Chapter 6
Quil
The scent of her keeps drifting over here, driving me mad. Honeysuckle and sweetness. I want to pin her under me and taste every inch of her.
She’s reckless and wild. It’s intoxicating just being in her presence.
She doesn’t let her fear control her, and instead controls her fear.
Wields it like a fucking sword and shield.
Like some kind of warrior. She’s terrified of Coal, and yet, so defiant.
No Human should ever be so strong-willed, and yet here she sits, ready to fight with every word Coal speaks.
She seems to think the real threat to her safety is the Wolf beside her. She doesn’t know anything. Not about Coal, and not about me. She thinks we’re monsters. That we’re no good.
Like father, like son, I guess.
Coal shifts, mixing his cinnamon scent with Delilah’s, and my head spins. I dig my claws into the palms of my hands to steady myself. I want to drift away on the cloud of their desire and hatred. It’s so wrong. Dangerous.
Blood pools in my hands, the pain grounding me, but it also reminds me of the reason I need pain in the first place. I choke on the memory of my father teaching me one of his many lessons.
“Insolent, rebellious, fucking pathetic!” My father screams as he slams the crowbar into my back for the third time. “You will not embarrass me again, Quil!” His voice is shrill, reminding me of a screaming rat, only rats are kind creatures. My father is another form of evil personified.
He’s mad because I refused to submit to him in front of Coal. I knew what my punishment would be. But I can’t be bothered to care anymore.
“Ugh,” I grunt as he lands another blow, this one making me bleed. Coal and I started disobeying our fathers long ago. Every chance we got, actually. The more they beat us for trivial shit, the less time they spent worrying about whom we spent our time around.
Of course, that didn’t mean we could suddenly start being nice to anyone. In fact, that would have been a huge red flag, so instead, we drew the attention away from her and fully onto us.
“Fuck,” I grumble, and Coal turns to look at me.
I ignore him, but I can feel the worry coming off of him in waves.
Things just haven’t been the same since the day Delilah caught us in the woods.
The first, and last, time I touched Coal.
If our fathers knew… That's a beating I don’t think either of us would survive.
I’ve known since I was six that I was in love. But that was ruined with the swinging of a fist. The only person on this shitty fucking planet that understands is Coal.
Our pain is the same.
He’s my Alpha, my best friend. My world.
Delilah
It takes me about ten minutes to do both Quil and Coal’s assignments, so with the Introductory course starting soon, I decide to pull out my schedule.
Three of my seven classes are for serving the pack.
A bunch of nothing like Cleaning and Human Manners.
Shit that all Humans here have been taught and have been doing since childhood.
Another of those is Cooking, which I enjoy.
Midday is blocked for lunch and electives, but most of the Wolves use the block as a free study hour.
Honestly, it’s just an excuse for Wolves to bullshit while they have their Avowed, or any available Human, do their homework for them.
The other two classes are more interesting than all the others combined, Combat, and my other chosen elective, Art.
Sure, Art isn’t useful, but at least it’s a distraction from the mundane.
I have a feeling Combat might be a lot of exercise for Humans, and not so much actual training, though. They can’t have us trained to rebel.
As soon as the teacher walks in, I let out a sigh of relief. Coal won't be too much of a dick with Mr. Parsons in the room. At least not before he has claimed me as his Avowed. If nothing else, today should be mildly tolerable, as long as I keep my head down and do what I’m told.
You might be wondering why a person would be claimed as an Avowed servant, or why I hate the thought so much. The simplest answer is, to keep Humans in their place, and because I don’t handle being controlled well.
Claiming us is just a tool to remind us that we are at the very bottom of the food chain here. We are servants and nothing more. Humans who end up serving the pack don't have much freedom, but the alternative is trying to escape only to end up serving a more ruthless pack. Or worse.
Just to be clear, I mean death. Although some days I wonder if death really would be worse than my already pathetic life.
There are also Human compounds, but I know from my mama that those are not places you want to be.
Weaker Humans get sold, even among their own people.
We left the Human compound for a reason. I just wish I knew the whole story.
Coal reaches under the desk, trailing his fingers across the exposed skin of my thigh and derailing my thoughts entirely. My skin reacts to his touch immediately, and I shiver. The gentleness of the touch throws me off, and I bite my lip, trying hard to ignore how good it is.
