6

MAYA

My blood boils as Ethan's fingers protectively dig into my arm. Where was he when I was being harassed by them?

The only reason I was here is because he asked me to see him!!

The principal immediately helps Victoria to her feet and holds a handkerchief over her bleeding.

“What is the manner with you girls?! Why have you suddenly become feral?” He demands to know in annoyance.

“Principal Jerry, it's not our fault! It's this savage from silver moon pack! She lured us into this place and suddenly attacked us!” Natalie says.

Seeing them heap such a heavy lie on me makes me immediately burst into tears.

The principal is a werewolf, and he knows that one percent of the students here are humans, and so we must continue to keep it secret.

Thankfully, the students that have seen this fight are all werewolves.

“Everyone, keep your mouth shut and return back to your classes. I will take Victoria to the nurse, and the three of you better be waiting in my office when I get there!”

Everyone walks out of the basketball court. I push my hair away from my face.

Ethan holds a handkerchief to me. “I should have come sooner, but the coach was holding me up.”

“Yeah, and that's bad luck for me because those mean girls got me and now I have been summoned to the principal's office!” I mutter.

“Don't blame me, monkey, I wasn't the one who asked you to hit the daughter of a dictator alpha!”

“If you had been here none of that would have happened, Ethan!” I yell back at him.

He winces as soon as those words leave my mouth. He is used to me calling him an asshole, that it has turned to an endearing nickname that he has come to enjoy.

Me using his real name shows just how much I am mad at him.

He massages the side of his temple with his eyes shut.

“Don't worry, monkey, I will take care of everything.”

“That's what you said the last time and look at the mess I am in!” I snarl as I walk out.

I walk straight to the principal's office, and I meet Natalie and Grace sitting outside, waiting too.

They are whispering to each other, but they stop as soon as they see me, and they glare. They probably have a plan already in place to make me the culprit of this entire thing.

“Hey, Ethan, what are you doing here? The principal didn't ask you to wait.” Grace frowns her face.

I turn my neck to see Ethan leaning against the wall, right beside me.

“I got into the court faster because I used the backdoor, and I saw what happened. The principal will need the account of a witness.”

The girls screw their faces. “What? That's unfair! You are her stepbrother and you are going to speak in favour of her!”

“Then maybe you girls should have thought of that before picking on her.” He shrugs.

The receptionist opens the door and regards all of us before adjusting her glasses. “The principal will see all of you.”

We all walk into the office in a single file, and Ethan follows behind, closing the door afterwards.

The principal picks up his pen, and angrily starts to scribble on a piece of paper. “Maya, I accepted you into this school because your mother and stepdad promised that you are a good girl, but it appears that you are a huge trouble maker. Victoria's father is coming, and I need you to call your parents and inform them of what has happened. I hope this doesn't turn into a huge problem for your pack…”

My heart skips a couple of beats, I remember my mother warning me not to get into trouble, or draw attention to myself.

My eyes swell with tears, and I turn to Ethan. Will he just allow this to happen to me?

Ethan moves forward and pushes me behind him protectively.

“Principal, I think that you are making a grave mistake. I have lived for almost a year with my step sister, and I know that she is not a troublemaker. This is unjust.”

“Sir, please don't listen to him. We saw her attack Victoria, even though we cried and begged her not to.”

“We are going to pretend that I didn't watch you girls try to shift and attack Maya? Have you forgotten that it's forbidden to do it on school grounds, except during sports?”

Principal Jerry's eyebrows knot. “You girls did what?!”

The girls immediately turns white with fear. “Sir, it's a lie! Ethan is trying to get his stepsister out of trouble!”

“Is that so? Then you girls won't mind the principal going through the camera footage in the basketball court?”

They try to speak to defend themselves, but they burst into tears. Shifting in school when it's not training hours can get students suspended. They are in deep trouble.

The principal hits his hands on the table. He is frustrated because he doesn't know the best way to handle this.

Everyone knows Alpha Ray, and he could kill someone if he comes here and finds out that a fellow student hurt his daughter.

“Please, principal, don't call our parents! They are going to punish us if we get kicked out of school!” Grace goes down on her knees to beg.

The principal heaves as he stands up. “Trust me, no one wants to deal with Alpha Ray because he is reckless. All of you are at fault, so this is how it's going to be You all will walk away from this with two weeks of after-school detention, if you promise to never allow this to happen again!”

Grace and Natalie immediately nods strongly. “Yes, sir! We will never do such a thing again!”

The principal nods with satisfaction, before turning to me with a crooked eyebrow.

“I will accept detention, sir. I won't get into trouble again.” I sigh, looking down.

“Good.” The principal says. “I will go to speak to Victoria and convince her to tell her father she got into a sporting accident. She will be excused from detention because her injury is enough punishment. The three of you will report to the library tomorrow to clean up the place and mend old books. That's your punishment.”