2

ZAC’S POV

“Sure you have everything you need?” Hillary asked, popping his head into my room.

I was pissed. This wasn’t in the cards for me for the end of the year. All of a sudden, my mother buys a house in Louiseville and wants her boys to move in with her.

My room was almost spare, save for the furniture. Our mother had made sure everything was packed in boxes and shipped half way across the country. All I had to do was pack the clothes I wanted to have with me until the U-haul with the rest of our things would arrive.

I cocked my head back to look at my brother, my eyes bored. “I need this house but you don’t have any idea how I can pack it up, yeah?” I asked.

Hillary smiled, folding his hands across his chest. “You’re just mad that you won’t be able to host your stupid end of semester parties anymore,” he replied.

That had to be my main reason why I hated this whole arrangement. The party was supposed to be here in two days but that’s all out the window. It briefly hurt my ego but I was going to do something bigger when we got back to school.

Still, I wasn’t going to let my brother hold something over me.

I stepped forward, pulling my luggage and shoving it into him, hard. “Correction, I won’t be able to host my end of semester parties here anymore. I’ll just have to find somewhere much better. And rip out your tongue while I’m at it.” I grabbed his collar, forcing my eyes to glow blue; the sign of my authority as a predator wolf.

Hillary smirked, happy to have pushed my buttons. He held up both hands in surrender. “Fiesty as ever, little brother,” he replied.

“Call me a little again and I’ll remind you why I’m student President,” a smile grazed my lips as I saw him frown. I lifted the corner of my lips just enough for my growing canine to peak out.

Hillary was a year older than me but he’d lost the elections to me, if you can call it that. He barely held wind against me. He also lost his final chance to be President. He’s already in sixth year at the Academy.

I must have hit a sore spot because Hillary hit his final move. He furrowed my hair, messing it up. I growled at him and slapped his arm away. “You’re such a child,” I replied, leaving the room.

My phone beeped and I paused, seeing a text from my father: You’re only going to be gone for Christmas. When you return to the academy, we continue training.

My body instantly reacted, muscles tightening. My back suddenly felt like it was on fire even though I wasn’t in pain anymore. My father had scarred me more than my body could heal.

“Is that Dad?” Hillary asked, noticing my reaction to the text.

“No,” I lied about to pocket my phone when I got another notification. REALELEANOR is live now. She was posting directly through Bateview Academy social media platform. Here, anything goes. Not even the principal or the teachers have a say on here. Everyone, except me.

I clicked on the notification and immediately, I saw the plus size student that has been the target of most of my bored antics. She filled my screen, two of Eleanor’s friends holding her down in a stall. Her grey eyes are wide, black hair falling around her face. She looked scared and she was obviously still in school.

Eleanor poured milk over her, laughing as it happened. For some reason, the scene sent a feeling roaring through my body. It felt uncomfortable and unsettling. Why was I, Zac Ackerman, affected by this video?

Hillary looked over my shoulder at the video. “Isn’t that the omega that can’t manifest her wolf? What was her name again? Darla? Diane?”

“Daphne,” I replied, slipping my phone back into my pocket and taking a step forward.

“Aren’t you going to do something about them? It’s literally the last day of the semester. Can’t the girl have some peace?”

I shrugged, reaching the head of the stairs. “It’s not my concern. Tell that to Eleanor.”

“Hey, you better wait for me. We have the same flight!” Hillary yelled after me and I heard him walking off to his room.

It was really not my business what Eleanor and her girls decided to do with their time. And I really didn’t care about the omega. In an academy where your family, money, status and position as a wolf matter, Daphne was basically useless to me.

I only used her to set an example of what happens if you fall down the social hierarchy.

“Master Zachary,” the butler said, taking my luggage from me and leading me to where the car was parked. We passed by the large Christmas tree set up close to the stairs and I was reminded of the season; the gifts, the happiness, the families reuniting together and filling the airports.

It was my worst holiday.

Thomas loaded it into the back of the car and handed me the keys. “Are you well?”

I grunted out a reply as I got in.

Understanding that I was not in the mood to talk, Thomas bowed, “Save travels, Master Zachary.”

I said nothing. Thomas knew everything about me, down to the scars on my fingers. And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to talk to him because one person was invading my thoughts rent free. I sped out of the Ackerman estate, swerving into the road.

I glanced at the rearview mirror to make sure I wasn’t followed. However, I noticed the familiar dark green of my brother’s Audi speeding up to catch up to me. I smirked and stepped on the gas.

This used to be a little game of ours, racing through the highway and seeing who got there first. Still, this particular face kept popping up in my mind and I got distracted, Hillary speeding past me.

I pulled out my phone and dialed a number. She answered after two rings. “Hey, Doll.”