Roxy was stacking the books she didn't need from her backpack into her locker when there was a tap on her shoulder. Frowning, she turned to see who the person was, her eyebrows springing up when Levi gave a nervous wave.
'Levi!' She tucked her hair behind her ears and slammed the locker shut. 'Levi, I need to apologise for Isaac. He was way out of line and should never have threatened you like that. I shouldn't have put you in that position. I hope you can forgive me.'
'Roxy, it's okay.' He shoved his hands into his pockets. 'I've faced scarier things than that soulmate of yours during my time on the streets. Besides, we all know Alphas are a little more possessive than other wolves. I shouldn't have even suggested the idea.'
Roxy gave a sad smile. 'No, I'm glad we did it. I just don't think we'll be doing it again. Thank you for forgiving me. The last thing I need is losing the friends I just made in a new town.'
'I'm more than happy to sacrifice some frozen cream for my head to stay attached to my neck.' The both of them laughed before Levi gave a sad smile and tugged the bracelet he wore from his wrist. 'I know how hard it can be being the new kid.' He extended it out to Roxy. 'This bracelet has been with me at every new school I've started at and nothing bad has ever happened. I like to think of it as my good luck charm. I think you could use some.'
Roxy gasped and took the bracelet, running her fingers over the plaited leather and chunk of amethyst that twinkled beneath the hallway lights. 'It's beautiful, Levi.' She held it back to him. 'But I could never take your good luck charm away. I wouldn't forgive myself if today you were hung from the flagpole by your underpants.'
He laughed and waved her off. 'Again, I've gone through worse. Please, take it.'
'Are you sure?' She bit her lip.
Levi rolled his eyes and took the bracelet to tie around her wrist. 'I'm sure.'
'Thank you, Levi, for being such a good friend.' She winced as they started to make their way down the hallway with the throng of students in blue and white. 'Even when my Alpha soulmate almost tore your head from your body.'
Levi chuckled and pulled her to his side. 'What are friends for?'
A few minutes later they met Abigail and Kayla out the front of their next class. It was the first time she'd be attending the speciality class Isaac had spoken about. A nervous feeling stirred inside of her. What if she didn't know as much as the other wolves? Would they be learning about rogues? She thought of the book she'd picked up in the library yesterday before Levi had found her, the gruesome sketch flashing through her mind. Moon Goddess, she hoped not. The thought of them being after one of the Saltwater Woods pack members, or her, as Isaac feared, sent a slow and chilling feeling down her spine.
'Oh, hey, nice bracelet.' Abigail picked up Roxy's wrist, her eyes locked onto the amethyst. 'I've never seen anything like it before. Did Isaac give it to you?'
Roxy laughed nervously and gently pulled her hand back to her side. 'No. Levi gave it to me for good luck.'
Abigail looked up to Levi. 'Aw how sweet.'
'I made it myself,' said Levi proudly. 'I can make you one too if you like.'
Abigail's eyes brightened. 'Really?' A blush adorned her cheeks as she brushed her hair from her face. 'Pink is my favourite colour.'
'Ah the rose quartz – a crystal of universal and unconditional love.' A spark twinkled in Levi's eyes.
Kayla was frowning at the interaction with Roxy, the girls giving an eyebrow-raised glance to one another when the class began merging inside. She listened to Abigail and Levi chat excitedly to one another about crystals and their healing powers while she took a seat next to Kayla. Could they just share a mutual interest or was there more to their sudden connection?
'First I've heard her talk of crystals,' said Kayla with a smirk as she opened her textbook.
Roxy giggled in reply before hushing along with the rest of the class when the lights were flicked off. The silhouette of a female teacher moved about the darkness before she was standing in front of the projector, squinting against its brightness. In all of her schooling years, Roxy had never seen such an attractive teacher. She was tall, a tight fitting dress sticking to the curves of her hips. Fiery red hair cascaded down her back in loose waves, bouncing with a rainbow of crystals that clacked against her chest on a necklace. Much like the one in Levi's bracelet. Roxy couldn't help but look around to see the boys' reactions to her, not at all surprised to find them practically drooling over their open textbooks.
