Beastless

Episode Two

"Turn around," A familiar voice said. I obeyed and soon I was facing my tormentor, future Alpha Ramson. I made a mistake not to look around before I got here. I don't miss being back in my locker if it meant I had to deal with this overgrown child again. Sometimes, I wondered why he was even future Alpha.

He cornered me to my cold locker before I could react, his face filled with aggression, and he gripped my shoulders while everyone watched.

"Peyton Solaage," he snarled, It's not nice to see you back here. You would think after all the nightmares I must be giving you every single day that you wouldn't be back here. I could hear a few of his goons sniggering behind him.

"You know you don't have to be this cruel to me all the time."

"Well, look who's gone and gotten herself hind legs," Everyone jeered. "You think you can stand up for yourself now, huh? Think again, weakling."

"Look at her, all weak and stupid," one of his goons pitched in.

"You won't be calling me a weakling or stupid after tonight, Ramson," I said my voice saturated with the fear I tried so hard not to show. But if I wanted to avoid any hits today, my best chance was to converse with him.

"Don't tell me the rumors are true, Solage, don't tell me you're going under that feral moon tonight?"

I felt confident suddenly, "It is true and after tonight, you're gonna wanna avoid me because I won't go easy on you if I turn feral."

Ramson stepped back and began a circle as if he were trying to get a better view of me. I felt a curl of nausea in the pit of my stomach because I had never seen him do that before. Then he walked slowly toward me till he was inches away. He strangely lifted a strand of my hair and sniffed at it delicately then he let it drop. And then he quickly stroked my cheek.

I was sick now and I knew pain was coming. I could see it and it did come. Ramson struck me across the face. I felt myself stumble and then fall to the ground.

"Filthy latent," someone jeered.

"Hit the stupid Omega again!"

"Oh, that's gonna leave a mark!" another croaked and everyone around laughed. But I was too stunned to feel the pain.

"Don't you ever speak to me like that again you filthy latent," sneered Ramson. "You think some stupid moon is going to make someone like you stronger than me? You really must be stupid."

I ignored him, scrambling on my hands and knees and crawling back to my locker. I know I looked like a complete i***t. How did I think I could stand up to Ramson?

"Get up from there," Ramson said. "You're making me look like I've done a terrible thing."

I tasted metal. Blood. "You'll see. I won't be latent after today," I managed to say.

"And if it doesn't work?"

"It will work, Ramson."

"But if it doesn't, Peyton Solage, you better rethink coming back to this school, because if you do, I won't go easy on you."

Ramson's last words cut deeper than any physical blow and I was glad everyone left me on the ground and no one was around to see me cry or hear me call Ramson a shithead.

The rest of my painful day was spent hiding in a broom closet. I wasn't going to show my face again after what happened. No one would miss me anyway.

I reached the safety of the school gate where my mother, Emery, waited in the car. I appreciate that she would come for me whenever I called her. She gasped when she saw my messy hair, blood-stained lips, and my tear-stained face.

"Peyton, what happened?"

I groaned and got in the car. I told her about Ramson but I was careful not to mention his threat. She tried her best to comfort me but I was still upset.

"Peyton, remember you said you didn't want any negativity today. You really shouldn't let this get to you, sweetie."

"Who's bleeding from the lip, Mother? That's right… I am."

"Peyton – "

"Mother, I just don't understand why not even a single teacher in there," I pointed toward the school, "not one of them came out to stop him and it wasn't even the end of the school day, I still had one class left. It's either they're terrified of him or they just hate me so much."

I felt both angry and useless and the rest of the drive was silent. Mother was right though, I shouldn't allow Ramson to be the reason why I would be sad on such a glorious night. But what if Ramson already jinxed it, what if the feral moon doesn't work?

****

It was past nine, I already had dinner, ignored my mother's advice to take a short nap, and was staring at myself in the mirror with just underwear on trying to get ready for the big night.

Yes my chestnut hair looked like a haystack, and my boobs and butt needed a little work but a few rumors did say that if you're lucky your wolf could advance your body features. I hoped those rumors were true.

I was halfway to the door when my mother called me back. "Peyton, are you sure you don't want me to drive you to this place? It's nearly an hour's drive and who knows you might need a chaperone."

"Mother, I'm eighteen and I can drive, I don't need you driving me to the woods where half the people there are my age."

"Come on, honey, I don't want to miss your big transformation, it's something I'd like to remember my whole life."

I sighed, defeated. "Fine, but I'm driving."

We got to the woods and I parked the car at the side because the rugged path was no place for it. We would walk the rest of the way. We dodged trees and big stones, all I could hear were the sounds of crunching leaves and snapping branches under our boots till we saw a light a little farther. I excitedly broke into a run and emerged in a vast clearing surrounded by very tall trees

There were far more people gathered here than I expected. It was the perfect hidden spot for the perfect unusual event, just beneath the night sky. I could see the moon was already starting to peek and people were getting in position to be under it. The moon continued its ascent and by the time everyone had already found their position the moon was out. A silver-hued orb larger but darker than a regular moon.

It held everyone's gaze and I held my breath waiting for the feral moon to work. Gradually everyone's posture started to change as they began to turn into their wolf forms. I smiled, it was a breathtaking sight. I felt a strange tingle and I braced myself for my transformation.

Suddenly I looked over to where my mother was, something was wrong. She looked shocked and disoriented.

That wasn't the face I expected to see.