgoing, while we focused our attention entirely on being invisible. I think this is what I didn’t like about him. He made a point of fitting in with this crowd, knowing we were not one of them. Still, humans seemed to be drawn to us even if we weren’t trying. We infatuated them, and though they didn’t know why we were different, they sensed something. I could see it in their faces when they glanced at me. Even the teachers were hesitant to involve themselves with us. They were right to be naturally afraid, though I don’t think they understood why they were.

  Jace opened the door to the cafeteria and stepped aside, holding it for the rest of us. My eyes fell on the table where Byron and his pack sat. He was watching us, and when he noticed me looking back, he smiled. I started walking towards him, my heart pounding. I had my pack around me, so I knew there was no reason to be nervous. It was always tense around other packs, which is why I didn’t understand Byron’s angle. We weren’t united yet; we had no reason to spend lunch sitting with each other.

  “Are we really going to do this?” Ash hissed in my ear.

  I nodded. “He’s right, we need to ease the tension between our packs. This is a good way to start.”

  Even I didn’t believe myself. Luckily, no one else asked questions. We took our seats, noting the glares Byron’s pack gave us. They were as unsure as we were, and just as uncomfortable. I held my head up a little higher and leaned back in my chair, running a hand over my face.

  “The weather’s nice out today.” Byron cleared his throat.

  “Perfect for a run.” Ky bit his lip. “Too bad we’re here instead.”

  “Shadowfang wolves, running?” Ava snickered.

  Byron shot her a look. “Simmer, Ava.”

  “No, let her talk. I’m trying to understand the joke.” Jace leaned in.

  “Jace.” I shook my head. “Let it go.”

  “No. Why are we here, Natalia? This isn’t a requirement; I have better company in the bathroom stall.” Jace gritted his teeth.

  I saw Ava take offense, and a warning growl erupted from her throat. Alarmed, Byron put a hand on her shoulder. I saw him whisper something to her before she calmed. I glanced around us, confirming no one heard her. The cafeteria was alive with cheery teens enjoying their meals. No one was paying attention. Byron pulled away and sighed.

  “We can be civil. Whether we like it or not, we will be living together by the end of the year. These will be your packmates.” He glared at Ava, then at Jace in turn. “Everyone, keep your opinions to yourself and try to get along.”

  “How’s your father been?” I glanced at Byron, trying to change the subject.

  He held my gaze a moment before responding. “Good. Thank you, Lia.”

  “Stressed.” Ava exchanged looks with Byron and shrugged. “What? She deserves to know.”

  “Know what?” I leaned forward.

  Byron sighed. “There’s been a sighting in Bluemane’s pack territory. They think it’s rogues. It was only the one time, and they haven’t had any issues since. Bluemane thinks it’s under control.”

  “What does your father think?”

  He hesitated. “My father thinks the last time rogues came into town, there was a lot of bloodshed. He’s put regular patrols on our borders.”

  “Why hasn’t Bluemane told Shadowfang yet?” Ash creased his eyebrow.

  “Bluemane wolves didn’t want to tell anyone. My father had to feed Gaiden a few drinks before he would talk. If it makes you feel better, your father has a meeting with my father later tonight.” Byron shrugged.

  I met his eyes and saw a flash of fear cross over his expression. He and I were both thinking the same thing. Neither of us believed Bluemane had it under control, but for our pack’s sakes we were trying to be levelheaded. As next in line Alphas, it was our job to protect them.

  “I’m sure it’s nothing.” I forced a smile. “Bluemane wouldn’t keep it from us if they thought it was serious.”

  My pack glanced at me, before nodding in unison and pulling out their lunches. Byron flashed me a smile and motioned for me to come sit beside him. I had noticed the empty seat the first time but had decided against it in the beginning. Now, I thought about what he’d said previously. The packs would never be united if they didn’t see their Alphas united. I took my seat beside him, noting the others hesitation. They said nothing and began eating their lunch. The conversation became lighter, turning into a debate of school work. We all wanted to discuss the rogues further, but it was dangerous at school. I watched the two packs begin to tear down the walls they’d put up against each other. It was relieving, given the former tension. I still sensed they didn’t trust each other completely, but they were feeling each other out. Ash cracked a joke and the table laughed, giving me confidence in this plan. I gave Byron a look when he brushed his hand against my thigh. He shrugged, flashing me another smile.

