The principal sat there with a stern look on his face, a mix of anger and disappointment in the fact that one of his students would ever resort to such actions. But he was a swift man, wanting to get to the bottom of everything in one straight shot. The two girls still looked nervous—they were stiff, eyes barely blinking, taking shy breaths. It was satisfying to see in real time.“Who told you girls to do something like this? Unless you’d care to admit which one between the two of you pulled off a dangerous stunt like that.” The principal urged, sitting forward. He was getting impatient judging by the stiff look on his face.“Someone told us to do it!” One of the girls yelled as if she’d been backed into a corner. “There was a third person and this someone told us to do it or they’d expose some of our secrets.” She was whining, sounding as if she was crying from the top of her lungs. I tried not to enjoy it so much. I forced a hand over my mouth to keep from smiling or giggling.
I looked over to Judy who was mirroring my surprised expression. Rebecca had a proud smile on her face before she started circling me like a shark. She stopped in front of me and Scott walked over to join her with a disgusted look on his face. What an asshole. “No one is ever going to like a girl like you,” Rebecca spat out venomously. Scott nodded and put his arm around Rebecca, it snaked around her pilates-toned waist, and my lip curled up at the sight. The idea that I was ever with a man like Scott made me sick. “I don’t want you anymore, I can’t believe I ever did.” Scott said and then continued. “A wolf-less wolf doesn’t deserve a man like me. I deserve someone like Rebecca, her wolf is strong and she actually comes from a good family - unlike you.” Rebecca looked confused but didn’t stop her tirade. “Even with a father like Alpha Rick, you’ll never measure up.” Rebecca proclaimed proudly. “You’re trash.” She added and spat on the ground in front of me. Now it was Scott’s
It wasn’t hard to believe that Arthur was involved in this. Briefly I considered checking my Instagram to see if there was proof of them having dated, but didn’t want to see what people were saying. There were so many people on campus that knew I was wolfless. I sighed and Atlas frowned at me, going to start running his hands through my hair gently. I continued looking at my phone and a notification popped up. It was a news article from some trashy tabloid with the title. ‘BREAKING’: Unnamed Elite Family Member Still Wolf-less.’ I rolled my eyes. The fact that this was considered news. So far, my parents have not reached out to me… but if it continues down this road, it may become a full-blown scandal. The idea of this affecting my father and his campaign made me sick. I closed my eyes and blew air out of my nose, clicking my phone off. There was no way to prove that Arthur was involved, really, but the fact that this would directly benefit his father’s election was pretty damnin
I looked down at my phone at the time. I was nervous not just because he was late but because he was my professor. The sound of birds filled the air as I waited. Just then a car pulled up in front of my dorm building and Atlas stepped out in a sharp suit. I blushed at how handsome he looked. It was a gray suit with a crisp blue shirt, and a thin tie to match everything. We were mates, it’s fine to go on a date with your mate right? Especially when he is such a handsome mate…He stepped out and opened the door, gesturing for me to get in. I walked over and got into the BMW. Atlas closed the door.“You look beautiful.” Atlas complimented and I smiled, glad he liked my choice. I’m glad I didn’t take Judy’s suggestion. It would have been too much. “Thank you,” I responded. “You look very sharp yourself.” He chuckled and started driving out of campus. Luckily the windows were tinted so people couldn’t see us in the car. The large iron gates of the academy started opening slowly and we
“What’s that?” I asked quietly with a confused tone and Atlas pointed at the door we had previously come in from, the bouncer cast aside carelessly as someone entered. The large bouncer flew into the wall with a thud and then fell to the floor. The high-pitched screaming came up the stairs and the man from before ran into the room. He looked crazed and Atlas grabbed me, pulling my body closer to his as we watched the scene unfold. My body felt warmer just being near him. The man from before was stocky and short, his dark hair was now sticking in a bunch of different directions, previously normal eyes now glowing red. He looked flush and insane like he had drank too much tonight. People were standing in between Atlas and me and Arthur and Gary, all screaming as the man came up to them. The room was suddenly a flurry of activity. The people were grabbed roughly and thrown to the ground as the man began attacking them. One of the women started having her dress ripped off of her. A
