My Sapphire-Eyed Luna

Chapter: Three

**Raven POV**

The smell makes me tense up.

I turn to run but suddenly my locker slams shut, and I wince when it almost catches my fingers. Next to Luke is his horrible friend Marcus, who towers over me, scowling with those grey eyes glaring down his crooked, thin nose. Clenching his prominent jaw, Marcus’ lips jerk upward in a sickly smile. By human standards, he is gorgeous. But as a wolf, he’s actually quite ugly with his mop of blonde hair hanging over his eyes.

Luke remains in front of me as Marcus trolls behind. There's nowhere to go unless I want to jump off the second-story balcony.

Which I could do with no injury to myself, but I would need a cover story for the pack since humans would break a leg or worse with that kind of leap.

And if I jump, it will surely involve more lashes or far worse. It wasn’t worth it.

“Ruby, what do I do?” I ask her through my mind.

“Oh hey, Little Bo Peep.” Marcus chuckles. When his slimy hands grope my butt, I stiffen.

“Ruby!?” I beg her, and she’s growling.

“Shift and rip his f*****g throat out!” she barks as she starts pacing in my head, threatening to come forward.

“I don’t have enough time, Ruby!”

Fuck! Panic bubbles in my stomach, an indecisiveness that gives Luke the opportunity to move forward and attack.

In a blur, Luke has me pinned to the locker. I wither as he whispers in my ear, “No one will want you. No one will claim you. No one will care once you are the pack slut like your mother.” I shudder as he starts whistling a melodramatic tone of "Ring Around the Rosie."

Ruby keeps pushing me for control. My body shudders, my nerves stinging as I try to hold her, causing my nose to bleed. Do I just let her? It would be too risky! She would go berserk!

Luke starts to run his hand up my thigh. The revolting touch has my stomach churning. I can’t handle it and I start kicking, but Marcus holds me still. When I try to scream, he cups his hand against my mouth, stirring more panic through my blood.

“Sssshhhhh,” he hisses in my ear, his warm breath against my skin making my skin crawl.

Fuck this!

I release my inner hold, letting Ruby take control. My face shifts into a snout, startling Luke enough to let me go. With a snarl, I lunge at his ear, ripping it off.

He stumbles back, holding the bloody wound, screaming, “You b***h! I will f*****g kill you!” With crimson seeping through his fingers, he stumbles for me.

Ruby kicks Marcus square in the balls, and looks at him, snarling, waiting.

I scream at her in my mind. “Run… Run!!!” as I am now just a backseat passenger during her rampage.

She jumps over the second story, and we land perfectly on our feet. Shocked students start running as I try to wipe the blood off my chin and chest.

Shit, just run… Run! I beg before we bolt towards the school gates. Maybe I should just run, go rogue? I am almost 18. Old enough to do it. It would be better than the beatings that are likely to happen after Alpha hears of this!

I look back and see Luke has already started healing, but he’s also jumped the balcony.

I face forward again, ready to make a run for it when suddenly Rose steps in front of me, glaring, blocking my escape.

I do my best not to slam into her, managing to break pace just in time. She stares at Luke, wide-eyed, as he comes running with Marcus following like the little henchman he is. There’s so much hatred and venom in his eyes, I nearly choke on my breath, shooting Rose a pleading look.

Seeing Marcus still holding his crotch is a small victory I relish in. I cackle to my wolf in my head, “Good job, Ruby.” But it’s at this moment that I know I am absolutely dead when I get home tonight.

“Raven, what the hell are you doing?” Rose yells at me in a quiet corner of the school. I can already hear Mr. Stirling, the school principal, coming over as I start to shake. He’s part of our pack and an asshole like the rest.

While rubbing his shiny bald head, he narrows his grey eyes at me, his bushy moustache tweaking. He looks almost comical, especially being a rather short werewolf. But I knew this man could serve me a world of pain, so there was nothing to laugh about right now.

I stutter, “S–Sir, I am s–sorry, I lost c-control of my wolf. But Luke attacked me!” I plead.

Mr. Stirling smirks, “Raven, it’s the same old thing with you!” He’s enjoying this, the smug prick.

“Luke and Marcus are injured, not you,” he trails off as another person approaches. I realize it's Delta James. Oh, he must have got the call about the incident. I lower my gaze, and he takes Mr. Stirling aside to discuss the matter while Rose just stares at me.

“Raven? What happened?” Rose asks as she eyes me up and down, her stern expression softening as she sees the tears in my shirt and jeans.

I hadn’t noticed, but they must have been ripping my clothes off when Ruby took over.

I look at her, shaking, “I… I… I was just trying to protect myself!” I sob, lowering my eyes.

