Chapter 6 Tensions Unfold on the First Day

By the time I finished my laps, my face was flushed beet red, my lungs heaving like bellows. I collapsed onto the grass beside my mother, gasping for air. She looked down at me, her expression unreadable.

"Just remember, Kat, I'm doing this for your own good," she said. "If I go easy on you, the others will come down harder. And I can't let you talk back to me in front of students. You need to work with me."

I groaned, brushing a strand of sweat-soaked hair from my face. "But I didn't do anything. He came to me, not the other way around."

"Doesn't matter. Watch your tone next time," she replied curtly and walked off without another word.

"Shirley, may I speak with you a moment?" Alpha Ezra's voice made me turn my head. He was already walking toward my mother.

"Of course, Alpha," she said, her tone shifting immediately into respectful submission. Ezra's gaze flicked briefly to me lying on the grass, and I quickly looked away.

Jasmine walked over and handed me her water bottle. I took a grateful sip before sitting up.

"Man, and I thought my dad was strict. What did you do now?"

"Apparently, I have an attitude," I muttered.

"But you didn't-ugh. Never mind. Your mom is scary," Jasmine said, shaking her head.

I didn't reply, dragging myself to my feet. My legs wobbled like jelly as I headed toward the school building to grab my bag. The final bell had rung over an hour ago, so I didn't expect to see anyone still here-least of all her.

Angie.

She was leaning against my locker, arms crossed, a smug smirk on her flawless face. Her perfectly highlighted blonde hair framed her piercing blue eyes, but the venom in her glare made her beauty cold and brittle.

I barely had time to reach my locker before she shoved me against it. The metal rattled behind me.

"Back off, b*tch," Angie hissed. "Stay away from the Alpha, or I'll make your life hell."

Jasmine shoved her away. "Leave her alone! She didn't do anything-what is this, 'pick-on-the-new-girl' day?"

But Angie wasn't done. She grabbed the front of my shirt and yanked, tearing the collar. My anger flared.

"You seriously waited an hour just to say that? Talk about insecure," I said, ripping her hand off me.

That did it. Angie snarled and grabbed a fistful of my hair. Pain shot through my scalp as she yanked hard. I turned on instinct, twisted free, and punched her square in the nose.

Angie shrieked, stumbling back with blood running down her face.

"You f*cking slut!" she screamed, swinging at me wildly. I ducked, and her fist slammed into the locker.

"What's going on here?" Beta Mateo's voice echoed down the hall. He stalked toward us, his eyes hard.

"She hit me!" Angie shrieked, pointing a bloody finger at me.

Mateo turned to Jasmine and me. "Is that true?"

"She started it!" Jasmine shot back. "She grabbed Kat's hair and threatened her!"

I kept quiet, jaw clenched.

Then Alpha Ezra and my mother rounded the corner. Angie immediately darted to his side, playing the victim.

"She hit me! Your daughter hit me!"

I braced for my mother's fury, but instead, her lips twitched-almost into a smirk.

"Well, then you must have deserved it," she said coolly.

Angie blinked, stunned. "Wha-?"

"Go put some ice on it," Alpha Ezra said sharply. "And stay away from Katya."

Angie gasped, tears brimming in her eyes before she turned and ran. I felt a flicker of guilt-until I remembered the way she'd torn at my scalp.

"Trouble on your first day," my mother muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"She didn't start it," Jasmine said quietly. I glanced at her gratefully.

"That may be," Alpha Ezra said, "but I don't condone off-field violence. Katya, detention with me tomorrow."

I opened my mouth to protest, but one glance at my mother's warning eyes shut me up. Jasmine looked outraged.

"What about Angie? That's not fair!"

"Beta Mateo will handle her," Ezra replied. Mateo nodded in agreement.

"You're dismissed."

I grabbed my bag and jogged after my mother, who was already striding down the corridor like a storm cloud.

"Always drawing attention to yourself," she muttered.

"I didn't ask for any of this," I snapped. "You're the one who said to defend myself."

She stopped, turning on her heel to face me. Her hands gripped my arms firmly.

"Yes, but this has to work, Kat. This is our last chance. If we mess this up, we go rogue."

"We could join another pack-"

"No," she cut me off. "Alpha Jackson made sure no other pack would take us. Alpha Ezra taking us in was a miracle."

She stalked off toward the car. I followed silently, slipping into the passenger seat. The drive home was quiet, the tension thick.

As I made for the stairs, my mother's voice stopped me. "No. Go talk to your father."

I groaned but turned toward the kitchen. The smell of garlic and herbs greeted me.

"Hey there, pumpkin," Dad said warmly, flipping something in a pan.

"Say something to her," my mother snapped, grabbing water from the fridge.

He glanced over. "Kat... what happened this time?"

"She was goofing off instead of training and got into a fight," Mom said.

"Did you win?" Dad asked with a smirk. I grinned despite myself.

"Peter!" Mom snapped, slapping his arm.

"What? It's a valid question," he said with a wink.

"She got me reprimanded by the Alpha!" she continued, throwing her hands up.

"Wait, Ezra scolded you?" Dad asked, more surprised than anything.

"Yes, for making her run laps. And you didn't even catch my mind-link message!"

"I was busy," he mumbled.

My mom rolled her eyes. "It was humiliating."

I tried to sneak out.

"Katya, I'm not done," she said without looking.

"And now she has detention-with him," she added.

Dad frowned. "It's weird for an Alpha to be doing teacher duties."

Mom shrugged. "Apparently, he's hands-on."

"You need to be careful," Dad warned me, his tone more serious now. "We don't want Ezra sniffing around too much. If he finds out you have no wolf before we've proven ourselves..."

Here it comes again-the speech.

"I get it," I said, my voice low.

"Do you?" he asked. "Because if we get kicked out, we're on our own. Rogues, Kat. No pack. No protection."

I nodded, swallowing the bitter lump in my throat. The truth was, I did get it. I wasn't just the new girl-I was the girl with a secret. A dangerous one.

"Can I go now?" I asked quietly.

"Yes. But remember, this is our last chance. Packs don't keep wolf-less members around."

I turned and headed upstairs, the words echoing in my mind like a curse.

Wolf-less. Useless. Burden.

Maybe they were right. Maybe I was the dirty little secret they didn't want anyone to find out about.

Maybe it would be better if I just... disappeared.