Shadows Lurking
Five

August 23rd, 2005 - Tuesday, 7:45pm

Mattheo tosses another pillow towards Corey, only this time, it hits me in the face. They’ve been fighting one another with our pillows for an hour now. I really thought they would’ve grown tired of their little game, but they both just seem chockful of energy for some reason.

Both boys stop bouncing on their beds for once. Neither seems to be breathing as they stare at me. It was then that I noticed how tightly I was gripping the pillow. My claws had ripped through the soft material. Tossing the pillow back at Mattheo causes white feathers to fall gently all around the room. Silence overtakes the room now and the movement of each feather can be heard drifting to the floor.

A burning sensation hits my chest and I quickly look away from the boys, unsure of why I feel embarrassed. “Uh, sorry.”

Corey and Mattheo can be heard laughing from their beds. Ignoring their cackles of laughter, I continue flipping through the science book that Amaya had let me borrow after lunch yesterday. She seems like a nice person despite how cold Mattheo seems to treat her. James on the other hand is constantly asking her if she needs anything, doting on her like she’s completely helpless. It’s downright disgusting to watch.

According to Percy, James is just a bit more advanced with his feelings for girls than we are. Apparently, James is just a couple weeks shy of fourteen. Mattheo says he missed the deadline to join the fourth-year students so that’s why he’s in our year. If babbling like a fool and following around another person like a lost puppy is what it means to be advanced with feelings, I'm thankful for what I'm not.

The door swings open to reveal a drenched and cross looking Percy. He steps into the room and immediately becomes covered in white feathers. The cross boy now seems nothing more than an annoyed man-chicken. Silence once again grips the room and I pray that the two idiots behind me keep it that way.

“Percy...” Corey seems to be struggling to keep his laughter in check. “This was an accident, but I’ve got to say-”

No, don’t say it. Don’t do it, Corey.

“-you look feathering fantastic!”

Mattheo begins cackling from the bed and Corey falls to the floor, clutching his stomach.

“Cluckin’ good one, Corey!” Mattheo laughs out.

Percy begins seething from his spot in the doorway. His brown eyes turn to meet mine and I scoot back up onto the bed more, my back pressed against the pillows tightly. Knees up, eyes glued to the science book, I try to block out the three boys as they argue now. Corey continues making chicken puns about Percy while Mattheo busies himself with clucking noises as he dances on his mattress.

If there was one thing I was thankful for when it comes to being raised the way I was, it’s that I don’t act like these guys do. What’s the point in acting like an idiot and causing trouble for everyone around you- There isn’t one.

“What happened to you anyway?” Corey asks through muffled laughter. “You look awful.”

Percy then seethes, “I found the little water bucket you left for Helman above his classroom door. Last time I deliver papers late for him.” The boys laugh harder now as he grumbles out, “I should’ve just reported you twerps and been done with it.”

“You know you love us too much for that, Perc.” Mattheo begins clapping him on the back like he does the other boys. It’s a gesture he does often. “Think about it, you could be Finley’s den mother.”

Percy seems to shudder before glancing at me finally. “Rylan.” The room is tense now as he says, “I was told to let you know that Nicholas is in the headmaster’s office waiting for you. He wants to use a visitation day.”

What- Why would he possibly want to visit me after what happened? I distinctly remember telling him I didn’t need or want his help.

“Can I come with you? I sort of need to see him anyway,” Mattheo says while standing.

A shrug is the only reply I can offer. He doesn’t need to ask me for permission, but I’m guessing he’s worried I’ll hit him again if I realized he was just following me. He’s right to assume it because I would’ve.

The boys have slowly come to realize how things work with me over the last week. None of them touch me anymore and they steer clear of me when I need to change or shower.

God, thinking about those awful showers makes my skin crawl. They’re small cubicles with a simple and thin curtain separating you from the outside world. It’s terrifying and I usually speed through them rather than take my time and enjoy the scalding water like I normally would.

Hopefully, Kerum will cancel training tomorrow afternoon and let me just sneak a quick shower alone while everyone else is eating dinner.

