Eight - Vail
Marnie brought over my old backpack and Nadia rustled up a spare uniform. I tried not to grimace as I pulled on the familiar white shirt. At least I didn’t have to wear the short skirt, given it was below freezing out. There was even one of the fancy blazers, although this one was a deep red, instead of the dark green I was used to seeing the Arras wolves wear. Crimson was the Marshall color, Nadia informed me, and I tried to ignore the little flip in my belly as I pulled it on. It was stupid to think I was betraying Jasper by wearing another pack’s colors; given the fact he was now alpha, he probably had more important things on his mind than whether I was in red or green.
Or at least I hoped so.
My jangling nerves weren’t helped by the air of formality as we headed towards the auditorium. Marnie had snuck out of Omega House after breakfast, and we were escorted across campus in our pack groups. It was the first time I’d spoken to Penny, the Marshall Head Omega, and it was an excruciatingly polite introduction. Penny was a no-nonsense senior, with a short, dark bob and placid gray eyes. She also had perfect manners, and treated me like a distant acquaintance who was only visiting for a short while. Which was fine by me. The whole Marshall pack connection made me uneasy, and if she’d embraced me like a long-lost sister, I’d probably have puked my crispy bacon all over our pretty red blazers.
The auditorium was a fancier version of the gym, with a large stage at the front and three sections of plush chairs in different colors. Penny led us towards the front of the red block and I realized this was the Marshall pack section. I had a moment to wonder where the packless kids were banished to, before she gestured for us to sit. There were two rows in front of us, all filled with large guys who had to be alphas. They turned to watch us file in and I suddenly remembered Jasper telling us at the sniff test that omegas made very attractive mates.
Ugh. A whole school assembly on my first morning back was bad enough. But being paraded in here as fresh meat for the Marshall alphas really did make my stomach turn. Penny must have sensed my distress, because she made a tsking sound and pulled me down next to her. “They’re just curious. I’ll talk to the alphason about a formal introduction, and it should smooth things over.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. More than one of the guys was glaring at me, and I shifted uneasily as the alpha in front of me turned and said, “You’re really Parker West’s daughter?” He had blunt features that took on a sinister edge as his lip curled back. “Explains why he disappeared, I guess. Fucking a Marrow princess has to be bad for your health.”
Penny gave a quiet gasp, but the whole row was listening now. This was my moment to say something diplomatic. To start that whole smoothing-over process. But that curled lip really bugged me. So, I leaned forward and gave him my best smile. “Believe me, you never have to worry about that, Princess.”
More than one of the alphas chortled, and the omegas sank away from me like I was contagious, but I felt kind of smug. I might have been a weak wolf in the eyes of the school, but I had my own version of claws when I needed them.
I cast Penny an apologetic glance, but the biggest guy in the row barked, “eyes forward,” and the alphas all turned back to the stage. He gave Penny a quick nod, and I realized it was Reed’s other lieutenant. The big, scary one who was constantly cracking his knuckles. I was a little surprised when Penny went pink and gave him a shy smile in return. Seemed Beauty and the Beast was about to become a remake.
The rest of the seats had filled up around us, and I glanced over my shoulder in an effort to find the girls. I couldn’t see Marnie, but the Arras omegas were in the next block and while Nadia was in conversation with another girl, Jasmine shot me a quick thumbs up. I smiled back, although I knew it was a poor effort. If I had to be at the academy, it was nice to be in the same pack as Marnie, but my heart was over there in the dark green chairs.
Except for the blonde she-bitch who was sitting in the front row. Pearl LaRue looked every inch the pack queen with her perfect features and long, gleaming hair. She wasn’t looking at me, but the guys flanking her were. I swallowed hard as Jasper’s lieutenants, Baron and Felix, stared back at me with contempt. This wasn’t the curled lip of the guy in front of me, but a deeper and more personal reaction. Because the last time I’d seen them, they’d narrowly missed being killed by their best friend. And all because I’d taken some drug that drove their wolves mad.
I slunk down in my seat, that smug feeling replaced by shame. I wish I’d asked Gabriel Michaels more questions about the scent shield. Maybe it was just a freak reaction. I thought I’d taken too much and made myself sick. And Mr. Wentworth had said it might have become mixed up with my first attempt at a shift. But these were all just theories, and I couldn’t see any one of them wiping the disgust from the eyes of Jasper’s best friends.
I forced myself to look away and concentrate on the stage. There was a podium in the middle, banks of fancy lighting illuminating the semi-circle of seats behind. The academic staff appeared first, most of whom I hadn’t met. The only one I really wanted to see was Mr. Wentworth, but my heart sank a little when the Math teacher didn’t appear. Maybe he wasn’t needed for this assembly. I held onto that hope, because the thought of him being punished for helping me on Hunter Moon made me feel sick.