  “What’s wrong? You’re not eating.” He lowered his voice.

  “I’m not that hungry.” I held out my apple. “You want it?”

  He took it from me, letting his fingers linger on mine longer than necessary. “Sure.”

  I felt my face growing hot, so I turned away from him. I let my eyes wander over the crowded cafeteria while I half-listened to a story Damien was telling the others. He had a way about him that made the others want to listen. Byron nudged me and I looked over at him.

  “Do you want to go out with us tonight?”

  The table ceased conversation and turned to us. I hesitated, exchanging looks with Fyn before responding.

  “Where?”

  “We have a party we were invited to. It would give us all a chance to get to know each other better.” He turned to address everyone. “I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

  Out of everyone, Mel was the first to smile. “That sounds like a blast. What do you think, Lia?”

  I smiled back at her. “Do you guys want to go?”

  Everyone nodded. The table started talking excitedly amongst themselves about the plan. Admittedly, I wasn’t completely on board with the idea, but our packs were getting along. I wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to let them enjoy themselves. Byron draped his arm over my shoulders and smiled. Normally, I would have been uncomfortable with this gesture, but there was something in his eyes that made me swallow my pride.

  The rest of lunch went smoothly. The group at least, enjoyed themselves more than I had expected. I was beginning to think Byron wasn’t as bad as I had made him out to be. I found myself reveling in his stories and jokes. He was charming, even I could see that. However, I wasn’t the only one. Ava sat on his other side, mesmerized by his every word. While I’d never known Byron to dabble within his own pack, I had no way of being sure. I noticed how often she would put her hand on his arm, or how she laughed a little too hard sometimes. I didn’t give it a second thought, until my wolf awakened inside of me.

  Being a werewolf was kind of like having two people inside of you at all times. Our instincts were intwined, but my wolf spent most of the time slumbered. It was only in dire situations that it would emerge, letting the animal part of me threaten to consume. Anger, sadness, fear and any other form of deep emotion would trigger this half of me. Now, my wolf saw Ava as a threat. I wasn’t sure what to make of the emotions coming over me then. When I was very young, I had to learn to control both halves of me. It took years of practice and emotional unbalance to contain myself from shifting uncontrollably. This was a process that many pups had to go through, but mine had been especially difficult. My father would tell me that I was born of Alpha blood, making my wolf stronger than others. My years of routine had been successful, but as I sat at that table, I felt something I never had before. The urge to shift and challenge Ava was becoming more and more undeniable. My wolf called to me, begging for me to let it out.

  Fight.

  I closed my eyes for a brief second and let out a breath. The noises around me seemed clouded and distant as I concentrated once more to ease the urge. I heard Ava laugh and I choked on a growl. Something was definitely wrong. My vision blurred slightly, as it did between shifts. I could feel my wolf trying to take over, the instinct becoming unbearable. It was in that moment I remembered something my mother had told me.

  “When you feel yourself losing control, fighting it will only make it worse. You have to learn to relax and remove yourself when possible. Your wolf is a part of you, but it doesn’t differentiate human emotion from animal instinct.”

  I got up from the table and forced a smile. “I’ll catch up with you guys later.”

  Byron eyed me suspiciously but nodded. I avoided eye contact with my pack as I left. I needed to be alone, and they needed to stay with Byron. I squeezed through the packed tables and past students huddled together to reach the cafeteria door. I pushed through and immediately noted the nearly empty hallways. There were a few kids standing around their lockers talking, but for the most part this area was bare. Now that I was farther away from Byron and Ava, my wolf was unsatisfied but settled. I could still feel it resisting me slightly. I took a turn into another hallway, where my locker was located. My plan was to leave early if I had to. I had never felt a wave so strong coming from my wolf; admittedly I was rattled. There were times during confrontation that I would feel my wolf’s pull, but I was never disoriented from it. For the most part, both parts of me coexisted peacefully.

  Being so close to someone I was supposed to mate with had definitely unhinged me. Byron and I hadn’t spent a lot of time around each other, so I’d never been given the chance to feel anything for him. I chalked it up to my wolf responding to the emotional rollercoaster of the day. Ava was just the unlucky target my wolf had chosen to project onto. Even if she was involved with Byron, it wasn’t my place to intervene. Byron and I weren’t anything, not yet anyways. Besides, he’d done this with other girls prior and it had never bothered me before. I guessed it was the confirmation that we would be married soon that unraveled me. Thinking it was one thing but talking about it openly with your arranged mate was another. I had let it get to my head.