This stupid Academy has the girls' uniform consisting of a short plaid skirt and white shirt. While the men get to wear pants and a fucking jacket. I also have to wear an undershirt, so you can’t see my bra.
I should have probably worn shorts under this skirt too, but I honestly didn't think I'd be having this particular issue.
Coal gets handsy but usually stops at abuse, never venturing into the realm of groping. Usually…
A chill runs down my spine, and I grip his wrist, stilling his movements as best I can. He squeezes my leg tightly in warning and leans in closely, whispering in my ear in a way that makes my thighs clench from the closeness.
"When I claim you as mine, I'll use you however I want, whenever I want.
Even here, surrounded by the pack." While his words may have been whispered, I know the other Wolves heard him when they snicker. His voice drops lower, and I feel his lips brush my skin when he says, “Do you think they’ll all be jealous that I get to taste that delicious sweet spot between your thighs?”
What the fuck…
Coal is always putting on a show. Making my life miserable is what makes him happiest, I guess. I’m rarely alone with him, but when I am, that’s when he seems to be the least cruel. He likes having an audience, it seems, and right now he’s laying it on thick.
Fury spikes in my heart, but if I react, it will just give him an excuse to punish me here in front of everyone. I would rather be branded with a hot iron than let a classroom full of Wolves get off on the sight of me being spanked.
I bite my tongue, trying to hold in my retort, and taste blood. He was making a show of teasing me, so why did he whisper such dirty words in my ear for only me to hear?
Coal knows I’m a virgin and says he wants to ruin me for any other man.
The first few times he said this, I believed him, thinking he was going to take me.
Now I think he just wants to scare me, but I honestly don’t know.
He easily could have had his way with me in the woods the night of my birthday.
Instead, he and Quil had their way with each other.
I blush, thinking about the way they both touched me.
Quil might actually do it. He’s nothing like the young boy I once knew. I don’t truly know what either of them is capable of.
Coal’s hand travels higher up my thigh, and his mouth moves to the shell of my ear. The caress of his hot breath against my skin causes heat to pool in my core, and I curse my body for betraying me. Coal is the enemy. Coal is the fucking devil. Coal likes dick…
"I can smell you, flower." He runs his fingers up higher, almost reaching the apex between my thighs. "Are you wet for me?" This time his words are whispered so low, that I doubt even Quil could hear him, but I still tense up.
I shift in my seat, trying to move away from his heated touch. He might be able to spark desire within me, but I'll never bend to him willingly, no matter how my body reacts to him. Well, never again. Last time was a fluke. I was drunk. No more booze for me.
I push his hand away, using all the strength I have, but he barely budges.
"Stop…" I whisper, hoping he'll release me before anyone notices where his hand is.
Before I can protest further, the man from earlier storms back in and steals Coal’s attention with how aggressively he moves. I'm so grateful to be released from his death grip that I sigh too loudly.
Amber eyes zero in on me, and the other Wolf heads straight for my desk.
“Tell the Human to fuck off, Coal. I need to speak with you,” the angry stranger tells Coal, but keeps his eyes on me.
"No, you fuck off, Matteo. She’s my Avowed, she’s not moving." Coal tells him, gripping my thigh once again.
"You claimed her?" Matteo snaps, his gaze leaving me and focusing on Coal.
"Not yet, but I’m going to," Coal says with a shrug, and as his agitation rises, his grip tightens on my thigh once again.
His hand is going to leave a mark, and I realize he's probably going to get off on that. At least it’s high enough that no one should see it under my skirt. It also means his fingers are so close to pressing against my center.
"She's not your Avowed yet, then," Matteo growls, and I try to move, but Coal won't release me from his painful hold.
“Stop distracting her, Matteo. She’s not moving. As I said, she’s serving me.” Coal snaps his fingers multiple times, and another Human girl three rows up turns at the noise immediately and jumps to her feet, rushing over.
As Humans living in a Wolf pack, answering to things like a whistle or snapping fingers is second nature. As the Alpha’s son, Coal is never ignored. “Matteo gets violent when he’s forced to wait, Human. Move faster.” I resist rolling my eyes because she’s practically sprinting already.