Confirmation and Confusion

  The bell rang for the second time that day, indicating class was in session. Mr. Hing slammed his book shut and pushed up his wiry glasses. He faced the class with a dull smile and said good morning. Only a few people responded, to which he began addressing our more recent assignment. I listened while spacing out, my mind wandering to lunch with Byron’s pack again. This was the only class I had without any of my packmates, so I didn’t know have anyone to talk to. The only people I knew were Ava and Damien, sitting in the front row. I caught a glance from Damien and he gave a small smile, easing my mind slightly. I nodded to him, but our attention returned to the front when someone walked in.

  “Oh, good!” Mr. Hing waved him in. “Everyone, this is Hugo. I understand you were late yesterday?”

  Hugo nodded uncomfortably. “Sorry.”

  Mr. Hing chuckled. “You didn’t miss anything. I have a seat open for you, over by Natalia. Natalia, raise your hand.”

  I tensed but did as he told. Hugo hesitated before finding his footing and walking towards me. He kept his eyes on the ground as he sat. Both Damien and Ava turned their heads in unison, alarmed. Damien’s gaze fell on the tooth around Hugo’s neck, then to me in turn. Mr. Hing had already resumed his lesson and the rest of the class was taking notes, but the wolves no longer cared. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Hugo narrow his eyes in confusion as he stared back at Damien and Ava. I shook my head slightly, warning them. They took a second before turning around again. My heart beat a little faster.

  “Hey.” Hugo’s voice was soft.

  I clicked my pen and started writing along with the teacher. “Hello again.”

  I saw him smile briefly. “I can’t tell you how good it feels to know at least one person here.”

  I stiffened, unnerved once again. Normally, humans avoided us and that was how we liked it. Being anonymous in this world was my specialty. Why did he suddenly think we were friends? My life was complicated enough without a human following me around like a lost puppy. I chose not to answer, instead focusing on my notes.

  “For this project, you’re all going to partner up. This will be a good way for you to get to know your classmates. Take advantage of this opportunity.” Mr. Hing clapped his hands. “You can choose your partners now.”

  I closed my eyes, cursing in my head. From the front of the room, I heard Damien and Ava whisper to each other. I didn’t need to hear what they said to know they’d chosen each other. I already knew what was coming next, but I was still taken back when Hugo opened his mouth to speak.

  “Do you have a partner?” he leaned in closer.

  I cleared my throat. “It doesn’t seem so.”

  “Would you mind?” he gave a shy smile.

  Damien glanced at me for a split second, suspicion in his eyes. Hugo didn’t notice that the wolves were listening in. Though he was speaking quietly, to us his voice was loud and clear. I bit my lip and averted my eyes.

  “Sure.”

  “Awesome.” He tore a piece of paper from his notebook and wrote something down. “This is my number. Give me a call when you want to meet up.”

  I took the paper, folded it up and tucked it into my pocket. Mr. Hing started talking again, giving me a good excuse not to respond. That first class was full of tension that only the three wolves in the room could feel. The humans were completely oblivious. I copied down notes and kept my eyes focused only on the teacher for the duration. I wasn’t bothered by Hugo, but the tooth around his neck made me wary. If he had been a normal human, I still might have considered his behavior towards me odd, but not as suspicious. Though he had obtained it accidentally, I still didn’t trust him. This feeling wasn’t confirmed by my wolf as it usually would be, which only made the situation even more abstract. When the bell rang for second class, I got up without so much as a look in his direction. My feet carried me to the door quicker than the rest of the class and I was first out.

  The next two classes were uneventful, aside from the various assignments that were piling up. Homework and projects weren’t how I wanted to spend my free time, even if it were beneficial according to my father. When I was young, we would go to school and then have our own lessons at home. I was always excited to learn more about our history, those were the lessons I was interested in. Nowadays, all learning seemed like a distraction. I was old enough to defend my territory now, that’s where my effort should be put. I was dedicated to the idea of being Alpha, school wasn’t going to help me in that field. No one could offer me anything here.

  When the bell rang for lunch, I didn’t wait in the hallway. I went straight to the cafeteria and found my seat next to Byron. He was alone and gave me a look of surprise as I pulled out my lunch.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Fine.” I forced a smile. “Just ready to go home.”

  He nodded but didn’t respond as the other wolves joined us. Ava immediately found a seat next to me and leaned in to hiss in my ear. Her hand squeezed my arm.

  “Who the fuck was that?”

  I pulled out of her grasp. “Simmer.”

  “What’s going on?” Ky eyed Ava.

  “There’s a human in our first room that’s partnered up with Natalia for a school project.” Ava sat back slowly.

  Byron laughed. “So?”

  “He’s got a wolf’s tooth around his neck.” Damien glanced behind him. “Shapeshifter tooth.”

  Byron met my eyes as he grew still. “Where the fuck did he get it from?”