And the sight of the two alphasons striding across the stage didn’t exactly calm my nerves. Reed was slightly in front, his usual blank expression in place as he took one of the vacant seats. His alphas all straightened their spines a little as he gave our block a long, slow inspection. But my attention was on the guy who strolled into the spotlight behind him, looking like he’d just rolled out of bed. And then dressed out of his laundry hamper with the lights off. He was wearing the same leather pants he wore in place of the school uniform, with an old cable-knit sweater drooping off his shoulders. He had scuffed boots and messy hair and as he flopped into the last vacant chair, a collective sigh went up from half the females in the place.
Me? I could go a good long while never having to look at Callum Sawyer again.
But the focus moved from the alphasons to the man striding up to the podium. He was big, with a burly chest and a shock of gray hair, and looked like he was more used to ordering soldiers up a hill than addressing a bunch of high schoolers. But when he introduced himself as Principal Bregman, the alpha I’d insulted murmured, “Arras Pack. Wonder how that happened.”
He didn’t sound curious, but I was. I didn’t have good memories of the last principal, who had pretty much thrown me to the pack lab wolves, but I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing to have an Arras wolf in charge, either. I’d never really looked to the administration for help, but a friendly ear would have been a bonus. Would someone who technically reported to the new alpha giving me a fair hearing? Doubtful.
I slumped a little further down in my seat as the principal placed his hands on either side of the podium and gave us a stern look. “This is more than just a high school. You attend Hunter Moon Academy to prepare for your future roles in the pack. To solidify the bonds within our clan. And to protect what’s ours.” There was a natural command in his voice, and the fidgeting shifters grew still under his steely regard. “Our packs will only survive if we take care of our most vulnerable members. Our omegas.” He made a sweeping gesture across the three groups, as if everyone didn’t already know where we were seated. I met Reed’s eyes for a moment, and I felt a quiver of awareness at their silver sheen.
Principal Bregman went on. “They are vulnerable, because they are valuable. And because low-natured predators will always try to take what is ours.” He opened a small notebook and began to read, “An attempt was made to abduct an omega wolf from her home territory less than twenty-four hours ago. The incident occurred off pack grounds, but the perpetrators are believed to be the Black Den Pack. A full investigation is underway, but in the interim, security measures at Omega House will be tightened. Personal alarms will be made available to all vulnerable students. And every omega will be required to take a countermeasures course.”
I frowned at Penny, who whispered, “Self-defense classes.”
Snorts and giggles bounced across the auditorium at this announcement, but the new principal smothered them with a glare. “We don’t know if the most recent incident was because the student in question was an omega, or because of pack politics. But we know it was a targeted attack, and we’re going to do everything within the power of the academy to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
He stepped back and held a hand out towards the wings. I wasn’t the only student who sucked in a breath as Jasper Arras appeared and strode out to meet the principal. They exchanged a manly handshake and then the new Pack Alpha walked to the front of the stage. He paused there for a moment; not so much gathering his thoughts, as ensuring he had the rapt attention of every student.
My greedy eyes drank him in. My last image of him still made my heart ache, and I’d dreaded the moment when I’d see that raw emotion on his face again. But Jasper no longer looked like a high school student who’d been kicked in the teeth. Now he seemed otherworldly. As if in the last ten days he hadn’t just grown up, but risen so far beyond the rest of us, he was a different species entirely.
As he gazed out at the rows of students, I felt the weight of our combined anticipation. Jasper had always attracted attention, but this felt different. I’d started to sense it before Hunter Moon. That there were actually two sides to him: Cocky Jasper, who was all sunshine and smiles; and Scary Alpha, who lurked underneath and came out when he was pissed. As he stared out at us, the stage lights bounced off his pale hair and threw stark shadows against the hard planes of his face. But it was the golden sheen to his eyes that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. He’d always looked like he’d been dipped in sunshine, but now he glowed. And I wasn’t sure it was a warm glow.
When he spoke, his voice was all Jasper, and nothing like him at all. “I appreciate the protection our beta guards provide to our more vulnerable students in Omega House. But the Black Den Pack are a very real threat, and they are getting more aggressive.” Every eye in the auditorium was locked on him, but Jasper’s focus suddenly swung my way. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from flinching under the intensity of his golden gaze. My heart accelerated, my palms instantly slick, and I wondered if he could tell I was struggling to find my next breath. “Which is why Arras Pack will be deploying a private guard to patrol the campus, starting next week.” There was a flurry of murmurs, not all of them pleased with this news, but Jasper squashed them with a single glance around the room. Something else was coming; I could feel it in the way his eyes flicked back to me, then just as quickly moved away. “And all omegas will be wearing tracking devices from now on. No more surprises, shifters. We are locking this campus down.”
Now it was the omegas’ turn to exchange frantic whispers. But just as Penny was reassuring the other girls, Principal Bregman leaned into the microphone. “And in case any of you are planning to take your protests to the other pack leadership, consider them noted. They’ve agreed to the plan, and have assigned control of your safety over to Alpha Arras.” He let this sink in for a moment then said, “Everyone but the omegas, you’re dismissed.”