*Atlas* I waited with bated breath and I watched my mate mull over my question. Her deep brown eyes were contemplative and shining. She looked so beautiful tonight in that black dress but she always looked beautiful. It didn’t matter what she wore and I liked when she looked like herself. But tonight she looked regal, like a queen. Finally, Aria sighed and smiled up at me. She shook her head. “No, I don’t,” Aria said and I felt my heart somersault, this is great news. I went to kiss her but she stopped me with a strong hand on my chest. “But, it seems like you have a lot of secrets… so I still don’t know if I want to accept you.” She explained and I should have known a smart girl like her would see through my facade. I hated to lie to my mate but it was too dangerous to tell her the truth now. Once everything was settled then we would be able to be happy together. “What do you want to know?” I asked and put my hands on her shoulders comfortingly, smiling down at her. She ponder
*Aria* I tiptoed down the hall, not realizing how late it was until I was up the stairs and checked my phone. I cursed myself for losing track of time, I had class tomorrow. I opened the door softly. It was after one in the morning and I assumed Judy would be asleep but she was on the couch in her purple silk pj set when I finally closed the door behind me. I slipped off the heels they gave me and realized distantly that I had never picked up my clothes while leaving, damn. Judy squealed and hopped up, looking me up and down before touching the fabric of the black dress appraisingly. She picked up one of the heels, inspecting them like one might inspect a rare item. “Oooh, this isn’t poorly made.” She remarked and I snorted. Judy pulled me over to the couch and before I sat down I shook my head and put my arms up defensively. “Please let me put on something comfortable first, I’ve been in this tight dress and those heels all night. How do you wear those so often? My whole body
Rebecca's POV: My phone rang and I pulled it out of my purse to answer it with a heavy sigh. The ringtone was the one I had chosen for my parents and they never called for any good reason. I pressed accept and held the phone to my ear. “What do you want?” I said sharply and my mother scoffed. “There’s a car waiting outside the academy. Get in it,” she said sternly and then hung up. I shook my head and made my way to the large gates. My usual driver was waiting outside and opened the door for me. I slipped into the back seat, and the drive back to my family's estate was a quick one. It was a large house on one of the tallest hills in the neighborhood. The columns were in an old royal style that my parents never got over. Our garden was immaculately kept as a gardener trimmed some of the rose bushes. The car door was opened for me and I stopped, my heels clacking on the stone. I walked up the ornate stairs and when I got to the large entryway my father’s beta opened my door wit
*Aria* Altas smiled at the question and gestured for me to come closer to him. Of course, I complied, and my wolf purred in satisfaction at the proximity. "It's everything that Rebecca's been doing to you for the past year," he whispered, "And I mean everything. Video of your fight when she used her powers to prevent you from moving. The chat where she and Scott planned to kill you and cover their tracks. Not to mention documentation of how Rebecca can control others using her mind. It's all in there. And truthfully, Rebecca is extremely lucky she's only being kicked out of school. If Rebecca were anybody else, she would go to prison for attempted murder!" "But how?" I asked, stunned and grateful for the help. "I mean, some of these things happened before I even really knew you! I don't understand." "From the moment we met, I knew you were special," he replied with a shrug. "And it was obvious that Rebecca was bad n
*Atlas* Seeing Aria's grief-stricken expression broke my heart. I knew what she must be thinking. That I was involved with another woman. And not only that but someone who looked just like her. I felt terrible for putting her through it. I felt even more terrible about the accusations that were no doubt made against her. I could only pray to the Moon Goddess that Aria would understand and forgive me once she knew the truth. "Altas, just the man we wanted to see," Principal Higgins said with a tired sigh, gesturing for me to enter the room. Despite his comment, he didn't look excited to lay eyes on me. I guess I could understand his point of view. As far as he was concerned, I was the cause of this whole mess. And he wasn't entirely wrong about that. "Happy to be of service," I replied in a casual tone that belied my true feelings. I sat down in the wooden chair next to Aria. My love looked so terrified and sad, and I
*Aria* I woke up the next morning with my head throbbing. Groaning, I tumbled out of bed and made my way slowly to the coffeemaker, wondering why on earth I'd had so much to drink the previous evening. While the coffee brewed I shuffled around the kitchen, finding and dry-swallowing two aspirin. I left the bottle out, realizing that Judy would probably need some when she woke up. After a few minutes, I poured the fragrant brew into a cup, added sugar, and took a deep drink. Once I was better able to function, I cast a glance at the clock next to the table. It read ten o'clock. I realized with no small amount of horror that both Judy and I had slept through battle class, which ran from nine o'clock to ten o'clock. "What time is it?" Judy asked as she made her way into the kitchen, pausing before the coffee pot to pour herself a mugful. I made a face and pointed to the clock, knowing what her reaction would be.
