Chapter 2: The Academy

It was a 2 hour car ride to get to Shadow Academy. Rain gasped at how beautiful the beautiful scenery leading to the place that she would begin her training as a guardian. The facility was deep into a wooden area that lacked any sign of homes or businesses. She didn’t see any sign of other people for miles. It was the pack’s custom to have the training facility located in an isolated area to prevent distractions. The Elites wanted their trainees disciplined and focused on training. Rain received an Introductory Pamphlet after she had gotten accepted into the program. She read it three times to ensure she knew what to expect and what to avoid. She wanted to be sure she didn’t break any rules and wasn’t kicked out of the program. She had been kicked out of several schools and programs because she had always been quick tempered. She had gotten into several fights in school from being bullied about her past that led to her being expelled from all schools in the pack as a child. Emma was forced to home school Rain until she started high school. The Elites eventually allowed her to return to the school her last two years of high school. Emma promised them that Rain was mature enough to return and promised the she would not cause anymore harm or issues on school grounds if she was allowed to return. Rain kept her promise to Emma and stayed out of trouble, even though the bullying about Rain being adopted continued in her final high school years. She hated that she had to suck it up and take the cruel words that the other students often spoke to her.

Rain stared out the window at all the abundance of trees leading to the academy, frowning at all the bad memories she encountered throughout her life. She hoped that things would change now that she was considered an adult.

According to the Introductory Pamphlet sent to her after being accepted into the guardianship program, all trainees were basically only allowed to eat, sleep, and go to their classes. Rain was shocked when she read about the severity of the punishments that would be enforced if rules were broken. They were forbidden from fighting outside of training arenas, no parties were allowed on the facility grounds, and it was forbidden to date other trainees or have sexual relationships. Rules were rules. It was also enforced that males and females were not allowed to be around one another unless it during lunch or in a training class. It seemed as if the program’s goal was for trainees only to focus on the tasks given to them.

Rain wasn’t fond of dating at the moment. Every time she attempted to date anyone, she was cheated on, used, or heartbroken. She wasn’t a virgin, and she had just gotten out of a year and a half relationship with another guardian named Eric Price. Emma had forced her to go to the fundraiser so she’d get use to socializing with other pack members. Rain knew Emma wanted her to be comfortable around the other pack members. She wanted her daughter to be confident enough to push past the whispers and conversations about her. However, Rain never felt confident facing anyone. After all the years of being bullied and tormented, she felt as if she were broken into small pieces. She had isolated herself at the fundraiser, but Eric approached her and was nothing but kind to her. She remembered that day as if it were yesterday. That day he had made her laugh, something no one had done in a long time. They went out on dates, they had a lot of sex, and they even talked about building a life together.

Eric came from a powerful family full of guardians. They always made it clear that they would never accept Rain into their family. Eric had been everything she wanted in a boyfriend. He was viewed as charming, sexy, smart, and incredibly strong. Because his family was cruel to her, Eric told her that he didn’t want them near her. Rain knew now that she had been stupid enough to believe him. She thought he had been protecting her from his family, but she later learned that it all was a lie. She discovered who he was on the day she built up courage to go to his family home regardless of their treatment of her. She wanted to surprise him for his birthday. No one answered the door that day when Rain tried knocking. So, she walked in even though she knew they wouldn’t approve of what she had done. That was when she walked in on Eric fucking the Gamma leader’s daughter, Monica. He had been fucking her on the edge of his living room couch, her legs wrapped around him. That was when Rain realized that Eric didn’t love her. Monica screamed when she saw Rain standing in the doorway, both of them quickly scrambling to redress. Eric rushed over to Rain, apologizing and pleading with her to forgive him. Rain couldn’t believe what she had just seen, but she didn’t cry even though that’s what her body wanted her to do. Instead, she felt rage and hit Eric so hard he flew into a wall. The force she used to strike him caused a deep hole in the wall. She looked down at her hands, surprised by her strength. Monica made a smart ass remark, which made Rain lose her shit. Not only did Rain beat the shit out of Monica that day, she destroyed everything that reminded her of Eric in that house.

That was a memory that Rain wished she could forget. She hated what Eric had done to her. He betrayed her in the worst possible way, but Rain was determined to move on. Eric occasionally called her to beg for her forgiveness, but she wasn’t falling into that trap again. Besides, he wasn’t her mate anyway, so why should she give a fuck? Rain was positive that she would never love again nor did she want to love anyone the way she loved him. After that day she began having meaningless uncommitted sex after her disastrous break up.

