Werewolf Academy - The Alpha & Luna

There's nothing worse than getting stuck in detention on a Friday afternoon-especially if it wasn't your fault.

I twisted around in my seat to pin Luca Greene with a glare, promising all kinds of wrath on him. In exchange, he ruffled the obsidian rat nest on his head and grinned at me.

The audacity!

I bared my teeth and flipped him the bird.

"Hailey Woods," Mrs. Whit barked. "You just earned yourself another Friday afternoon with me."

I groaned, getting a final glimpse of Luca's punch-me grin before I turned to face the front. I held on to either side of my wooden desk, mapped out in doodles. Most of them were my handy work, cute animals, and designs of blossoms etched in ballpoint pen to pass mundane topics.

Tilting my head up, I offered the old woman a feigned, sad look. A long, tawny curl fell into my face and tickled my nose. I blew it away, my facade slipping for a second in exchange for a frown. I combed back my hair with my fingers, resuming my misery guise. With my large, brown, doe-like eyes, I knew I was good at pulling it off.

Pity that the one teacher immune to it happened to be the one who was hosting detention today.

Mrs. Whit had a stern, pinched expression, peering at me beneath her spectacles, her russet-painted lips set in a tight line.

"Go on and we can make it every Friday for the next month," she continued. "You've gotten away with your nonsense for way too long."

I bit back the retort threatening to escape and forced a smile instead. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Whit. I've had a bad day."

Mrs. Whit sneered. "Haven't we all."

"It's my birthday today, and my parents forgot." That part was true.

Her brows shot up. "As much as that sucks, and, as much as I empathize with your unfortunate circumstance, I'm not responsible for your happiness, Miss Woods. Nor is it in my control how you decide to act during class and what you choose to make of the school rules. What counts for one student counts for everyone else, whether it's their birthday or not."

I sighed, leaning back in my seat. "I wasn't looking for a way out of detention," I lied. "Just wanted you to know I've had a bad day."

Luca snorted a laugh.

My hand curled into a fist. I was so going to ruin him. It was his fault we were in detention.

I minded my own business in English class when he, out of nowhere, decided to stop by my table and gawk at me like some freak.

No, seriously. He didn't say anything. He just stood there and stared at me, looking like he was possessed or something.

Then, out of nowhere, he grabbed my arm and dug his nails into my skin, hurting me. I didn't do anything to him. I've never talked to him before today, and he decided to attack me. I tried to defend myself and got in trouble for it. How unfair was that? Wasn't the school supposed to protect its students against bullies?

Ugh.

Kelsey, my best friend since kindergarten, leaned back in her chair and shot me a sad look. Unlike me, who never had detention before in my life, she spent nearly every week in here.

Kels had a knack for trouble.

The second Mrs. Whit glanced down at the trashy romance novel clutched inside her hands, Kelsey tossed a crumpled piece of paper at me. I picked up the note and straightened it.

She wrote: You should ask Mark to the spring fling. He's the perfect guy for you.

I sighed and picked up my pen, writing: Absolutely not. We're over. I'm not going anywhere with him, not after what he did.

I peered over my shoulder to pin Luca with a warning look before passing the note back to Kelsey. If he was going to rat me out, I made sure he knew he was in for some trouble.

I was no one's pushover.

I still couldn't figure out what provoked him to get physical like that with me. Whichever stupid excuse he had-or didn't have-I was so going to get my revenge.

I barely twisted to face toward the front when a ball of paper hit me on the forehead. Kelsey spat out a laugh, which she tried to muffle behind her palm.

Mrs. Whit momentarily glared up at Kelsey before her eyes narrowed onto her book.

I unwrapped the paper ball and read the note: So he's made a few small mistakes. Hails, he loves you. You're perfect for each other. You're like the king and queen of this school.

I couldn't hold back a scowl and wrote: A king doesn't cheat on his queen.

I threw the note at her.

What I didn't write about was that I didn't care about my social standing. Dumping him would lower my popularity ranking, sure, but I'd rather lose a few social points than kiss a guy with another girl's lipgloss smeared across his lips.

This time as Kelsey turned, I lifted my hands to catch the ball of paper. However, Kelsey froze and stared at me with a mortified expression.

"What?" I mouthed, confused.

"Your...arm," she spoke audibly, drawing the attention of Mrs. Whit.

"Didn't I say there will be no talking inside my class?" she bit out, glaring up at Kelsey. When her eyes bounced toward where I sat, she blanched. "Oh my."

I frowned down at my arm. "What?" I couldn't see anything wrong, not until I lifted my arm up from my desk and screamed.

