CHAPTER 2
1704 Words
CAELINA
My fingers quivered against the edge of the college admission paper as I drew in a short breath. The air surrounding me was thick with tension, sweat and an unruly mix of expensive colognes.
I was finally able to relocate to a new pack with the help of an old relative. Here, I could start a new life. Start a new school.
“I can’t believe we’re finally here, Cae.”
My wolf sent, her purrs filling me with relief.
Dad had promised to let me off to the academy when I clocked 18, too bad I was already 23, with a bartender job to sustain myself. I glanced up at the students in the room. They all looked serious. I couldn't believe I was finally at the Icelington academy.
The same college Calvin went to.
Shivers throbbed down my spine as I tugged back into my seat quietly. The gaze of the other college applicants bit hard into my back the entire period of time I stayed at the hall.
“Look at her, so weak, spineless.”
“Rumors have it that she’s the daughter of the alpha of the crimson howl pack.”
“Which pack is that?”
I scrunched my brows. Hard. The sweats breaking down my face in graceless cascades seemed to multiply at the sound of the voices. My lungs tightened causing my breaths to come out in broken puffs as I dug my nails deeper into my palms.
“I don’t seem to know. It seems they went out of existence ages ago.”
My nails dug deeper as blood began to seep out of the spots my nails had dug up and soon enough, pain edged in.
“How long was that?”
Blood dripped out my palm even more.
“Way long. I think a decade. Something about incompetence I guess.”
That was it. That was fuckin’ it.
Without thinking twice, I got up from my seat and swerved as a growl tore through my lips. “Incompetence? My dad’s pack was the biggest in all four rings. Bigger than snobbish brats like you could ever imagine. And very soon, we’ll rise again. Bigger and stronger!”
Laughter rippled through the air.
The tension wrapping around me raged higher when I heard a taunting laugh in the background. “Oh, that’s good blondie. Keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep at night!”
I frowned, tightening my bloody fists. “How dare y—”
Before I could complete my sentence, two tall, towering, obviously stronger guys strutted towards me. Scowls and terrifying smiles lit their faces.
“Let me tear into them, Cae. No one gets to talk of Calvin and your parents disrespectfully.”
My wolf urged.
“So how’s it going to be? When should I kick your ass? Now or—”
Just then, a voice jetted through the air. It was sharp. “Caelina Fenroar?”
My brows furrowed. “Y-yes.”
The assistant dean’s voice carried a thud of authority that reverberated through the hall. The guys stalking towards me all strolled back to their respective seats as I glanced hard at them before turning back to face him. Dean— well, assistant dean.
His eyes held mine with a smug look on his face that probably howled, “I don’t get paid enough to face this bullcrap.”
I made my way to the door and he led me into his office. It was quaint and silent. The walls looked like they’d withstood centuries. Who knew? Maybe they had.
The air was thick with the smell of lavender and ancient scrolls. I took a seat on the chair opposite his and waited patiently for him to get on the chair before speaking.
“Mr. Kendrick, I’ve heard a lot ab—”
My shabby attempt at kicking off a smooth conversation with him failed when he shrugged in his chair and slammed a slip on the chair.
“There.”
I raised a brow. “I-if I may ask, what’s this?”
“Why don’t you check it for yourself, Caelina. I reviewed your application and after reviewing the past success of your father’s pack and the possibility of you taking on his heritage, the school has decided to honor your application with an admission.”
“How about my student loan application, sir?”
My heart was heavy in my chest as I waited for his response. His eyes darkened. “I'm not in charge of it. But the results should be out soon. It'll be sent to your dorm room.”
The student loan offered in Icelington academy was mostly to train students who would later work for the pack. I planned on paying it back with work.
A wave of excitement washed into my veins as I felt my wolf kicked in excitement. I couldn’t believe it. I was finally going to get into ‘the’ Icelington academy. I flashed a smile at the assistant dean as I held the acceptance letter and left, racing home.
