BULLIES!

ARIA

I grab the file from the floor and escape through the glass window on the wall. By the time the guards barge into the documents room, I am gone like the wind.

Thankfully, no one caught my sight, but I could only get one file. Still, it was enough.

As the siren turns off, the silence once again envelops the area. I stand at the window, peeking at the main building through binoculars.

The guards are leaving, following Mrs. Amina. Despite hearing the loud siren, no one stepped out of the dorm. Either everyone is too strict with rules or they simply trust the guards.

After almost two hours of dead silence, I sneak out of my room and head to the huge wall surrounding the entire academy.

Scanning the woods around me, my feet climb the wall and jump on the other side.

“You okay?” Victor whispers.

I nod my head and pass him the file.

“Just one?” His eyes go wide.

“A siren buzzed up and the guards barged into the room. Luckily, I escaped.”

“Fine! I'll hand this over to Toby but try to get all the files before next week. Amina has appointed someone from the pack to redesign the documents room next Saturday.”

“We don't have much time, Aria!” He rests his palm on my shoulder.

A breath slips free of my lips.

“Also, take this.” He slides his palm from my shoulder and passes me a burner phone.

“Call or text me with this phone.”

The Wolves Academy is in the middle of the woods, isolated from everything. There's no network and technologies that require screens don't work because of the huge trees blocking signals from all four directions.

Amina is protecting her students from getting distracted by the outside world.

“Will this phone work?”

“I have fitted a small network tower near the woods, but only this phone will connect to that network.”

“Wow! You're incredible!”

“What other shady things have you been doing behind Lozark Aylestone?”

“Well, I am just an old man with many talents. These shady things earn me a good sum to support my old age.” A smirk comes across his face, proud.

“No wonder your enemies wanted to kill you years ago.”

He coughs, throwing the smirk off his face.

“Now, go back to your room.” He clenches the file tightly in his grip.

***

The next morning…

I am lost in the long hallways. Well, I know all the important rooms, but I forgot to pay attention to the classrooms. Moreover, the students are pretty rude, ignoring me as if I am a ghost walking among them.

“Excuse me…” A student doesn't even let me finish and walks away.

“Will you please tell me where section A is?”

“Ask someone else!” A girl walks past me, bumping into my shoulder.

*God! What's wrong with everyone?*

Each one of them is ignoring me, and I can't see Ezek anywhere. He was the only one who talked to me nicely.

*Hunting down a wolf is much easier than talking to students here!*

I see a group of girls near the stairs, chatting and laughing. My feet walk over to them, drawing their attention.

“Excuse me?”

“Yes?” The blonde in the middle responds.

“Ehm…Could you please tell me where Section A is? I'm getting late for my first class.”

They pass each other a glance.

“Of course, sweetie.” She comes closer to me and wraps her arm around my shoulders.

*Finally! Someone sane.*

“What’s your name?” She asks politely.

“Hailey Randle.”

“Randle…Ah! The adopted girl.”

I am slightly taken aback. That's the name the academy chose for me. Wow! Just wow!

“Come, let me take you to your class.”

My steps quietly follow her and her friends. Ascending the stairs and then going down the long hallway, they pause at a left turn.

“That's your class, sweetie.”

“Thank you so much for your help.”

She smiles, crossing her arms over her chest.

Leaving them behind, I enter the class, and my heart drops to my stomach seeing the sight before me. It's not a classroom but a private restroom for athletes.

Half of them are walking around shirtless while the others are in towels.

“Well…What do we have here?” One of them shouts, and all the heads turn to me.

I instantly turn to the door to escape but it’s locked. My ears can hear the giggling of those girls from outside.

*Shit! What the hell!*

In a blink, whispers fill the room.

“What? You were craving bodies?” Someone speaks from the crowd.

“The door is locked. The girls outside fooled me with the direction.” I answer, keeping my gaze on the knob, my back facing them.

“This isn't the first time a girl tried this. You must have told your friends to play the trick to get our attention, didn't you?”

“We're bored hearing the same story over and over again that someone tricked me.”

*It seems those girls have done the same thing with others. Now, these boys think I'm the villain, playing a trick.*

Suddenly, a heavy palm on my shoulder turns me around and aggressively pins me against the door. He has evil dark eyes.

“Keep your excuses to yourself.” He whispers.

“Get your hand off my shoulder!” I order.

“Why? You don't want this?” He chuckles.

If I want I can handle them all alone and even break the door with a single punch, but Victor told me to act weak and not to attract unnecessary attention.

“This is all a misunderstanding, please.” My voice requests.

He moves his lips closer to my neck and sniffs the skin around my neck. His warm breathing touching my skin stirs doubts in me.

“W-What are you doing?”

He looks into my eyes again, undressing me with his gaze.

“Have you found your mate?”

I stay quiet, closing my fingers into a fist.

“It seems you don't have one yet. How about I take you right here in front of everyone?”

“Don't you dare…”

“What can you do?” He slides his hand from my shoulder and places his fingers inches above my cleavage.

“This is going to be fun.”