The world around me became a blur, and I was sucked into a bubble of panic.

No. No. No!

This could not be happening.

I had the mark of the wolf.

No matter how many times I tried to rub the inky vine imprinted on my skin or how many times I shook my arm, the tattoo of doom didn't go away.

It was what we called it around here. The ugly, black vine creeping around my forearm, which the wolves called 'the gift' from huntress Diana-we, the normal people, called it the end.

It was my end.

When I finally composed myself, I found my best friend staring at me as if I'm a monster. The room had fallen silent to a point where you could hear specs of dust hitting the table. Maybe it was my imagination?

My eyes flicked toward the golden specs illuminated by the sunlight. Each time a tiny particle bounced against my desk, I could hear it.

What. The. Heck.

There was an audible intake of breaths when I bounced up onto my feet, legs shaking, I half-stumbled toward Luca's desk. "What did you do to me?"

He blinked calmly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"This," I cried out, lifting my arm and shoving it into his face.

"Whoah," he leaned away from me. "That's one heck of a tattoo you've got there."

I scowled, pulling back my arm. "Don't play dumb. It wasn't there earlier. It showed up right after you practically manhandled me in English. You're one of them, aren't you?"

He shrugged. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Get rid of it. Now." I stretched out my arm across his desk. "And don't pretend like you know. Everyone knows about them. Everyone knows what happens when..." I sucked in a sharp breath, unable to form coherent words. I tried again, the words leaving my mouth in a whisper. "Everyone knows what happens when you get...marked."

"Well, that's unfortunate," said Luca. "I can't do anything about that. You've been chosen, Hailstorm."

"Stop calling me that," I snarled. "And don't give me that chosen crap. Undo this, now."

"I can't," he shrugged. "The spell was sealed by our great ancestors."

"Ancestors?" My brows furrowed, and I shook my head. "What crap are you even babbling on about? Whatever, I don't care. Get rid of this ugly thing!"

"Nope, will have to do, Thunderstorm." He casually pushed back his chair and began gathering his things. He didn't say anything until he slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Would you look at that?"

I turned around to see what he was looking at. The clock, I think. It was a quarter past four.

"Looks like detention is over," he smirked. He lifted a hand, patting my shoulder. "Looks like the Academia of the Moon is calling, little pup."

Just like that, he spun around and walked out of class.

Mrs. Whit was the first one to say something. "Hailey," she croaked. "Would you like me to phone your parents?"

I swallowed down the ginormous knot forming inside my throat and shook my head. "No," was all I managed.

Ignoring all the stares, I rushed to my desk and gathered my belongings with shaky hands. I dropped my pencil case twice. The third time I tried to shove it into my backpack, I dropped it again.

This time I didn't bother with it. I left it there, zipped my backpack shut, and flung it over my shoulder.

"Hails, wait up!" I heard Kelsey call out after me, but I kept running. I didn't stop until I locked myself inside a cubicle inside the girl's bathroom and burst into sobs.

I tried to silence them with my hands, but anyone could still hear my cries.

"Did you hear about Mark's girl-what's her name again?" There was a pause of silence. "Ugh, whatever. Anyways, did you hear she got..." The girl lowered her voice to a whisper, "The mark of the wolf?"

"O.M.G. Right. That is crazy. I can't believe we've got a wolf-girl walking inside these halls. Like, it's not safe."

"Yeah, what if she eats us or something?" A third girl drawled. "There should be a rule against allowing those freaks in this school."

I wiped a fat tear from my cheek, staring at the love notes written against the door of the bathroom stall.

There was a squeaking sound as someone opened a tap, and you could hear the running of water.

"I mean, poor Mark," the first girl continued. "He's the school quarterback. Such a total hottie. Imagine how devastated he must be when he finds out his girl-"

"Ex girl," the second girl corrected. "Can't imagine who'd want to date a freak."

"Absolutely," the first girl agreed. "But he must be devastated. They've been an item forever. Goodness knows I've been waiting for the day he sees that thing for what she is."

"I know, she's so daft. She doesn't even notice he's screwing her BFF right under her nose," the third girl snorted. "Like, isn't werewolves supposed to have epic senses?"

"Freak," the second girl sang.

I rubbed my shaking knuckles, staring down at the dirty tiles. Was Kelsey secretly seeing Mark behind my back?

I frowned. It couldn't be. Kelsey would never do me in like that. Right?

She's my best friend.

A door clicked open, and the bathroom fell silent. At first, I thought they left, until, "Did you see in which one Hailey went?" It was Kelsey.

Another stretch of silence followed until girl number one answered. "Hailey who?"