Mattheo waits for me just outside the room. The hallway seems tight now as we walk side-by-side towards the staircase. Mattheo feels different when he’s not around the other boys. He’s almost too quiet and lost in his own thoughts. A part of me wonders just what is he thinks about when he's not his bubbly and outgoing self, but then I'm reminded that would require caring, and all such thoughts are gone again.

“So, have you decided whether or not you’ll be living with him?” Mattheo asks nonchalantly. “Because I think you should.”

Assuming he means Nicholas, I shrug once more. “I’m not sure yet. I don’t even know him.”

“He’s not a bad guy,” Mattheo grumbles. “Look- Just say yes already so he’ll stop pestering the grown-ups over it.”

“What do you mean, pestering them?”

He casts a glance at me from the side as we descend the staircase. “He’s been bothering Professor Grey since he realized you were alive about who gets custody of you. Of course, he gets the guardian rights, but only if you agree to it. Professor Dawes could always deem you unfit for living with others and then the school would become your active guardian.”

Is that why she wanted to do therapy sessions; to determine whether or not I’m able to even live with Nicholas? I don’t want to live with him, but I don’t want the school to own me either. I would be a ward of the state and I refuse to go into foster care. Noah always said the system wasn’t designed to protect kids like me and, for once, he wasn’t lying. No way would they be able to take care of me now that I can literally tear foster parents apart should they make me angry.

“Just think it over some.” Mattheo stops us just around the corner. “Not many Lycan’s survive as lone wolves. We’re pack creatures for a reason, you know. There’s a certain comfort in pack.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” I mumble back.

Pain spreads through my chest now as I’m slammed against the wall. The stone edges dig into my back, scratching the skin and reopening old scars. After a hiss in discomfort, Mattheo presses me into the wall harder. My lips start to part, but he holds a finger to them, shushing me quietly. Two yellowing eyes dare me to open my mouth, so I keep it shut, for now.

Now that we’re quiet and neither of us are breathing heavy, I can finally hear what he’s been straining to. Hushed whispers are coming from down near the office we were heading to. It sounds an awful lot like Professor Kerum and someone else, and they seem to be arguing.

“-doesn’t even know, Kerum. How long do you plan on hiding something like this from them?” The person sounds angry.

“There is no use in forcing them to panic and at such a young age. Do you not recall how tense the academy was when you were but a pup?” I'm beginning to notice something about Kerum. He never seems to raise his voice. Even when I snapped at him before he never once got angry with me. "Informing them of things they need not know about would only cause more harm than good."

An echo sounds throughout the hallway now, as if someone had punched or kicked something hard. “They need to be prepared, you old fool! Tiptoeing around the inevitable will help no one.”

“That's enough, Collin.” Nicholas is with them too. Mattheo’s brows knit together now with a look of confusion on his face. “Kerum knows what’s best for the students. It wasn’t too long ago that we were in this same exact position ourselves, if you remember. Don’t you wish the adults had kept us out of things? Would it not have been safer for us? Look at who is left standing thanks to their irresponsible behavior! Emelia, John, Samantha, Lewis- They’re all gone now, and nothing can bring them back.”

“That was their own fault. They weren’t as prepared as we are now.”

Scuffling can be heard down the hall now and grunts before Nicholas finally growls out, “Emelia was the most prepared of us all and she still met her end. Her sacrifice is why you’re standing here today, insulting her memory. Her child lives and he attends this academy. We will not- look at me, Collin! We will not have him or any other child under this roof fight our battles.”

Silence consumes the hallway now and Mattheo leans next to me on the wall. He looks torn himself about what we've heard. What had Nicholas meant when he said my mother sacrificed herself? I thought Noah killed her. This school seems to be giving me more questions than answers when it comes to my mother.

“We must learn from past mistakes,” Kerum sighs. “We may be better prepared this time, but there is no doubt in my mind that the children are not. Rylan is unable to shift properly.” Hearing my name causes a spasm of chills down my spine. “His anger causes miscommunication between himself and his wolf. It would seem Noah had kept him from shifting until last week, on his thirteenth birthday.”

“What?” This Collin guy sounds exasperated now as he hisses out, “What was he thinking- No, what was Emelia thinking letting him become Rylan’s guardian in the first place?”

