Roxy was awake before daybreak. Nightmares had plagued her sleep. A large black wolf, ragged and bony with one eye had tormented her. She'd been standing in the backyard again. The rogue wolf had charged at her, teeth bared and claws elongated. It'd flown through the air while her feet had been stuck in quicksand. Then the atmosphere had quivered and instead of a rogue launching itself at her, it was Isaac. Blood spurted as his razor claws sliced her shoulder like paper. At first she didn't feel it. Then a burning sensation she'd never felt before ravaged her shoulder as if someone had doused her in petrol and lit a match. Blood had gushed, poured like a waterfall. Deep crimson had pooled around her feet.
'Isaac.' Her voice sounded like she was underwater. Then she'd realised the gargling was coming from the blood pouring from her mouth. 'Isaac, what have you done to me?'
The cool breeze made Roxy shiver from where she sat on the balcony, chilling her skin still damp with sweat. The faces of her amethyst bracelet twinkled beneath the fading moonlight. Not that she was sure why she continued to wear it, she doubted Levi wanted to reconcile their friendship anytime soon. Blueblood. He'd never called her that before, never showed his resentment towards more "privileged" werewolves. Was she really such a horrible friend she hadn't noticed him struggling with life as a lone wolf?
With the land below asleep, blanketed by the moonlight, Roxy's thoughts continued spiralling. In one of the paddocks the horses grazed in a herd, taking the cooler weather to fill their hungry bellies. In the daytime they would escape the heat by dozing beneath the shades of the trees. Perhaps it was the lack of decent sleep, or feeling like she was the only werewolf in the world. Whatever the reason, the memories of her past which she always tried so hard to repress suddenly roared to the surface, refusing to be ignored any longer.
After learning of the tragic ways in how Isaac and Kayla had lost their parents, it had made her think of her own parents. If they were alive or dead, she didn't know. The saddest part was she wasn't sure if it would affect her. Both of her parents were strangers of her past – fleeting figures. To this day she could remember awakening and coming downstairs to find total chaos the morning her father had disappeared. Trackers and warriors had ran left, right and centre. There were snippets of conversations of murder and kidnapping. Their mother was nowhere to be seen, instead of staying home to comfort her scared daughters, she'd left them without a word to help the warriors track down their father. Then Susan, the sweet elder who'd be the one to take the two sisters in while their mother joined the pack's search part for weeks, had put a slightly wrinkled and warm hand on their shoulders.
Susan tried her best to distract her and Cleo with baking, games and gardening which would often leave the poor elder snoring loudly in the armchair. But no matter how hard Susan tried, she could never fully distract the girls from wondering where their parents had gone. Then, after fleeting returns, their mother came home permanently. It was only a few days after her mother's return that Roxy missed Susan's cheeriness immensely. Their mother would barely acknowledge them, closed up in her bedroom with the blinds drawn while her daughters scoured bare shelves to fill their rumbling tummies. Roxy was never really sure why their mother returned. Horribly, she thought life would've been easier if she never had.
A surge of anger coursed through her, a flame of heartbroken betrayal. When she had her own children, she would never be selfish like their mother had been. Instead, she would shower them in never-ending love, never allowing them to doubt if they were cared for.
A frown filled her face when she pulled herself from her thoughts to watch one of the horses' heads raise, its ears pricked in alert. Suddenly, it bolted, sweeping up the rest of the herd before they all galloped off into the distance in a sound of thunder. Something had spooked them. When Roxy tore her eyes away from the retreating horses she looked back to the centre of the paddock, gasping at a silhouette.
The wolf was looking up at her with yellow eyes, its tail wrapped around itself as it sat. It looked calm, as if it had all the time in the world, not at all fazed at being on a pack's territory. Watching. Waiting. Her own wolf remained dormant inside of her - unthreatened.
'I'm dreaming,' she told herself determinedly. 'None of this is real. It's just another dream.'
Standing from the chair, she padded back to the open French doors of the balcony. After closing the doors after herself, she looked through the windows to the paddock.
The wolf was gone.