"Forget it," Kesley sighed, and knocking followed. I could hear the stall next to mine open.

"Hails, I know you're in here," Kelsey called out. "I saw you come in."

A knock sounded against my stall door. "Hails?"

I stiffened, balling my fists on top of my lap. The door rattled as Kelsy attempted to open it.

"Come on, please let me in," Kelsey pleaded. Someone clucked their tongue. "Could you I don't know, go away and mind your own damn business?" Kelsey snapped.

"Whatever," the second girl muttered. Shuffling followed, and I could hear them exit the bathroom.

"Hails, I know you're in here. Please talk to me."

I sighed, unlocking the stall. When I pulled open the door, Kelsey immediately threw her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug.

"Girl, I'm so, so sorry," she said. "I can't believe Luca did that to you." When she stepped back, she asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm a freak, Kels," I choked out. "I'm going to turn into a monster."

"That's complete BS." She took my hand and squeezed it. "You're still my best friend. No matter what happens, okay?"

I blew out a shaky breath. "I can't believe this is happening to me."

"I know, right?" She dropped my hand, turning to glance over her shoulder at the door. "It's insane."

My eyes narrowed to her foot tapping impatiently on the floor. "They're going to send me away. People like me aren't allowed to live here."

"I know. How did they allow Luca to get away for it so long?" She still didn't look at me, and her gestures were rigid.

"You need to be somewhere else?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"Yeah, kinda." Her attention snapped back to me. "Look uhm, so I missed the bus looking for you. Mark offered to lift me home. Is that okay with you?"

I stared at her, my heart loud inside my ears. "Sure, I guess?"

"Cool," she grinned and pulled me into half-hug. "Look, I'll see you later. You'll be fine, okay?"

I quietly nodded, watching Kelsey rushing toward the door. She didn't express any more concern, suddenly appearing all giddy and smiling before closing it behind her.

***

What started as a regular school day ended as a tragedy. At least, that was how I saw it.

It felt like I died today, and some beastly creature took over my body.

Well, something did. I felt off since Luca attacked me, convincing myself it was from the shock.

But, since I realized I got marked, it was like my brain clicked, and I could feel everything.

My senses were heightened, and it felt like my skin stretched too tightly over my body.

And I think the panic was making me hallucinate. Because I swear, it was the third wolf I spotted since leaving the girl's bathroom.

It wasn't just any wolf. They were wispy, almost ghostlike-strolling down the hallway as if they belonged there, oblivious to my freakout-fits.

When I reached the exit, I stumbled face-first into a hard chest reeking of a sharp, floral perfume.

"Hails, babe, are you okay?" Hands held onto my shoulders, steadying my balance. "I heard what happened."

I forced my chin up to glare at Mark. "Let go of me."

Of course, Mark wasn't a good listener. He dropped his hands and wrapped an arm around my waist, jerking me flush against him. "Where's Luca? I'm about to beat his ass up."

"No point, it's non-reversible," I gritted. I had to dig my nails into his arm to drag it away. "And I'm sure I made it abundantly clear I don't want you near me."

"Babe, I-"

"Stop calling me that," I snapped. "I'm not your babe. Go babe whoever's cheap perfume you've got all over you."

He stiffened. "What are you talking about?"

"You heard me," I shoved his hand away. "If it's not bad enough you were caught cheating, you don't even try to redeem yourself. You just jump into the first skirt you come across."

His face reddened. "That's BS. You know it, Hails. You're the only girl for me."

He tried to reach for me again, and I slapped away his hand. "I said don't touch me."

"Look, so I screwed up. It happens." Mark grabbed hold of my backpack, dragging me toward him. "Let's just move on and be happy, okay?"

I pulled back. The force of the action tore open my backpack, and all its contents poured out, scattering across the pavement.

I ducked down, cursing under my breath. "Great. Just freaking great."

"Here, let me." Mark crouched down and helped me put back my stuff into the backpack.

My lips drew tight over my teeth. "Is this because if we break up, you're out of the football team?"

Just as expected, Mark looked nervous. "No, I miss you." He hesitated. "Yeah, I can't lose my spot in the team, you know, to get into college and all that. But, nothing is the same without you."

"Relax, buddy, I won't tell my dad a thing." My dad happened to be the football coach, and guess who helped this idiot get on it? I pointed to him and then to me. "But you and I are over."

"So I'm not getting kicked off the team?" his posture perked.

I hissed under my breath. "Just as I figured. Go away, Mark, now is not a good time to mess with me."

"I'm just trying to help."

"Yeah. Helping yourself, not me." I got back onto my feet, throwing my backpack over my shoulder.

