Four

Raven

My feet bounced past the grassy lawn crisscrossed by sidewalks and I raced back to my dorm.

Sweat dripped down my body, seeping into my AirPods. I loved the morning run because it refreshed my beast and energized me for the day.

I stopped to wipe some sweat off with a towel when I noticed Vlad watching me. Standing beside him were three boys, the same ones who defended me from that bumhole, Troy.

Vlad's gaze searched my face and darted lustfully, giving me a wink while his friends expressed knowing looks with sly grins. 

Vlad wasn't laughing but he had a genuine smile on his face that made my breathing race. 

Gosh, Why did he have to be so good-looking?

Tugging the fabric of my hoodie and hating the pleasurable tingly noise I felt in my skin, I turned away and began running into the dormitory.

Vlad had a strange type of animal magnetism that drew me to him and it disturbed me. I had to find a way to become immune to the raw power of his attraction. I couldn't wait to turn eighteen and find my true mate, so this unholy feeling I was having for a vampire would stop.

Surely, the moon goddess couldn't be so wicked to match me with a vampire. 

The morning bell rang. I was late and hadn't even taken a bath. I rushed into the hall, where there was a lot of commotion and racing. 

 My hands fished my keys, opened my locker, and grabbed my toiletry bag, and a fresh set of clothes. I raced and headed into the bathroom filled with naked girls. 

"Who the fuck finished all the hot water?" Taylor, my classmate and the only other senior in Moonstone Hall yelled.

I almost laughed at how the bathroom fell silent because Taylor was a tiny tyrant who always expected everyone to obey her. 

I used to think it was cute when she stood up to bullies but now, her violent outbursts and the way she screamed at everyone as if they were servants was distasteful.

We were once close before Mr. Aiden ruined my life, and just like the rest of my friends who ditched me, I wasn't expecting Taylor to speak to me.

Her hands clenched and spittle built up in the corners of her mouth while she jabbed her finger in someone's face.

"Are you deaf? Who finished the hot water? I swear if someone doesn't respond, I'll assume that everyone is guilty and punish you! There's going to be hell to pay if someone doesn't own up to this."

She dragged a big girl thrice her size and made her sit on the floor. Startled, the girl's eyes widened and darted about, making me feel pity for her. She tried to back away but Taylor dragged her by her hair. 

This was ridiculous.

"Fattymus! I know you did this. You're always wasting water!"

I braced myself to take action but stopped because I didn't want any issues with anyone. No matter how selfish I sounded, I was just only after myself.

Taylor was such an idiot. Perhaps this was the only reason why she stayed here and not Luna's den, to bully the junior students. 

"And why are you looking at me, Raven? You want to save her?"She snapped at me and turned to face me.

 Ignoring her, I turned on the cold shower, not minding taking a cold bath since I was sweating already. 

"I'm talking to you, freak!"

Diverting my energy and holding myself from speaking an insult, I began taking a bath. 

"You think you're better than me? Do you think you wouldn't do worse to them? What are you even doing here? Weren't you in Luna's den?"

Tired of her nonsense, I spoke with a carefully controlled tone. "Never knew I needed permission from your lordship to stay here."

She huffed and walked past me, yelling at her victim to find hot water for her as if she could magically make water appear.

I took a deep breath trying to calm myself but all the anger bubbling inside my chest made it hard to do.

Exiting the room, and wrapping myself in a white towel, I got dressed for school. As usual, I picked another hoodie from my collection, my headphones to block out the world, and headed to the cafeteria, lost in thoughts.

 Picking up my tray, I joined the line, relieved that vampires and Lycans didn't share the same dining hall. It would have been so disturbing to see them drink blood.

Breakfast was pancakes, syrup, a side of crispy bacon, and a small glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. At the sight of my sister Nova, I turned away and lowered my hoodie, hoping she wouldn't see me. 

"Hey baboon face," Nova's maternal cousin, Ivy called out, 

Pretending like she wasn't talking to me, I ignored the hurt I felt and kept moving. Nova closed the space between us, smelling of jasmine and wearing a winged collared shirt and a ridiculously short skirt. 

She was beautiful enough and I wondered why she bothered being extra.

"Have you been avoiding me? She asked, narrowing her gaze at me and tugging her blonde hair styled in French braids with shiny pins.

I stared at her brows penciled to perfection and rolled my eyes. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

She sipped from her coffee and when I tried to move, she closed the space between us. 

Crossing my arms, I blew out a breath in an exaggerated half. "What do you want?"

"I know you're going to cry to Daddy about how I didn't stand up for you yesterday. Nobody stopped you from defending yourself from Troy. You didn't need the vampires to come fight for you. Did you expect me to go fight a boy, knowing how delicate my health is?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to regain control of my emotions. Was everyone out to annoy me today? 

"I didn't ask for your help, did I? As you can see, I didn't die of embarrassment. So thanks for the pep talk"

Nova gave me a flat look and Ivy rolled her eyes. My jaw ached from clenching my teeth. She spun away in a huff, stomped out of the cafeteria and I sighed in relief.

Nova was not a bad person. There was a point when we used to be close and inseparable, including Ivy. But when I realized that I was not wanted, especially when I began to read the emotions of Clarissa's family, I became withdrawn. 

 Some people were destined to enjoy life. Nova was one of them.

Ivy was cute and beautiful, a pure werewolf, and was one of Nova's girl posies. They were cousins and best friends. She was a damn villain with good publicity, and I was sure she was out to destroy me. 

That afternoon, I headed to Ms. Alicia's math club on the third floor and peeked through the blinds, catching a glimpse of the room with walls adorned with posters and charts showcasing mathematical concepts and theories. 

The atmosphere was peaceful, with ten students working in groups, their heads bent over their work.

Ms. Alicia's head shot up when she noticed me at the door and her eyes widened in surprise. "Raven, good to see you. Come in."

I sat in front with a smile on my face, finally having something pleasing. My happiness didn't last long when Vlad walked into the room with a swagger, his chin held high. 

"What are you doing here, Vlad?" Ms. Alicia asked, amused.

"I want to join the math club," he said with a drawl, his eyes scanning the room and landing on me.  

Everyone in the class gasped in shock, but his gaze was fixed on me. I lowered my hoodie and narrowed my eyes at him, clutching my pencil. 

"What! You can't do that, you're a quarterback and you don't need additional workload. This could affect your performance on the team. I don't want issues with Coach Francis," Ms. Alicia warned, every trace of amusement gone. 

Vlad put on his best puppy-dog eyes and pleaded, "Come on, Ms. Alicia, I've checked my schedule and workload. Trust me, it's not going to affect me."

Ms. Alicia hesitated, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to find the right words. "But why the sudden change? You've never been in my class before."

He grinned, "Actually, I love calculations. Give me a chance to wow you."

With a sigh, she finally relented. "Alright then, come on in. But we have to discuss this with the principal after the class."

He bounced to my seat, sitting beside me. I froze instantly, my gaze darting away from him. Then I inched my chair away from him, gluing my eyes to the front of the room.

His eyes locked onto mine. "Can I borrow your pencil?" He whispered, trying not to disrupt the class.

Huffing, I handed him the pencil. His fingers grazed mine and he ran his thumb up my knuckle, making blood throb in my veins with a scarlet web of desire

Muttering under my breath, I pulled my hand away before returning to the formula Ms. Alicia was writing on the board.

"So, for saving you from that asshole yesterday, would you mind spending your free period with… "Vlad started to say.

"Ms. Alicia," I interrupted sharply. "May I change my seat please?"

Ms. Alicia sighed loudly, nodding her agreement. I packed my things without looking at him and made my way to the back seat.