“She was thinking about the little Noah he had been in school, not the monster he was after graduation,” Nicholas says curtly. “We’ve all changed, some for the better, and some like Noah had. Losing everyone the way we had, it took its toll on us all. He found his way to cope, and it smells as though you found yours.”

There’s another bout of scuffling before Kerum sternly scolds them, “That is enough between you two. You are both behaving like pups. Collin, leave now. The boy is on his way down and we don't need him to become confused by your raving antics.”

“Come on,” Mattheo whispers while pulling me along with him. His hand is safely holding the edge of my grey sweater sleeve, thankfully avoiding any exposed skin. “We should make it seem like we’re only just now getting here. I’d hate to see what the punishment is for eavesdropping on the elders. I highly doubt it’s something as simple as detention.”

We slowly leave the last few steps once more and I ask him a lot less quietly, “You get detention often?”

He seems to take the hint and gives me an enthusiastic nod. “Yeah, I do. Corey’s keeping tally in our room. There’s a board somewhere with our victories recorded.”

“Victories?”

“Well, yeah.” Mattheo smiles now while brushing invisible dust off his shoulders. “I’m reigning champ in our year, but overall, the victory would have to go to Marshall. He’s in year six, and he’s the best at getting detentions.” He then puts his fist in his hand, concentration on his face now. "I really should get with him before he graduates and discuss how he does it so well."

“I didn’t realize it was a competition to get detention,” I muttered.

“Because, my dear friend, you’ve not been here long enough to understand.” He laughs before stopping himself from patting my back. “You’ll get there though, with time.”

There’s no doubt that I’ll get detention, it’s a matter of when not if. I’m sure they’ll add my name to the scoreboard before long, but I doubt I’ll keep track with them. It seems unnecessary to keep track of something like that.

“Hello, Professor Grey.” Mattheo places a bright smile on his face, and it shakes me just a bit. I’ve never seen this side of him before, and I’m not too sure I like it. “Dad, I heard you were here so, I thought I’d stop by.”

Dad?

“Mattheo.” Nicholas hugs the boy tightly before releasing him and setting a hand on his shoulder. “I’ve missed you, son. You should consider coming home once and awhile. I know you love spending time with James, and I'm all for the bonding, but I am your family as well. Remember?”

Mattheo seems to laugh this off before motioning towards me now. “I know, I know. But since I’m here, if you have a moment after you two talk, do you think we could catch up for a bit?”

“I see no reason to why we couldn’t.” Nicholas turns to Kerum now before asking playfully, “What say you, Oh Great, Grand-Headmaster?”

Kerum shakes his head slowly, like a teacher too tired to argue with students. “Just have him in bed before it gets too late. He does have classes tomorrow, Nick.”

“Of course.”

Kerum nods at us three before walking away while saying his goodnights. The hallway is quiet now and I can feel my stomach turning at the notion of being alone with both King senior and King junior. The thought that they could just kidnap me and run away shakes me to my core.

Nicholas is most likely going to ask me about living with him again, but Mattheo’s been avoiding being at home, so why would I want to live with him. He obviously does something that keeps the kid away from him. That itself causes my skin to feel stretched against my bones and muscles. I feel a shift coming soon if I don’t get out of my own head.

“Rylan.” Nicholas voice has me nearly jumping out of my sweater. “Shall we?" He steps to the side and motions towards the end of the hall.

Avoiding Mattheo’s eyes, I follow Nicholas as he walks farther down the hallway. Our steps echo with every inch of distance we gain from the boy behind us. If we combined together, we could easily take Nicholas down. Separated though, we can’t do anything.

“I believe we got off on the wrong paw last week. I hadn't meant to run you off with my words. I only wanted to help you because- Well, I can't help but see Emelia when I look at you and it makes things like this hard,” Nicholas says. He casts a downward glance at me. “I hope you don’t replace this sudden or out of place, considering I’m nothing more than a stranger to you, but I don’t want you living here at the academy. I know you don’t trust me, and you barely know me, but I think we should spend the upcoming break getting to know one another.”

