Her Mates: Three and Some

FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL

Moon Peak High.

Could the founders of the place have been a little more creative when it came to naming the largest and the best high school in the Pack and the entire district?

I’m guessing not.

The school was thankfully not much of a walk away from the Packhouse, and luckily for me, I was just the kind of person who fancied a stroll with music over anything else, especially when it was on a cool, calm morning like today.

Luna Avery had offered to drop me off at the school, but I had been adamant, assuring her that she didn’t need to worry herself and that I would be just fine on my own. When that had failed, she had tried to convince me to let her twin sons take me instead, but at my stubborn insistence, she had dropped that too.

After the weird stunt Shade had pulled yesterday afternoon, I had pretty much ignored him and his brother for the rest of our time together.

I had gotten school supplies, and then a few other things, and then I had climbed into the backseat of Gunner’s big black truck all by myself, refusing each of their rather eager help.

When we eventually made it back to the Packhouse, I had gotten all of my stuff, smiled tightly and told them I could handle myself and didn’t need their assistance, even when Shade had stubbornly tried to insist.

That evening, I had feigned tiredness and told Luna Avery that I’d dine up in my room instead if she didn’t mind, and this morning, I had skipped breakfast, meaning I hadn’t seen them since yesterday.

And now I was here.

In my new school.

You know, out of all the emotions I could possibly feel, indifference was actually what was most dominant… I guess a part of me realised that the sooner I completed, the quicker I got to being able to call myself an independent woman free from the care of her stepfather.

But there was also the fact that I had kind of psyched my mind not to expect anything positive today, given what Natasha had already told me about the youth in the Pack and my very own experience with Gunner and Shade and even Olivia Bowles.

As I walked down the noisy, crowded hallways, I could feel eyes on me. I guess everyone had heard about the rogue, Omega Wolf, who had someway somehow been accepted into the Pack and wanted to catch a glimpse… to see me for themselves with their very own eyes.

I set my gaze down, grateful that I had chosen to wear the baggy sweatshirt Lucinda had given me with dark jeans. The last thing I needed was to call attention to myself when I actually needed to stay hidden.

I checked into the secretary’s office quite easily just by following the written directions, and I was welcomed with a smile and given my timetable and a map of the entire school including classrooms.

I had never been the type of person to fit in easily, and the first day at my new school was no exception, it seemed.

As I walked down the crowded hallways, I could feel the eyes of my peers on me, sizing me up and judging me before they even knew my name, all because word of mouth had concluded who I had to be for them and they did not care to find out more… did not care to verify if underneath my rogue, Omega shell, there was a person worth knowing.

I was so deep in thought that I barely paid attention to where I was going, so it didn’t really come as much of a surprise when I rounded a corner and clumsily collided with someone, our violent impact sending my books flying everywhere.

As I bent down to pick them up, a voice cut through the chaos.

“Watch it, loser! Do you know how much these shoes cost?”

I lifted my head to stare up at the beautiful girl with the pink blond highlights.

Olivia freaking Bowles.

Could this day get any more interesting?

Talk about comedic timing.

“Well, well, well, look who we have here. If it isn’t the new girl… the rogue, Omega Wolf,” Her voice was laced with sweetness, her tone however dripping with sarcasm.

It almost made me laugh. “Well, hello to you too, Olivia, and I’m sorry for bumping into you,” I apologized as I stood up, big enough to recognize that I had been at fault and needed to own up for it. I brushed past her, ready to figure out where my first class was, thinking we were all done here now that I had said sorry, but the girl roughly grabbed my arm, not quite ready to let things slide yet, it seemed.

“You don’t leave until I tell you, you can, Rogue,” She smiled tightly, “Now get down on your knees and clean my shoes, and then I’ll call us even.” She declared with a smirk.

I stared at her as though she had lost her head. Or her mind.

It was quite hard to decide on which… maybe she had lost both then. “You must be delusional. I am never ever doing that, so if you can’t take an apology, then it’s your loss.” I spat in her face.

“You have no idea who I am, Omega… I run this school, I can ruin you with a snap of my fingers,” She actually snapped her fingers for emphasis, and I couldn’t help it,

I giggled.

I actually giggled.

“Look, love,” I said with a saccharine fake smile, “I’m not going to stand here and do the whole cliché new girl meets popular girl s**t with you. I have much, much better things to do with my life, and I suggest you do the same too. You made it very clear that you had no intentions of being friends… well, message received, now leave me the f**k alone.” I walked away from her, but she chased after me, extremely livid, “You know what, Rogue? I find it amusing that you think you can fit in here. You're not one of us, honey. You never will be.”

I smiled faintly, “I’ve been hearing this quite a lot lately, and honestly speaking, if being one of you means being immature, condescending and totally superfluous, then I’m humbly going to pass. Go find someone else to pick on, because you’re standing here with the wrong person.” I stood my ground this time, staring her down, and I watched a lot of emotions flit across her face in rapid motion.

Finally, she let out an exasperated huff and rolled her eyes, calling off her minions, who gladly followed her like a bridal train did a bride.

I sighed in relief when they were gone, but all of the relief vanished when I heard the sound of clapping.

“I was right. You really can handle yourself.”

My relief came rushing back when I turned to see Natasha, a proud grin on her face. She was dressed to the nines in a gothic ensemble, complete with the mascara, the tights, and the ankle-high boots. Her mini skirt cinched at her waist, spreading over her thick thighs like an obsidian waterfall.

“Are--are you checking me out?” She interrupted my thoughts with a smirk, and I chuckled. “Yeah, sue me.” I admitted with ease, “You actually look amazing.”

Natasha giggled, “How I wish you could tell that to my Grams right now. The old hag called me a spawn of the devil when she saw my outfit.”

I giggled along with her, trying to picture Lucinda actually saying the words. It was totally something she would have said, that woman had no filter. Before I could say more, a bell started ringing out of nowhere, interrupting my thoughts.”

“Where’re you headed?”

“Core biology,” I told her after glancing at my timetable. “What about you?”

“Now would you look at that? I have the same class too. Come. I’ll show you to our class.” Natasha hooked her hand in mine, and turned me, leading me back the way I came.

I clearly would have been late if I hadn’t met her. That much was certainly obvious.

We walked in comfortable silence across the hallways, but then Natasha broke it, a loud groan escaping her lips, “Oh Gods, my poor virgin eyes!”

I followed her gaze to Olivia Bowles and one of the twins, (I couldn’t really tell which) their tongues stuck down each other’s throats, kissing in a way that was certainly not PG.

“Gods, which one’s that? Shade or Gunner?” I asked, curious, wondering why of all the places they could do this, they had to choose the busy hallways.

Wondering why my heartbeat had picked up all of a sudden.

“That's definitely Gunner. He’s dating her.” She informed me.

Oh.

It seemed like the most unlikely pairing, given that with her nasty personality, she seemed to have been tailored just right for Shade, but at this point, nothing surprised me anymore.

“Does he even go here?” I asked.

“Nope. He and Shade are in college, perhaps he came to say good morning.” She said the statement so breezily that I burst out in laughter, and she joined me.

We must have been quite loud, for Gunner suddenly looked up, his green-eyed gaze meeting mine.

He tore his lips away from his girlfriend’s, and then before it could register in my head, I realised that he was heading in our direction, a murderous expression on his face.

Oh oh.