Suddenly I Knew

Chapter Seven.

It was like the teacher wanted me dead or something because she was looking at me as if she wanted to kill me on the spot.

“Begin!” the teacher shouted.

Great, not only am I going to die in this class, but I’ll also be dying deaf, I thought sarcastically to myself.

“Vi, you need to pay attention. That b*tch is going to try something—I know it for sure,” Melody warned me. Before she even finished talking, I ducked down just in time to dodge a ball aimed straight at my nose. Stefanie smirked. When I got back up, it was like something inside me had shifted. Stefanie was done for. Memories of everything she’d done to me over the years flooded my mind. It was as if the wall I had unconsciously built to protect myself mentally was crumbling down. I felt something stir deep inside me. I’m not a violent person, but at that moment, she was my next target. Grabbing one of the balls, I threw it with all my strength, hitting her square in the face. Before I could even cheer, dizziness overcame me. I walked over to the teacher to let him know.

“Sir, I’m feeling dizzy. Can I please sit down?” I asked the gym teacher.

“Sure. Do you have a bottle of water with you?”

“Yes, sir, but it’s in my locker. I’ll get it after class,” I said with a polite smile. I made my way to the bench to sit down. Suddenly, someone yelled, “Watch out!” Turning around, I saw a ball coming straight at my face. It didn’t hit me hard, but it startled me. The teacher came over, his expression concerned.

“You know what? Maybe it would be better if you went to change clothes already,” he said with a sad smile. I sighed, heading to the locker room to change. By the time I finished changing, I could hear the teacher dismissing the class. Not in the mood for confrontation, I quickly walked out. My next class was art—hopefully, it would brighten my day a little. When I reached the art room, I sighed in relief and took a seat at the back since I was one of the first to arrive. The teacher announced that we’d have free time, and I felt a small wave of gratitude. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out my earphones, popped them in, and turned on my music. As I started drawing, I didn’t think much about what I was creating. When the teacher waved at me to get my attention, I removed my earphones. The last bell of the day had rung. Walking up to the desk to turn in my drawing, I glanced down at it. Instead of the two wolves I’d drawn yesterday, there were three now. The two black wolves were still there, but a third wolf had appeared in the middle. It was completely white, standing a few inches shorter than the others, making me think it was female. The way the two black wolves stood seemed protective. But it was the white she-wolf’s eyes that drew me in—icy blue, vivid, and striking. As I handed in my drawing, the teacher wished me a nice day. I was so done with today that all I wanted was to go home and crawl into bed. At my locker, I saw someone leaning against it. As I got closer, I realized it was Rose.

“What are you doing tomorrow for your birthday, Vi?”

“Nice to see you too, Rose,” I replied dryly.

“Don’t play smart with me. Did your mom come home last night?”

“No, but I can take care of myself. I’m almost 18, as you’ve pointed out. And as for my birthday, I don’t even know if I want to celebrate it this year,” I told her. Closing my locker, I walked away, not in the mood to be reminded that I’d be alone on my birthday again. When I got home, it became clear that my mom still hadn’t been back since the day before yesterday. By the time it got late enough to order food, I decided against pizza and went for Chinese instead. After placing my order, the doorbell rang. As I walked to the door, a strange smell hit me. Before I could place it, I heard voices outside. Recognizing them, I groaned.

So much for my peaceful evening.

“Rose Esmee Johnson, you better have an amazing explanation for why you’re here,” I said as I opened the door. When I opened my front door, I was met by everyone.

“Well, it may have come out that maybe you’re not celebrating your birthday,” I was told, and my mood immediately turned sour.

“I wonder who told them,” I added, narrowing my eyes.

“You have friends now, so you don’t need to celebrate it alone. You have people who care about you,” Rose said.

When I looked at her, she had a sad expression on her face. I sighed, knowing I couldn’t win against her.

“Fine. Come on in. If you want something to eat, you need to order quickly because I already did—and I wasn’t expecting company,” I told them, stepping back to let them in. As they walked in, everyone greeted me with the usual pleasantries, but not the twins. Oh no, they had their idea of how to greet me. When they passed me, each kissed me on the cheek. And, of course, when they saw my expression, they grinned like the troublemakers they were. Logan was already on the phone with a pizza place, ordering food for everyone. At the same time, my food arrived. Logan and Musa went up to pay, refusing to let me cover even my meal.

“Consider it an early birthday present,” they said with grins.

Before I knew it, we were eating, laughing, and having the most fun I’d had in ages. Time flew by, and soon it was almost midnight—officially my 18th birthday. When the clock struck 12, I felt a surge of power course through me. I ran outside to avoid breaking anything, and that’s when I heard Melody howling in my head, delighted to be free. The only thing she could’ve warned me about was the pain—it was excruciating. It felt like every bone in my body was breaking and reshaping. My face elongated, and hair began growing all over my body. When my face was done shifting, my legs gave out, and I collapsed hard onto the ground. And, might I add, I was now completely naked because my clothes had been shredded during the transformation. As the pain began to fade, excitement replaced it. Once I was no longer in pain, I attempted to stand on four legs. My first steps were shaky, like a newborn learning to walk, but I managed to steady myself. Finally standing, I looked up at the moon and let out the loudest howl I’d ever heard. As the sound echoed, I heard movement behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw five wolves approaching. Two of them stood out—they were the same black wolves I had drawn. What shook me most, though, was Melody screaming one word over and over in my head:

“Mates. They are our mates.” Melody proclaimed, happy.

“Do you know their wolves’ names?” I asked her.

“I can ask them, but that means you’ll be the one in control while I talk to them.”

“Sure.”

Melody retreated slightly, allowing me to take control. The world I saw was different now—more vibrant, colorful, and bright. It was strange seeing the dull world I was used to like this. Taking cautious steps again, I quickly got the hang of walking on four legs. Suddenly, an overwhelming urge to run and feel free took over me.

“I’m back!” Melody announced. “And I know their names. If they weren’t our mates, this would be pretty funny.”

“Go on.”

“Caleb’s wolf is named Orion, and Damien’s wolf is Hades. Logan’s wolf is called Slate, and Musa’s wolf—get this—is named Sage.”

“Sage? Like the herb?”

“Exactly. Very fitting for a Beta wolf to have such a name.”

“Beta wolf?”

“Oh, right. I keep forgetting you’re new to being a wolf. It’s like training a newly shifted puppy,” Melody teased.

“Not my fault my so-called gene donor ran off. Anyway, do they know what Rose’s wolf is called?” I asked, not wanting to dive into my daddy issues right now. To be completely honest, I wasn’t happy with Rose at the moment. She hadn’t told me she was a wolf. How could she call herself my best friend if she couldn’t trust me with something so important?

“Rose isn’t part of the pack yet, so I can’t reach her,” Melody said.

“Why isn’t she part of the pack?” I asked, confused.