I say nothing. There’s no reason to get his hopes up about me living with him. Letting myself feel something for any of these people is dangerous.

“How about this-” We stop walking and Nicholas places a hand out, but keeps from touching me. “You, Mattheo, and I go on a hike tomorrow afternoon, after classes, and we’ll make the day of it.”

Spending some time outdoors instead of my therapy session with Dawes does sound good. “Alright.”

A smile spreads across his face before he slowly contains it. “Excellent. I think this will be a good thing for us. Spending time together and bonding is the only way to forge friendships. I mean, that’s how your mother and I became friends. She didn’t take to me much when we were younger, but when we entered year four, we became best friends, inseparable.” There’s a lost look in his eyes before it slowly disappears and he’s clearing his throat. “But that was all in the past. Now, I’ll see you and Mattheo both tomorrow after last class.”

Leaving him behind without another word, my chest feels tight. I can’t tell if I’m nervous about being alone in the woods with him or not. I’ve never been hiking before. Noah and I never did things like that together. Is that something that fathers and sons do; spend time together by trampling around the woods?

Mattheo gives me a small smile and a waive, and something inside of me just bursts. It’s as if the anger I had felt from before was magnified upon seeing him so chipper, knowing he hadn’t mentioned beforehand that Nicholas was his dad. I felt blindsided and sort of betrayed. The thought that Mattheo was only being friendly with me to push me off onto his father makes my stomach twist in the ways it used to before I had murdered Noah.

I never even realized I had struck him until Nicholas was shouting my name. My legs are straddling Mattheo and blood trickles down the crease of his lips. Nicholas’ hands on my backside cause my vision to blur. The familiar feeling of fear settles in my lower stomach while tears sting my eyes. Growling, I toss my arm back. It makes contact and the sound of bricks cracking echoes through the empty hallway.

Mattheo growls from beneath me, eyes slipping from green to yellow, but he still doesn’t fight back. He still doesn’t touch me. The submissiveness he’s showing only angers me more.

Why not fight back? Why let me continue treating him this way? Had he really gone through the same things I had, only his torment had left him unable to defend himself? This can’t continue. I saved myself from my tormentor. Now, it’s time to save someone else from theirs. And if I'm going to save him, he needs to learn how to defend himself.

“Fight back,” I growl out. “Hit me!”

“No.” His voice is calm despite the shake in it. “I’m not gonna hit you, Rylan. So, if that’s what you’re aimin’ for, you’ll be very disappointed.”

“Rylan, let him go.” Nicholas sounds calm as well, a bit too calm. It’s like he’s speaking to a rabid animal rather than a child. “Whatever you two are attempting to resolve, we can reach a peaceful agreement together. There is no need for violence.”

Staring into Mattheo’s eyes, those verdant orbs absorb me, and I feel my anger dissipating. He won’t fight back, no matter how many times I hit him. If we had both gone through the same past, then what made me become the angry monster that I am? Why couldn’t I have been calm and collected like him and the other boys? Was I wrong to assume that he had been damaged the same ways I had?

Maybe Nicholas doesn’t condone hitting and that’s why Mattheo doesn’t fight back. Maybe I was wrong about them in general. Mattheo is just a normal kid with a normal dad who actually loves him. The lucky bastard.

I’m not the only one wrong here though. Nicholas was wrong to ask me to live with him. Their lives shouldn’t involve someone like me, a monster, a murderer. They need to see what I’m capable of so that they steer clear of me.

I can feel my eyes heating up and my nostrils flaring as I growl out towards Mattheo, “Stay away from me. You, your friends, your family.” I release his shirt and stare at Nicholas and his wide eyes now. “I don’t need anyone. I don’t need some weird pack to feel comfortable. You guys want me to accept being a Lycan so bad? Well, fine." Glancing down at a panting and yellow-eyed Mattheo, I huff out, "Consider me a lone wolf.”

Walking away from them feels as though I’m sinking once more. My lifelines had been cut and I’m drifting off alone into the unknown waters. I’ve just cut off the two people who could’ve been a family for me. My mother, though I don’t remember her, wanted me to be with them for some reason. But she also left me behind with that monster, so she must not have been the best at knowing people’s true selves.

