Chapter 4

Zena's POV

The brown water swirls down the hole and it leaves a dark ring on the white tub for a second.

Thankfully the soap is strong and it makes the surface look like new again.

I lean my head back on the cold edge because I never saw a bathroom this big. I can't help but wonder if Marcus’s family has a mountain of gold to afford this much luxury in a school like this.

Back in the Nightstorm pack, the floors are always cold and I am never allowed to use the water inside the house.

I always have to wait for the sky to open up and rain just to wash the dirt off my skin.

Sometimes I sneak into the shed when everyone is sleeping and I count to five while the cold water hits me, because if I stay longer they will hear me and beat me until I can't walk.

The memory of the rain feels like ice on my soul and I sit in the hot bubbles while the steam fills the air.

My eyes start to sting while I sit there and the water feels too hot, but I squeeze my lids shut.

My jaw is tight enough to snap and I want to make them pay for every tear I cried, but I am weak and have nobody to help me fight a whole pack.

This academy is my only chance to hide and Marcus is the only person who comes to my rescue.

I almost want to open the door and tell him that Zane is really a girl, but then my heart hammers against my ribs because being wrong about him would mean being dead or worse.

He is the only friend I have in this den of wolves and I can't risk losing the only person who looks at me with kindness.

"Zane, you have to bathe fast. I noticed you didn't have a robe or anything to wear, so I put a spare one on the hook for you. Everyone's already heading to the hall for their uniforms, we don't wanna be late." Marcus shouts through the wood.

I just put my hand up over the top of the curtain to show him I heard. The steam is making me dizzy.

I scrub the last of the woods off my legs.

I scrub my skin until it is red and I go to step out of the tub, but a sharp cramp hits my stomach and it feels like a knife is twisting inside my middle.

My breath hitches because I realize my body is betraying me and I am already two days late for my monthly flow, which means the blood is coming soon and I am in a school full of boys.

I don't have a single pad or even a clean rag to hide the mess, and if the boys smell the blood the academy will go crazy and they will know I am a female.

I lean against the wall and wait for the pain to pass, but it only gets worse and I feel a cold sweat breaking out on my neck while I try to breathe.

I wrap the towel tight around my chest and my wet hair is sticking to my forehead like a dark helmet while I look at my reflection in the glass.

A small scream comes out of my mouth because I am so frustrated and I feel like a trapped animal in a cage with no way to get out.

I take a deep breath and try to calm my heart, but the thumping is so loud I think Marcus can hear it through the door.

I grab the spare robe and pull it over my head. The fabric is so soft it feels like silk against my sore skin and I hurry to open the door before he comes in.

I pull on the soft pajamas he gave me and they are too big, but I don't care because I just need to hide my shaking legs while I run out into the bedroom.

Marcus looks at me with a worried face and he reaches out to touch my forehead, but I flinch away because I am afraid he will feel my racing pulse.

"My stomach is killing me, please take me to a nurse." I make a face like I am going to throw up, so he grabs my arm without asking further questions and helps me walk all the way to the infirmary.

We walk past the dining hall and the smell of roasting meat makes my stomach turn over because the cramp is biting deep into my hips and I can barely stand.

The nurse is a lady with gray hair and she doesn't seem to notice my voice is too high or that my face is too soft for a boy.

Luckily my body always gives me a warning with this terrible pain before the actual flow starts, and I know I have a few minutes to find something to stop the leak.

Skye is enjoying this moment. I can feel the excitement in my head.

She makes jest of me a little but I warn her that we would both get in trouble.

The nurse points to a white bed and tells me to lie down while she looks for some medicine in a big metal cabinet that rattles when she moves.

Marcus stands by the door while he watches me.

He feels like an overprotective elder brother and I like the feeling of having him around.

I clutch the white sheet and pray to the Moon Goddess to help me one more time because I don't have any strength left to fight the pain in my belly.

I look around the cabinets for a box of pads, but then my heart sinks because this is a school for males and they wouldn't keep girl things in a place like this.

‘Think of an Excuse Zena’ Skye mutters and I roll my eyes.

The nurse turns to Marcus and tells him he has to wait in the hallway because she needs to talk to her patient in private, so he nods and shuts the door.

I look at her and my face goes red because I have to say something.

"Usually in our pack, i always sniff a pad to relieve pains. The pads contains mints yunno... I was wondering if i could get some from you?" I try to sound convincing but even i have to cringe at my excuse.

‘I would have done better with the excuse.’ Skye says with a teasing growl and I curse her in my head silently.

The nurse stops writing and stares at me like I am a complete freak or a pervert, and the silence in the room is so heavy I think I am going to faint right there on the floor.