  I hesitated, trying to decide whether or not I wanted to tell him of our previous meeting. My eyes wandered across the cafeteria where a nervous Hugo was taking his seat with a group of people who’d invited him. Whether or not he was telling the truth, he had no idea what we were. He hadn’t known where the tooth came from or anything about it’s origin. He was just a person, with no underlying threat detected.

  “His father gave it to him. He told me he was an archeologist who discovered it while on a hiking trip. His father had no idea where it came from and neither does he.”

  The packs eyed me warily. Ash let out a deep sigh before responding.

  “I think it’s best if we stay clear of him, just in case.”

  “Just in case what? What’s a human going to do to us?” Byron bit into his apple. “We have an opportunity here. Natalia, keep an eye on him, find out what he knows.”

  “I’m not your spy.” I leaned forward. “Watch him yourself.”

  “You’re the only one who can without making him suspicious.” He shook his head. “It has to be you.”

  “I don’t think that’s smart. He seems to be infatuated with Natalia.” Damien met my eyes. “The closer she gets him, the closer he gets to us. It’s not worth the risk.”

  “We can’t afford to have a human walking around wearing one of our canines as a necklace.” Byron growled. “We aren’t the only wolves in this town. Others will notice, he will be a target.”

  “So, you want to protect him?” Jace gave Byron a look.

  Byron sighed. “I just want someone to have eyes on him. We don’t want to bring the Alpha’s into this, so let’s handle it ourselves.”

  I nodded, giving him a small smile. “I’ll do it.”

  Byron laughed. “Thank you.”

  I sensed eyes on me and turned my head to meet Hugo’s gaze. His table had been peering at us, but when they saw me look their way they averted their eyes. All except Hugo, who was still staring at me. Byron and the other wolves noticed and followed my gaze, staring at the boy with intensity. It seemed to have no effect on him, as he was completely focused on me. I saw his friend nudge him and say something. I strained my ears to hear.

  “Are you fucking crazy? Stop looking at them.”

  Though across the noisy cafeteria, I heard it loud and clear. The other humans were intimidated by us, but Hugo didn’t seem to have the same sanity. Hugo averted his gaze and the wolves returned their attention to our table. We exchanged wary glances.

  “There’s something wrong with him.” Lane mumbled.

  “He’s just human.” Axel shook his head. “Cut him some slack.”

  “If he knew what we could do to him, he wouldn’t be so brazen.” Louis shook his head.

  “I want to know who he is.” Byron glanced his way again. “There’s something odd about him.”

  “He’s just curious.” I put a hand on Byron’s arm. “Don’t think too much about it.”

  Byron tensed at my touch, but I saw a smile form on his face. He moved to intwine his fingers with mine, stroking the back of my hand with his thumb. His eyes were alit with warmth as he met my gaze.

  “How’s your shoulder?” his voice was as smooth as silk.

  “Better.” I pulled back my shirt, revealing the bandage. “It’s healing quickly.”

  “Chano should have let you stay home.” Mel sighed.

  “I’d rather be here.” I laughed. “This is where all the action is.”

  “Not all the action.” Ava lowered her voice. “There’s been an attack.”

  “What?” I couldn’t stop the alarm in my tone.

  “Two men, near Shadowfang territory. The authorities are calling it an animal attack, but it was messy and vicious.” she bit her lip.

  “Yesterday? Near our territory?” Mel narrowed her eyes. “Where did you hear this from?”

  “Before we left for school, Cedric was having a meeting with Gaiden and the Alpha of Rivertail. He said your father was the one who told him.” Damien glanced around nervously. “Natalia, they were hunters.”

  My pack exchanged looks with each other. I felt my heartrate pick up speed. I didn’t need confirmation to know the hunters who’d shot me were the victims. I shook my head in disbelief. Not only had I seen the victims hours before their deaths, but this also confirmed the rogues were back in town. They were already causing havoc. I stood and headed for the exit, determined to go home and demand my father do something. I was already preparing my speech when Fyn grabbed me by the arm.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” he hissed.

  “I’m going home. I’m going to help the pack prepare for a fight. We will kick them out; we’ve done it before. We need to end this now, before someone else gets hurt.”

  Fyn’s eyes gazed around us, where a few people had ceased conversation and were watching us with unease. I pulled out of Fyn’s grasp and turned towards the exit. Byron and the others were already standing at the door. Byron eyed the people watching us and motioned for me to go into the hall. I complied, followed closely by the others. When we were far enough away from the cafeteria, Ash spun me around and dug his nails into my arms.

  “What the fuck were you thinking? You’re going to get all of us in trouble.”

  I yanked away from him, shoving him in the chest. “I don’t care what they think. If we don’t do something now, they will get hurt. It’s our job to protect our territory and this town.”

  “It’s our job to protect our identities first.” Byron took a step towards me. “Storming off like that draws unwanted attention.”

  “So, we’re just supposed to sit here and do nothing? I don’t want to be here, I want to be out there, tracking those rogues.”