No matter what now, I’ll handle all of this on my own. Becoming a ward of the state isn’t something that I wanted, but it’s the only option now. As I told Nicholas and Mattheo, I’m a lone wolf. It’s better this way, for everyone.

August 24th, 2005 - Wednesday, 6:45am

Cold air hits my bare legs. Immediately, I stand to my feet and growl at the person responsible for waking me up. It’s Wednesday, but I had planned on sleeping in and skipping first class today. It’s with Professor Dawes and I’m not in the mood for her to psychoanalyze why I beat Mattheo up last night. I know she will.

“Wake up.”

Mattheo stands at the side of my bed with my warm blanket in his hand. A smirk makes its way across his lips and another growl rips from my throat. I sound as threatening as a chihuahua though with my clattering teeth.

“We have class this morning, and you never sleep in. So, get up.” He tosses my blanket across his bed and makes his way for the tall standing cabinet where his clothes are. Mine is still empty considering I didn’t bring anything with me here. Mattheo had been letting me borrow his clothes the entire time. “You can wear something out of mine again. I’ll talk to Dad about going shopping in town this weekend.”

Has he lost his mind? There’s no way he or Nicholas would go shopping with me after what I pulled last night. Surely they know now just how unstable I am and that I’m dangerous to be around.

“What?” My voice sounds even smaller than my growl.

Mattheo finally looks at me and shrugs. “A trip into town this weekend? It would be nice. The weather should be clear, and I need a new winter wardrobe anyway.”

“Did- I thought that-” Last night had seemed so real, so vivid.

“Look, dude, I don’t care about what happened last night and neither does Dad.” He tosses me another black t-shirt that looks bleached in some places. “We get it, you know. It’s a new school and you had no idea you were a Lycan. Anyone would have trouble adjusting. We just want you to feel comfortable.”

“It has nothing to do with-” Feeling overwhelmed now, a growl leaks out, louder and clearer than before. The chill that was felt in the air before is clearly gone. “I’m dangerous. I could hurt you and your dad. Why can’t you two see that?”

“And we could hurt you.” He seems so sure of what he’s just said, but it doesn’t stop the look of doubt I give him. “I mean it, Rylan. I’ve been a Lycan longer than you, been shifting longer than you. I could easily hurt you if I wanted to, but I don’t want to. I want to be your friend. And if you think that Dad wouldn’t have been able to snap your neck last night, you’re stupid. He’s a full-grown Lycan with years on him in training, combined with his strength and the war he fought in, he’s not some weak man you easily tossed last night. He let you throw him.”

“I- I don’t understand.”

Mattheo sighs before sitting down on my bed now. He looks a little too comfortable sitting on my sheets, and it causes me to scoot back against the headboard. “Dad and I- Well, we know your life was hard before coming here." My eyes widen and he quickly rushes out, "We don’t know everything, we were told you don’t like people being too loud, crowded places, or being touched. Professor Dawes was the one who warned us not to touch you and asked us to make you as comfortable as possible. Look, I’ve never had a sibling, ever, but I’ve had James my whole life. He’s the closest thing I have to a brother, and now that I know that you could be my actual brother one day, I want us to get along.”

“I don’t get how we’d be brothers,” I admit to him. His eyes are still giving me that questioning look, the look of 'What happened to you?'

“If you let Dad adopt you, we would be brothers. Legally, I mean.” He smiles as he admits, “It would be awesome to have someone other than Dad at home. I’ve been staying at James’ over the breaks because it’s been lonely at home. Dad's always busy with the pack and never has enough time for me.”

I can feel my own eyes widening but advert them before he can notice. So, he’s been avoiding home because he doesn’t get enough attention, not because Nicholas treats him like Noah treated me.

“I’ll- I’ll think about it.” The air feels hot around me and my face burns. “But going out for clothes this weekend sounds good.”

Ignoring his bright smile, knowing I’ll crack and possibly smile back, I shove him off my bed and stand to grab new pants. He leaves the room and I dress quickly. The other boys must be eating breakfast already or Corey would be in here giving me a hard time for not changing in front of them again. The short kid likes replaceing new ways to get under my skin, and I’ve only known him for two weeks. Much more of it and I might just make him my second victim.