Rain shook the bad memory from her mind. She sat up straight in her seat and took a deep breath. At the end of a dirt road, large black gates appeared. On the front of those gates was the Shadow Pack’s symbol, so they had finally arrived at the academy. Entering the facility gates, there were fields of beautiful gardens on both sides of the road. It took Emma ten minutes just to reach a beautifully constructed mansion. Rain witnessed dozens of candidates standing outside having conversations as they held onto their luggage. The front doors hadn’t opened yet, so Rain dreaded having to wait outside like a loner. She knew she was never welcomed by anyone she encountered. She hoped that this new experience would be more a more pleasant encounter with her peers.

The car stopped and Rain felt her heart start to race. She assured herself that she was courageous enough to fit in. As soon as she stepped out the vehicle, several eyes were on her. She couldn’t understand why everyone was looking at her. She was tired of being afraid. She suddenly got a feeling she could describe when she stepped out of Emma’s car. She felt a warmth that made her feel safe. She couldn’t understand why she was feeling that way, but she seemed to not be afraid anymore. She then made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t let the pack bring her down. Not anymore.

“Good luck sweetheart. I’m only a call away,” Emma told her and Rain turned to look at her mother sitting in the driver’s seat. She wasn’t going to see her for a long time and she would miss her.

“Thanks Mom. I love you.” Rain told her, removing her luggage from the car.

“I love you more,” Emma told her. Rain smiled and closed the car door, watching Emma drive off. Rain could hear whispers surrounding her. She looked around her and saw several people watching her closely. She knew they were talking about her, but she wouldn’t let words hurt her. She had to remain strong and she needed to make her mother proud. So, she found a place to sit and she played a game on her phone. She would try to keep herself occupied while she waited for the Shadow Academy doors to open.

“I heard Alpha Leo’s son is fucking sexy.” Rain heard a girl say nearby. She couldn’t stop herself from looking up to see a pretty red headed girl in a mini skirt talking to a tall and pretty blonde with blue eyes. The blond girl glanced at Rain as if she felt her stare, so Rain quickly looked back down at her phone. As she continued to play on her phone, she continued to listen to the two girls talk.

“You just broke up with another boyfriend Jenna. Don’t get me wrong, but I’m sure Tony’s only looking for a quick fuck. Don’t waist your time. You like to have boyfriends. I wonder why he’s standing there over by that tree away from everyone. I did hear that he’s the strongest of the Elites in our age group and he’s next in line to be The Alpha,” The pretty blonde responded to Jenna.

“Kylie, you think all guys want a quick fuck. You’re no fun,” Jenna told her.

“Monica’s always all over him any way. She’s a real bitch and such a slut. See. She’s over there with him now. I’m sure he’s fucking her,” Kylie, the pretty blonde, stated.

Rain knew she shouldn’t have been listening to their conversation, but she was curious about Alpha Leo’s son. She heard many stories about him being undefeated in all his combat classes. When Kylie mentioned Monica, Rain started to feel rage just by the sound of her name. Monica was in her presence, and that pissed her off. Rain finally looked over to where Kylie pointed and saw the most handsome guy leaning against a tree talking with Monica. Kylie had been right. Tony was drop dead gorgeous and his smile sent chills all over Rains body. Something about him made her hot and bothered, and she caught herself not breathing for a second. As if he felt her stare, he suddenly looked right over at Rain. Monica was still talking with him, but he was looking directly at her. His stare made Rain’s heart begin to race. She knew she should look away, but their eyes just seemed to lock together. Rain all of a sudden wanted to be near him, which made her feel uneasy. His aura was powerful. Like any other Elite, he was dressed to impress. He wore a black collared button up shirt that fit his muscular chest. Rain wondered if he had a 6 pack underneath his shirt. It was clear that he was in top shape as if he worked out. He also wore nice slacks and shoes, his brown hair slicked back. The way he looked at Rain started to make her wonder what he was thinking in that moment.

“Rain?” A familiar voice spoke. That’s when Rain felt her blood begin to boil. She instantly broke eye contact from Tony, her feelings of rage making her aura glow red. She was so angry she was beginning to lose control of her wolf by the voice that spoke her name. That voice was by the one person she didn’t want to speak to. She looked up and there stood Eric. He was the last person she wanted to see, but she wasn’t surprised he was at the Shadow Academy. After all, it wasn’t a surprise that he had been chosen to enter the guardianship program due to his family status. Rain stared at him angrily. Why did he feel the need to approach her when he knew she wanted nothing to do with him? Just Fucking Great.