The Heart Of The Luna

Bad Luck

[Imani’s POV]

My first period class moves by in a blur and so does the second, but the third seems to drag on because not only is the bastard who pushed me earlier that morning in it with me, so is Austin and Aiden.

I try my best to ignore them and pretend that they aren’t there, but I can almost feel their gazes burning into me.

And I’m not the only one who notices the looks that are coming my way.

As I sit trying to listen to the teacher go on about economics, I can hear the girls around me whispering about why the princes would even bother looking at me.

Honestly, I want to tell them that it is because they hate me since my mother is becoming their new mom, but I don’t owe them anything.

If they wanted to gain the interest of the so-called princes, then they should work harder and if they could get them to stop making their dislike toward me known, I would be appreciative.

Sighing, I continue to try to focus until the bell finally rings and when I stand and start to collect my things, I feel a finger poke at my arm.

Frowning, I turn in the direction the poke came from and when I do, I find a tiny little blonde with large brown eyes looking up at me with curiosity.

“Hey,” she says as I eye her. “You’re new, yeah?”

Obviously. I think, my smile politely.

“I just moved to Onyx Moon yesterday,” I tell her. “So, I guess I am.”

It was such a silly thing to be asking since I wasn’t a member of this school until today, but at least she seemed friendly.

Since coming to Onyx Moon, I was finding that the members of the pack were exactly like the members of Ridgewood that I hoped to never have to encounter again.

Even while Adam was showing my mother and I around the packhouse, I didn’t miss the way the other pack members and servants looked at us.

It was the same look that I was used to back home.

Disgust.

Distrust.

Clear dislike even though my mother and I didn’t do anything to deserve it.

Wolves were literally all the same and honestly, I couldn’t wait until I moved far away and started my life with the humans.

“Where did you come from?” The girl asks me now, snapping me out of my head. “Why would you transfer schools so late in the year?”

For a moment, I don’t respond as I wonder why this girl was taking such an interest in me.

“Don’t worry,” she says, but if she thought I was going to do what she said she was wrong. “I’m Katie.”

As she introduces herself, she holds out a manicured hand and waits for me to take it.

“Imani,” I say slowly, deciding to at least be polite. “It’s nice to meet you.”

I don’t say anything more after that as the bell rings, saving me from this odd conversation.

“Hey, Imani!” Katie says while we head out of economics and move toward our next class which to my disdain is the same. “You’ve got a fortress around you, huh?”

“Fortress,” I repeat, frowning. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“There’s this strange aura radiating from you.” She explains and I feel a wave of shock slam into me. “Anyway, if you want to learn more about it, come and find me.”

After that, she bounces off while I stand in place trying to make sense of what she said, but I don’t get the chance to ask her before class starts and when it ends, she is nowhere to be found.

Strange.

That was the only way I could explain my encounter with that oddball Katie and as I go through the rest of my day, I find my gaze travelling around the students, searching for her, but she seems to have vanished completely.

Deciding to approach her about what she said the following day, I head out of the school and when I spot Adam’s driver I begin to move toward him, but before I can reach, Austin and Aiden hop in the car and they are moving.

“Hey!” I gasp, rushing forward. “Wait!”

But they don’t wait for me.

“Dammit,” I growl, unable to believe just how hostile the two bastards were being toward me. “Isn’t this a bit much?”

Letting out a grumble of frustration, I pull out my phone and type in the address for Onyx Moon’s packhouse since I don’t know the way and once the map appears on my phone, I begin to move.

Although it was annoying that I would have to walk such a long distance, I was at least lucky enough that the weather was good with blue skies and a nice breeze.

“Little blessings,” I murmur, pulling out my earbuds and then putting them in my ears. “Just think of these.”

It was the one thing that my mother always told me when I used to complain about what Ridgewood did to us and because of that, I at least had some peaceful and happy moments in that living hell.

And now, as I take the path on my phone home, I let myself appreciate the good walking conditions until dark clouds start to move in.

“What is this luck?” I hiss as a raindrop hits me and then another. “Am I cursed or something?”

As I speak, I pull off my earbuds and then quicken my pace while wishing that I was actually able to shift, because if I could, then I would at least be able to get home faster, but since I couldn’t, running was my only option.

Settling on this, I begin to run, drawing on all my strength as I do, but as the rain picks up and the earth gets saturated by it, I find myself slipping and then falling face first against the ground.

Hissing in pain, I slowly sit up and then take in my scraped skin before I hear a low rumble just to the side of me.

Growing completely silent and still, I go on alert, watching and listening until I hear the rumble again and when I turn my gaze in the direction it is coming from a large wolf rushes toward me.