These Feral Bonds

CHAPTER ONE

HAZEL’S POV

My heart thumped wildly in my chest as I faced Talia, my opponent in the demi fighting ring. I got in position, knees bent, feet slightly apart. Talia did the same opposite me, a stupid smirk on her face that I was only too eager to wipe the floor with. This was my first test on Predatory Arts and I was determined not to fail. Students of Holloway preparatory gathered round, watching. I could feel their hostile stares directed at me. They all wanted Talia to win, I knew. Wolves would always support their own, not a human like me who they thought didn't even belong here.

“Begin!”

I lunged first, wanting to have the first hit. Talia shifted at the last minute just enough for the punch to miss her cheek by a hair's breath. She stumbled back with a growl and came at me wildly, throwing any form of precision to the wind. I blocked her blows, with some of my own. Kick, block, strike, deflect. I followed the movements as I repeated them in my head.

Talia's movements weren't nearly as quick as mine. Honestly, pitting her against me was a f*****g joke. Time to end this.

I punched her, reveling in the sounds that followed; the loud thwack of skin meeting skin and the gasps from the audience and the scream from Talia. She fell to the floor and I followed, caging her with my body, hands on either side of her head.

“Do you yield?”

She glared at me, one palm covering the side of the cheek I had hit.

“Do you yield?” I asked again.

Instead of answering, she thrust out her palm and a force sent me flying towards the other side of the ring, my back connecting with the net. I groaned in pain.

“Time out!” The course coordinator for Predatory Arts said. He stepped into the ring.

“The both of you are disqualified.”

I shot to my feet. “What? That's not fair. She used magic. I didn't do anything.”

“You caused her to by being too rough. Are you going to keep on arguing or should I take away from the few marks you've managed to salvage this semester?”

I said nothing, inclling my head low as a show of compliance.

“And you, Talia, your attacks were too sloppy. Just because you have the advantage of being a wolf doesn't mean you shouldn't take this course seriously. There will be cases when you won't be able to shift in battle. What will you do then? Make sure this doesn't repeat itself again. Next!”

With one final withering look at Talia, I left the ring and went out of the hall, ignoring the looks of everyone. Sometimes, I really hated this school. Holloway preparatory was a school every wolf in Sylvan city attended for two years when they reached eighteen years of age to prepare them for what it would take to be a functional member or leader of either one the four respective packs; Silverflame, Stormborne, Moonbound and Umbrabane.

Hungry and tired, the only thing I wanted to do was get back to my dorm as quickly as possible.

“Hazel,” a voice behind me drawled.

Shit.

Rolling my eyes, turning around slowly to see Caleb, hands in his pockets, standing in the hallway, a few feet away from me.

People walked around him as they passed, none of them daring to complain that he was in the way. Why would they? He was heir to the strongest pack in Sylvan City, the Silverflame pack and arguably one of the strongest werewolves in Holloway Preparatory.

Not that I gave a f**k though.

I faced him fully, bracing myself for the confrontation.

“Yes, Caleb?” I said, non-committally. He sauntered closer to me, a sneer on his face.

“Have you forgotten who you're talking to?” He kept walking and I was forced to move until my back hit one of the lockers behind me. He was tall, his six foot three easily dwarfing my five foot seven. His height and large frame didn't scare me though. I stared him down,my neck straining with the effort it took to look up at him. Strands of dark hair fell over his blue irises. Irises that I had always found beautiful but could never admit. Not even to myself.

Caleb Hawthorne was far from beautiful on the inside.

Those eyes were icy cold and filled with contempt as they bored into mine.

“Oh, I know exactly who I'm talking to.” I replied.

His jaw clenched. “What makes you think that you can talk to me like that? You beat Talia. It means nothing. You're still worthless. You'll never be one of us. You'll always be human.” He said “human” like it physically repulsed him to do so.

“You sound threatened. I mean I'm just human right? I can never be big and strong like…”

Caleb's hand gripped my chin hard, cutting me off immediately. Hard. He squeezed and I could feel the sharp prick of his claws on my skin.

“Shut the f**k up when I'm talking to you. Unless I give you permission to, don't ever talk back at me. Understood?”

I couldn't say anything because of the hold he had on my jaw but I scowled, letting him sense all of my displeasure.

“Answer me!” He snapped when I remained silent.

Caleb gripped my chin harder till his claws broke skin and drew blood. His nostrils flared at the sight of it. I nodded as much as I could considering the hold he had on me. His hand moved downward to my neck. He didn't squeeze but the pressure was enough to keep me completely still. I really should stop mouthing off to Caleb. He was…different. Volatile. Cursed, actually.

“That's better. Know your place.”

His hand slid lower to my neck and his finger snagged on the necklace I was wearing. His eyes narrowed. “Where did you get this?”

“My father gave it to me.”

He scoffed. “Your father,” he mimicked in a voice that was pure sarcasm.

Irritation coursed through me. “Yes Caleb, he is my father.”

Alpha Laurent of the Stormborne pack, was my father in everything but blood. According to what he told me, he found me when I was a child in the woods, abandoned and near death and he decided to raise me as his own much to the discontent of every wolf in this city.

The necklace, Aetheris, was a gift he gave two weeks ago, saying it had been passed down through generations.

“You're adopted. There's a difference especially around here. You're not worthy enough to wear this.”

In one quick motion, he ripped it off my neck.

“Hey! Give it back!” I tried to reach for it but he dangled it high above my head.

“Absolutely not. Your father can come get it from me himself.”

I scoffed. “You really don't want that. My entirety of my father's pack against yours? We all know who would win.” The lie tasted sour on my tongue.

“Well, there's only one way to find out. Stay out of my way, human.”

It always irked me whenever he called me human instead of my real name. If there was one person who never failed to remind me of what I was, it was Caleb. And I wasn't very proud of it. Don’t judge me please. Humans in Sylvan city were essentially slaves. This territory originally belonged to the humans but that was a long time ago before the wolves colonized them. Now they were nothing but slaves in their own home. If not for the goodwill of my father who took me in, I would be mopping the floors in some Alpha's mansion. A shudder went through me at the thought. Always seeking to let me know I was beneath him and ev8eryone else.

Caleb walked away leaving me feeling extremely humiliated. Students passed by without looking at me, thankfully. These interactions between Caleb and I occurred so frequently that no one even batted an eye if they saw him pinning me to the wall, with his hand on my throat.

I took in a slow, shuddering breath trying to calm myself.

Morrigan, my only friend, came up to me. She was an Omega, one of the lowest ranking wolves in the school and like me, she wasn't always treated fairly. A friendship formed from shared problems.

“Hey. You okay? I saw what Caleb did.”

“Yeah. I'm fine.”

I had to quell the urge to feel for my necklace.

“I'm going to get it back.” I said.

“Hazel, are you crazy? What are you going to do? Walk up to him and ask for it? Just let it go.”

“It's a family heirloom and a gift from my Dad. There's no way I'm letting him have it. I'll get it back…some other way.”

She gave me a look. “I can already see the wheels turning in your head. How will you get it? Can I help?”

“Seriously? A second ago you were babbling about how dangerous it was.”

Morrigan pushed some of the curls of her blonde hair that framed her face to the back of her ear. “I know I can't stop you. If you can't beat them, join them I guess.”

“Don't worry. It's better if I do this alone.”

I couldn't let my father know I lost the necklace and especially to Caleb. That would start a fight. The two packs already had enough tension between them already.

I was going to sneak into Caleb's room. Tonight.