Chapter 6

• Aria.
• My heart ached as I felt tears gather at the end of my eyes at the sight of my people. Wrenched away from our pack and forced to live with the enemy. Was there any fate worse than that?
• I guess there was because I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I turned to face Kai Blackthorn.
• He was even more intimidating up close, his piercing blue eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my breath hitch. His blonde hair was slightly messy, like he’d just run his fingers through it, and his blazer hung open, revealing the crisp white shirt underneath. He looked like he’d just stepped out of a magazine, and it was infuriating.
• “Lost again, little omega?” He asked, his voice low and teasing as he stood in front of some other students who were in similar jerseys as him. I assumed they were all members of the school football team or something. I couldn’t figure out what sport it was.
• “I’m waiting for someone.” I said sharply.
• “Who? Your little stray friends?”
• “As a matter of fact. Yes.” I responded as he smirked at me; a sharp ache pulsed through my right shoulder, right where the black wolf had bitten me. I winced, my hand instinctively reaching for the spot. Kai’s eyes flicked to my shoulder, and for a moment, his smirk faded completely. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but before he could, a voice interrupted.
• “Kai, let’s go. We’ve got practice after lunch.”
• I turned to see Ryder Hale standing a few feet away, his hazel eyes cold and assessing as they flicked between me and Kai. He looked every bit as dangerous as Kai, but where Kai was all arrogance and charm, Ryder was quiet intensity.
• Kai glanced at Ryder, then back at me, his smirk returning. “Duty calls,” he said, his tone light but his eyes lingering on me for a moment longer. “Don’t get into too much trouble, little omega.”
• I glared at him, my shoulder still throbbing. “I’ll try not to.”
• He chuckled, low and dark, before turning to follow Ryder. The two of them walked away, their presence commanding the room like they owned it.
• My stomach twisted as they walked into the cafeteria and some students stepped out of the way for him.
• Something was up with him. He had an aura of power around him, and whatever it was, my shoulder seemed to sting whenever he was around me. It felt like I was in a dangerous game.
• And if I wasn’t careful, I’d get burned.
• I leaned against the cafeteria wall, my shoulder throbbing faintly as I scanned the hallway for Lila and Maya. I rubbed my shoulder as the pain subsided for a second. I frowned, wondering why it seemed to flare whenever...
• “Aria!”
• I turned in the direction of my name and saw Lila and Maya through the crowd, running towards me. I smiled as I saw my best friend and walked towards her.
• “There you are,” Lila said before pulling me into a quick hug. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you. How’s your first day going?” She asked, and I forced a smile as I nodded at Maya, who looked around us as if scanning for trouble.
• “Oh, you know. Just a typical day for the new girl. Was bullied by both the teachers and the students, and I tripped over someone’s foot in class.”
• Lola winced. “That’s horrible. My classes were fine; most of them were with Maya, so I had good company at all times.”
• “Lucky you.” I muttered, adjusting the strap of my bag before sighing heavily. “But hey, at least I got detention for standing up to some girls, Mia and Tasha, so I guess silver lining?”
• Maya's eyes widened at the mention of the nasty cheerleaders. “Mia Carter and Tasha Greene?” She asked, and I shrugged.
• “I don’t quite remember their last names, and to be honest, I couldn't care less about that.”
• “Let me guess, Mia is the one with blonde hair, cheer captain, black eyes, and a mean smile?”
• “Yes, that one.”
• “And Tasha is the one with short, wavy, pink-dyed hair and light green eyes. Doesn’t really think for herself and follows after Mia?”
• “The dumb one. Yes.” I responded as Lila chuckled, but Maya didn’t find it funny as she sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly.
• “Aria, you’ve got to be careful. You need to stay clear of Mia and Tasha. They are both in Rank 2. They are daughters of the Elders, and though they look like weak, perfect Barbies, they have claws, painted and manicured, but they are not afraid to use them.”
• “Look, Maya. I don’t know how things run around here, but I am not afraid to stand up for myself. I can handle them.” I said, rolling my eyes. I didn’t really like Maya, and I didn’t like her telling me what I needed to do.
