CHAPTER 10: MAKING ENEMIES ALREADY

CHAPTER 10: MAKING ENEMIES ALREADY

~ Harper’s POV ~

I randomly glanced toward the corner of the dining hall, back toward the stairway. There was a tall girl standing with two other girls who had their backs facing me. The tall girl, however, was drilling holes into my skull. She had blonde hair that was straight and shoulder length in color. Her skin was slightly tanned, it made her look like she was fresh from the beach. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she obviously was in a bad mood. Why was she staring at me? Maybe she is Tanner’s girlfriend.

Not wanting to make enemies so soon, I decided to ask Tanner.

“Um…that girl over there is looking at me. She doesn’t look happy, is she something to you?” he didn’t even turn around to look. In the middle of scraping his plate clean he ask,

“Does she have blonde hair?” Curiosity hit me, not understanding if we were talking about the same person.

“Yes, how did you know?” pushing his plate back he continued,

“Is she tall and slim, with two or more girls next to her? I bet she has her nose stuck straight in the air, that’s how stuck up she is.” stifling a laugh.

“Well… that could be anyone really, but I guess you could say that.” Tanner turned his whole body in his chair to look in the direction of the girl, not caring if she saw him looking. She gave him a look of pure hate and scorn.

“Yeah, that is Samantha. She and I have a past, but we broke up when I realized she had a thing for my best friend. You might know him; his name is Gabriel.” He looked at me with a grin.

 Understanding his joke, I smiled and nodded my head urging him to continue. “She feels entitled and lets everyone know it. Her parents have always catered to her every want. They don’t hurt for money, and they are close family friends of Gabriel’s parents. She has hated me ever since I called her out on how selfish and pacified she is. She stays uptight unless she is near Gabriel, always putting on an act.” I covered my mouth to conceal my laugh threatening to escape my mouth as he pretended to be her “oh, Gabe! Baby, this, baby, that.” Throwing his hands in the air in a dramatic way to exaggerate his imitation of Samantha. Not able to hold it in any longer, I burst out laughing. Not at her, but at how much he tried to act like her.

I don’t believe in judging other people before I have a chance to get to know them. Not that I don’t believe Beta Tanner about the way she is. I think maybe she has a good reason to be this way toward Tanner. Maybe there was a big misunderstanding.

“Don’t get me wrong, I tolerate her. I don’t dislike her because she is my ex, she just won't take no for an answer from Gabe. He is constantly avoiding her, going so far as to take the back stairway from his hallway to avoid running into her. His father has made him invite her to a few Galas and that only made her worse. He is nice to her though; Gabe is always a gentleman when it comes to women. He is just not interested in her that way. Her parents have begged the current Alpha and Luna to let Samantha be betrothed to Gabe. Once Gabe found out about what they were trying to do he lost his shit. He is a nice guy, but when he is mad you can tell he has alpha blood in him. The guy spews authority and he is only nineteen years old. Gabe’s mother and father would never make him take a mate that he wasn’t happy with. I know some packs still do that kind of thing though. That is one thing that I can say about our pack.

Our Alpha and Luna run a tight ship, but they are great leaders, and they care about their pack members. Everyone is treated equally from humans, to Omegas, and Warriors to wolves with higher rankings like me. The only difference is the authority. The Alpha and Luna always give respect, but they also demand it in return. The only family who act like they are on the same level as the alpha and Luna is Samantha and her family. For some reason they still believe that Gabe will be mated to her.”

I swallowed back a hint of jealousy that tried to rear its ugly head. I am not going to become territorial over a wolf that I hardly know. Sure, I am attracted to alpha Gabriel. He is hot as hell. I am not here to play with boys. I am focused on myself and proving myself worthy of being part of this pack. I would not interfere with Gabe and Samantha’s relationship. After finishing our meal, we cleaned our table. Not because we had to, but because it was the right thing to do. Just because there are people to keep up the dining hall, doesn’t mean you should skip helping when you can. I silently admired Beta Tanner’s courtesy to wolves ranked lower than him. This was a trait that I always found attractive. Someone who was nice even when it was inconvenient to them, was proof of a big heart.

Taking his elbow once more Beta Tanner led me toward the stairway. He probably thought I was ready to get to my room, and he would be right. I am so tired not only physically but mentally. I could use a long nap.