If you were expecting my home to still be at my pack you definitely must’ve thought wrongly. After the war waged against us years ago, the few survivors— including me, fled the instant we got the chance. Now to survive, I worked as a bartender at night bars in another pack to pay for rent.
The sun was just about to set when I got to my apartment. My roommate, Nina, was busy scribbling silently at the edge of her bed when I stepped in.
I strolled into the room and as I groaned helplessly, her gaze whipped in my direction. “I see you’re back, Cae. So… what’s the verdict?”
Excitement bubbled in my chest. “I passed!”
“And the student loan application?”
“It'll be here soon but I'm sure it'll be positive.”
Nina’s face lit up almost immediately as she rushed over to where I stood. “I’ll order some pizza, we’ve got to celebrate.”
She was already a student at the college and had been helping me with my application. It felt good to know her efforts didn’t go to waste. She proceeded to walk over to the other end to grab her phone when I called, “Nina.”
She turned.
“I’ve got to get to s*x and howls soon, remember. Mr. Bucker isn’t going to pay me my wage if I don’t get there on time.”
I muttered slowly.
“When I get back home— if you haven’t passed out nerding over a book— I’ll grab some pizza on the way.”
Nina laughed at the joke as I walked towards my bed before laying on it. I glanced at my wristwatch. Relief washed into my veins. I still had 30 minutes to take a quick nap.
I set a timer before dozing off.
In most of the past 30 minutes naps I took, I didn’t dream. Even if I did, it was about getting even more sleep but today, it was different. In the hazy confines of sleep, I saw him.
That man.
The masked Alpha.
The one rumored to be my parents’ murderer. He was standing at the edge of the stairs just like he did that morning. Rays of the rising sun flashed past his shoulders and clawed at my eyes.
The sound of my parent’s screams echoed in my ears. So did Calvin’s. I tried to move, to warn him of the danger but he didn’t listen. I watched the masked mine drive a sword into my brother’s sword and this time around, just when I thought he would turn and leave, he didn’t.
My heart leapt in my chest as his eyes met mine and in that moment, I caught a glimpse of his eyes. They were green. Dark green.
He strutted towards me and panic mode immediately logged in my chest. I tried to move my legs to pace backwards. It didn’t work. My legs were still.
Lifelessly still.
No matter how hard I tried to get them to move. With every trial, the masked Alpha got closer. Just when he got close enough to grip me, I felt my legs finally kick into action but when I paced backwards, I fell.
Darkness encircled me.
The sound of his footsteps faded and when next I heard a voice, it was Nina’s . “Wake up, Cae. You’re already ten minutes late for work.”
I jumped out of bed almost immediately, bathed in sweat. I wiped my face in the bathroom and without a second glance at the room, rushed out of the room. I sprinted into the pack streets as fast as I could.
I kept thinking of the punishment my boss, Mr. Bucker, was going to give me this time for coming late. He only gave three late passes and I’d exhausted them all. Now, I had to face whatever he churned up.
The heavy smell of s*x, booze, cigarettes welcomed me when I stepped into the club. I shuffled past the sea of bodies in search of him. When I finally found him, I pleaded. “I’m sorry for coming late, Mr. Bucks. I promise—”
He interrupted me coldly before I could finish. “That’s what you keep saying, kiddo. Well, this time I ain’t letting you off the hook easily.”
I opened my lips to try to convince him but when his cold eyes met mine, I knew there was nothing I could say that could get me out of this. My boss was a man of his words and got very creative when it got to punishing employees.
I could only hope for something easy. Who was I kidding? I could only hope it wasn't…
“Stripper duty.”
My heart clenched. “Ugh—?”
His voice was cold. “Stripper duty. Skimpy dress. Stage five.”
I turned to protest—but then
I froze.
Someone was watching me.
I could feel their presence. It was heavy. Suffocating. Just the same way I felt that morning.
Could it be him?
- Writer
