The Rules

Our stares linger.

“But the two of them are on and off,” Lynn continues. “In two days’ time, they’ll break up again. It’s like a tradition…”

Her voice fades into the background.

The bell rings, making me break my gaze from him as I try to figure out where the sound is coming from.

“Time for first period,” Lynn says.

I don’t know why I keep staring at him. I don’t even like humans, and humans and werewolves aren’t supposed to mate. It’s forbidden.

Adrien Sage made that clear.

If I become mated to a human, the bond will curse and weaken me, leaving me unable to kill Cain. He'll then claim the human world just as he did the Shadow World.

I close my locker and look back, but Chase is gone.

“Ready?” Lynn asks.

“Yeah.”

She smiles and leads the way.

We stop in front of a classroom. She opens the door, and I see all eyes turn toward us. I follow her inside, and she points to an empty seat beside the window at the back.

“That’s the only vacant seat. I’ll be right in front. If you need anything, just ask.”

I nod and watch her leave.

After I settle down, a tall man walks into the classroom and heads to the front. “Hello, students! I believe you all had a lovely weekend?”

“Yes, Mr. Dexter!” they echo.

The sudden noise makes me flinch. It stings my ears.

“All right, cool it down.” He picks up a sheet of paper. “We have someone new joining us today. Miss Rory Anne Spears.” He looks up from the paper. “Who is Miss Rory Ann—”

I stand so quickly that my chair scrapes loudly against the floor, making everyone turn toward me. “Sorry. I—” I swallow. “It’s me. I’m Rory Anne.”

“Welcome to Angeles Academy, Miss Rory Anne. Could you please come forward and introduce yourself to your new classmates?”

I take a deep breath, leave my seat, and walk to the front.

I look at the faces staring back at me. At my old school, the supernatural academy, we didn’t do things this way. Everything about this place is different.

Back in the Shadow World, we had werewolves, witches, vampires, and other supernaturals. Everyone had a place in that world, even if mine was at the bottom. My ex-boyfriend, Dylan Sparrow, was my pack’s Alpha. He was smug, feared, and used to getting whatever he wanted. He broke up with me to be with Alyssa, an Alpha’s daughter.

I push the memory aside and look at my new classmates.

Some lean back in their seats with their arms folded, looking bored. Others are busy on their phones. Lynn smiles at me, giving me an encouraging look that says, You’ve got this.

Then I notice Brianne. She’s filing her nails.

I’ve met her type before. The Shadow Academy has plenty of them.

“You can proceed, Miss Spears,” Mr. Dexter says.

I nod.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Rory Anne Spears. I moved to Angeles City from New York. I—”

The door opens, and I stop talking when I see the human boy from earlier, Chase Parker, walks in.

“Hello, Mr. Parker,” Mr. Dexter says loudly, which stops Chase. He raises his head and looks at him. Mr. Dexter checks his watch. “You are late for my class, Mr. Parker.”

“Practice, Mr. Dexter. We’ve got to warm up for today’s game.” He smiles, and his eyes meet mine before he heads to his seat in front of mine.

“Please continue, Miss Spears.”

I do. I tell them about my old school, repeating the story the Council prepared for me. Every word is a lie, but it’s the lie I’m supposed to live with now.

“Thank you for having me.”

The class applauds, and I return to my seat.

Chase faces the front for a moment before turning toward me. “Do you want to change seats?” I blink at him. Why is he talking to me? “You know, you won’t see or hear properly from there.”

“If that’s the reason, why would you give up your seat for me?” I ask.

“I—the—” He stutters.

“My sight and hearing are fine.”

“Mr. Parker, don’t bother the new girl,” Mr. Dexter says.

Chase turns forward.

Mathematics is going to be a nightmare. At my old school, we learned to hunt, survive, and control our wolves. Tommen was always the academic one while I flopped.

When the bell rings, Mr. Dexter assigns homework. The entire class groans.

"How was your first class?" Lynn asks afterward.

"Torture."

She laughs and offers to tutor me. I accept it gratefully.

The remaining classes pass slowly. In history, I learned about a war in a country I've never heard of. The human world is fascinating. It’s bigger than I imagined. 

Our worlds aren’t so different, after all. People here may not have supernatural ranks, but they’re still divided by wealth and status.

After the final bell rings, I go to my locker, place my books inside, and I’m about to close it when I catch the familiar scent of vanilla before I even see Lynn.

“Ready for the tour?” she asks.

“Ready.”

Lynn shows me the staff office, and then the gymnasium. I see so many girls dressed up and dancing. 