Roxy was a bundle of nerves as she sat at her desk next to Kayla while they waited for Miss Octavia. The last time she'd been in this classroom was when they'd learnt about rogues and her anxiety had forced her outside. And according to the curriculum they still had three more lessons about them. It seemed that Miss Octavia saw it fit to educate them about the horrible creatures with everything going on. The Big Sky attack had everyone talking nervously. It wasn't often a pack so large was brought down to its knees. Suddenly the walls of safety each Alpha built around their territories were on the line – including the seemingly impenetrable ones of Moonlight Ridge.
Using ignorance as bliss was one strategy Roxy could use to try and squash her fear of the rogues. It seemed to work from the humans, who could force distraction of their mundane lives upon themselves to ignore inevitable doom. But Roxy wasn't a human – she was a werewolf, a destined Luna at that. Werewolves, like all creatures, felt fear. Any wolf who said they didn't would have flames licking at their pants. But they couldn't show it, for showing fear meant vulnerability. Something Isaac was freakishly good at. Ignoring the rogues, pretending that they weren't after both herself and her sister wasn't an option for Roxy. No, she would have to swallow her fear and untuck her tail from between her legs. As much as she dreaded it, as much as it nauseated her stomach to the point she felt she was going to vomit, she had to study the awful creatures. She had to be brave. Because in this world, knowledge was power.
Her eyes found Levi's curly mop at the front. They hadn't spoken since their emotional meeting in the forest last week. Sensing someone looking at them, Abigail twisted in her seat, her brown eyes narrowing into hateful slits. The Levi Roxy had met amongst the dusty books was nervous and sweet but now after he'd been mated with Abigail, he was slowly morphing into someone she didn't recognise. Abigail was rubbing off on him, using her silver tongue to whisper things into his ear, manipulating him into turning against them.
'So, are you going to take that contraption from your wrist now?' Kayla nodded to the bracelet on Roxy's wrist.
She shrugged sadly, fumbling with the leather tassels. 'I know it sounds lame but I'm kind of hoping he wakes up to himself.'
Kayla gave a snort. 'I doubt it. Their arse-holi-ness will just be feeding off each other now. Forget it, Roxy, he's gone.'
Roxy glanced over to the couple again who were now whispering closely to one another. 'Yeah, I guess so.'
The two girls sat in a short silence, each of them grieving the close friendships they'd lost.
'I need to show you something,' murmured Kayla. Roxy turned to face her, unleashing a gasp at the bite mark exposed by her friend pulling her collar down.
'You and Tobias mated?' hissed Roxy, wincing at her ability to count each of Tobias' teeth. The more prominent scarring was where his canines had pierced through. 'Did it hurt?'
Roxy had never been one to focus on the sexual innuendos of a werewolf finding their soulmate, rather basking in the romance side of things. Then when Isaac had rejected her two years ago she needn't have worried about her soulmate chomping into the soft skin of her neck like she was an apple. Now though with her and Isaac slowly but steadily growing closer, being chomped into like an apple may be on the cards. A light sweat broke out across her palms.
'A little.' Kayla grinned, readjusting her collar. 'If your soulmate knows what he's doing though he'll wait until you're at the point of climax before doing it. Your desire quickly overrules any pain.'
The sweat on Roxy's palms intensified and she squirmed in her seat. 'You do remember this is your brother we're talking about, right?'
Kayla scrunched her face. 'I know. This is the one down side to my best friend being soulmates with my brother.'
The two of them giggled with each other, quickly having to settle down when Miss Octavia sashayed into the room. Today the bright jumpsuit was gone, replaced with a more dialled down outfit of pleated shorts and a camisole. For once she was dressing like the young woman she was and not an old lady trapped inside a young girl's body.
'Good morning, class,' she announced in a loud voice. Roxy noticed her face was twisted in annoyance, the eyes behind her glasses narrowed into a scowl and her lips shrivelled in a tight purse. 'Excuse my lateness but it appears that some of my younger students ran home to their parents frightened out of their minds from my rogue lessons so for the last half an hour I've been getting a grilling from Mr Brown.'
Roxy's eyebrows shot up and she looked over to Kayla who wore the same surprised expression. It was unusual for a teacher to bad mouth other students – let alone the principal – to other students. Then there was the matter of her teaching such a terrifying subject to the younger students. How could she do such a thing? If it'd left Roxy rushing to retch up her nerves outside she couldn't imagine how the poor children had coped. No wonder why their parents had complained to the school.
