First Days

It was too quiet. My mind kept racing, taking me to places that made my heart race. When I fell asleep, my fears followed me. I didn’t want to be here. The castle was only quiet at night until five a.m. I was being woken by footsteps stomping on the roof. What did I even wear? Uniform?

Athena hadn’t left me one. I looked for the most neutral thing in my bag. I found a black skirt with pockets so I could hide my phone. The only plain shirt I had was a white-sleeved shirt that hugged my body. I tried not to get my strawberry blondish hair wet in the shower, but it did.

Now I had some parts curly and other parts frizzy or straight. I didn’t even have a scrunchy to tame my hair.

Black sneakers completed my look. The second I stepped out of the door, I turned into a mouse.

“Oh, who’s that?”

“Fresh meat?”

I backed into the hall.

“Hurry up now. Miss Chambers, the assembly’s next. Which you should all be at.” A surge of power filled the room. It went straight to my head I nearly stumbled back into the hall.

The crowd of hungry wolves shuffled out the double doors.

“I… I don’t have a uniform.” I said.

“Uniforms are given once you’re assigned rank. Usually, your pack gives us that information…”

“But I’ve never shifted.” I finished for her.

“Exactly, so what will happen is we’ll have to determine what is the matter.”

“Can my wolf be dead?”

She laughed and it sounded like she didn’t do it often. “Heavens no. It dies so do you.”

I swallowed, “Good to know.”

Assembly took place outside. I couldn’t imagine what hall would be big enough to accommodate over two thousand wolves. They all stood at attention. The uniforms here were different. Girls could either wear shorts, skirts or pants. Good to know there was a variety. Those in black shirts with green slashes across the shirt stood on the first line. There were three in total. They had to be the betas. Next had grey shirts with dark blue slashes on them. Gamma, I presumed. Lastly, a smaller crowd wore brown shirts with no slashes. I swallowed Omegas.

“What do I—” I looked at the ranks.

Some heads were turned to me. Ugh, I hated being the new girl.

Athena looked at the groups and then at the four elders standing in front of the school. Athena beckoned me forward. I cringed. Why did I have to stand in front of the whole school? I had stage fright. Please don’t faint Gabbie.

“You can stand next to me,” Athena said.

She folded her arms in front of her dark blue dress and lifted her head high.

“Another school year. Same rules. However, this year will be a bit different with the ritual moons rising on us. Most of you have been training for these moons for years.”

Murmurs went through the crowd. What ritual moons? The only moon I knew was the transformation moon and that was for first shifts only. Wolves didn’t always need the moon to shift.

“Your teachers and alphas will let you know about changes in the timetable. However, everything remains the same, cross the line and it’s you and I in my office. Dismissed.”

I should have kept my head down, but I couldn’t stop staring at the wolves in front of me. Some of the people were from my pack. Had I shifted, I would have joined them years ago. My deadline had passed now. I wasn’t going to shift. I also had an eye out for Alex. He would be part of the alpha group, but they weren’t out here.

“I have a meeting then I’ll hand you your rank,” Athena whispered.

I nodded. I honestly wanted to hide out in my room until I got a uniform and could blend into the crowd. With my crazy hair and casual clothes, I stuck out like a sore thumb. The crowds broke up to form cliques, but betas remained among betas and omegas among themselves. It wasn’t really the environment for making friends, not until anyone knew where I ranked.

“Look what the cat dragged in.” I turned to see who spoke because I knew it was aimed at me.

Blair! The last person on earth I wanted to see.

“I didn’t think you’d ever make it in.” She tilted her head, her thick ponytail falling to the side. “Or are you visiting?”

I frowned. “No, Blair. I got in…”

I eyed her over. I resisted the urge to rub my eyes. Blair, hard ball, cocky Blair, destined for great things Blair, the next self-proclaimed Luna Blair was in brown. The lowest rank…

“What are you looking at!” She snapped.

Blair’s still a bitch I blinked back. I giggled, “It’s just that weren’t you supposed to be the next Luna or something.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re laughing now. You don’t even have a rank.”

“Not yet. I just got here.”

I desperately wanted to ask her what happened, but Blair and I weren’t exactly friends. Yeah, we went to the same high school and some of the same parties, but she never liked me. I always thought it had something to do with Alex.

Now, here she was an omega, in high socks, a flowy skirt and the rank t-shirt. I kind of felt bad for her. It must have been a shock. Omegas aren’t the most valued wolves in the pack. They’re considered last for everything. They aren’t allowed significant positions in the pack, like mating the alpha unless it was just keeping his bed warm at night… so I heard.

“Oh, yay! A new girl.” A girl with short brown hair bounced next to Blair. “We don’t get many of those, especially omegas.”

“Emery!” Blair blasted.

Emery raised her hands in mock surrender. I giggled.

“I’m not an omega, actually I’m not sure. I’ve never shifted.”

“Typical,” Blair muttered.

“Oh, that’s so sad. I’ll save you a bed. See you guys later.” She waved and bounced off.

“A bed for what?” I asked Blair.

She rolled her eyes. “For when you’re sent to the omega quarter.”

“How’s she so sure?”

“If your wolf was strong at all or if it even existed, you would have shifted already. Since you haven’t, it means you’re an omega. Default rank for someone who’s never shifted.”

Heat rushed to my face. I was slowly accepting I didn’t have a wolf and would likely live out as a human, but this? This needed a whole new adjustment.

“It’s not so bad. Our pack doesn’t suck as much as the others.” Blair looked at the wolves passing by.

“Have you seen the alphas lately?” A girl who looked about sixteen asked her friend as they walked past us.

“No, I’m dying to see alpha Alex. I heard he’s gotten bigger over the break.”

“I know! Let’s go check out the betas.”

“Yes!”

The girls were first-year betas. They hurried along to go stare at their seniors. Where are they talking about Alex? My Alex. My heart rate spiked. I hadn’t seen him in what felt like forever. Would he still consider us best friends? Or had the whole alpha thing gone to his head?

“Alex? From our pack?” I asked Blair.

She nodded. “The same.”

“What’s he like now? I mean, it’s been forever.”

She groaned. “You’ll find out. Come on, let’s get you to Athena’s office.”

She started walking, and I paused. “You’re going to take me there?”

She shot me daggers, “It’s not like you know where it is.”

I bit my lip. “Good point.”