6. Distraction

My eyes fluttered open and I shivered. It was cold. Not freezing cold but way too cold to be wearing just a shirt. Slowly, I pushed myself off the floor of the shed. Everything protested the movement. All my muscles were locked up and I felt sore everywhere. It was still dark outside and I couldn’t hear anything but the wind whistling through the trees.

Pushing on the door, it was still locked. It was probably too early for the door to be opened or my dad intended on leaving me in here all day. Not that it would be a first but I really didn’t want to miss an entire day of school.

Grabbing one of the thin sheets of metal that had been used to patch the roof of the shed, I stuck it right under the lock. It wasn’t a key lock but a latch that swung into a latch to lock it in place. With some effort and enough finagling, I managed to tap it so it swung up and around. The door opened and the cold wind sent goosebumps rushing over my body.

They did say a storm was going to roll in today. It didn’t look like it yesterday but it definitely looked like rain was imminent. Shivering my way to the back door, I tried to turn the handle. Of course it was still locked. Looking around, I didn’t see the fake rock that had the back door key in it.

Going around the front, my dad’s car was already gone. That meant it had to be after four-thirty but before six. The front door was locked too and I didn’t really feel like climbing up the side of the house to only find my window had been locked as well. It was too cold for that. Looking down the road, I took a deep breath and sighed.

My whole body hated me. I could feel every muscle reject every single step as I jogged toward the school. They didn’t let up even as I promised them a hot shower. Still, I managed to make it to school. It was completely dark and I walked around to the teacher’s parking lot. They had their own door with a keypad to get in.

Mrs. Cross, at the beginning of the year, told me her code and I’d used it on days that I needed to get in before anyone else was here. I wish this had been the first time I was using it but I’d already used it a handful of times.

Quietly, I shut the door behind me and walked through the lounge into the main hallway. It was so creepy being at school with all the lights off other than the ones that stayed on for the emergency exits. The girls locker room had its own set of lockers and I continued to keep one even though I should be part of a sport to get one. I kept an extra pair of jeans, shirt and sweatshirt along with a towel.

The lights were florescent and it made everything look worse but at least I didn’t need to worry about taking a cold shower. The water heated up in no time without having anyone else in the showers. My muscles finally relaxed and I got to take a look at how bad the bruising was. Dad had managed to keep my face free of any damage but my neck wasn’t saved. His hand print was clearly defined in bruise form where he held me.

My arms and body was like a smattering of black, blue, purple, and a bit of yellow. Having shifted, I healed a little faster but not as much as I would with my actual wolf. My rib section was probably the worst of it all. He’d been trying to break my ribs, I think. Still, his kicks didn’t have the power. I’d need to thank the Alpha later for putting him through the wringer lately.

My thighs were a little bruised but despite the pain, it would probably be minimal and completely healed by tomorrow. I took a little longer in the shower, knowing it had been five when I slipped in. That was well before anyone got to school except the overnight custodian, Landon. He worked part time and was usually out by five or sometimes at the latest six.

As I got out, I quickly dried off and pulled my underwear and pants on. Pulling on my top, I cocked my head to the side. There were voices in the hallway that I could hear. Looking at the clock, it was still only five-thirty. A teacher coming in was a bit unheard of but it sounded like more than one, which meant it wasn’t Landon or wasn’t only him.

Grabbing my sweatshirt and pulling up my hair into a loose top knot, I opened the door to the locker room. To my surprise, Principal Miles was standing outside of his office with another werewolf. The loud door alerted them both to my presence and Principal Miles gave me a sad smile. He motioned me over and I slowly walked over to the two wolves.

“I’m sorry…I just…Mrs. Cross…”

Principal Miles put his hand up and I bowed my head. “Winter, relax. I’m glad you have a way to get in if you need it. I’m not going to ask or say anymore than that.”

I nodded and gave him a small smile. “Thank you, Principal Miles.”

Glancing up at the wolf next to him, I couldn’t help but feel the teacher energy exuding from him. Some people were just made to be teachers or professors. This wolf was what you saw if you looked up ‘hot professor’ on the internet. Despite being young, he had glasses on that were a little thicker than your average cheater-reader glasses. He was wearing a button-up shirt but no tie and black slacks.

“Ah! Actually, let me introduce you two. This is Miss Winter. She is one of our Seniors here and in one of your classes. This is Mr. Penn. He will be the new Latin teacher taking over for Mrs. Cross.”

I smiled softly. “So you are our mysterious substitute. It’s nice to meet you.” Swapping my sweatshirt to my other arm, I held out my hand to Mr. Penn. “You can just call me Winter. If there is anything you need, I would be happy to help.”

Principal Miles had a look of pride on his face that I made me want to kick his shin. He shouldn’t be. This was just common courtesy. Anyone should be helping a new wolf who came here at the behest of our Alpha. Especially to teach a bunch of high schoolers Latin.

Mr. Penn slipped his hand into mine and shook it but he held it after we stopped shaking. Suddenly, I was all too aware of how I looked. Not that I was in a shirt and jeans, but that nearly every part of skin that was exposed was black and blue. Cursing inwardly, I tore my hand out of his grasp.

Taking a step back, I pulled my sweatshirt over my head and tugged down the sleeves. My throat I couldn’t do much about but at least the bulk of the hood covered a little of it. The look of either anger or frustration reflected in Mr. Penn’s eyes whereas Principal Miles just had that same look of pity.

“Mr. Penn is apparently an early riser, so you may run into him doing prep-work in the morning. At least until he’s a little more comfortable filling in for Mrs. Cross. If you have any questions, I’m sure Winter would be able to help.”

I wanted to frown. As much as I was apart of the Latin 3 class, I didn’t need to be saddled with helping a teacher early in the morning. Especially when the only reason I was ever here this early was because something happened at home. All I wanted to do is sneak into my personal space in the library and take a nap.

There would be plenty of people lining up to help him though. I’d probably end up last on his list. Mr. Penn was handsome, nearing the drop-dead-gorgeous level. The school was going to have a hard time keeping the high school girls off him. From a certain angle, when I was walking up, he reminded me a bit of Alpha Damian but he had dark hair, dark eyes, and a far slimmer build than Alpha.

“Thank you, Miss Winter. I’ll appreciate the help, I’m sure.” Mr. Penn flashed me a smile and even I blushed a little.

“Just Winter is fine. I don’t use my last name so it’s easier to just refer to me by my first name.”

Principal Miles clapped his hand and motioned Mr. Penn forward. “Let me go ahead and show you to your classroom. I know that there might not be a lot going on in your classes today but it’s hard to even think straight when the kids start pouring in. You can have a moment to see the notes and information Delilah left.”

I gave the both of them a quick nod of my head before stepping back and inching my way in the direction of the library. School didn’t start till seven so I could get a quick cat nap in or, at the very least, pull my secondary books for class today. When it seemed like they were going to continue on without me, I turned to head to the library.

“M-…Winter?”

I turned, surprised by how he said my name. “Sir?”

“I shall see you in class.”

That definitely wasn’t what he was going to say. I could see the frown form and the frustration as his brows pulled together ever so slightly. Whatever it was, he took it back at the last second. The look on his face now really didn’t suit him. A smile seemed to match his demeanor better.

Still, I smiled back at him. “Of course. If you need any of the previous assignments that Mrs. Cross gave us, I can provide them.”

He nodded and turned away, following Principal Miles. I didn’t know what to make of him. Mr. Penn seemed interesting, that was for sure. There was going to be an uproar today that probably wouldn’t end for months. At least not until it got out that he was taken. Smiling, I pushed opened the doors to head to the library. Today just might be able to distract me from everything that happened.