Chapter 1 Jerk

Riley’s POV

I stood in front of the tall white archway, taking a deep breath.

Finally.

After nearly a full day of planes, trains, and cars, I was finally here—the Full Moon Pack. Home of the Lycans.

Lycans were the top of the werewolf world. At the very top were the royal Lycans, then the rest of the Lycans. They all lived here in the Full Moon Pack.

The rest of us—regular werewolves—lived scattered across the world in smaller packs, ruled by local Alphas.

Normally, someone like me would never be allowed here. But I had a reason. Not that my reason made me feel any better.

“Move it, mutt!”

Someone slammed into me from behind, hard enough to knock me and all my luggage straight into the gravel by the road. I gasped and fell. Sharp stones scraped my arm, making it sting like hell.

“Filthy dog,” he sneered.

I pushed myself up, wincing, and caught a glimpse of the guy who shoved me. He was obviously a Lycan—huge, broad, and built like a damn tank. He walked away with a crowd of people around him like he was some kind of prince.

Jerk.

I muttered internally.

Plenty of Lycans thought they were superior, but not many were straight-up rude enough to shove someone to the ground and call them a mutt. This one had the biggest ego I’d ever seen.

“Hey, are you okay?”

A young man came over and helped me up, grabbing my suitcase. He was a Lycan too, but like I said—not all of them were arrogant pricks.

“Thanks. I’m fine.” I smiled weakly, still clutching my scratched arm.

“Ezra just came back from a hunt. He’s still in predator mode. He didn’t mean to hurt you,” the young man explained with a warm smile.

“Ezra?” I blinked, confused. Why did he say it like I should know who that is?

“Ezra Ravenshire,” the guy said, looking just as shocked by my blank expression. “Lycan King’s only son. Our heir? You must be new here.”

Wow. So THAT was Ezra Ravenshire.

I knew I’d probably run into him during this trip, but—he was even worse than I imagined.

“Yeah, I just moved here from Pebble Creek Pack,” I asked.

The young man eyes lit up. “Pebble Creek… wait, are you Riley? Your mom sent me to pick you up!”

Great. I’d hoped to wander the city alone for a while before facing my mom. But so much for that plan. “Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Randall. I’m your mom’s head of security.” He beamed and grabbed my bags, gesturing to a car nearby. “Come on with me.”

As Randall drove us through the city, I looked out the window. Everything here was sleek and modern—skyscrapers, wild architecture, fashionably dressed people everywhere. It was nothing like the forests and creeks I knew back home in Pebble Creek Pack.

“So, how do you like Full Moon Pack so far?” Randall asked from the driver’s seat.

“It’s… nice.” A lie, but a polite one.

“Of course it is! This is the center of the world. You’re gonna love it here.” He grinned. “I know today’s supposed to be your freshman orientation, but your mom told me to bring you home first. You can drop off your stuff—she’s already spoken to the Royal Academy, you won’t even have to stay on campus.”

“No. Take me to the school first,” I said firmly.

He blinked at me through the rearview mirror. “But your mom specifically said—”

“I don’t care what she said. I’m going to the school first. And I’m staying in the dorms.”

Randall stared at me for a few seconds, then probably realized that I wasn’t some pushovers. He sighed  and mumbled something like “How am I supposed to explain this to her?”

“Thank you,” I said quietly.

My mom might’ve dragged me here from home and transferred me into the Royal Academy, but she wasn’t going to make all my choices for me. Not anymore.

And right now, I was doing my best to delay that awkward reunion with her for as long as I could.

Randall dropped me off at the front gate of the Royal Academy. It was the first day of the semester, and the place was packed with cars dropping off new students.

I politely refused Randall’s offer to escort me in and made my way through tearful parents and nervous freshmen, dragging my suitcase behind me.

This place was undeniably the best school in the world.

Whether you wanted to be a warrior, a healer, or a future leader—this was the place.

All Lycans were required to study here before adulthood, and even many Alphas fought tooth and nail to get their kids accepted.

Let’s be honest—if it wasn’t for my mom, I wouldn’t stand a chance of getting in.

I followed the crowd of new students to the front of the auditorium, where a serious-looking woman handed me a number: 6.

“Your dorm number,” she said. “You’ll be grouped by dorms for introductions and a campus tour.”

Clutching my number, I started weaving through the crowd, searching for my group.

Eventually, I found them. Five girls clustered together, all thin, all dressed in designer clothes. They were clearly already besties and were gossiping like they’d known each other for years.

I took a deep breath and walked over.

“Uh, hi? I think I’m your new roommate?” I said, slightly raising my voice.

All five turned to stare at me.

One of them—a blonde with perfectly curled hair—looked me up and down, then wrinkled her nose like she smelt something awful. “A werewolf?”

“Yeah. I’m Riley Monroe,” I said, keeping my tone steady even though I could already feel her attitude from a mile away.

She rolled her eyes dramatically.

The girl beside her, with short black hair, was a little more polite. She smiled. “So you must be the daughter of an Alpha, right? That’s the only way regular werewolves can get in.”

“Um… not really. My dad’s just a farmer.”

The polite smile vanished.

Another girl groaned and muttered, “…You’ve got to be kidding me…”

“You need to go request a dorm change,” the blonde snapped.

I raised an eyebrow. “Why would I do that?”

The girl with short black hair gave me a fake smile. “You see, Camila here is the daughter of the Lycan King’s beta. I’m Layla, and my brother’s a Gamma. And the others are all at least Lycans. We just think you’d be more comfortable with your…own kind.”

Are they serious right now? We’re all werewolves.

“Well, actually, I think I’ll be pretty comfortable right here,” I said calmly.

They stared at me like I’d just committed a crime.

Camila and Layla exchanged a look. Layla shrugged. “Fine. Suit yourself. The teacher had already handed out our textbooks. You’re the only one who hasn’t gotten yours.”

“Thanks. Where do I get them?”

“First floor, through the West Wing, room at the end of the hallway.”

I nodded and strode away from the pack of mean girls.

Now maybe my mom’s offer to live off-campus wasn’t the worst idea after all. Maybe I really should change dorms.

But it just didn’t feel fair.

Why should I be the one who gets kicked out?

Before I left Pebble Creek, my grandmother said something to me. She said, don’t be afraid of any of them. One day, you’ll be the best healer there is. You’re stronger than they are.

I don’t know if I’ll ever be the best healer.

But I do know I’m not letting a bunch of Lycans bully me on day one.

I followed the blonde’s directions to the West Wing and stopped in front of the room at the end of the hall.

The door was closed. It was quiet. Didn’t really look like a place for picking up textbooks.

“Hello?” I tried knocking. No answer.

I pushed the door open.

That’s when I heard loud moaning and flesh slapping against each other.

A couple was having sex on the desk.

The girl’s straddling a guy, grinding her hips while flipping her hair like a whip. Her naked boobs bounced like two freaking melons. She casually turned her head and she saw me.

“FUCK!” she screamed.

I hastily wanted to back out of the room. But it was too late.

The guy lying on the desk turned his head to me. He’s got dark hair, green eyes, and the face of an angle.

Ezra Ravenshire.

The Lycan King’s heir narrowed his eyes at me. The expression on his face turned deadly.