As we got closer to Samantha and the other girls with her, I realized just how ugly it was as she let her mood and personality reflect onto her face. If she would only soften her features, she would be a pretty lady.

“Who is this?” Samantha asks Tanner. Not stopping to talk.

“Didn’t you get Alpha Titus’s announcement through your link? This is Harper, she became a part of our pack only this morning.” Turning to look at her so I could properly greet her caused Tanner to stop walking.

“Hi, it is nice to meet you. Tanner told me your name is Samantha.” With a friendly smile I extended my hand expecting her to shake it, but she didn’t! I thought with a frown that I didn’t let it reach my eyes.

Straightening my shoulders and clearing my face of all emotion I was prepared to find out what this girl’s problem is with me.

“Hahaha, it’s another rogue who has wandered into our borders. Another puppy that alpha Titus has taken in. Please, try not to drag the pack down. It is a shame that this has been a constant in this pack. Taking in a rogue only reduces the funds that are supposed to be used for real pack members only.” Laughing and looking at the other girls with her, she was seeking their approval of the shade she had just thrown at me.

Heat flooded my face, this time I was blinded by my anger. Wolf or not I will tear her head off! I stepped forward with my finger pointed straight in her face about to give her a piece of my mind. Before I could get started, large arms wrapped around my waist and dragged me toward the stairway.

I heard Samantha’s wicked witch laugh the whole time Beta Tanner was dragging me to my floor. He finally let me go. Gathering myself and adjusting my clothes I stood straight and glared at Tanner. He had a smirk on his face. I know he was just amused by me. I am little but I can handle myself.

I started to calm down as I stared at Tanner, his amused look never leaving his face.

“I tried to keep walking; I knew she was going to say something like that. But I didn’t expect that reaction out of you. It looked like you were about to explode and spit lava all over her face!” bending over Tanner’s laugh filled the space of the hallway. His reaction finally got the best of me, and I giggled at him.

“I guess it is a good thing that you drug me up the stairs when you did. It would be a real shame if I lost my temper my first day here.”

Tanner raised up, his face red from laughing so hard

“Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see you give her a piece of your mind. But Sam is one of our strongest female warriors. She is a lot taller than you. I really don’t want to see you get hurt. Plus, she is only acting that way because you are prettier than her. She is afraid Gabriel is going to show someone else more attention than her.” I stared at Tanner. I was shocked that he would write me off so quickly, before even seeing me in training. I decided against telling him just how easily I could knock Samantha down a few feet. I would show him when the chance is given to me during training. “I bet her huge ego won’t be able to handle you the day of the eclipse celebration. It is formal wear only. Sam will stroke out when she sees you all dressed up. You are beautiful anyway, but I bet you’re a stunner all dressed up.”

“Wait, formal celebration?” This was my first-time hearing about it.

“Yes, Alpha Titus has been planning it for months now. We are paying tribute to our Moon Goddess. It is a huge party, all of our ally packs are expected to be here.” Said Tanner with excitement in his eyes.

“Oh, I hadn’t heard.” I thought about ways to get out of going to such an event so soon after being accepted into this pack. It would be a really great way to meet pack members though. I just don’t have a dress for such an event.

I hugged Beta Tanner and thanked him for keeping me company for the last few hours. I opened my door, before I walked into my room, I turned to give him one last smile. He briefly smiled back at me, it looked as if he was communicating with someone through the mind link. It is normal to us but would be confusing still to humans who don’t know that werewolves are real. I shut the door to my room. With my back pressed up against the door, I let out a long sigh. It was almost like a breath that I had been holding. I looked around the room…my room. I knew I wouldn’t be a prisoner to Alpha Thane forever, I would escape through death if I had to. Right now, standing in this room, realization hit. I was on my own. Sure, I have a pack again, and they are all nice and welcoming. This is me on my own for the first time. I am not captive, and my parents are no longer here to support me. It is up to me to take care of myself. I let the tears finally fall, remembering the loss of my parents was so hard but I must grieve to heal. If I don't live and thrive for myself, I will do it for them. If nothing else, it almost feels like not letting Alpha Thane win. That made me smile. With tears still falling, I straightened my shoulders and allowed myself to accept this room. By accepting my room, I was also accepting my new pack….my new life.