  Byron motioned for the packs to leave. They hesitated but headed back towards the cafeteria. He watched them leave and didn’t speak until they were out of sight.

  “I understand your frustration, but you can just run into this without a plan. You have no experience with rogues, Lia. Your father wants you here because you need this distraction. We need to let the older wolves handle this one. If they need us, you know they’ll come get us.”

  “I’m tired of being their backup plan. We are just as good as they are.”

  He moved in close to me, bringing his hand up to cup my face. He laughed softly and my heart skipped a beat as I looked up to meet his eyes. His sweet smell enveloped me.

  “I admire your bravery, but you were just shot yesterday. You need time to heal, and you need to stay out of trouble for now. Our time will come, Lia.”

  “You’re not the least bit interested in being apart of this?” I felt so small compared to him.

  “To be honest, I’d rather spend time with you. If the rogues are planning an attack, we will be readying ourselves for a fight. Whatever time I get to spend with you before then is precious.”

  My heart pounded in my chest as his smile faded and he leaned in. His breath was warm on my skin and I closed my eyes. My stomach twisted in anxiety and nervousness. In the same second, I felt his body tense against mine and someone cleared their throat. I opened my eyes again as Byron straightened back up. His eyes were trained on Hugo, who was standing off to the side watching us.

  “What do you want?” Byron’s voice echoed through the hall.

  Hugo held the Alpha’s gaze as confident and still as I’d ever seen him. There was a long, tense moment of silence that followed Byron’s question. Hugo turned his attention to me finally.

  “Can I have a word?” his tone was almost annoyed.

  Byron hesitated, before stepping away from me and heading for the cafeteria. He shouldered Hugo as he walked past, but Hugo didn’t respond to the threat. Byron disappeared, leaving me alone with Hugo. I was unnerved by the show the two boys had put on and wondered how insane this boy was to directly avoid an Alpha’s question. I stared at him in shock. He cleared his throat and glanced behind him before taking a step towards me.

  “Are you alright?”

  “What?” I snapped at him, instantly regretting it.

  He winced but met my eyes again. “You seemed upset back there. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  My frustration with my father and the rogues turned to frustration for Hugo. I knew it was irrational to be mad at someone for trying to check on me, but he was persistent. I had made a mistake by helping him. It felt like he’d crossed a line, interrupting Byron and I, even though I knew he didn’t understand. It was hard convincing myself not to say something regrettable. I clenched and unclenched my fists and sighed.

  “Hugo, you need to choose your friends wiser.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “I’m sorry?”

  I rolled my jaw. “You and I are not a good combination. I can’t be friends with you, and you shouldn’t want anything to do with me. I need you to assume from now on that I am always fine, and if I’m not, you can’t help me. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.”

  He bit his lip and shook his head. “What are you talking about, Natalia? I just came out here to make sure you were good. It’s not because I think you’re my friend, it’s because you freaked a lot of people out back there. If you don’t want to be friends that’s fine with me. You’ve got your clique to entertain, I understand. I was just trying to be nice.”

  He turned to walk away and I sighed. I took a few steps towards him and put my hand on his shoulder. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face me; his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets.

  “I’m sorry.” I forced a smile. “I’ve got some family stuff going on. I’m just stressed out is all. You’ve been nothing but nice, so, I’m sorry.”

  He eyed me for a moment before answering. “It’s okay.”

  “Can I see your phone?” I held out my hand.

  Hesitantly, he handed it over. He watched as I opened it and started typing something in. After I was done, I shut it off and handed it back to him.

  “I put my number in. I’m not good at being the first to reach out, so, you’ll probably have to call me first. Let me know when you want to get together for the project, okay?”

  His expression didn’t change and he paused before speaking again. “There’s a library here in town; I’m going there tonight to study. If you want, you can join me.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

  He let out a small sigh. “How about five?”

  “Six.” I cleared my throat. “I have to check in with my family first.”

  He nodded. “Okay, I’ll see you at six then.”

  He hesitated again, before turning away from me and leaving. I crossed my arms as he disappeared from sight and I was left alone in the hall. If I’d had it my way, I would have let him leave the first time without a second thought. I admired his boldness, but he had no business involving himself with me. I was right the first time; we weren’t meant to be friends. My loyalty was to my pack and nothing else. It was only my promise to keep an eye on him for Byron that made me apologize. I felt as if I could kill Hugo at any moment in time without feeling bad for it. If he crossed the line again, Byron might do it himself. We were from two very different worlds and he would never be able to understand mine. Even so, something about Hugo intrigued me. I was allowed to spend more time with him, so maybe I could learn something in the process. It wasn’t just the tooth; it was his capability to stand in our presence without faltering. He didn’t avoid us as other humans did; he was different. I didn’t know if he was brave or stupid, but I knew I was going to find out. I wanted to know what made him different. Little did I know how far that curiosity would take me.