The Unwanted Twin and Her Alpha Protector

Riley POV Love: A deep affection for another, rising out of kinship or personal ties. “Riles, b***h face is looking for you!” Audrey burst through the door, panting heavily, her hair matted to her forehead, and a panicked look on her face. She bent over, trying hard to draw breath, her face rosy red from exertion. She must have run here the whole way through all the dorms. We were on the third floor, which consisted only of us girls. Thank god, or we would have had a hell of a time keeping the other girls from tattling on us. “f**k, hide the joint,” I snapped, shoving it into Christina’s hand. “If she catches us again, she’ll have a fit.” A fit was putting it mildly. The last time we'd been caught, I'd taken the blame and hadn't been able to walk properly for weeks after being 'disciplined.' Christina sighed and then headed directly to the bathroom, flushing the item while the rest of us scrambled to hide the alcohol bottles, the poker chips, and all the candy we’d been guiltily consuming with abandon. We smoothed down the beds, flung clothes into the hamper, and then sat down on the floor, pretending to be highly interested in the TV, which was playing some drippy show called The Bachelor, where women degrade themselves in high hopes of marrying some rich dude who clearly has no taste because he always picked the one with the most beauty instead of the brains. No wonder the marriages never lasted. Heavy footsteps walking down the hallway. It’s her. b***h face, aka Ms Sermons, the headmistress of Nightingale Academy, where troubled youth are sent to learn discipline and respect. We subtly glanced at one another and moved closer together, breathing deeply. Show no fear. Show no weakness, or else she would instantly know we had broken the rules. Ms Sermons loved to punish us for any little transgression, and I would be damned if I gave her a reason to do so this time. I silently thanked Christina in my head for remembering to open the window to let the smell out. It still lingered, though, and some of us were a little high. Oh well. Wouldn't be the first time. It definitely wouldn't be the last. “What did you do this time?” Christina exhaled, glancing worriedly at the door, a furrow in her brow. I was offended. Why did they always think it was me in trouble? Oh, right, because I was the biggest troublemaker amongst them. I wracked my brains. The truth was that I couldn’t remember. I shrugged, and the other girls all sighed, shaking their heads at me. “Think. It has to be something?” Audrey said hurriedly, “Did you play another prank?” she said, leaning closer and whispering as quietly as possible, as the other girls shot me looks of resignation. After the last one, they had all lectured me on the dangers of being discovered. Advice I had yet to take to heart. The more they hurt me, the more I pushed back. It wasn't in my nature to simply submit. Not anymore. “No. I don’t play pranks,” I protested, half laughing. Lies. Pranks were the only thing that kept me going in this hellhole. My own personal rebellion towards the way we were treated here, and my way of taking revenge on the staff who thrived on our fear. Laughter. Jenna raised a brow. “Really?” she said with dancing eyes, “Then what about the time you superglued her favorite mug to the ceiling. It took her days to find it!” “Or the time you put a frog in her bedroom because she criticized your appearance?” Christina reminded me. "She said I resembled a scarecrow and threatened to cut my hair off!" “What about when you put horse manure in Lucille’s locker? The mean girl?” Audrey chimed in. “Alright, alright,” I smirked and then flung up my hands, “but I swear I’m innocent this time.” They didn't believe me. I could see it in their eyes. They threw me skeptical looks. I would have been hurt if it weren’t so damn accurate. I’d become something of a hellion in my time at Nightingale Academy. Unlike other girls who behaved, who did what they could to prevent being disciplined, I did the opposite. I defied orders, I refused to bend to the rules, to become a mere puppet whose strings were constantly pulled. I’d seen some of the other girls, empty eyes, ashen faces, slow shuffles as they tried to become invisible. The discipline they administered here was more of an excuse to physically and mentally abuse us to the point that any defiance was soon beaten out of us. Well, most of us. If it hadn’t been for the girls, I might have ended up just like the others long ago. Thank f**k for my lifesavers, who had not only brought me into the group but also shown me exactly how to survive. God knows I might have died if they all hadn't decided to make me a part of their group. Without them, I would have simply given up by now and become another invisible girl, desperate to hold onto what little sanity I had left. “Shhh,” Audrey hissed as the footsteps paused in front of the door. The door swung open slowly, with an ominous creak. The air suddenly went chilly, and the hair on the back of my neck began to stand up. She filled the doorway. Our eyes slowly rose to meet hers. As usual, hers were cold and glacial. Her plump body was encased in clothing that showed off every roll of fat, every button on her shirt straining so hard that I half expected her shirt to come undone any moment. Her silver and black hair was pulled tightly into a no-nonsense bun, and her expression was like she’d just sucked on a sour lemon. In the six years I had been here, I hadn’t seen the evil b***h smile even once. It was like she had a heart of stone. Same as the other teachers here. Ms Sermons was the headmistress whom everybody hated and feared. “Miss Smith,” she said in that brisk tone of hers, “I’m here to inform you that your ahem,” she coughed and adjusted her spectacles, pushing them back up her nose, and then flared her nostrils at me, “family has decided to bring you home.” It took a moment for me to comprehend what she was saying. I could feel my heart thumping loudly inside my head. I could see her speaking, but the words refused to compute. Then it dawned on me, and for a moment all I could do was stare at her blankly. The girls all gasped, putting their hands to their mouths while I continued to stare at Ms Sermons, who gave a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It appears they’ve had a change of heart,” she said, frowning, “and would like you to return to Blood Moon Pack to attend your last year at school.” She didn't look pleased. She was losing one of her favorite toys to play with. Now she was going to have to find a new girl to torture in my place. I wasn't happy either, but for a different reason. “f**k no,” I finally found my voice, shooting to my feet and glaring with open hostility at the headmistress, who looked taken aback by the vehemence in my voice, “I would rather remain here, thank you very much,” I hissed. As far as I was concerned, I had no family. Family didn't abandon you for six years and leave you to fend for yourself. Family didn't pretend you were invisible without so much as a phone call to check up on you. “It’s not up for discussion. Say your goodbyes and then go meet the driver. Your father,” she smiled at me, “has already informed us to use any means necessary to get you into that car. So, we can do this the easy way or the hard way," she threatened. As if that was going to be enough to convince me to get into that car and go back to my personal hell. The boarding school was preferable to having to face the people who had broken my heart and stomped on it for good measure. "You should go," Audrey urged, her voice filled with concern. I opened my mouth to refuse, and that's when I felt it. A sharp prick in the back of my neck that made me instantly drop to the ground unconscious. It turned out the hard way involved drugging me against my will to get me to cooperate. By the time I woke up, the car was parked outside the pack house, otherwise known as my former home and the place I now despised with all my heart.