The Wolf

Ch. 3: Nico: Lost and Found

~Alex~

It is my first day at this new school. I was expelled from my last one for getting into some... okay, a lot of trouble. I got into a huge fight with at least 10 people and the school saw that as unacceptable.

So here I am at Wolf Creek High School. Restarting Sophomore year in the middle of September when I should be a junior.

I'm a werewolf. An alpha. I love getting attention, I'm not going to lie. That's why I love playing sports and showing everyone who's the boss. I can't help it. It's in my nature. So when that group of guys tried to pull something on me, I wasn't going to let that slide. I was taught to fight, not to surrender. In the end, I got a bad scolding from all the adults. The kids at school thought I was amazing and terrifying all at once.

My mom was disappointed in me and my dad was livid. I was grounded ever since I was expelled, up until today. I wasn't allowed to leave the house. It was a living hell. I couldn't step out to take a run or talk to anyone. I might as well have been a prisoner.

They said that an Alpha wolf should be smart enough to know that wolves shouldn't fight with humans unless it was necessary.

My mom drives me through the woods to school. She talks cheerfully the whole way. It's almost as if my expulsion didn't happen.

"Hm, I wonder is Belladonna's son goes to this high school. You guys were so close when you were kids. You haven't seen him since you were in 7th grade, so almost 5 years by now." She talks on and on about this kid.

We were pretty close friends. He was like a little brother to me. He would always follow my lead. He had brains and always told me when something was dumb, or that we should do something in a different way. I don't know why, but I wanted to stay near him, protect him. Then around the start of 7th grade, he stopped coming over completely. I wonder what happened to him.

He forgot about you, obviously. A crappy alpha that can't even act mature isn't worth remembering. We all know he had more talent than you. My wolf mutters in my head. The sad thing is that I can't really deny it.

"I wonder what happened to Belladonna, Charlie, and Nico-- we haven't seen them in so long. I hope they are alright. Maybe she got into some trouble... no, no, I think our pack would know if something were to happen." Mom fights back and forth about whether Belladonna, Nico's mom, is okay. She seems tense about the safety of the family, and I can't blame her, Belladonna is like a sister to her. And Nico was my best friend.

***

Mom pulls into the drop-off section of the school. She pats my cheek. "Don't you dare start any trouble this year, or we'll drop your position as the heir and give it to someone else." Her eyes flash gold. She said it sweetly enough, but her words are heavy.

She forces me out of the car and quickly drives off. All I can do is stare at the retreating form of the car in shock. If I cause one more big scandal like the last one, I was out. I would probably be demoted to omega rank. I shudder at the mere thought. All my fellow Alphas would jump on the chance to make my life a living hell if I were an Omega, because that's an Omega's position; the bottom. And those at the bottom get treated like trash.

I shoulder my backpack as I try to wrap my head around the enormity of what could happen. I open a random door and walk into the school building. I see a line of lockers on the left of me. They are painted bright red. I walk down the hallway, not knowing where in the world to go.

My ears prick up. I hear raised voices. I look down the hall to see two people standing close to each other, both guys. It looks like they are about to fight. One guy has brown hair, he is looking intently at the other boy, trying to convince him of something. I can't see the front of the other boy, but he is shorter than the other guy and has black hair. This isn't going to be an even fight.