Rise of the Underdogs: JACOB

Never Underestimate the Quiet Ones

“Can we burn it down?” Wynter asked from the back seat.

“I second that,” Devon and Sam declared at the same time.

Heaven remained silent on the seat next to me. Her eyes roaming her Science book with an intensity that was surreal on her.

None of us really wanted to go back to school. Not now that Valik wasn’t here.

As the car rolled to a stop in front of the school, the familiar red-brick facade loomed ahead like a monument to monotony. The building stretched wide, its windows glinting in the late morning sun, each one a tiny frame to a thousand ordinary memories. Ivy clung to the corners like it was trying to escape, and the flagpole out front stood stiff and proud, the flag barely stirring in the still air.

Clusters of students milled around the front steps and the courtyard, already reclaiming their favorite hangout spots. The stone benches under the maple trees were occupied by the early arrivals—hoodies pulled up, earbuds in, eyes scanning phones like they were decoding ancient texts. The bike racks were half full, and someone had already chalked a crude drawing on the pavement near the entrance. It looked like a dragon, or maybe a very angry banana, breathing fire on a half-naked woman.

To the left, the senior class buzzed with engines and laughter, while the back field—once the site of epic snowball battles and secret meetups—lay quiet, waiting for fall sports to bring it back to life. The school hadn’t changed. But they had. And that made all the difference.

There was no segregation of species, just all-around camaraderie and the usual high school cliques. Jocks, Barbies (bleached-blond toothpicks the jocks liked to call cheerleaders), and Nerds mixed with the Chess and Math clubs, the Debate team, and several other groups.

I walked over to Selene, who was holding court by the main doors. Holding out the new schedule, I smiled. “Morning, Princess Selene. Here’s your new course schedule. All classes are matched with mine now, so you won’t be without a guard during school hours.”

Her grin helped me relax, “Thank you, Delta Jacob.”

“O-o-o,” one of the girls cat-called.

Turning, Selene held the girl’s gaze until one of them looked down. Hint: it wasn’t Selene.

“Nicely done, Luna,” I commented. “Shall I walk you to our first class?”

Her smile was worth it as she hooked her hand into the crook of my arm and nodded. As long as she was happy, the Alpha was happy. That, in turn, meant everyone else was happy.

Walking into class, I felt every head turn to stare. Everyone in school knew that Selene was Logan’s girl, and now she was attached to my arm like she belonged there. These were people who enjoyed playing mind games, but I had orders to follow.

Stopping at her seat, I looked to the guy sitting next to her and crossed my arms. “Find another seat. This one is mine now.”

“Yo, guy,” he said, his tone cocky. “Listen, Logan Pierce’s girl hanging on you is bad mojo.”

“Do you have swamp moss in your ears or something? I said move it,” I snapped.

Rising to her feet, Selene moved to my side. Her green orbs glowed with the feral energy of her Fox spirit, her temper scorching hot and reaching a pinnacle. “You will not speak to my Delta in that way. Ever. He has orders from my Mate to remain practically glued to my side, handed down by Logan himself. Now, you will move to another chair, or I will move you.”

I raised a brow at how quickly the once embarrassingly timid Fox Princess jumped to my defense. It was like she didn’t even stop to think before baring her fangs.

We waited, watching as the human teen moved to another free seat.

“Remind me to never piss off a Fox,” I commented dryly.

She scoffed. “You’re all family, and I’m going to be inducted as Luna of the Howler pack after graduation. It’s the Luna’s duty, as the mother-figure to the pack, to stand against injustice and guide our people in the right direction.”

Smirking, I nodded, “You’re a good Luna, Lene. Gracious, kind, yet ferocious. Perfect for our cunning Alpha.”

“Foxes are cunning,” she countered calmly as she sat down at her desk.

“So are Vampires,” I shot back with an easy grin that felt as fake as Pamela Anderson’s… uh… never mind.

Shaking her head, Selene turned her attention to the teacher as he walked in.

Hours later, after the droning was over and the drill sergeants commonly referred to as teachers were done harassing our poor, innocent ears, I was sitting on the bench outside the gymnasium while the girls changed. Physical education was my favourite class, but the girls loved taking their dead time showering and getting dressed.