Just then, Kelsey rounded the corner. I could see her reflection in Mark's red Range Rover, typing frantically on her phone. She couldn't see me from where I stood, hidden behind the pillar, which is a good thing.

I didn't want her to see me as I wiped the fat tears from my cheeks. "Leave me alone," I mouthed at Mark and signaled toward Kelsey. I blew out a relieved breath when he backed away.

Kelsey glanced up. "There you are!" She squealed and threw her arms around my ex-boyfriend, who looked like he was about to have a stroke.

I quickly found out why. Kelsey stuck her phone into her jacket's pocket, pushed herself up on her toes, and kissed him.

I could feel the world begin to spin as my stomach dropped.

She moaned into his mouth before she pulled away. "Finally got rid of her. Like, O.M.G. Luca's curse is a godsend."

I dropped my backpack and ran. I could hear her gasp of surprise when she saw me, but I didn't care. Instead of punching her, as badly as I wanted to, I ran straight for the street, past the bus stop, and I didn't stop.

I found Mom in the kitchen wearing an apron and decorating cupcakes for the neighborhood bake sale.

When she saw me standing in the doorway, she waved a hand toward a large bowl of pink icing before picking up a plain cupcake. "I need you to help me finish these up. I'm already running late and they need it tomorrow."

I didn't move, waiting for her to notice my red puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

"Come on now, Hailey, it's getting late." Mom turned to place the cupcake onto a pristine-white tray. "Your dad went to get us some Wendy's. It's not exactly ideal, but it will have to do for dinner."

"Mommy?" My voice croaked. I hadn't called her that in years, but right now, I felt scared and craved nothing more but her comfort.

"When is football evening at school, again?" She shrugged me off. "Your dad said he's working that night. Mark will probably be playing, too."

"Mom, I need to talk to you," I tried again.

She picked up a clean wooden spoon and held it out to me. "Come on, there's plenty to go around."

I crossed my arms, staring at her in disbelief. "I said I need you."

"I'm right here, so I'm not sure what you're on about." Her lips thinned, and she dumped the spoon on the table. "Fine then. I'll just spend the whole damn night working again because my teenage daughter refuses to help me."

"Why are you doing all this?" I asked. "No one forced you."

"It's for charity," she answered. "Don't be a brat about it."

"Yeah?" I could feel fresh tears threatening to come. "It's nice to see you're baking for everyone else. I mean, why bother making something for me?"

Mom's head snapped up, and she pointed with the spoon in her hand at me. "Honestly Hailey, how about working for it?"

"On my birthday?" I quipped. "I don't expect to get anything, but wow, it'd sure be nice to hear a happy birthday at the least. Or, a hug. No wait-you don't do those either."

Mom's eyes widened as she picked up the bowl of icing. "It's not your birthday until the fifth."

"It is the fifth, Mom," I bit out.

"So I forgot. I'm sorry. Is that what you wanted to hear? Happy?"

"Wow Mom. Just wow." I shook my head, my vision swimming.

"You started by being catty," Mom snapped. "Don't expect me to be all warm and fuzzy when you act like a brat."

"Well, then I guess you'll be happy to hear I'm moving soon," I announced. "I'll be out of your way. Permanently."

"Don't you dare threaten me with your 'I'm going to run away' crap, you hear me?"

"I'm not running away." I muffled a sob with my hand before I continued. "I got marked."

Mom's head tilted to the side. "What do you mean by that?"

I held up my arm, revealing my tattoo. "I'm turning into a werewolf."

The glass bowl Mom held slid from between her hands and shattered on the floor, splattering icing all over. "W...What?" her voice shook as she spoke. "Oh no, no, no."

Mom pressed her palms to her forehead.

"I know, Mom," my lip quivered. "They're going to take me away to that place."

As in where all the werewolves stayed and got trained, and do other horrid things.

Mom dropped her hands, and her wide eyes settled on me. "What is everyone going to say?"

"That I'm a freak?" I supplied.

"You can't be seen here. They'll kick your father and me out of the committee if they find out I allowed you into this house." Mom rushed past me into the hallway. She ripped open our storage closet and pulled out bags. "Goodness forbid what the church would think. Here, take these. Start packing, quickly, before your father gets home. We need to get you out of here."

My mouth dropped open in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

Mom paused, glancing up at me. "Of course I'm serious. We will lose everything being associated with a werewolf." She spat out the last word like something foul. "And what if you turn and eat us?"

I sighed, grabbing two empty duffels. "As my mom I thought you'd try and figure out how to get rid of the mark. Not throw me to the wolves."

Literally.