Chapter 5

Novalie POV

The next week passed in a blur as I adjusted to my new surroundings and the demands of life at the academy. The classes were actually the easiest part of my day. It was the in-between part that was the hardest. Everyone here seemed to be fascinated by the fact that I was a Midnight Moon Omega female and attending the academy. A group of Gamma boys had taken to calling me the Midnight Moon Madam, while the other ranked kids called me much, much worse. I could see the sympathy in the other Omegas eyes when I passed them, but I just smiled at them to let them know it was OK. I was easily able to ignore them, I'd been ignoring bullies my whole life.

The only thing that kept me sane while being stuck on campus was the sprawling library that it boasted. I spent most of my free time in there reading. I had been in there reading one friday evening when the librarian walked over and told me that the library was closing, but I could check out the book I was reading and continue to read in my room, so that was what I did. I was walking back across campus to my dorm when he grabbed me. I didn't know his name but recognized him as one of the Gammas that like to refer to me as the Madam.

He started pulling me from the path I was walking on towards the wooded area as I struggled to break free from his grasp. I yanked and pulled myself backward, not wanting to actually have to hurt him to break free. Luckily there was about fifty feet of grass between the path and the woods, so I felt safe to struggle with him in the open before I would actually have to knee him in his most sensitive spot to break free if he managed to get me into the woods.

As he pulled me closer and closer to the edge of the woods he was mumbling about me being a Midnight Moon Omega whore and wanting to try me out for himself. I was begging him to stop, to leave me alone and even threatened to mindlink Eddie if he didn't get his hands off me. That sent him over the edge as he grabbed me by my throat and tossed me a few feet closer to the woods. He wreaked of liquor and I knew that in his drunken state, especially with him having a wolf already and me not having mine yet, that I was really in danger.

He grabbed me by my hair and began dragging me closer to the woods as I fought to break free from his grasp. I knew that if I tried to mindlink Eddie my attention would waver and I might end up in a more dangerous position than I already was, so I was conflicted on what to do. Not wanting to take my attention from the situation I was in, I continued to attempt to fight him off myself but I was failing miserably. He dragged me into the woods by my hair, not letting me go until we were out of view of any one who might be walking along the path, though it was late at night so I knew the chances were slim.

I tried to get to my feet as quickly as I could but he grabbed my hair and threw me back to the ground before climbing on top of me. I started to scream and he shoved his hand over my mouth, muffling my screams for help as I writhed beneath him trying to free myself. Leaving me with no other choice, I bawled my fists and began punching him anywhere I could hit him. He laughed as he leaned down into my neck, taking in my scent with a deep inhale. I took the opportunity to punch him as hard as I could in the throat with my left land,since it was the one I could get the most velocity for my hit with.

He quickly leaned up to attempt to get some air so I took the opportunity to hit him two more times. Once in the temple as he leaned up, and once just below his sternum as he sat up straight. I felt it when the energy shifted and watched as his eyes started glowing the amber of his wolf. He bawled his free hand into a fist and pulled it back with the intention of hitting me, but then he just stopped and his head lowered in submission as he winced. His heart rate picked up and fear began seeping from his pores. I was watching him intently, not understanding what was going on until I heard a deep, guttural, powerful, growl come from behind me.

I knew it had to be a higher ranked wolf than him, but I couldn't see above my head to see who it was. Then he stepped out from the trees that had been hiding his tall muscular frame and I saw him. Well, it wasn't really him that I saw, but more of an outline of him, with the two bright white shining orbs that looked like full moons stepping towards us slowly, like a predator stalking his prey.

"Get off of her NOW." The deep gravelly voice boomed through the night.

Within seconds the Gamma had jumped up off of me and was on his knees with his neck lowered in submission, visibly fighting the urge to kiss the ground as the Alpha stalked closer to him. I pushed myself up off the ground, never taking my eyes off of the scene playing out infront of me. As I made my way up to standing on my own two feet I watched as Xavier picked the Gamma up by his throat until his feet were inches off the ground struggling to find something solid underneath him.

"Let me make myself very clear Gamma. You WILL stay far, far away from her. If she walks into a room you are in, you will get up and leave. You will NEVER be within fifty feet of her at any given time, and you will NEVER, and I mean NEVER be alone ANYWHERE near her again. I don't care if you are one hundred feet away from her, if there is no one else around, you will leave. You will NOT so much as look in her direction, breathe in her direction and you damn sure WILL NOT ever speak to or about her again. If you fail to follow my rules, I will do the world a favor and snap your weak little neck, taking your pathetic little life. AM I CLEAR?" The gravelly voice spoke calmly though the trees that surrounded us shook from it's power. The Gamma squeaked out a muffled yes before Xavier threw him several feet. When he landed, he rolled a few more feet before stumbling back up and running away.

