Chapter Two.

Himari’s POV.

-

I slam the door shut once I enter the toilet stall. Placing my hands over my heaving chest as I let my bag drop onto the floor. My knees buckle under my weight, knocking themselves out and bringing my back sliding down the door until my butt meets the tiled floor. Still panting and unable to restore the normal rhythm of breath, I tuck my head between my trembling knees, putting my arms around them.

As the Gamma’s daughter and first child, there was a towering stack of expectations leveraged atop my shoulders that shimmered in the faces of the Pack members that night to watch me shift into my wolf.

I can’t escape my fate, my parents weren’t strong enough to not let me go and as per the stipulated traditions of our ancestors, I had to move to the Packhouse in service to the Alpha and his family.

Restoring my breath thankfully, I raise my head and meet the back of it against the door with my eyes shut. The first bell already rang along my run in here and I hear the second one, my stomach clenching tightly. Once I step out there, it might be real hell for me to face the scrutiny and subjection. ‘I wonder if Vilma will be looking for me’.

I stand up and pick up my bag, slinging it over a shoulder as I turn and bend forward, wrapping my palm around the knob to bring the door open as quietly as possible. Peering my head out, I scan either side of the washroom and squeeze out a sigh to see no soul present. And out in the hallways, no one either as I pick my steps to get to my locker.

Oh dear, didn’t I just make things worse? Going to class right now will have all my attention on me.

Cold shiver races down my spine along that dreary realization and my grip on my locker door tighten reflexively. I can’t skip class, I’ve always been a straight-A and diligent student. I shut my eyes tight, willing myself to just go and face the brute force.

The moment I open the door, all eyes magnet my way, and the Math teacher makes a break. Mrs. Ron presses her pointer over the rim of her round thick-lensed glasses to give me a pointing stare, clearly blaring my lateness and bowing my head, I sputter an apology. “I’m s-sorry”.

Laughter booms around the classroom, making me extremely conscious as I duck my head and hasten to my seat. In my desperate bid to avoid more shame and get to my seat safely, I fail to notice the foot sticking out in my path and flawlessly stumble upon it, falling to the floor flat on my face.

“What a blind fool”

“Watch where you’re going, twerp”

Snarky comments are raining on my head as I grunt with a wince, slowly lifting my body from the floor and patting my face. My nose hurt like crazy. A loud clearing of throat silences the harsh pelts and I scramble to my feet at once, taking the moment to rush to my seat at the back of the classroom and next to the window.

Noisily settling into my seat and wincing from the pain piercing my face and shoulders, something rough comes faintly hitting the side of my face.

I instinctively glance to my right and see Vilma’s angry face. As always, my best friend is angry for my sake as I tender an apologetic smile, reaching to pick up the balled paper.

Spreading it over my book on my desk, I smile wryly when I read the note. ‘Where were you? I and Tristan were ready to shield you from class from those nasty jocks. Sorry about the fall, girl, you should fight back, ya know'.

How can I ever hold onto such negative feelings like that when I’ve got people like them worrying about me? Silly.

I quickly scribble a reply beneath hers. ‘I took refuge in the washroom from Jake. The fall’s nothing much, the pain will go away in no time. Thanks, I owe you both lunch’. And I crumple it back, keeping a watch on the teacher before firing it back to her.

We concentrate for the rest of class and amble out with the others as we head for the lockers. Vilma quickly inserts herself to my side, already glaring her fiery golden eyes at every snickering person.

She snorts once we get to our lockers, folding her arms and resting her back against the lockers to complain, “I want to so badly pummel my fists into all their annoying faces. Hey if that brat tries to pick on you again, I won’t hold back”.

I let out a chuckle to see her miffed expression. Vilma, Tristan, and I have been childhood friends even before we were born. She’s got a nasty temper and is so bold that she often gets into fights. Being the Beta’s only daughter out of four children, she’s very feisty and troublesome. All through my life, she’s been watching my back, scolding me for being antisocial and shy while never batting a lash to throw a sucker punch into the face of anyone who tries to talk down on me.

“It’s nothing, I already said I’m okay. That’s by the way, I don’t see Tristan anywhere” I begin to search with my eyes, glossing over the heads and swarming the hallways before catching a familiar taupe faux hawk and smiling.