'Miss Octavia never used to be like this,' whispered Kayla as their teacher became occupied in the paperwork on her desk. 'Everyone thinks her boyfriend must've left her over the break. There's been no sign of him. I mean it'd explain her foul mood.'
Roxy frowned. 'Wouldn't Isaac know something?'
Kayla shook her head, keeping a cautious eye on Miss Octavia. The two of them knew about her keen hearing all too well. 'Miss Octavia and her boyfriend aren't werewolves, as you've probably noticed. They're humans who study mythology. Their research led them to stumble upon our world.' She leant closer to Roxy. 'To swear them to secrecy Isaac employed her as the specialty teacher and pays her a generous amount. So much that her boyfriend just gets to stay at home and continue their research. At least that's what he did when they were together.'
Roxy frowned deeply. 'So wouldn't Isaac be panicking about her boyfriend revealing our secrets if he's skipped town?'
Kayla shrugged as the lights in the classroom dimmed. Great. Another presentation. 'I doubt he'd reveal the truth about us. Him and Miss Octavia are passionate about the mythical world – like greenies wanting to save trees.' She lowered her voice when Miss Octavia took the front. 'Besides, would you want to double cross our Alpha?'
'Now considering our rogue curriculum has been banned I've decided to teach you all about a different lesson of the gruesome werewolf past.' A flash of hatred ignited in Miss Octavia's eyes as she looked over the rim of her glasses to the students. Apparently, Roxy hadn't been the only one to feel her iciness, the other students now shuffling awkwardly in their seats. Their teacher certainly had been put out by her rogue curriculum getting the axe. 'Have any of you been taught about witches?'
The class broke into sniggers making Miss Octavia's nostrils flare.
'Witches aren't real,' said one student.
'Yeah we wiped them out years ago,' piped in another, going so far as to high five their desk partner.
Miss Octavia perched herself on the edge of her desk, crossing her long legs while an amused look was on her face. 'I wouldn't be so quick to hate witches. After all, you wouldn't be around if it wasn't for them.' She grinned at the class's stunned silence. 'Ah. Good to know that your parents have altered the story throughout the years.'
'My parents wouldn't lie,' called Sam from behind Roxy. It made her swallow roughly. Her own parents had barely been around to teach her the ins and outs of the werewolf realm, to tell her folklore stories which were passed from generations. Cleo was the one who'd educated her the best to her ability, but her older sister had still been left in the dark about a lot of things too.
'Well then, how about we begin and then at the end you can decide which version you'd like to believe, hm?' Miss Octavia clicked her remote, making the slide change to a sketch of an artist impression. Roxy frowned at the picture of a witch standing in front of a cauldron. A wolf-shaped cloud was billowing above it. Like a genie coming out of a bottle.
'Selene was a cosmic witch – one who looks to the cosmos, astrology and astronomy. She was also one of the most powerful and sometimes with too much power people become... deranged.' Miss Octavia clicked to the next slide to show a sketch of a witch petting a wolf standing by her side. The heavy chain and collar it wore already told Roxy that the wolf didn't choose to be by her side. 'Selene wanted two things in life. One, a way to get revenge on anyone who did her wrong. And two, a man who would love her unconditionally. So, on the night of a full moon, the first werewolf was created. A man in the light, a wolf on the night of a full moon.'
'It was a glorious time. Villagers would fear the full moon, locking themselves away with their children, praying that they weren't the ones who'd crossed the witch. For on the nights of a full moon Selene released her revenge.' Roxy could've sworn a sinister grin was on Miss Octavia's face in the shadows of the projector. 'Over time other witches began wanting the same thing. Selene was more than happy to create more of her mutants and quickly she built herself an army. The werewolves were bound to them, unable to escape, forced to do the witches' dirty work.'
