The Luna They Underestimated

Chapter 08

Rowan’s POV

"Does the Alpha help with training?" I ask Hazel.

"Yeah, he comes every day. Training is mandatory, no matter your age or gender."

I watch Angie, the girl Hazel told me to avoid, race across the field toward the Alpha and cling to him like a leech.

"Angie has a thing for him," Hazel says. "She thinks he'll choose her as his mate."

I nod. For some reason, seeing her hang on him annoys me a little, but I shove it aside and turn back to my lunch. I don't want trouble with her, especially if she's as bad as Hazel says.

"How old is the Alpha?" He looks young compared to my last Alpha, who's in his fifties.

"Twenty-five. He's a good Alpha, strict but fair. A lot better than his father, who was a complete asshole and more of a dictator."

I bite into my sandwich and watch the equipment being set up.

"So he took over when his father stepped down?"

Hazel shakes her head.

"No. Alpha Thorne killed him and took over when he was seventeen."

I think about that for a minute. To take down his own father at seventeen. What had been going through his mind?

"Geez, a lot of people wouldn't have liked answering to a seventeen-year-old," I quip.

"No, everyone was glad to see Alpha Dean taken down. He was cruel. Women weren't even allowed to train back then. He treated them like animals, and he killed anyone who stepped out of line. He even killed his own mate, and his chosen one."

Her words make me feel sick. Killing your mate can send your wolf into a frenzy. It's almost impossible to do, though I've heard stories of mates being rejected and taking chosen ones. It's the first time I've heard of someone killing his.

"That's terrible," I say.

She nods and pops a grape into her mouth.

"Everyone hated him. Things changed after the Alpha took over. He made sure women could train to protect themselves better. Maybe that's why he was so quick to let your family join. Your mother will be an advantage, and your father too, given his Beta genes."

I nod, believing she's right, if he hates Victor's Pack as much as she says.

"Maybe," I say, just as Alpha Thorne looks in our direction.

I drop my head, and I'm thankful when the school bell rings, signaling the end of lunch. Hazel and I go back to our lockers and grab our gym clothes, then change in the bathrooms into the red polo shirts and black shorts and head down to the oval where they were setting up earlier.

Alpha Thorne and my mother are talking with a few of the teachers before silence falls over everyone and people drift off to their designated groups. I follow Hazel to our age group and I'm a little shocked to see Alpha Thorne come over. Hazel smiles when he approaches.

"Hey, Alpha," she says, giving him a brief wave as she stretches.

"Hi, Hazel. You can sit out today, Ro. That way you can see how things are run, if you like," he says.

I nod, grateful I don't have to train straight away.

"No, she can train like the rest of them," my mother says, coming up behind him.

So much for sitting out. Is she trying to get us caught?

"She doesn't have to, Evelyn. I can excuse her," Alpha Thorne says.

I give my mother a pleading look. She presses her lips into a line but says nothing.

"Come sit on the bleachers and watch," Thorne tells me. I follow him over and sit beside him.

I watch everyone train. Alpha Thorne gets up a few times to help the teachers and correct students, then comes back over. He looks down at me.

"How are you liking school so far?"

"It's fine," I answer, not really comfortable around him. My mother keeps glancing over at me nervously, which only makes me more nervous about his presence.

"Do you train a lot with your mother?"

I nod. Training isn't only compulsory at school. In our household it's almost a damn religion. With how much training they do here, I hope she'll let me off at home. Back at our old Pack, training was only twice a week. Here it's daily, except weekends, so maybe she won't be as strict on that front.

"Yes. Mom doesn't like me missing training, as you can see," I tell him.

"Good. Well, you can have today and tomorrow off, but on Wednesday you start training with everyone else," he says.

I nod.

Angie slinks over and stops in front of us, giving me a glare.

"You should be training, Angie. Get back on the field," Thorne demands.

"I was just seeing if you could come help me, Thorne," she purrs. It's obvious she has a crush on him, and she isn't even trying to hide it.

"That's Alpha to you! Now get back on the field, Angela," he says, pointing the way she came.

She looks down at me, her eyes narrowing, before she saunters off. I know she's going to make my life hell, and I haven't even spoken to her yet.

"Well, I'd better get back out there, Ro. I'll see you around," he says, and walks off toward my mother, who is scolding Angie for leaving the field.

When training finishes, my mother calls me over. The polite but simmering glare on her face tells me she's upset about something and trying not to let anyone else see. When I reach her, she grabs my arm and pulls me aside, away from prying ears.

"For someone who's supposed to be lying low, you seem to be grabbing the Alpha's attention," she scolds. "Ro, we talked about this. You need to stay away from him and his Beta. We can't afford for people to know just yet."

"Well, maybe if you told them, I wouldn't have to hide," I snap back. "And it isn't like I sought him out. He approached me."

"Attitude, young lady. I won't handle disrespect," she growls.

I roll my eyes, and I regret it instantly.