Mattheo waits patiently outside of the door. An arm stops me from continuing down the hallway, just barely outstretched across my chest. “Before we go down, you might need to understand something.” He doesn’t even wait for a response. “James and Corey, they don’t know about your temper, but they’re learning. Just give them time to adjust to you. They aren’t as quick with people like I am. Especially James. He’s a bit of a spoilt brat, but that’s not exactly his doing. He was raised as an only child, and well, he can get a bit annoying at times when he doesn’t get his way. And Corey- Well, Corey likes touching people a lot and I’ve been backing him off you, but you also need to give something here too.”

“Like what?”

“Patience.” Mattheo’s eyes softened, no longer as piercing. “The guys, they want to be your friends too. We’re all littermates now, so we need to be getting along with one another. One day, we’ll be in a pack together.”

“Right,” I breathe out. “I still don’t understand what that means.”

“Come on.” Mattheo walks and begins explaining. “When we reach year six, we’ll get the option to band together as a group of omegas or break off from our littermates. We can choose to stay together and hope that a potential alpha would accept all of us into their pack or we could just separate and join anything that’s available. See, we’re grey-furs. Our job in a pack is to keep the peace, create laughter and joy to lessen the tension that may be present. Some packs use their omegas as tension breakers and some use them as foot-soldiers.”

“Well, I’m not exactly the joyous type.”

Mattheo’s eyes scan over me and he briefly cracks a smirk. “Oh, I know. Percy’s already admitted that that may be a problem, but you could always be a potential beta. Betas are right under the alpha. They help the alpha with pack issues and can sometimes be used as replacements when the alpha passes away or steps down.”

“So, only grey-furs can be omegas and betas then?”

“Not necessarily,” Mattheo hums out. “There have been rare moments where you might see a grey-fur alpha. One can always choose to fight an alpha and take his place, but black-furs, their super strong.”

So, I’m stuck at the bottom of the food chain. I get now why the guys are always pulling pranks, laughing, and making spectacles of themselves. That’s how they’re supposed to be. But what about me?

Why am I not like them?

Do I even want to be like them? No, not really.

The idea of rolling around with others on a bed of feathers and giggling like a madman doesn’t settle well in my stomach. If anything, the thought makes me itch. Maybe I’m meant to be a beta then. Talking with Dawes or Kerum would help sort this whole thing out, but then I would be admitting out loud that I’m okay with being this monster, and I’m not. I don’t want this kind of life; I was thrown into it without a choice.

August 26th, 2005 - Friday, 5:48pm

“Rylan’s never even been to a practice, let alone a game.” James tosses a round and white ball up in the air now, catching it each time. “I think showing him the practice sessions first would be smart.”

“It’s not something he’d be interested in,” Mattheo grumbles. “He’s more into the library than a bunch of guys hitting each other.”

“Sound exactly like Rylan’s type of activity,” Corey muses. “He’s hit you plenty since he’s been here.”

Ignoring Corey’s comment, I keep my eyes glued to the field we’re walking towards. The guys have been arguing for the last thirty minutes over showing me something called Lycan Lacrosse. According to James it’s a sport made by humans and the Lycan’s had taken it and turned it into a brutal game. It doesn’t sound like something I would like, but Corey does have a point in thinking I would. I’m not exactly a peaceful person.

The field is littered with white spray lines and yellow markers in some places. Across the field, a group of ten large wolves come walking out of the wooded area. They look terrifying as they slowly emerge from the dark grove of trees. Each one has their own unique pattern and a couple of them are black-furs. One in the front looks strange though. Muddy brown streaks line its grey coat and something like freckles splatter across its snout, almost tan in color.

Corey nudges me. “That’s our Percy.”

Mattheo sends me a warning look and I slowly lower the fist I was raising, unknowingly.

Corey’s finger seems to be pointing at the strange wolf I had been staring at before. It makes sense now why the wolf looks as though it has freckles. I guess our wolves resemble our human bodies a bit even when fully shifted. I can’t help but wonder now what I look like as a wolf.

