Chapter 3

Aryan-

“Whoa kiddo, what is the rush?” Mr. Slater asked after I entered the gym and quickly locked the door behind me.

“I ran into Kierian in the hall.” I admitted since he already knew more than anyone else about my situation, including that I have had a crush on Kierian since we were kids.

“Although I have no problem keeping your secret, I really don’t understand why you insist on hiding from that boy. He is a good kid, and I am sure he would understand if you explained things to him.”

I knew what he said was true, but that only made it that more difficult. My life was never going to be easy, and Kierian was the last one I wanted to drag into it. His future was to be the next Alpha King, not face a future of uncertainty with me.

Even if I did manage to reclaim my family legacy, it was going to be a long and difficult road. I might not know the Kierian who was now eighteen, but I knew the child he had once been. I never wanted to have the memory of him tarnished.

“I can’t bring him into my world. His future is bright and while it might not always be easy for him, I won’t let him suffer because of me. You know I am determined to rebuild what my family lost. Slater, you know better than anyone that this isn’t something I am willing to surrender. Besides, I will never be able to stand by him. How will anyone be able to respect the future King if he is associated with a werewolf that can’t even shift into a wolf?”

“I believe that you will find a way to release your wolf. You are the most talented student that I have ever worked with. Even without a wolf, you are still strong and just as capable. In all honesty, I doubt it will be much longer before you surpass me and then I will have nothing else to teach you.”

I could see the look of disappointment in his eyes. Since arriving at school, he has tried countless times to convince me to be open about my situation. He believed that if others knew the truth, I wouldn’t need to face my future alone.

Even if that were true, it wasn’t a risk that I could afford to take. After seeing how everyone treated someone who was similar to me in the sense they couldn’t shift, I doubted they would accept me. Even if Kierian became my friend again, I couldn’t have him get in the middle of everything.

“Fine. Fine. I already know that nothing I tell you will change your mind. You might be the most talented, but you are also the most stubborn. Since you won’t listen to reason, I will just teach you everything I know so you can achieve your dreams.” Mr. Slater turned away with a wave of his hand. “Go get changed I will wait for you.”

My nose scrunched as I watched him walk across the gym. I hated that I disappointed him, but I knew it also couldn’t be helped. Tightening my hold around the book that was in my hand, I slung off my book bag. Placing the book in the bag, I set it aside before heading toward the locker room.

I was the only student who had an assigned locker, which had been the same as the year prior. It was mostly because even during the summer I had come to train at the gym with Mr. Slater. Before I started attending school, we did my training at home with the rest of the pack.

It was easier now, to just come to school to train since we couldn’t train at my godparent's house. Keeping my identity a secret was necessary for me to achieve what I was working toward. Not only to keep the truth from the students but also because if it were found out that I hadn’t died with the rest of my pack, I could be in danger.

During the investigation behind who attacked my pack, there was evidence that it had been premeditated. We don’t know who or why Blackwood Pack was attacked, but the council agreed that it was best to keep my identity a secret until we knew it was safe. Some suspected that it was a pack that had turned rogue.

Whatever happened, I hoped that the truth would be revealed soon, so I could bring back Blackwood. For now, I just need to focus on getting stronger and getting through my senior year. That also meant keeping everyone, including Kierian, in the dark about who I was.

Pushing away the dark thoughts of my past, I focused on opening my locker and quickly changing out of my school uniform and into my gym clothes. Once I was dressed in my black capri leggings and a black crop top, I switched out my shoes for a pair of white sneakers.

Taking my hair out of the messy bun, I pulled my hair back to tie it in a tight ponytail, so it didn’t become a problem during training. Now that I was ready, I exited the locker room and met Slater on the training mat. Just like every time we started training, we started with a bow to show each other respect.

“Remember, today it is an all-out spar. No rules apply, other than I won’t shift. You just need to defeat me. You will have three tries. If you succeed, we will begin to be trained in how to defeat me in wolf form.” Slater stated once we moved into our fighting stance.

“Is it really possible to be able to defeat a werewolf in wolf form?” I felt discouraged as I twisted my body to the side, while sliding my left foot behind me, to take the majority of my weight.

“With your talent, I believe it is achievable. You might not be able to shift, but you have the same abilities as a typical werewolf. Your speed, strength, and healing ability are better than an average werewolf. Even if you can’t shift, you will need to learn to take down a wolf in human form. We need to prepare you just in case you don’t shift in the future. This is the only way you will be able to prove yourself as future Alpha.”

That was the reason I knew I was a werewolf. Although I didn’t shift like I was meant to, I still developed the same abilities that werewolves obtained after their first wolf transformation. It was also part of the reason I had to train alone. I would definitely be labeled a freak if others found out.

“Begin!” Slater hollered, before he initiated the spar between us, by making the first move.

Usually, I could hold him off with ease, but today I wasn’t doing as well. I didn’t know if I was distracted or what was going on with me, but I struggled to just defend myself against his attacks. He was relentless with each movement, only allowing me to defend and not counterattack.

