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.
Aryan-“You are a lifesaver!” I rushed forward, once I met Dirk by my car, to throw my arms around him, in a tight hug.“It isn’t that serious. The damage wasn’t that bad. It was done an hour ago. I just figured I would use the car as an excuse to have lunch with you.” Dirk chuckled.Stepping back, I didn’t bother correcting him. He knew pretty much everything about me, but he didn’t know about Kierian. Although humans weren’t supposed to know about werewolves, sometimes it was inevitable. He happened to show up at my house freshman year and discovered it by accident.It wasn’t just him, it was our mutual friend Lilly Montrose, who also knew about it. At first, they had been stunned, but they never looked at me any differently than before. If anything, it only made us grow closer.“Well, I still can’t repay you enough.” I playfully smacked his arm.“As long as you have lunch with me, that is agreement enough.” Dirk turned slightly and grabbed a brown paper bag off the top of my car.“
Aryan-Over the next few days, I kept my head low and was extra careful to avoid everyone. Not that I was able to get away from Brianna. She played dirty tricks on me, like putting fish in my locker, placing thumbtacks on my seat, sticking gum all over my desk, and a few other things.They were mostly childish things, but they were annoying. If that were the best she could do, I didn’t see a reason to make a big deal out of it. I just paid closer attention to things and stopped putting things in my locker. Anything important that I couldn’t carry around, I put in my locker in the gym.Thankfully, Kierian stopped attempting to talk to me, and even Liam left me alone. Neither of them attempted to convince me to eat lunch with them. For the most part, they ignored me. Except I did see Liam cleaning gum off my desk once. There was a time when Kierian had been standing next to my locker while the janitor cleaned the fish out of my locker on the third day.I wished they would just ignore me
Aryan-To my relief, Kierian returned to his seat, leaving me alone. I wasn’t sure how to feel about him kissing me, but I didn’t have much time to worry about that. The game continued, but I excused myself. Walking away, I found myself getting more alcohol, without paying much attention.I refilled my cup a few times before the effects of the booze hit me enough to relax again. When I returned to the party, the game had gotten out of hand and instead of going in a circle, it was completely random. A few people began to leave the party, as they were being carted away by their friends that hadn’t been drinking.Dirk was completely drunk, but Lilly stopped drinking when she noticed that Dirk wouldn’t be able to drive home. Since they came together, I didn’t need to worry about how either of them was going to get home. I also didn’t bother to care how I was going to get home, because I could always call my godparents.It wasn’t like they didn’t know that I had a few drinks with my friend
Aryan-Why do I bother drinking? Every time I do, I either drink too much and forget everything, or I don’t drink enough and end up doing something foolish and remembering everything. I didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing that I don’t remember what happened Friday night.The last thing I remember was Kierian and the others showing up to the party, but after that everything was foggy. I vaguely remember Kierian kissing me, but I hoped it was just a dream. If he really did kiss me, I would never be able to live down the embarrassment I felt.If it weren’t for Lilly telling me that Kierian took me home, I wouldn’t have known how I arrived. So, when I woke up Monday morning, I wanted to pretend to be sick, so I could avoid the ridicule I was sure to face. The best thing for me to do was just act like I didn’t remember anything and go about my day as if nothing happened.Not that it would be hard since I really didn’t remember anything. Giving myself a pep talk, I made my way
Aryan-As soon as school was over, instead of heading home, I went to sit on the bleachers, by the football field. I still couldn’t believe I had agreed to the bet. More than that, I can’t believe I had initiated the bet.Groaning, I grabbed my bag and pulled out the homework I had for the day. Maybe I could just focus on my homework and worry about the rest later. As soon as I opened my book and started on my work, I heard someone jogging up the bleachers.I didn’t need to look up to know it was Kierian making his way toward me. Werewolf or not, Kierian’s presence demanded attention. Lycans had a very distinctive scent to them, that could attract anyone, including humans.They each had a different scent, but Kierian’s scent was the strongest. At least I noticed whenever he was nearby. I didn’t know if it was like that for everyone, or if it was just because I was more familiar with his scent. He had a deep woodsy smell, mixed with a hint of vanilla, along with the scent of night.It
Aryan-Standing in the gym, as I waited, I felt a little uncomfortable. Cheerleaders were still lingering after practice, either talking or coming out to the girl’s locker room. With my hands folded behind my back, I kept to the background, hoping no one would notice me.Kierian hadn’t been inside the locker room for long, so I knew it would take a while before he finished. Quietly walking along the wall, I slipped behind the stack of mats used for training. The stack was high enough that I didn’t need to crouch down.Peeking around the mats, I didn’t see anyone looking in my direction. As long as no one looked in my direction after leaving the locker room, I should be able to remain hidden. Every so often a cheerleader would exit, causing me to hold my breath until they walked off.When I was sure all the cheerleaders had finished showering and changing, my shoulders relaxed. There were a few girls that still lingered in the gym, but after ten minutes I thought I was in the clear. Tu
Aryan-While waiting for Callie to bring the fruit cake, coffee, and sandwiches for Kierian and me, we sat quietly. I wasn’t sure what to say or do. I still didn’t know what happened the night of the party and I kept thinking about the bet.Guilt chewed at me when thinking about the bet since it was just one more thing that I knew I was doing wrong. It was bad enough that I kept my identity from him, now I was hiding the fact I bet Brianna, I could get him to take me to the dance and game. At this rate, I wouldn’t blame him if he hated me, when he learned of the truth.At least Kierian seemed comfortable as he leaned back in his chair and looked around the café. His gaze met mine a few times, but they didn’t linger. The awkwardness that I felt was making me worried I would say something I shouldn’t.“This place is pretty cool. I expected things to get weird with me being here.” Kierian broke the silence.“Weird how?” I shifted in my seat awkwardly as this was exactly how he referenced
Aryan- When we left the café, I thought he might take me back to the school to grab my car, but he turned off the road, a mile from the school. Confused, I couldn’t remember him saying that we were going to be doing anything else. Looking out the window, I couldn’t think of anything that was in this direction that I knew. “What are we doing?” I asked when I could no longer figure anything out on my own. “I am not ready for this to be over, so if you don’t mind, I want to take you somewhere.” Kierian tightened his grip on the steering wheel, making me wonder why he was tensing up right now. “I don’t mind.” I lied. I did mind, but I couldn’t turn him down. Upsetting him was the last thing I wanted to do on top of all the wrong things I was already doing to him. If I could make his time with me a little bearable, perhaps he would let me off the hook a little. I had hoped to put an end to this outing with him, so I could process everything and not live in guilt all day long. Not want