Year One

T oday wasn’t anything special. It was the same damn thing I had to relive over and over again. If only they knew what I hid inside… There was no way that anyone could ever know though. I pushed my wolf harder, letting her take control. Times like these were my bliss, but it was rare that I could sneak away to run by myself. Birds chirped above in the trees, and even though it was the end of spring, the grass smelled like rain. These small stolen moments were the only thing that kept my sanity. Hey, Rave, where are you? Greg’s raspy voice appeared in my head. Great, that lasted all of five minutes. My wolf growled as I pushed her back, letting my human side maintain more control. Sorry, babe. I thought I heard something and wanted to check it out. And you didn’t wait for me? A few leaves crumbled under his footsteps as he ran in my direction. You should know better than to shift this close to school and put yourself in harm’s way. Besides, that’s my job. Sometimes I’d bend the rules when there was a chance I could run wild all on my own. When I could let her out and just be what my wolf wanted us to be. You’re right, but none of the humans saw me change. I made sure of it. Oh, come on. Greg appeared as he stepped through the trees with both his and my backpacks slung over his shoulder. He dropped my dark pink bag on the ground and pulled out my track uniform. Put this on. We’re both going to be late for practice. I hated being told what to do. That was just one more reason why I didn’t belong here; not that it mattered. My wolf snapped at me as I willed her back in. It worried me because each year, she seemed to be getting stronger. Mustering all my control, I forced my wolf to stand down, and I shifted back to two legs. It didn’t take long for it to happen, and of course, I found myself buck naked in front of Greg. A huge grin filled his boyish face, and he dropped his black bag as he took a few steps toward me. “Damn, you’re fine.” He wrapped his arms around my waist, resting the palms of his hands on my ass cheeks. “Greg, stop.” I should’ve known better than to shift in front of him. I purposely avoided situations like these because he’d get pushy. “Someone might see us.” “Oh, come on.” His dark brown eyes found mine, and he grabbed my ass. “You know that it’s been forever since you’ve given me any, and it’s way past time.” His lips landed on mine, and he forced his tongue into my mouth. How I wished I could think this was romantic, but no… it felt like a slug dancing inside my mouth. It was juicy, limp, and somehow cold. I placed my hands on his chest and pushed him backward. “Though that may be true, now isn’t the time or the place. Remember we’re going to be late to practice.” I grabbed my clothes that had fallen on the ground and quickly dressed before he decided to try again. “If it wasn’t for the big game, I’d be taking you right now.” He sighed as he ran his fingers through his short, brown hair. “Come on, we can’t be late.” He grabbed our bags and then reached for my hand, rushing back through the few trees that had hidden us from the outside, human world. Ever the obedient girlfriend, I followed behind my alpha, obeying his every command. It made me sick, and my wolf howled loudly in my ears. But this was my role. Women weren’t alphas; betas at most, and even that was rare. As we stepped out into the student parking lot, a group from our pack was standing there, directly facing us. We normally tried not to stand out, but it was hard, especially when we were in a group. What the hell are you doing? Greg linked the others in, rage evident in his eyes. Shit, I’d messed up this time. Darren cringed and glanced down at the asphalt. He ran his hand through his shaggy, black hair and kicked his red baseball cleats on the ground. Sorry, man. You took off, and we thought there might be a problem. What did you expect? Ian lifted his chin as his light green eyes glared at me. Figured princess was causing trouble. That one had never liked me, and I couldn’t blame him. One day, he cornered me at school and told me that I wasn’t worthy of Greg. That may have been true, but I thought it was more likely that Ian was the only one who could sense my wolf inside and worried my ranking could be higher than his. He was Greg’s beta, and it was easy to tell just by looking at him. He was built like a freaking Ford truck and one of the best football and baseball players that Montgomery Central High School had ever seen. “Oh, don’t give Raven a hard time.” Sheila tossed her dirty blonde hair over her shoulder and stuck out her boobs that had Indians written across them. Ugh, I’d always hated the mascot; Indians. I guess that’s what you got for living on the outskirts of Clarksville, Tennessee and attending the infamous school that was built on some man-made lake. “Come on, let’s go before the coach throws a fit.” Greg ignored Sheila’s advances and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Dad told me that there might be a scout coming from Bloodshed Academy tonight for the big game. It’s the last big one before graduation.” My blood felt as though it turned ice cold, and my wolf perked up at the name. Bloodshed Academy was the elite paranormal school where only the best alphas attended and even fewer graduated. If you weren’t there by invitation, wards prevented you from entering—that was just how damn exclusive it was. “Are you f*****g with me?” Ian stopped moving, and his mouth dropped open. “They’re coming here?” Darren’s voice cracked, and he smiled like a kid on Christmas morning. “Hell, yeah!” Greg glanced at my face and moved his hand down my waist possessively. “They called my dad last night and said they were coming to scope me out. What do you think of that, baby?” Honestly, it bothered me that everything got handed to these four entitled asses. “That’s … great.” I tried to put enthusiasm into my words, but they only fell flat. “Don’t sound so happy for him.” Sheila faked a frown while shaking her head. “It’s not like it’s a big deal or anything.”