Don’t blame me. I’m a guy, after all.

Yeah, lame excuse, but whatever.

“Hey, you!”

I looked up as two, built like brick s**t house guys from the hockey team turned the corner. One of whom was from Math class, and the other was from History. Both were as stupid as they looked. Then, I said, “Need something? A breath mint? An alibi? A water boy? Braincells?”

They snarled, closing the distance before slamming me into the concrete wall. My wolf snapped his teeth, his eyes shimmering with rage as I held him in check. ‘Out! I want to kill them! Touch my human without cause, and I will eat their hearts out!’

‘Dude, chill pill much? Calm the heck down, Thorne,’ I shot back.

‘Sending out an SOS. Our sister is close, but our Luna is closer.’ Thorne stated.

No, my wolf and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but we worked together perfectly when it mattered. My eyes casually glanced around the hall, noting the absence of anyone else. They had probably planned this out, but they didn’t count on one trick I had up my sleeve. See out of all our family, I had a special gift. A special connection with Thorne that allowed my Tracker abilities to shine.

I could shift certain parts of my body without fully changing.

With that in mind, I focused my energy on my hands. My fingers shifting into bony, hairy digits that looked straight out of a horror movie. Clenching my fist, I flexed each finger one-by-one until the guys realized what they were actually messing with. Closing my eyes, I called on Thorne’s ability to enhance my senses and strength. Opening them again, I pulled back my upper lip to show the half-shifted teeth that now looked like the jaws of Death while my eyes glowed blue with the pulse of power that belonged to my wolf spirit.

They gasped, fear rolling off them in waves as the guy not holding me backed off a few feet before running out of the hallway like the Hades’ pet doggie was on his tail. The guy still holding me scoffed, his eyes darting around before finding the round white bulb that was actually a camera.

“Heh, you think I’m frightened?” He snapped, his eyes narrowing on me.

“Of me? Probably not,” I admitted in a guttural voice that perfectly blended my own tenor with Thorne’s. I allowed my body to return to my normal human form before speaking again. “But you should be scared. Very, very scared. Especially since attacking a ranked pack member is highly frowned upon.”

“You? A ranked member? That’s rich. There’s no such thing as a Delta anymore. You’re just a wannabe.”

On one hand, he was right. On the other, someone was going to make him eat his words very soon.

Two distinct sounds filled the hall, and I moved into a position of submission. The first sound came from close by; the soft, barely noticeable growl of a pissed off Fox shifter. The other was the unmistakable sound of my younger sister’s wolf growling ominously from the other end of the hall.

Selene stepped from the shadows, and I knew she’d seen everything. Her bright green eyes narrowed on the arm holding me to the wall. “Wynter.”

On word: a name disguised as a command to attack.

When Wyn had the guy pinned, her wolf form resting its full, muscled weight distributed in a way that if he fought, one of her paws would make him sing soprano. He wasn’t bleeding except from a small cut on his forehead from when he went down hard.

Although, he now had a healthy dose of fear rising off him.

“What the hell?!” An older, more authoritative voice demanded. It was a stark contrast to the confrontation. “Someone explain.”

What the guy pinned under my sister didn’t know was that Selene’s oldest brother, Alan, was a teacher. The Interspecies History class teacher, to be exact. “Help! Help me!”

“Alan, that brute attacked Delta Jacob Grey. Unless you want the entirety of the Howler’s main crew dismantling the school, I would first suggest viewing the camera footage.” Selene answered, crossing her arms defiantly.

One dark red brow shot into his hairline. “Delta Jacob?”

“Wait, what?! That shrimp really is a Delta?” Jock-boy said from the floor.

Wynter pulled back her wolfish lips, baring her fangs in her version of an evil grin.

Alan sighed, “All of you in the office. Now – not later. Selene?”

“Move, Wyn,” Selene said in answer, her voice carrying the cadence of a True Luna.

“You know, you should never underestimate the quiet ones.” Dragging the hockey jock to his feet, Alan led us through the halls to the main office. Oh, goodie. This means another call to both my mother and my Alpha. Good thing Logan likes getting all the facts before acting on anything.