'That was until fifty years later when everything changed. Wulfstan, Selene's first prodigy, decided to rise up against the witches.' Miss Octavia began walking around the classroom, her high heels clacking against the floor slowly. 'One day he broke free, killing Selene. The other wolves were quick to follow, wiping out their witch handlers one by one. Soon enough all the werewolves were gaining their revenge all over the world, creating "The Witch Trials Lost in History". Nights with a full moon had become safe again, the human villagers rejoiced, unbeknownst to the fact that the creatures in disguise celebrating alongside them were the ones to kill their family members. Knowing that there would be another uprising if the humans ever discovered what they truly were, the werewolves would tie themselves to trees in the forest with heavy chains made of pure silver to weaken them. It was also said they planted crops of wolfsbane throughout the forest.'
'Obviously now we know that over thousands of years werewolves adapted the ability to shift on their own account, no longer a slave to the moon. No longer burdened by the curse Selene had descended upon them. They were free. The Moon Goddess was so disappointed in her daughter, as an apology to the men who Selene has cursed, she created the first she-wolves.'
Roxy sat in stunned silence with the rest of her class. Even Kayla, usually a ball of liveliness, sat next to her in a trance. Witches had created werewolves? They'd used them as revengeful slaves. No wonder why they despised them. While her and Cleo hadn't won any awards for their knowledge, they did know to never ever talk about witches. The elder werewolves treated it like Beetlejuice; if they said it enough then they'd magically reappear. Thank Moon Goddess they'd been wiped out years ago. She blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the brightness when Miss Octavia flicked the lights back on.
'Does anyone have any questions?'
Abigail was the first to raise her manicured hand. 'I'm sorry, Miss Octavia, but that simply can't be true. They couldn't have killed all the witches. Why would they have had The Witch Trials hundreds of years later in the 1600s?'
Their teacher sat on the desk, crossing her slim legs. She looked far too comfortable speaking about such a dark moment in their history. 'Well, Abigail, we know humans aren't the smartest creatures.' She threw her head back and chuckled. 'It's hilarious that they continue to believe they're the only kind to walk the earth.'
Roxy and Kayla glanced at each other, obviously thinking the same thing. It was odd that she was mocking her own kind and referring to humans as "they". Almost as if she wasn't human... but something else. Had she been researching mythology for so long she no longer wanted to be a boring old human?
Miss Octavia composed herself from her cackling. 'There were no witches in the 1600s, apart from a coven of four who managed to escape the werewolves. Their names were Allegra, Evanora, Cordelia and Ophelia. They hid themselves away, working on an earth-shattering revenge, growing themselves to become more powerful. It's believed they're still alive, yet to make their vengeful appearance. As for the witches the humans accused of witchcraft before torturing them and burning them at the stake... they weren't true witches.' She continued to explain at the class's blank expressions. 'They were merely copycats.' She scoffed. 'Humans who'd heard some stories and read a few books. Women who created some herbal blend with berries they picked from the forest thinking it was a potion. Utter ridiculousness.'
'So all those people who died... they weren't really witches at all? They were innocent humans?' Abigail, usually so confident, even looked a little rattled at the revelation.
'Yup!' Miss Octavia popped the 'P' and grinned to the class. 'So! Whose version did you like better?'
The shrill bell ringing denied anyone responding as the class hurried to cram their books into their bags before rushing to the door. Roxy noticed that the other students moved more slowly than usual, the heaviness of the lesson weighing down on them much like it was herself. Everyone looked like zombies, except Levi, who seemed to be walking with a spring in his step. She supposed stuff like this didn't affect him like it did them, the bluebloods he now seemed to call them. Wolves who'd lived a sheltered life compared to the turmoil he'd experienced.
'That was an intense lesson,' said Kayla to Roxy as they headed towards the gymnasium for physical education. Running about seemed like the perfect solution to shake off the speciality lesson.
'You're telling me.' Roxy shook her head. 'I think you were right about her boyfriend leaving her. The woman was on a warpath, especially about Principal Brown killing her rogue lessons.'
'I think Isaac had something to do with that,' muttered Kayla. She smiled sadly at Roxy's frown. 'With all the rogue stuff happening, he felt that Miss Octavia was fear mongering. He doesn't want you worrying about them anymore than you should be.'
Roxy couldn't help but roll her eyes, feeling a little embarrassed. 'I'm not a child.'
'He knows that but as you've discovered, Isaac is very protective.'
'You don't say.'