Chapter 5

• Aria.
• But as I moved down the hall, I couldn’t stop the tingling feeling in my right shoulder. Just at the spot of the wolf bite, but that wasn’t all. I could feel someone watching me, and not just the glare of the students around me. This was intense and cold.
• It was waiting.
• I swallowed hard, suddenly wishing Lila was with me.
• This was the beginning of my days at Ravencrest High. In enemy territory, a chill ran down the spine of my back.
• And I had a terrible feeling that Kai Blackthorn wasn’t done with me yet.
• I was late. I was so late.
• My shoes pounded against the silent hallway as I rushed to my first class, clutching my book to my chest as I ran.
• I had spent the last fifteen minutes wandering through this moon goddess-forsaken school, trying to find Room 105, where my first class was being held.
• And finally I stood in front of the door. I sucked in a deep breath before I pushed open the door and stepped inside.
• The moment I did, all eyes turned to me and the room fell silent.
• Nice entrance, Aria!
• The room was filled with about twenty students all dressed in their sharp navy blue blazers and dark blue ties, sitting perfectly at their desks. It felt like a cult, how orderly they were.
• I swallowed hard and turned to the teacher, who stood in front of the class. A tall woman with a gray fitted dress and hair pulled back in a slick bun and sharp, cold gray eyes that glared at me.
• “You’re late.” She said it flatly, and I nodded, chuckling nervously as I pushed my glasses further up my nose.
• “I’m sorry. I got lost.” I answered softly, my voice barely above a whisper.
• A few students snickered.
• The teacher, whose name tag read ‘Mrs Alden,’ narrowed her eyes slightly. “Lost?” She asked, a faint smile curling her lips as she shook her head. “I guess it’s obvious since Silverwood wolves do lack a sense of proper direction.”
• The room erupted into laughter, and I felt the heat crawl at the back of my neck as I resisted the urge to glare back at her.
• “Well. Since that can’t be helped, why don’t you go ahead and introduce yourself to the class?”
• My stomach twisted; I had always hated introductions.
• “Uhm… my name is Aria Langston. And I’m from the Silverwood pack.”
• “Now let me guess. You’re an omega, aren’t you? You know, one of the weak ones?” A voice interrupted me.
• I stiffened.
• A girl sat in the front row, twirling a long strand of platinum blonde hair around her manicured fingers. She wore a different kind of uniform, and it was obvious she was on the cheerleading team. A short skirt and crop top that showed her perfect skin. Her name tag read:
• Mia Carter.
• Rank 2
• Strength: 6/10
• The class erupted into laughter again, and I felt my cheek hurt, and I glanced at the teacher, expecting her to intervene, but she said nothing as another girl joined in. She was seated beside Mia in the same cheerleading uniform. She had short, wavy, pink hair.
• I looked down at her name tag, and she eyed me carefully.
• Tasha Greene.
• Rank 2.
• Strength: 5/10
• They both looked flawless in perfect makeup, with legs crossed and straight posture, like they were in a magazine shoot.
• “Of course, Mia. That’s what it says on her name tag. A tiny omega with barely enough strength to move a table.” She spat at me, sending me a sly smirk.
• I squared my shoulders, my eyes narrowing as I opened my mouth to speak. “Well, at least I don’t need a number on my chest to feel important.”
• The room went silent for a moment, and I saw Mia’s smile falter, and just as Tasha opened her mouth to retort, the teacher cut in.
• “Enough! Aria Langston, it’s only your first day here, and you are already causing trouble. That would be detention for you after school. Take a seat and don’t disturb the class again.”
• I gave her a soft glare. Of course I was the one causing trouble and not the two perfect demonic Barbies in front of me. I shook my head and started to make my way to the back, where one desk and chair sat.
• As I headed to the back, someone stuck their foot out, and I didn’t have enough time to avoid it. I stumbled almost immediately and crashed into the floor. The whole class erupted into laughter, the sound sharp and mocking, and I felt tears gather at the corners of my eyes.
• My knees stung immediately, but my pride and self-confidence burned even more. I blinked back the tears, refusing to let them see me cry. Pushing myself up, I grabbed my books, adjusted my backpack, and shuffled to the last desk at the end of the room, a lonely and isolated spot that felt like it had been reserved just for me. The outcast.
• The stray.
• As I sat down, I caught Mia’s eye. She smirked at me, her black eyes glittering with malice.