“He looks cool,” I admit.

His brown eyes widen, and he smiles a bit while nodding to himself. “Yeah, he really is. Wait until you see him play a real match. We go against this other school in a couple of months. You’ll like it.”

“I’m sure.”

The wolves stand in a semi-circle, five on one side and five on the other. Percy stands on the right side with four others. He seems to be leading them, even though a black-fur wolf is standing just next to him.

Glancing at Mattheo, his eyes are already locked on me. He nods once while motioning towards Percy again. “Percy is a beta, but he’s gained respect from his future alpha. He lets Percy lead the team because he knows Percy’s better at the game than he is. That’s a smart alpha, one who puts the pack before his own ego. That’s a respectable alpha.”

“Much like how you’ll be respecting and bowing down to me.” I quickly recognize Finley’s nasally voice from behind us. “Might as well get started on it now, mutts.”

Two other voices laugh at Finley’s comment. It’s the two boys that were with him when he picked on Amaya. I’ve learned that the tall and lanky one with brown hair stuck up in a couple places is Leslie Wilson and the short one with the nearly shaved black hair is Connor Gratt. Mattheo informed me that they’re grey-furs that follow Finley around like little guard dogs. Apparently, their dads are in Phineas Finley’s pack.

“Fletcher ‘Fumbling-Balls’ Finley. How have you been, buddy?” Corey stands in between me and Finley now, almost as if he’s keeping the blondie from getting closer. “I see you’ve been sneaking into the arts and crafts again. Makin’ a pretty picture for your mommy-cousin?”

It’s now that I notice the glitter covering his pantlegs and shoes. The guys must’ve pranked their room during lunch. They were gone for nearly an hour and came back panting, out of breath and laughing to themselves. A smile slowly breaks through now at thinking of the group of snot-nosed bullies attempting to avoid the glitter but failing.

“No, but I’m not surprised that you would be the one to cover my room in pretty glitter.” Finley smirks now while staring down Corey, seemingly towering over him. “Did you get it from your own stash, or did you replace it while making a pretty picture for your mommy?” He lets out an exaggerated gasp while holding his face in mock empathy. “Oh, wait, that’s right. You don’t have a mommy, do you, Woods?”

Something about the slouch in Corey’s shoulders causes a burning sensation in my chest. Fire seems to lick against the inside of my ribs as I grab Corey’s arm. His skin touches mine but all I can see is Finley’s face as I pull the smaller boy behind me.

“Why don’t you talk to someone more your height.” A growl rumbles from my chest now as Finley steps closer. “It’s only fair.”

“Wow. I didn’t realize you and King were fighting over Corey.” His grey eyes flick behind me, but I move to block his gaze. “Looks like he’s not the only one Woods has been messing with in the storage closet.”

“No, I guess he’s not.”

My insides twist as Finley’s smirk fades and is replaced by a look of disgust. Whatever is going on between these two groups, it’s something much bigger than a little bullying here and there. It feels as though I’ve just stepped onto a battlefield and chosen a side to fight for.

“Looks like we can add another mutt to the list, boys,” Finley says with a smile now. “Another mutt and another faggot.”

My body meets the ground now as I’m shoved by someone from behind. Looking up, spitting a bit of grass from my mouth, the sight before me is undeniably terrifying. Mattheo straddles a screaming Finley as he repeatedly throws punches, blow after blow, to the kids face. Blood begins to coat his knuckles as thunder surrounds us. The wolves had stopped practicing and are now breaking up the one-sided fight. I watch in awe as Percy and one other guy pull Mattheo off Finley, who is slowly slipping into an unconscious state.

“Not so tough in flesh form are you black-fur?” Mattheo spits out at the now-unconscious Finley. His blonde hair now matted and stained in both blood and dirt. “Don’t ever say that word around me again, or else.”

Percy jerks Mattheo away with a grim look as the other guy begins lecturing him on the importance of keeping the peace. Corey looks shaken behind me but says nothing about what’s just happened. James, he doesn’t seem like he wants to say much either. The one thing that is certain about the whole scene is that I get the feeling it’s something usual for them.