Chapter 5

Aria.

I was late. I was so late.

My shoes pounded against the silent hallway as I rushed to my first class, clutching my book to my chest as I ran.

I had spent the last fifteen minutes wandering through this moon goddess forsaken school, trying to find Room 105 where my first class was being held.

And finally I stood in front of the door, I sucked in a deep breath before I pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The moment I did, all eyes turned to me and the room fell silent.

Nice entrance, Aria!

The room was filled with about twenty students all dressed in their sharp navy blue blazers and dark blue ties, sitting perfectly at their desks. It felt like a cult how orderly they were.

I swallowed hard and turned to the teacher who stood in front of the class. A tall woman with a gray fitted dress and hair pulled back in a slick bun and sharp, cold gray eyes that glared at me.

“You’re late.” She said flatly and I nodded, chuckling nervously as I pushed my glasses further up my nose.

“I’m sorry. I got lost.” I answered softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

A few students snickered.

The teacher, her name tag read ‘Mrs Alden’, narrowed her eyes slightly. “Lost?” She asked, a faint smile curling her lips as she shook her head. “I guess it’s obvious since Silverwood wolves do lack a sense of proper direction.”

The room erupted into laughter and I felt the heat crawl at the back of my neck as I resisted the urge to glare back at her.

“Well. Since that can’t be helped, why don’t you go ahead and introduce yourself to the class.”

My stomach twisted, I had always hated introductions.

“Uhm…my name is Aria Langston. And I’m from the Silverwood pack.”

“Now let me guess. You’re an omega aren’t you? You know, one of the weak ones?” A voice interrupted me.

I stiffened.

A girl sat in the front row, twirling a long strand of platinum blonde hair around her manicured fingers. She wore a different kind of uniform, and it was obvious she was in the cheerleading team. A short skirt and crop top that showed her perfect skin. Her name tag read;

Mia Carter.

Rank 2

Strength: 6/10

The class erupted into laughter again and I felt my cheek hurt and I glanced at the teacher, expecting her to intervene but she said nothing as another girl joined in. She was seated beside Mia in the same cheerleading uniform. She had short wavy pink hair.

I looked down at her name tag and she eyed me carefully.

Tasha Greene.

Rank 2.

Strength: 5/10

They both looked flawless in perfect makeup, and legs crossed and straight posture like they were in a magazine shoot.

“Of course Mia. That’s what it says on her name tag. A tiny omega with barely enough strength to move a table.” She spat at me, sending me a sly smirk.

I squared my shoulders, my eyes narrowing as I opened my mouth to speak. “Well at least I don’t need a number on my chest to feel important.”

The room went silent for a moment and I saw Mia’s smile falter and just as Tasha opened her mouth to retort, the teacher cut in.

“Enough! Aria Langston it’s only your first day here and you are already causing trouble. That would be detention for you after school. Take a seat and don’t disturb the class again.”

I gave her a soft glare. Of course I was the one causing trouble and not the two perfect demonic Barbies in front of me. I shook my head and started to make my way to the back where one desk and chair sat.

As I headed to the back, someone stuck their foot out and I didn’t have enough time to avoid it. I stumbled almost immediately and crashed into the floor. The whole class erupted into laughter, the sound sharp and mocking and I felt tears gather at the end of my eyes.

My knees stung immediately but my pride and self confidence burned even more. I blinked back the tears, refusing to let them see me cry. Pushing myself up, I grabbed my books and adjusted my backpack and shuffled to the last desk at the end of the room, a lonely and isolated spot that felt like it had been reserved just for me. The outcast.

The stray.

As I sat down, I caught Mia’s eye. She smirked at me, her black eyes glittering with malice.

“Welcome to Ravencrest, stray. I’m sure you’re going to love it here.” She said, her voice low enough so that Mrs Alden didn’t catch it as she wrote something on the whiteboard.

I leaned closer against my desk. “Thanks for the warm welcome. I’ll be sure to return the favor.”

Her smirk faltered for a second before she quickly recovered it, flipping her perfectly blonde hair over her shoulder. “We’ll see just how long you last.”

Mrs Alden clapped, drawing everyone’s attention back to her. “Now before we continue, I have a very special announcement to make and I would need you all to listen.” She started.

“As part of Ravencrest’s effort to integrate the Silverwood wolves into our pack, the board of directors and teachers have introduced a new school contribution program. This program allows the Silverwood wolves to earn privileges, such as their own personal room instead of sharing with their fellow pack members. They can contribute to the school to earn these benefits. This could include tutoring, assisting with any events in the school or any other task that is deemed appropriate by the faculty.”

The class erupted into a series of rumors as a few of the students shot me disapproving glances.

“Excuse me?” I said as Mrs Alden rolled her eyes at me immediately.

“Miss Langston. We don’t speak like that here. We raise her hands first and I would give you permission to speak. I don’t know how asking questions is done at your own school but we do things very differently at Ravencrest. You should find that out soon.”