Vilma grudgingly harrumphs, tossing her face aside and causing her charcoal-slicked-back bob to sway to her swift movement, while I giggle discreetly.

“Hey, are you okay? That was quite the fall back there.” Tristan shows up in front of us, concern distorting his striking features as he brings his large hand and drops it on my head. I shyly give him a nod beneath my lashes and hear Vilma’s grunt.

“If you had stepped out on time when I dropped by to pick you up, that fall could never have happened” And she’s angry and purging again. I exchange stares with Tristan before both sharing quiet laughter.

A vein bulges on her forehead and Vilma wears a cruel frown, “What’s so funny about this? That brat keeps doing this over and over again, and he gets away with it. You should join me and scold Mari, it’s high time she breaks his legs”.

When she gets like this, it’s best to keep shut and wait for her to descend from her high. So we tune her out, Tristan mind-linking me, ‘We have Chemistry next and Jake shares the table with us. Think you can let her take the seat across mine?’

That sets me on a little alarm and I link back, ‘You didn’t have to ask. If I sit directly across from Jake, Vilma will sit beside me and across from Tristan. At least, she won’t have to directly stare at his face and make a scene like the last time. They both ended up in detention.

We both pulled Vilma with us to the next class and sit as we had decided. But this is torture to me, having my bully from childhood, smirking at me so viciously and disturbing my turmoil beneath the table. I’m trying to ignore him and pay attention to the teacher’s lecture on chemical bonding but, Jake keeps grazing his sneakers over my exposed feet. I regret wearing sandals today.

“You suddenly fled the ceremony before I got the chance to congratulate you, shrimp” Jake whispers to my hearing, making my gaze vacate the teacher and settle on his face.

With his dirty blonde hair in a smooth sweep-back, cunning slate blues, and a defined long face, he’s a perfect replica of his father. Just that this younger version is not so bright upstairs.

I don’t say anything to that, averting my gaze and steeling my concentration. I’ve never spoken back at his taunts and will never. My mother advised me it was better to let the fool talk on because answering would only degrade you to their level.

So, silence is the best answer to a fool. And also, anyone who disobeys the Alpha’s heir never gets it easy at all.

I ignore the rest of Jake’s taunts while being gravely cautious of Vilma’s bridled rage beside me all the time. Funny enough, Jake tends to watch his tracks with Vilma after she had publicly kicked his butt one time during training around our middle-school days. She’s as fearless and strong as her father, the Beta of the Pack. And no one messes with her and gets away with it either.

These two are like the forces of the school. Lucky for me my best friend happens to be her and none else. We gather our stuff and rise after the teacher leaves the classroom.

I wince from the wicked pressure bearing down on my left foot, dropping my things onto the table and looking up into Jake’s grinning face as he seethes, “Weaklings like you should better learn to serve well”.

“Jake Cullen, mind repeating that?” A deep growl issues from my side and I flinch, turning to see Vilma with a wild look, her red lips stretching wide in a very scary way as she leans forward to confront him. Jake visibly jitters and turns away haughtily, tusking aside before grumpily leaving the table.

I let out a breath then, glad to have my foot freed as I begin to pack my things with two pairs of hands joining me. I hear Vilma grunt, “I swear, I need to update the lesson I taught him. That kid becomes Alpha, and I’ll lose all my hair”.

I bite down my laughter as she ignites her rants once again. As we’re leaving the classroom, I bump shoulders with someone and swiftly turn to apologize, colliding with gloomy deep browns.

“I-I’m sorry” The words drop from my lips without my knowledge, eyes still holding his eyes. He only shrugs and moves to walk away while I shake out of my daze and go find my friends.

I’ve never spoken to him before. Sean is Jake’s cousin and a sociopath. Talking to him even for just briefly gave my skin the prune. I’m jogging down the emptying hallway when something comes clamping over my mouth and another, going around my waist.

“Gotcha, shrimp”.

I’m roughly thrown to the floor of a classroom with a yelp, my palms meeting the floor first before my forehead nearly does. Fear funnels through my limbs as I whip my head around, my ginger-red hair obstructing my vision partially to see his menacing advancement.

With my chest rising and falling with unsteadiness, I inch away, backing from him as my hair falls from my face to bring into full view, the wicked grin on his face.

“W-what do y-you want w-with me?” I force out my words, already all shivers from his dispelling malignant aura.