"Novalie, are you ok?" He turned to ask me in the deep gravelly voice of his wolf, his eyes still two bright glowing full moons.

"Yea, I think so, just a little shaken up. Thank you. I don't know what would've happened if..." I trailed off as I spoke to him, unable to look away as I knew I should, too mezmorized by his eyes.

He studied me curiously for a moment, his head tilted as he appeared deep in thought. Suddenly his eyes shut off like a light switch had been switched to off. He smiled softly at me and put his hands up to show me he wasn't going to hurt me as he walked slowly towards me.

"I don't even know what to say Novalie. I'm so sorry that happened. And really glad that Lunar wanted to go for a late run. I'm so sorry that happened. Are you sure you're ok?" Xavier spoke softly as he inched his way closer to me.

I smiled at him and nodded my head. I was glad that he was here too. His scent was incredibly comforting. I'd slightly noticed it when he sat down at the table on my first day here, but being out here in the woods with noone else around, just the two of us out in the fresh air, it was more potent than it had been that day. Sandalwood and Cedar with a slight hint of peppermint. It smelled masculine and luxurious. As he got closer to me I was reminded of Eddie telling me to stay away from him, but I knew that he had just been jealous of the most powerful Alpha in the school talking to me, his nobody Omega.

"What are you doing out here this late anyway?" Xavier asked me with his soft smile, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, I was um, I was in the library until it closed for the night. I usually go back to my dorm earlier than this but I started reading and lost track of time." I told him nervously, looking down at the ground so I didn't have to see the look on his face when he realized how much of a nerd I was.

"You like to read? That's cool. What were you reading?" He asked, genuine curiosity written on his face when I looked up.

"Um, it was actually a book on the history of blessed wolves. All the different types and what their powers are and what not." I answered him with my head lowered, embarrassed about the fact that I had been essentially reading about him.

"Oh cool! You didn't happen to read anything that I should probably know about did you?" He replied nonchalantly as he gestured for me to follow him out of the wooded area.

"I hadn't gotten to your particular kind of blessed wolf yet so I don't know. But if I do, I will let you know." I told him with a giggle as we stepped back onto the path that I had been dragged from.

"Cool, thanks. I'll walk you back to the Omega dorms. You shouldn't be out here this late alone." He told me matter of factly, as though I hadn't just learned my lesson.

"That's OK, you don't have to. I should be fine now. Really. I appreciate it though." I told him as Eddie's words about staying away from the powerful young Alpha echoed through my mind.

"I wasn't offering Novalie, I was telling. I'm walking you back to your dorm." He told me sternly with a look that dared me to argue.

I just nodded as we walked, afraid to make Eddie more angry than I already had this week. Where Xavier was concerned, he was quite jealous. He had told me all about how he didn't like me talking to Xavier later that night as I laid in bed through the mindlink. I didn't want to make him to feel threatened over the fact that Xavier was the only ranked wolf here at the Academy that was actually nice to me. Eddie didn't even speak to me when he saw me on campus. I kept glancing around, afraid that someone might see Xavier walking me back to my dorm. I didn't want to deal with Eddie's jealous ranting.

"Your nervous about me walking you back, why?" Xavier asked as he picked up on my uneasiness.

"It's nothing, just don't want anyone getting the wrong impression is all. They all already have enough fun torturing me daily, I just don't want to give them another reason to hate me." I answered him with a half truth.

"They're all assholes. Besides, you're pretty great at ignoring them I've noticed. But it's not everyone else you're worried about, because you know you can ignore them. It's about the one person you can't ignore. He seemed pretty mad when he walked over the first time we spoke." He said as we walked along the path.

I didn't respond because I wasn't sure what to say. I didn't know Xavier to tell him that it was complicated, and I certainly didn't want to offend him by telling him that Eddie didn't want me talking to him. So, instead I just didn't say anything, which Xavier took as confirmation.

"There's something between the two of you. You don't have to say yes or no, I was stating it, not asking. Incase you didn't notice, I'm nothing like the rest of these idiots with their inflated egos and sense of entitlement. So you don't have to worry about me saying anything to anyone. But, and this is just my personal opinion, if he's not man enough to claim you in public then he shouldn't be able to have any claim on you at all. And I know that's complicated given your rank, but if he doesn't want you to be his here, then you shouldn't be his back at home either. What do I know though? Midnight Moon is a different type of pack than what I'm used to, or so I've heard, so I'm in no position to judge you for the decisions you may or may not make." He spoke, giving me a reassuring smile to let me know that he knew he could never understand our world.