A slap rang out in the bar, which quickly fell silent. Everyone turned to look at Judy and Arthur, the hushed whisper of gossip filling the space. I looked around and then made eye contact with the girl Arthur had brought, who quickly looked down with an intense blush on her face. “Shut up, you weasel.” Judy spat out at Arthur and the lanky man seethed, narrowing his eyes at her as they stood face to face. “I am a Jackson, and you will accept my rejection.” The hushed gossiping around the bar got louder and people had formed a circle around the event. Some people had taken out their phones to snap pictures or take videos. Arthur started to look a little worried and his date looked completely mortified at this point. She stepped back and then ran out of the circle. The voices of people got louder, the lanky man groaned out and then slapped his hand on a table. The bar got quiet again. “I’ll accept your rejection…” Arthur started and then got a sinister smile o
*Aria*I was restless, my leg bouncing under my desk as I tried to stay focused on the history lesson in front of us. The professor droned on and on about the history of the royal packs. I eyed Rebecca looking very proud in the front row and rolled my eyes. It was the third day of not seeing Atlas anywhere on campus and I was on edge. This was the second time this had happened and he had returned before, but after everything we talked about it made me angry that he would disappear now. The class was dismissed and I walked to the lunch hall with Judy in a daze, it was hard to focus on anything but Atlas being gone. The blonde girl was talking about something, another friend of hers it seemed, and I just hummed and nodded along. I was trying to distract myself from the feeling but I couldn’t avoid it; I was sad. All this week I had attempted to keep away from the way I felt by hanging out with Judy, studying whenever I had a free moment, practicing sparring - but it was
*Atlas* I eyed my mate with a smirk, I attempted to hold in a laugh at the way she looked. There was a simmering anger in her dark brown eyes and tension in her frown, she was obviously jealous. It wasn’t the same anger and fierceness she showed while fighting. That was very sexy, this was more cute. My mate was adorable when she was trying to act like she was not jealous. Aria shifted on her feet and then looked away with a huff. “I want to keep my distance from you,” Aria said and then looked down with a frown. “Is that actually what you want?” I asked softly and went to put my hand on her cheek, grazing it lightly. She leaned into the touch slightly before looking back up, her eyes getting heated again before she stepped back. I knew deep down this wasn’t what she wanted. Our mate pull was so strong, that it’s almost like I could feel her emotions myself. “Yes, it is,” Aria said firmly, and then her face softened. “It’s… inconvenient for you to be my professor and my ma
*Aria* I woke up and groaned when my alarm went off the next morning. I'd arrived at the academy late the previous evening, and it felt as if I'd only just gotten to bed. I glanced at my alarm clock, hoping that somehow it had gone off early, leaving me time to get just a bit more sleep. But It was five in the morning, time to get ready to go to class again. I started the coffeemaker in my room, wondering if anything would change now that I had won the championship. I had no idea if Rebecca would leave me alone or not. And what about Arthur? His very public defeat couldn't have made him happy. As I sipped the fragrant brew, I thought about Atlas. His handsome smile. His hands on me, his mouth on my body. The way he always understood me without saying a word. The way he made me feel as if there was nothing I couldn't do. There was no doubt in my mind that he was my true mate, and the thought of it made me smile. However, I frowned as I contemplated the danger inherent in
*Aria* I woke up and sighed in contentment, stretching luxuriously. I sat up, realizing I was alone for the moment, and cast a glance around the room. I was still in Atlas's house, and now I was curious about my surroundings. I hadn't had time to notice them before, and remembering the reasons for my pleasant distraction made me blush. The room was sparsely furnished. While the king-sized bed was massive, not to mention incredibly comfortable with the robin's egg blue, Egyptian cotton sheets, it took up nearly the entirety of the room. The only other furnishings were an ornately carved chest of drawers across from the bed and gilded a full-length mirror mounted on the wall. Both pieces of furniture were decorated in a grapevine motif that matched the headboard and were lovely in their own right. However, it seemed strange that there wasn't anything more personal about my surroundings. It didn't seem as if the room's occupant lived there full-time or for very long. There wer
*Aria* Atlas beckoned to me with a wolfish grin, and I found myself following him into the tiny room. It appeared to be a study. Bookshelves lined the walls, and an ornately carved cherrywood desk stood sentry on the opposite side of the room. That was pretty much all I had the chance to observe, as Atlas shut the door behind us and pushed me against the wall, covering his body with mine. I couldn't think of anything but the feel of his hands on me, his mouth on me. Fire pulsed through my veins as he kissed me again and again. I had never felt this way about anyone before. While of course, I'd had boyfriends, it wasn't anywhere near the same. Atlas made my heart pound in a way that drove all other thoughts completely out of my mind. And it wasn't just physical. Atlas was kind and thoughtful, and somehow understood me without having to explain myself. I hated to admit it, but thoughts of him invaded my mind constantly. No matter what I was doing, I couldn't help thinking