'Good morning everyone.' The woman gave a brilliant smile as she stepped out of the projector beam and used the remote in her hand to click to the next slide. 'For the next few weeks we will be learning about our royal family.'
There was a chorus of groans and sounds of heads hitting tables. Roxy seemed to be the only one who was intrigued. She'd never learnt a lot about the family who ruled all werewolves. Their mother had always been strangely against them, leaving her and Cleo clueless.
'Oh hush. The sooner we start the sooner we get it over and done with.' The teacher chuckled and clicked to the next slide which showed the family tree. 'If I were to list every single family member from the first descendants then I'd need ten projectors.' The class murmured with laughter. 'So let's start with the ones we know are alive. I suggest you all write these down since you will be tested on the hierarchy at the end of the unit. At the top we have King Reginald and Queen Laticia...'
Roxy scribbled in her notebook furiously with the other students as their teacher continued listing the family members. By the third generation her head was beginning to swim.
'... Now you may have noticed I've left one of the queen's children blank.' The teacher pointed a laser to the screen. 'The King and Queen had three sons; George, Robert and Stefan. George, being the eldest, will someday take over the throne followed by his daughter, Tahlia. Only in the rare occurrence of something happening to George, his soulmate and their children does Robert reign. This would've been the same case for Stefan, however being the third in line he always knew the chances of him getting the throne were slim so one day he vanished.' The teacher gazed around the classroom. 'To this day no one knows what happened to him. Had he been kidnapped? Murdered?' She paused, her eyes settling on Roxy and a smile gracing her face. 'Or had he simply left the pressures of royal life to create a new life?'
'I'm sorry. I didn't realise I had two new students' minds to grow.' The teacher squinted past the projector. Roxy wanted to be swallowed by her seat when the entire class was suddenly looking at her. Hadn't she been stared at enough yesterday? 'Who are you, sweetheart?'
'R-Roxy,' she stammered nervously, feeling the all too familiar blush heat her face.
'Roxy? What an unusual name. Is that short for Roxanne?' She flashed a smile.
'No.' She frowned. 'Just Roxy.'
'Oh.' The teacher stood on her tiptoes to look at the table behind her and Kayla. 'And you are...?'
'Uh, Levi,' said the boy behind her sheepishly.
'Hmm. Levi... is that short for Leviathan?' She gave another smile. 'Named after one of the Seven Princes of Hell?'
'Uh... I don't think so?' replied Levi strangely. 'I always thought I was named after the jeans. When my parents met the first thing my dad noticed about my mum was how the jeans she wore made her... butt look.'
The class erupted into laughter while the teacher gave a disapproving purse of her lips. Roxy turned around still giggling with Kayla for Levi to give them a sheepish grin. Even in the dark room she could see him reddening.
'Well I am Miss... Miss...' It seemed that Levi's story of his parents meeting had left her flustered.
'Miss Octavia?' Helped a student at the front.
'Yes! That's it!' Miss Octavia smiled gratefully. 'Thank you uh...'
'Sam? I was at your house last week for tutoring.'
Miss Octavia gave a nervous smile while fanning her face. 'Right. Of course you were, sweetheart.' She straightened her dress and fronted the class. 'Now focus up everyone! We still have two more generations to get through!'
'Miss Octavia can be bit of a kook,' whispered Kayla to Roxy.
Roxy giggled as the teacher launched into her lecture again. 'You don't say.'
It was lunchtime while Roxy sat with Kayla on the bleachers, their lunch trays sitting on their knees. Below on the field, the football team who would tower over Roxy's old school's team were training. Around the grounds students loitered, some of them alone with their head in a book while others chatted in groups. Roxy hissed through her teeth with a wince as she watched a football player get slammed into the ground by four opponents. If it were humans he'd be out cold, but this time the player who'd been tackled jumped up like he'd tripped over his shoelaces.