• But Maya didn’t look convinced as she scanned the cafeteria, and I noticed her expression growing serious before she turned back to me.
• “Listen Aria… I heard something earlier. Did you talk to Kai Blackthorn?”
• I froze, my stomach twisting at the mention of his name. “Yeah, why?”
• Maya’s face paled, and she grabbed my arm, pulling me closer as Lila and I exchanged confused glances.
• “Aria. You need to stay away from him. Do you even know who he is?”
• I frowned, snatching my hand away from hers and brushing my uniform in nervousness. I didn’t miss the scared look in Maya’s hazel eyes. The same fear that had been in her eyes this morning at my locker.
• “He’s just some arrogant jerk who thinks he’s better than everyone else. Why?” I asked as Lila looked confused at both of us, but I just shrugged my shoulders at her.
• Maya shook her head, her voice dropping to a whisper as she ran her hand through her hair worriedly. “He’s not just some jerk. He’s the future Alpha of the Ravencrest Pack and Quarterback of the football team. Do you know what this means?”
• I blinked, my heart skipping a beat at the mention of Kai Blackthorn as the future Alpha of the pack. That explained the aura of dominance and superiority around him. But it didn’t explain why he would speak to me. A mere stray.
• “I don’t understand. So why would he speak to me? Twice.”
• “Twice?” Maya’s eyes widened in shock as she shivered. She seemed to be panicking, and I started to feel scared too as Lila tapped my shoulder in reassurance.
• “Oh moon goddess! Aria, look. I don’t know what Kai wants from you, but he is ruthless. He might look like a perfect boy on the surface, but don’t let the pretty boy act fool you. He’s dangerous. And if he is talking to you, it’s not because he is interested. He might be testing you. And trust me, you don’t want to be on his radar. I would suggest that you apply for a locker transfer so you are not within his vision.”
• I swallowed hard, my mind racing a million miles in a few seconds. Kai was the future Alpha? That explained why everyone was watching us when he spoke to me earlier. The way everyone moved aside when he walked and the commanding presence. And yet, there had been something in his eyes when he looked at me. Something I couldn’t quite place.
• “But... he didn’t seem that bad,” I said slowly, remembering the smile he gave me before walking away earlier. But as the words left my mouth, I almost didn’t believe them.
• “Yes, he’s not bad. But he’s terrible. The worst of them all. That’s what he wants you to think. But trust me, Aria. Kai Blackthorn isn’t someone you want to mess with. Stay away from him. For your safety and the sake of your people.”
• My stomach knotted as I looked at Lila, who gave me a worried nod. “Maybe Maya’s right. I don’t know who this Kai is, but if he’s the son of the alpha who tore through our pack with no mercy and destroyed our home and forced us to be here, then it’s best if we stay away from his path. For all we know, he could be reporting about us to his father.”
• I nodded, running my hand through my hair. “Great. Just what I needed, another reason to hate this place. No offense, Maya.”
• Maya gave me a small, sympathetic smile. “None taken. I would hate it too if I was forced to leave amongst my enemies. Come on, let’s get some food before the line gets too long. We’ll talk more when we are seated.”
• I nodded, following them as we joined the queue, and Lila was talking about her first class and how a Raven girl had spoken to her kindly and wanted to know more about Silverwood. When she finished, I cut in.
• “Maya?” I asked as she turned to me for a second before grabbing some food and placing it on her tray. “Earlier we were at my locker, and you realized Kai’s was next to mine. You freaked out. Was that because you knew it belonged to him?”
• “Yes. I’m sorry about that. I didn’t want to scare you, but that locker used to belong to a past student who had transferred from Ravencrest last year.”
• “Why? What happened?” Lila asked as she waited for us to grab our food before we all walked to an empty seat in the filled hall.
• “There was this guy. He was a Rank 4 or so. He thought it would be funny to mess with Kai’s locker, so he broke into his locker and hid his jersey or something. You know, just a stupid prank anyone could play on each other, that kind of thing.”