• “Welcome to Ravencrest, stray. I’m sure you’re going to love it here.” She said, her voice low enough so that Mrs Alden didn’t catch it as she wrote something on the whiteboard.
• I leaned closer against my desk. “Thanks for the warm welcome. I’ll be sure to return the favor.”
• Her smirk faltered for a second before she quickly recovered it, flipping her perfectly blonde hair over her shoulder. “We’ll see just how long you last.”
• Mrs Alden clapped, drawing everyone’s attention back to her. “Now, before we continue, I have a very special announcement to make, and I would need you all to listen.” She started.
• “As part of Ravencrest’s effort to integrate the Silverwood wolves into our pack, the board of directors and teachers have introduced a new school contribution program. This program allows the Silverwood wolves to earn privileges, such as their own personal room instead of sharing with their fellow pack members. They can contribute to the school to earn these benefits. This could include tutoring, assisting with any events in the school, or any other task that is deemed appropriate by the faculty.”
• The class erupted into a series of rumors as a few of the students shot me disapproving glances.
• “Excuse me?” I said as Mrs Alden rolled her eyes at me immediately.
• “Miss Langston. We don’t speak like that here. We raise her hands first, and I would give you permission to speak. I don’t know how asking questions is done at your own school, but we do things very differently at Ravencrest. You should find that out soon.”
• I raised my hand, ignoring the way some students laughed at me, and Mrs Alden nodded at me. A sly smirk on her lips.
• “What kind of tasks are we talking about, and who decides what’s appropriate?”
• “Tasks are assigned based on your skills and the needs of the school. As for who decides, it would be me or the rest of the faculty. But you, Miss Langston, should be considering tutoring. According to your files, it says you were one of the brightest students back at your old school. I’m sure some Ravencrest students should find that useful. As some of our students mainly focus on physical training and strength-based tasks. It would be good if we could balance both their training and their school activities, and that’s where you come in. Just food for thought.” She finished, raising her brows as if to ask if I was done.
• But I was far from finished. “So we teach the Ravens, and then we get our own rooms? Even at school we are still at your mercy. Am I right, Mrs Alden?”
• Her face turned red immediately, and her eyes glared at me as a few students snickered around me.
• “Miss Langston, you are more than welcome to decline if you have a problem with the program. That is if you don’t mind sharing your personal space with your friends.” She said, and I clenched my jaw but didn’t respond.
• The rest of my classes passed like a blur; the teachers had been very mean to me, and the students weren’t any better. While some of them had been a bit curious about me, the others just didn’t acknowledge my presence. And thankfully, I didn’t see Mia or Tasha in any of my classes again.
• I had one of my classes with my pack member, and though we weren’t close, we managed to say hi and sit together for the session.
• It didn’t take long for the bell to ring, as I had practically zoned out of class during her teachings. If there was something I had realized, it was that the Ravencrest syllabus was a few weeks behind ours. So I already knew everything they had been talking about.
• As the bell rang, I grabbed my bags and books and looked down at my schedule to find out it was time for lunch. I sighed in relief. I couldn’t believe I was only halfway through the day. It seemed like I had been here for three days, and the time seemed to pass by very slowly.
• I was finally going to see Lila and Maya. I wondered how her first classes had been. I made a mental note to ask Maya what her attitude had been all about concerning my locker in the hallway.
• I headed down the hallways, following the other students as they all walked in the same direction that I assumed was the cafeteria. My thoughts went back to the school contribution program. It was a good idea to have my own room, but the thought of being a personal tutor to one of the Ravens sent chills down my spine. If they were anything like Mia, Tasha, or even Kai Blackthorn that I had met earlier, then I didn’t want to tutor them.
• Kai Blackthorn.
• At the thought of his name, I felt my right arm sting in pain where that black wolf had bitten me. I ignored it as I heard loud noises in front of me as I came to the entrance of the cafeteria.
• It was huge!
• Students filled the room; there was clattering of trays, loud chatter, and occasional bursts of laughter. It was massive with high ceilings and long tables filled with Ravens. The air smelled of spicy food, and my stomach grumbled. I scanned at the doors for any sight of Lila and Maya but didn’t see any of them. I leaned against the doors on the end of the entrance so they could easily see me when they arrived.
• I looked around, spotting a few of my pack members. They looked so out of place, it was obvious that we didn’t fit in. With our separate uniforms, our heads down, and our confused faces, it was obvious that we felt like outcasts.