'Isaac used to be captain of the football team,' stated Kayla through a mouthful of tacos.
Roxy couldn't help but roll her eyes. 'Of course he was.'
She looked back to the team who were regrouping in a huddle, visualising Isaac as one of them. What would he have been like during his school years? Had he still been serious and uptight or had he been fun and laid back? She could imagine him and Tobias messing about together, getting sent to the principal's office all too often. Had he left school to focus on his Alpha duties after him and Kayla's parents had died or managed to juggle it all?
Roxy couldn't help but glance at the players' gear they wore; the shoulder pads which she would've thought had to be made of iron to be strong enough for their werewolf strength, the mouthguards that dangled from their helmets, the tight pants that clung to every muscle... especially the butts. All too soon her wolf was purring seductively when they imagined Isaac running through the field with the football, his perfectly toned butt being flaunted.
'Hey!'
Roxy startled at Abigail's voice as she climbed up the bleachers towards them. She looked down to the grass underneath the bleachers where her taco was now splattered in a mess of mince, lettuce and sour cream. Of course. With a sad sigh she sat her now bare tray aside and focused on Abigail, a curious frown filling her face when the sunlight caught something on her wrist. It was a bracelet, just like the one Levi had given her. Only it was a rose quartz – Abigail's favourite colour.
She sat next to Roxy with a huff. 'I've been looking for you guys everywhere! Why are we all the way out here?'
'Roxy says the cafeteria is too loud.' Kayla smirked. 'Plus she's been out here eye-goggling the football team imagining one of them to be Isaac in tight pants.'
Roxy's face flamed and her tongue knotted in her mouth while Abigail giggled. 'I was not! And as for the cafeteria I have sensitive ears.'
Her two friends burst out into fits of laughter.
'Oh sure!' Abigail flicked the hand adorning her new bracelet dramatically.
'Are you a mind reader or something?' Roxy whipped her attention to Kayla, annoyed with the way her face was still hot.
She snorted. 'No. I could feel your estrogen bouncing off me. I was only joking but your reaction clearly says I was right.' Her attention shifted to Abigail much to Roxy's relief. 'Where've you been? Is more the question.'
Abigail bit her lip and held out the bracelet for her friends to examinate. 'With Levi. Remember how we were talking about crystals in specialty class? Well, he made me one!'
Kayla rose a manicured eyebrow. 'You mean the guy's just carrying crystals and leather around in his backpack?'
Abigail nodded. 'It's his hobby. Plus, being a lone wolf he's kind of picked up the habit of carrying everything he owns on him.' She chewed at her lip anxiously. 'I think he's my soulmate.'
While Roxy's eyebrows shot up to her hairline, Kayla let out a loud bark of laughter. Within seconds Abigail's excited expression became crestfallen, her eyes glancing down to her untouched tray of food.
'That's such exciting news, Abigail.' Roxy reached out and squeezed her shoulder, grimacing at Kayla's slightly rude behaviour. 'How did you know it was him?'
Abigail went to answer before Kayla cut her off. 'Abigail, there's no way he's your soulmate. I mean when you met him for the first time with Roxy and I you didn't feel anything. Besides, you don't think you've met your soulmate, you know.'
Their friend looked flustered. 'Well I liked him.'
Kayla sipped at her juice box with a roll of her eyes. 'It's a bit more than liking someone. You've probably just got a crush.'
Abigail's eyes narrowed. Roxy slid down on the bench, getting the feeling she was going to quite literally be between a cat – or dog – fight. Werewolves were sensitive and emotional creatures with the simplest of things but soulmates were a whole different ballgame of fierce protectiveness.
'I know what I'm feeling, Kayla.' Abigail shot to her feet, glaring at her friend over Roxy's head.
