The Luna They Underestimated

Chapter 10

Rowan’s POV

Angie isn't about to give up. She reaches around Hazel, grabs my hair, and I hiss as I feel it ripping from my scalp.

That's it. Bullying is one thing, but physically coming at me? I twist around, letting the hair tear free, and punch the b***h square in the nose.

Angie shrieks and lets go to clutch her face, streaks of blood trickling between her fingers. I got her good. I'm in no mood for this s**t after nearly being killed by my own mother. Besides, Mom did tell me to use my fists next time.

Hazel stares at us as Angie pulls her hands away and sees the blood.

"You f*****g slut!" she screeches.

She swings hard, but I duck easily, and her fist connects with my locker door with a clang. The thin metal dents under the force, and she howls.

"What is going on here?" a voice snaps down the corridor.

I look up to see Beta Matthew making his way toward us, glaring coldly at the scene.

Angie doesn't waste a second. She whirls away from me and runs to him, her lip jutting out in a huge, quivering pout.

"She's crazy," she whispers in a simper. "She just attacked me for no reason." She points to her bleeding nose. "Please, Beta, kick her out."

She presses herself against him and grabs his arm.

Shit. I'm not hurt, and Angie is still bleeding heavily. She looks like a lost little lamb trembling at his side while the lion, me, glares at them both. He'll believe the worst. I'm the new girl, and she's the one always hanging around the Alpha.

His eyes flicker from Angie to Hazel and me.

"Is this true? Did she attack another student?"

Thankfully, I have Hazel, hopefully my new friend. She puts a hand on her hip and shakes her head.

"Angie started it. She attacked Ro the second she opened her locker. Look at her shirt. Angie attacked, and Ro defended herself. That b***h is the one who threatened her."

I almost wince at the b***h comment. I'm not sure about Beta Matthew yet. Maybe he's the type to discredit people for colorful language.

I keep my mouth shut and await my fate. Mom and Alpha Thorne round the corner and come toward us. Oh great, because twenty laps of hell weren't enough. There's no way Mom won't make an example of me and run me until I cough up blood. My legs tremble at the thought.

Angie lets go of Matthew like his touch burns and rushes to the Alpha, trying the same clinging tactic. For his part, he side-steps, and she ends up grabbing at thin air without so much as brushing him.

That doesn't dissuade her. She turns to my mother, her eyes big and watery.

"Ms. Evelyn, your daughter's out of control. She attacked me."

I hang my head, waiting for the inevitable. How many more laps will it be this time? Or will I just be kicked out and left on my own after this?

"You must have deserved it," my mother snaps.

My head jerks up. Mom has her hands on her hips, a fire blazing in her eyes. That's my momma! She's always tough out there in the Pack, but at home she's my mom.

Angie glares at her as if she's the one who's been betrayed, trembling with rage. My mother takes the opportunity to wink at me and smirk.

Alpha Thorne's eyes are unreadable. A coldness has settled over him, an almost simmering rage, though it isn't aimed at me.

"Angie, go put ice on it and have a nurse reset the bone. And you need to stay away from Rowan in the future."

Angie keeps trembling, and this time I don't doubt it's real. Her glare is piercing. She clearly hoped for a different outcome. She turns on her heel and scampers off down the hallway, tears flowing down her cheeks.

I almost feel bad for her. Thankfully, it lasts only a second before my mother's stern voice steals my attention. She's in teacher mode again.

She pinches the bridge of her nose and shakes her head.

"Rowan, trouble on your first day? What am I to do with you?"

It isn't exactly a scolding, and from the way her lips twitch, I'm pretty sure she's trying to hide that she's proud of how I handled it. That's tempered by her disappointment at me constantly drawing attention to myself.

"Wait, don't get on her case," Hazel blurts, raising her hands as if to defuse the situation. "Angie attacked her first! Ro was just defending herself. Please."

Is this what having a friend feels like? I'm really liking it. Too bad it will probably end when she finds out I'm a freak.

"That may very well be the case," Alpha Thorne says. "However, I don't condone violence outside of training. We have a zero tolerance policy. Ro, you'll have detention with me tomorrow."

My mother glances his way, her lips thin. Uh oh. The smirk and the pride are gone.

The Alpha must sense the mood change, because he looks at her.

"Is that an issue?"

My mother averts her gaze, her lips pressed until they're one thin white line. Even Hazel has lost her nerve and stares at the ground.

Well then, it's up to me to defend myself.

"What about Angie?" I snap. "This is completely unfair. That b***h started it"

I shut up under the withering glare my mom sends me. Time to close my mouth.

The Alpha looks over my head at his Beta.

"Beta Matthew will deal with Angie."

I sneak a peek over my shoulder, and Matthew's eyes have darkened. He does not look happy about wasting his lunch hour babysitting a student.

"You may go," Alpha Thorne tells me.

I swoop down and grab my bag from my dented locker. By the time I've gathered my things, Mom has all but disappeared down the hall, and I have to jog to catch her, which my legs absolutely hate me for.

She waits until we're far enough away before giving me a side-eyed glare.

"Seriously, Rowan. You're always drawing attention to yourself."

I throw my arms in the air. I can never win with this woman!

"You said," I remind her, in my best imitation of her at my old school, "defend yourself, Rowan, you've been trained by me, you've been trained by your father, use these." I throw a few practice jabs for effect.