Ember
High school is my own personal hell. For as long as I can recall, the idea of being in a controlled environment with hundreds of teenagers whose main aim is to prey on you has always sent a shiver down my spine. The person whose idea it was to put a bunch of teenagers with raging hormones and a temper in a closed off space for eight hours really did a bad job with that one.
As I walk through the halls, my head is bent and I try to avoid making any form of contact with anyone at all. Everyone in this school perceives me as weak and helpless and as much as I try to avoid them, somehow I still end up in trouble.
With all these thoughts running through my head, I do not realize that I have collided with someone until all the books in the person's hands come clattering all over like broken glass. Slowly, I lift up my head and come face to face with her. My whole body stills and a shiver runs through me.
It was Juno. The ringleader of all bullies and somehow, with my luck, I know I had managed to piss her off.
"You stupid twat!", she hissed at me like the viper that she is. "Have you gone blind or you've just decided not to make use of your eyes?"
"I… I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to", my voice sounds like a whimper. Juno's eyes are red, literally. Everyone knows that she is the strongest Alpha around, just as everyone knows not to piss her off.
Beside Juno are Lyra and Lisa, her two friends, flanking her side by side like the good little dogs that they were. They had an evil smirk on their faces and somehow, I knew that I couldn't beg my way out of this one. None of them would be willing to listen to me anyways.
"I should rip off your eyes right this moment since you have no use for them!", Juno was fuming. There was fear written all over my face, and I knew that they could see that I was scared. I really was avoiding trouble and yet, I ended up right in the middle of it.
"I said I was sorry" I whispered, silently praying that they would listen and just let me be. Every school day was like unlocking a new level of torture.
"Just saying sorry will not cut it this time. You've really bitten more than your mouth can hold", Lyra said.
Lisa's eyes twinkled with mischief as she echoed, "You are nothing but a sorry excuse for a wolf. You're almost 17 and still cannot find yourself a mate. I bet you, you're going to die mateless and if you don't die, you'll be banished to live amongst the humans forever"
There was a visible shudder in my movement as my eyes moved from Lyra to Lisa and back to Lyra again. They were like puppets, or mini versions of Juno.
Their words seemed to unlock a new stage of fury in Juno, she hissed, baring her fangs and pepper red eyes and I felt myself shrink. Could they just leave me alone?
"Come on, girls! Would you just leave her alone?" A voice rang in the air, slicing the tension. I turned to the familiar voice and felt a bubble in my chest as he approached us and stood directly next to me.
"Pete", Juno said, retracting her fangs and her eyes returned back to its hazel tone.
"Hi, Pete" Lyra and Lisa echoed, grinning like love stricken children.
"Just let her go," Pete said to Juno, ignoring the other girls. "I'm sure whatever she's done does not require this type of grilling. By the way, look at her, she's no match for your strength, Juno"
Juno took a deep breath, considering what Pete had said. "You're right, I could do better than wasting my breath on this piece of garbage", she said. Signaling to her friends, she added, "Let's go, babes"
The three of them strutted away like remote-controlled Barbie dolls.
"Nice save", I muttered to Pete, punching his arm lightly. He laughed, "how do you get yourself in such terrible situations?", he asked jokingly.
I laughed too. "You know what I always say, the only thing worse than a high school is a Lycan high school"
"Em", Pete called me by my nickname, his eyes softening.
"Yeah?"
"Are you ready for tonight? I hope you're not getting cold feet already", he said. A wave of unease washed over me but I swallowed my nerves. I nodded and forced myself to smile. "Of course, it's going to be the most important night of our lives"
He smiled, impressed by what I had said. "See you later then". I watched his huge back with dread as he walked away from me.
Nighttime…
The full moon hung low in the night sky, casting an eerie glow over the bayou. Some members of the pack were chattering about, making small talk with each other. The Elders in our pack were setting up the ritual site, a secluded clearing bathed in the silver glow of the moon. I watched quietly as they organized a circle of stones, as they placed wood upon wood to make a tall pyre. My stomach knotted at the sight. This was real. It was actually happening.
Pete's family and mine had decided to keep our mating ritual to our pack only. We didn't see the need to send out invitations to the whole Lycan community when most of them weren't on friendly terms with me anyway. Most of them were of the opinion that I would never find a mate and I would be banished to live with the humans forever. It was best that the secret of our mating remained in the pack.
"What's on that pretty mind of yours?", his voice sounded, interrupting my line of thoughts.
I shrieked, visibly startled. "Oh my God, Pete. It's you"
"Are you good?", he asked. His eyes were warm with emotions. "It's finally happening", he added, grinning from ear to ear.
My heart was pounding fiercely in my chest. Pete's chiseled face stared back at mine and his blonde hair shone even brighter under the moon. "It's finally happening", I whispered back but my voice lacked enthusiasm.
"Come on, let's go to the pyre. Everyone's waiting for us", he said, leading me away.
As we made our way into the circle, something heavy starts to tug at my chest. Pete is a beautiful, bright and promising young wolf but something feels missing. I loved Pete as a friend but that was just about it.
There was no connection between us. No sense of longing and vulnerability. When he spoke to me, there were no butterflies in my belly like I read in those human books. I knew that if I just let myself go, Pete and I could make the perfect Lycan couple. But as I looked from my parents excited faces to Pete's smiling face, I felt a cold dread creeping up in my spine.
"I'm so sorry, Pete", I whispered to him and watched as he looked at me, confused. I couldn't do this. I couldn't mate with someone I held no love for. Mating was for life and I just couldn't do this to both Pete and myself.
So I did the only thing I could think of - I ran.