When I ended up flat on my back, I didn’t immediately get up. Staring at the ceiling, I tried to catch my breath. I needed to clear my thoughts. Since running into Kierian this morning, I have been on edge.

“Whatever is bothering you, you need to let it go. I know you are better than this.” Slater’s face blocked my vision of the ceiling as he stood over me.

“I know.” I let out a slow breath, followed by a deep inhale, before repeating the process of slowly exhaling.

“Get up, you have two more tries.” Slater held his hand out, to offer to help me up.

Instead of taking his hand, I pushed myself off the ground and got back on my feet. Without a word, I moved back to my starting position and prepared myself for round two. Steadying my breathing, I calmed my mind as Slater positioned himself once again.

During the next round, I did better, but Slater once again knocked me to the ground. Now I was starting to get frustrated. I have never been this easy to get knocked down. Even as a child, I had been determined to prove myself as a strong warrior.

My father had always supported me but also wanted me to learn to fight like a warrior. When my younger brother was born, he backed off my training, but I didn’t let up. It was clear he wanted a son, although he never made me feel like I wasn’t good enough.

My brother had been ten years younger than me, so I still would have been able to become the next Alpha of Blackwood. At the time, I hadn’t wanted to be Alpha, but I still wanted to prove that I was a capable warrior. It also felt good when my father looked upon me with pride, even after my brother had been born. Now, I needed to become better than before, as I was more determined than ever.

“Again.” I said through clenched teeth as I got my feet back under me.

“There is my girl.” Slater smiled proudly as he returned to his stance.

During the third round, I had my fighting spirit back, but I failed to knock him down before the bell rang. At least it turned out to be a draw and I didn’t lose completely. Even if I didn’t start training to take down a wolf, I believed I would be able to soon.

“That is all for today. We will work more on technique tomorrow. With any luck, you can have a better mindset when we spar again next week.” Slater no longer had the look of disappointment on his face.

“Sorry, I was distracted today.” I lowered my gaze as I felt disappointed in myself.

“It is okay. We still have time. If you hadn’t been off today, I know you could have beat me. Even if we had had a few extra minutes, I think you would have managed.” Slater walked over to the edge of the mat and grabbed two water bottles off the ground, before tossing one to me. “Now, go get cleaned up so you can head to lunch.”

Feeling energized, I bowed one last time, before jogging toward the locker room. After taking off my workout clothes, I took a quick shower. Once I was done, I dried off and put my hair back up into a messy bun. Back in my uniform, I exited the locker room and retrieved my bag.

As I walked out of the gym, I chugged the water Slater gave me. Tilting my head up, I walked down the busy hall, where students were lingering or heading to the cafeteria. When I finished drinking, I put the cap back on the bottle and placed it in my book bag.

While I was busy putting it in my bag, someone bumped into me. Losing my grip on my bag, it started falling to the ground. Before it landed, a male’s hand grabbed it and held it out to me. Looking up, I was met with Kierian and Liam.

“Sorry about that.” Liam apologized as Kierian handed me my bag.

“It’s fine.” I bit off quickly as I took the bag and attempted to step around them.

“Hold on a minute. Are you new here?” Liam asked as he stepped in front of me.

The energized mood I had been in started to fade as I began to feel annoyed. I knew they were just trying to be friendly, but I really didn’t want to be caught talking to them by anyone, especially Brianna. Instead of saying anything, I simply shook my head as I tried to get around him again.

This time Kierian stepped in my path. “Don’t mind him. His brain never fully developed. Liam took a few too many hits, in the head, on the field.”

Looking past Kierian, I scanned the hall to see if there was anyone paying any attention to us. At first, I didn’t see anyone, until one of the students moved slightly, to reveal a very pissed-off, looking Brianna. Of course, it was my first day of senior year and it was obvious I was being targeted.

“This is just great.” I muttered, realizing all too late that I had spoken my thoughts aloud.

“What?” Kierian looked confused when my attention returned to him.

“Nothing. Look, I need to get going. I don’t have a lot of time to eat lunch before my next class.” I tried to step around again, but Liam blocked me.

“What is the rush? If you are heading to the cafeteria, why don’t you join us? I will even pay for your lunch, to officially apologize for bumping into you.” The charming smile that appeared on Liam’s face was almost impossible to refuse. Almost.

“No need to apologize. It was an accident. Don’t worry about it. Actually,” I quickly thought of an excuse to get out of this situation without being completely rude. “I forgot I was meeting a friend for lunch.”

As if the universe was watching out for me, my phone suddenly rang. Pulling it out of my bag, I was relieved to see it was Dirk calling me. Stepping back a few feet, I answered the phone.

“You on lunch now? I brought your car back, fully repaired. I also brought lunch from our old hang-out spot.” Dirk’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

“I will be out in a minute.” I told him before hanging up and returning my attention back to Liam and Kierian. “Sorry, I got to go. Maybe some other time.”

Hopefully, they didn’t take my polite offer seriously. This time when I ran off, they didn’t stop me. Passing by Brianna, I lowered my gaze, so I didn’t meet her condemning stare.