I raised my hand, ignoring the way some students laughed at me and Mrs Alden nodded at me. A sly smirk on her lips.

“What kind of tasks are we talking about and who decides what’s appropriate?”

“Tasks are assigned based on your skills and the needs of the school. As for who decides, it would be me or the rest of the faculty. But you Miss Langston should be considering tutoring. According to your files, it says you were one of the brightest students back at your old school. I’m sure some Ravencrest students should find that useful. As some of our students mainly focus on physical training and strength based tasks. It would be good if we can balance both their training and their school activities and that’s where you come in. Just food for thought.” She finished, raising her brows as if to ask if I was done.

But I was far from finished. “So we teach the Ravens and then we get our own rooms? Even at school we are still at your mercy. Am I right Mrs Alden?”

Her face turned red immediately and her eyes glared at me as a few students snickered around me.

“Miss Langston, you are more than welcome to decline if you have a problem with the program. That is if you don’t mind sharing your personal space with your friends.” She said and I clenched my jaw but didn’t respond.

The rest of my classes passed like a blur, the teachers had been very mean to me and the students weren’t any better. While some of them had been a bit curious about me, the others just didn’t acknowledge my presence. And thankfully, I didn’t see Mia or Tasha in any of my classes again.

I had one of my classes with my pack member and though we weren’t close, we managed to say hi and sit together for the session.

It didn’t take long for the bell to ring as I had practically zoned out of class during her teachings. If there was something I had realized, it was that Ravencrest syllabus was a few weeks behind ours. So I already knew everything they had been talking about.

As the bell rang, I grabbed my bags and books and looked down at my schedule to find out it was time for lunch. I sighed in relief. I couldn’t believe I was only half way through the day. It seemed like I had been here for three days and the time seemed to pass by very slowly.

I was finally going to see Lila and Maya. I wondered how her first classes had been. I made a mental note to ask Maya what her attitude had been all about concerning my locker in the hallway.

I headed down the hallways, following the other students as they all walked in the same direction that I assumed was the cafeteria. My thoughts went back to the school contribution program. It was a good idea to have my own room but the thought of being a personal tutor to one of the Ravens sent chills down my spine. If they were anything like Mia, Tasha or even Kai Blackthorn that I had met earlier, then I didn’t want to tutor them.

Kai Blackthorn.

At the thought of his name, I felt my right arm sting in pain where that black wolf had bitten me. I ignored it as I heard loud noises in front of me as I came to the entrance of the cafeteria.

It was huge!

Students filled the room, there was clattering of trays, loud clatter and occasional bursts of laughter. It was massive with high ceilings and long tables filled with Ravens. The air smelt of spicy food and my stomach grumbled. I scanned at the doors for any sight of Lila and Maya but didn’t see any of them. I leaned against the doors on the end of the entrance so they could easily see me when they arrived.

I looked around, spotting a few of my pack members. They looked so out of place, it was obvious that we didn’t fit in. With our separate uniforms and our heads down and our confused faces, it was obvious that we felt like outcasts.

My heart ached as I felt tears gather at the end of my eyes at the sight of my people. Wrenched away from our pack and forced to live with the enemy. Was there any fate worse than that?

I guess there was because I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned to face Kai Blackthorn.

He was even more intimidating up close, his piercing blue eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my breath hitch. His blonde hair was slightly messy, like he’d just run his fingers through it, and his blazer hung open, revealing the crisp white shirt underneath. He looked like he’d just stepped out of a magazine, and it was infuriating.

“Lost again, little omega?” He asked, his voice low and teasing as he stood in front of some other students who were in similar jerseys as him. I assumed they were all members of the school football or something. I couldn’t figure out what sport it was.

“I’m waiting for someone.” I said sharply.

“Who? Your little stray friends?”

“As a matter of fact. Yes.” I responded as he smirked at me, a sharp ache pulsed through my right shoulder, right where the black wolf had bitten me. I winced, my hand instinctively reaching for the spot. Kai’s eyes flicked to my shoulder, and for a moment, his smirk faded completely. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but before he could, a voice interrupted.

“Kai, let’s go. We’ve got practice after lunch.”

I turned to see Ryder Hale standing a few feet away, his hazel eyes cold and assessing as they flicked between me and Kai. He looked every bit as dangerous as Kai, but where Kai was all arrogance and charm, Ryder was quiet intensity.

Kai glanced at Ryder, then back at me, his smirk returning. “Duty calls,” he said, his tone light but his eyes lingering on me for a moment longer. “Don’t get into too much trouble, little omega.”

I glared at him, my shoulder still throbbing. “I’ll try not to.”

He chuckled, low and dark, before turning to follow Ryder. The two of them walked away, their presence commanding the room like they owned it.

My stomach twisted as they walked into the cafeteria and some students stepped out of the way for him.

Something was up with him. He had an aura of power around him and whatever it was, my shoulder seemed to sting whenever he was around me. It felt like I was in a dangerous game.

And if I wasn’t careful, I’d get burned.

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