  My feet stopped when I heard voices ahead of me. I had been looking at the ground lost in thought, but a sick laugh caught my attention. The hallway was empty, all for four boys in a circle. When I focused, I saw them holding something up to a fifth boy. It looked like a necklace with a tooth attached to it. Their voices were lowered, but I could hear the taunt in their tones. I felt my wolf again, calling me forward. I could only assume since it had been denied the first fight, it would take the second as retribution. I felt my feet move before I realized I was walking towards them. One of the boys, a ginger haired ring leader known as Casey heard me and turned.

  “Is there a problem here?” my voice was louder than I expected.

  Casey’s smile fell as he met my eyes. “We were just welcoming the new kid.”

  I eyed the necklace in his hand. “You do that by taking his possessions?”

  Casey and I had never had an issue. He was a well-known smartass with a hint of hostility, but like the other humans, he stayed clear of us. It was his human instinct sensing danger, but he couldn’t understand that. As he held my gaze, I saw a flash of uncertainty cross his face. It was replaced instantly by frustration and he tossed me the necklace.

  “It’s not real anyways.” He motioned to his possie, leading them away.

  When they were gone, I turned my attention to the boy. Casey was one of the tallest boys in the school, but this boy was not much shorter than him. He didn’t look like the type to be bullied either. He had deep blue eyes that sparkled with indifference as he watched them walk away. His hair was a moppy dark-brown mess of outgrown, curly waves. He was taller than I was, but most people were given my short genes. While he didn’t seem to be muscular like Byron, he looked to be in shape. My wolf saw him as a worthy adversary for Casey, so why had he let them surround him and take his necklace?

  I held the tooth up in my palm and turned it over. Realization came over me instantly and I took a small step back from him. What I had first thought might have been a shark tooth or possibly a bear, was in fact, a wolves tooth. Not just any wolves tooth either, this was a werewolves tooth. I could only tell by the size of the canine, ours being much larger than an average wolf. If a professional were to find and assess this, they would determine it came from a very large wolf. They wouldn’t be entirely wrong, but any clue to our world was dangerous for a human to have in possession.

  “Where did you get this?” I forced my voice to remain level.

  The boy took a step towards me, reaching for it. “My father is an archeologist and a dedicated backpacker. He found this while he was out hiking a few years ago. He said he’s never seen anything like it before. For someone who studies bones for a living, that seemed like a one in a million chance.”

  I handed it back to him. “It is. So, you kept it?”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “What are the chances of one in a million?”

  I forced a smile. “Understood.”

  “Thank you, by the way. I wasn’t expecting to be given a hard time my first day at a new school.” He gave an awkward smile.

  “Casey thinks he runs the place. Although, I think you could have handled it yourself.” I cleared my throat.

  He laughed. “What? You mean like, fight them?”

  I shrugged. “Why not?”

  “I’m not like that. It causes more trouble than necessary.”

  I met his eyes, thinking how odd it was for someone to turn down a fight when it was so blatantly offered to them. Humans surprised me the more time I spent around them. I was grateful for this to be my last year surrounded by hundreds. Everything was so simple in a pack. You hunt together, live together and fight together as one unit. His mouth opened slightly in a shocked expression as he stared back at me.

  “Your eyes…” his voice trailed off.

  My eyes were a mix between blue and purple, but bright like the majority of my species. The color was different for everyone, but the vibrancy was what differed ours from human eyes. I hadn’t thought he would notice, let alone comment, since most humans didn’t. I looked away from him, slightly unnerved.

  “I’m sorry.” he let out a nervous laugh. “They’re just different. I’ve never seen color like that. They’re beautiful.”

  I raised my eyebrow, suddenly wondering if I should have left him to Casey and kept walking. He was bold, but stuttery and awkward at the same time. It was almost embarrassing how easily humans were impressed.

  He shook his head. “Wow. I am so sorry.”

  “It’s alright.” I smiled. “You’re doing great.”

  “I’m Hugo.” he held out his hand.

  I hesitated before shaking it. “Natalia.”

  He smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”