Kayla scoffed. 'I doubt it! Don't forget he's a lone wolf, Abigail. Where are you going to go? Isaac would never let him in, especially after he kidnapped Roxy against his orders!'
The students who'd been loitering around the grounds were beginning to look at them. Even the football team had stopped their exercise drills, the eyes hidden by their helmets clearly looking at the girls on the bleachers. Deciding to diffuse the escalating situation before her friends made fools of themselves, Roxy rose from where she sat and swallowed roughly.
'Guys. This isn't going to fix anything. How about–'
'I'd be careful what you say, Kayla. It's bold of you to give soulmate advice when you've been hiding your relationship from your brother because you're too scared!' Abigail's doe-like eyes were now narrowed with anger.
'Oh yeah? Well at least I'm not so desperate for my soulmate that I've deluded myself with believing a lone wolf is mine!' Kayla yelled.
Roxy's heartbeat had piqued when she noticed the audience to the fight was beginning to close in. She even spotted some phones being held up by the students.
'Guys, come on! You're my only friends.' She gave a nervous smile while holding a hand out either side, preparing for the two girls to launch at each other. 'Let's not cut each other down with our words.'
Abigail grinned, her angry eyes still locked onto Kayla. 'You're right. Let's not use our words.'
In a blink of an eye Abigail had bent down to pluck an orange from her food tray before ditching it straight at Kayla. Roxy gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth as it speared into the girl's stomach with a splat, making her cough and keel over. Kayla snapped her eyes up to Abigail which swirled with vengeance as she grabbed at the small carton of milk. The audience began to cheer as the milk carton was raised into the air.
'Kayla, don't!' Roxy watched with wide eyes as she readied her arm. She glanced to Abigail, doing a double take when she had a sandwich at the ready. 'Abigail!'
The students erupted into loud cheers when Kayla tossed the milk carton, sending a spray of milk across Roxy before crashing into Abigail. There was nothing she could but shield herself when the girls erupted into a full-blown food fight. Fruit, taco and drink flew through the air, showering her in the process. After a few seconds the food had stopped flying and Roxy breathed a breath of relief when there was nothing left on the trays.
'Fight, fight, fight!' The audience began cheering at once, pumping their fists into the air. In the far distance Roxy could see a teacher hastily making their way towards them with Principal Doug close behind.
'Girls, stop it!' She looked between her friends who were sizing one another up, fists at the ready. Their canines pierced their human lips and their wolves growled aggressively. She couldn't believe the girls who were so sickly sweet were actually about to punch on with one another.
Roxy fought to keep the two girls apart as they launched at one another. Nails reached to scratch at each other while their eyes were full of venom. Their wolves roared at one another and she prayed that they wouldn't shift. If they did, she was minced wolf meat. Kayla gave a scream when Abigail grabbed a fistful of her long hair.
Roxy's eyes widened. Below she could see the teacher and principal fighting their way through the crowd towards them. 'Abigail! Let go!'
She gave a scream when she lost her footing on the milk Kayla had thrown earlier which had spilled onto the bench. Her body crashed into the metal, making her ribs throb and knocking the air clean out of her. It was enough for the girls who'd been trying to kill one another to stop and look down at her with worried eyes.
'Oh my god, Roxy!' Kayla extended a hand down to her to help her to her feet but Roxy's shoes slipped again, sending the girls tumbling into a pile of screams.
This time however Roxy wasn't fortunate enough to land on the bench, instead slipping beneath the seat. She gasped and clawed to grab onto the bleachers but it was too late, making her scream again as she fell through the air. There was a crunch as she landed on the soft grass and for a while she remained frozen, trying to pinpoint what bone she'd broken. It was only when the smell of Mexican spice filled her nose, she pushed herself off her stomach to look down to her shirt where the taco she'd dropped earlier caked the front.
'Hello, old friend. It appears we meet again.'