"That’s the cheer squad. Brianne leads them," she says. "Don't ever join. She's a mean bitch."

Outside, she points to an enormous tree at the far end of the field. “That tree is ancient. I heard witches were burned there for sinning.”

I turn to stare at her, my eyes widening. She bursts out laughing.

“Joke! Joke! Witches don’t exist.”

They do. I've lived and studied with them. But Lynn is human, and humans know nothing about our world.

“Hey, there’s a game tonight,” she says. “I think you should come.” I blink at her, waiting for an explanation. “Ice hockey.”

“What’s that?”

She stares at me as though I’ve said something ridiculous. “Didn’t your old school have hockey games?” I shake my head. “Well…” She clears her throat. “It’s kind of like football. You know football, right?”

I nod. Tommen has made it his new favorite thing to watch since he discovered it.

“Good. Hockey is similar, except it’s played on ice. Actual frozen ice. The boys wear protective gear and use sticks to hit a little puck into the net.” Her eyes move between mine. “It’s fun to watch. So, will you come?”

“Okay,” I agree. “What time?”

“Seven. You can hang out with me until then. I could even help you with your mathematics assignment while we wait.”

“I’d like that.”

~~~

Lynn and I finally finished the assignment. Mathematics is definitely not going to be something I’ll be adding to my favorite subjects.

"It's time," she announces.

We gather our things and head to the rink. The closer we get, the louder the noise becomes. People fill the seats, cheering and talking excitedly. I’m mesmerized by how it’s set up. I’ve never been to a place like this before. It’s actual frozen ice and the lights—

Lynn finds us two seats, and I settle into mine, staring at the enormous expanse of ice before us.

Eventually, the players begin to emerge, and the announcer introduces them as the Direwolves.

My eyes widen. Wolves?

I scan the players. I'm supposed to be the only werewolf here. That's what I've been told.

Was that why Chase kept staring at me earlier? Is he one of us?

But that doesn't make sense. I would've smelled it on him. He smelled completely normal, just like any other human.

"Are you okay?" Lynn asks, drawing me out of my thoughts.

I turn toward her, still struggling to make sense of what I've heard. "T-the Direwolves..."

"Yeah? That's their team name. The wolf on their jerseys represents the team. Strong?"

"So... they're not werewolves?"

She laughs, looking at me with a mixture of amusement and confusion. "Werewolves don't exist, Rory Anne. That's fantasy stuff. Like Teenwolf.” I blink at her. I don't understand what that means. A young wolf? “Well, they can be pretty brutal when they play, but it's just a game."

My body begins to relax. 

"You're really weird," Lynn says, grinning. "I like weird."

I turn my attention back to the rink. That's when I notice Chase Parker staring directly at me. 

Our eyes meet for a brief moment before he looks away and pulls his helmet on.

The game begins afterward. And brutal is an understatement. Each collision sends a strange vibration through my bones. The noise, and the violence, seem to awaken something deep inside me.

Pain tears through my body. I grip the edge of my seat, trying to stay still, but my fangs push out, and my talons tear free.

My ears grow painfully sensitive, picking up dozens of conversations at once. Every cheer, every shout, every scrape of a blade against the ice feels like a knife driven into my head.

Annie doesn't like this. She fights to get out, pushing against the fragile control I've always struggled to maintain.

I need to leave. Before I lose control. Before I hurt someone.

I stand.

"Are you okay?" Lynn asks, turning toward me in alarm. "Yeah, I know it can get pretty brutal, but—"

I don't wait for her to finish. I push past the people and hurry toward the exit.

I can't let Annie out. I've never mastered her, and I don't know what she'll do if I lose control here.

Finally, I make it outside. My heart nearly stops when I look up and see the full moon.

Shit!

How could I forget it was a full moon tonight?

My bones begin to crack and shift. A groan tears from my throat as the pain spreads through my body. This time, it is more painful than earlier. 

I run as fast as my legs can carry me, desperate to get away from the school before anyone sees what's happening.

Annie claws at the inside of my mind, fighting to break free.

I don't know how to let her out. I don't know how to control the transformation. All I know is that I need to reach the Council before it's too late.

I search for the familiar scent, desperately following it through the darkness. The closer I get, the stronger it becomes, guiding me toward the Council's region.

Then the familiar entrance comes into view. Relief floods me, but I barely have the strength to reach the door without struggling. 

I finally make it and pound against it with what little energy I have left, but my eyesight goes blurry and I fall.

The last thing I feel before everything goes dark is the cold ground beneath my cheek.