Rose suddenly walks over to Mr. Stirling with an air of determination and says, “Mr. Stirling, I saw Luke and Marcus attack her. Look at her clothes,” as she gestures to my torn shirt and jeans.

Delta James takes notice and gasps, glaring at Mr. Stirling, who most likely has been spewing lies about my attack.

Mr. Stirling takes a step back. “I… didn’t notice. I will amend my report to the Alpha,” he says sheepishly and rushes off with his tail between his legs.

Delta James comes over to me as I burst into tears. He holds out a change of clothes that Rose has pulled out of her bag.

Rose surprises me with a hug, and I look at her in shock. I am not sure what to make of it. Still trying to get ahold of myself, Delta James escorts me to go and get washed up.

In the bathroom, he sighs, grabbing the bridge of his nose. “Raven, no one has seen Luke attack you. I know Rose is covering for you. And your clothes are probably ripped because you shifted.” His voice rises, “AT SCHOOL NO LESS.”

I slink away, lowering my head. “I only shifted my head to bite his ear off because he cornered me,” I insist.

He sighs, a heavy look crossing his eyes. “I am not saying that this isn’t happening, but with no real witnesses it’s hard to stop punishment. The fact remains that you shifted at school where humans could have seen you. The Alpha is not happy because humans could have been hurt…” he trails off, shaking his head. “Luckily, Rose has stepped in and spoken about this. She caught a glimpse of what was happening and has defended you.” He breathes heavily as I hold my own breath, waiting for the but… “He’s thinking about banning you from the ball.”

Oh Goddess, no!

A fresh batch of tears burns my eyes. With all the other packs that are invited to the ball, this is my only chance to get away from here and finally have a fresh start. I begin to sob as I think I will never get away from here, from this.

Tears soak my cheeks. “Delta James, please, I am sorry,” I mutter. “I just didn’t know what else to do.”

Ruby starts to speak to me in my head. “Why did Rose help you today? Did she see you?”

I think about that for a second and then look at James and say with a sigh, “What will I need to do?”

Delta James’ brows crumble. “Beta David has said he wants to deal with you. He is taking over your punishment for this.” Without looking me in the eyes, Delta James walks away looking downtrodden.

I shudder at the thought of what is to come when I get home this afternoon. I am dead, absolutely dead when I get back. Ruby whimpers in agreement.

I look in the mirror and my mother is looking at me through my eyes. I wish that she was here.

I wash away the blood and change my clothes. Nothing I own is new; I outgrew all my nicer clothes years ago. The clothes Rose gave me are new. They actually have tags on them! My tears renew at the thought of having something new and not the normal hand-me-downs.

I think about the soft warm hug Rose also gifted me, and it makes me realize how much I want to hug my mother. I want to be comforted.

I cringe, holding the sink, trying to hold back the memories. Like her smell. She always smelled like lavender with a smoky undertone I never quite understood.

She was so kind and so gentle. I miss her; she was the only family I had. No one in the pack even looks at me with kindness because of the lies spread about her. My mother was labeled a w***e for never revealing my father. I often suspect Mum was quiet about it for a reason. I try to brush away the images before they take over my emotion, but tears escape the floodgates anyway. I am exhausted, and I am so sick of crying.

I finish cleaning up and put on the new clothes: jeans and a plain T-shirt. I whisper, “Thank you,” out loud, to nobody in particular.

I head out of the bathroom to carry on with my day.

I don’t understand why Rose would have new clothes for me? Scarlett and Rose are always so popular. She’s always been kinder to me than others, but today something is different. Something in the air has changed. I never get this lucky.

I head to the tree Amber, William, and I sit under for lunch every day. A beautiful weeping Peppermint tree, of which William loves to offer tons of information about while we sit under it. Because of him, I recognize all the beautiful trees and plants around us that I probably would have otherwise ignored.

As I’m scanning the grounds, I notice Scarlett and Rose sitting near the fountain. And as always, they are surrounded by popular human boys and girls, too. As well as Luke and Marcus. Noticing them, my shoulders shift inward as I shudder. Since the surrounding packs, the Barwolf Pack and Ethelwulf Pack, also attend this school, they’re all sitting with each other in their own segregated circles.

And then here we are, Amber, William, and I, way over here under the peppermint tree. The outcasts.

As we eat lunch, I realize my heart rate has picked up. Ruby is stirring and wakes.

“What is it?” I ask her.

She hushes, “Someone is watching us.”

My ears prick up and I listen, hoping to hear something. Cautiously, I look around and see someone over at the gate of the school. He’s very tall, with dark wavy hair, and his eyes, even from this distance, are a stunning, piercing emerald green.

I gasp, Ruby stirs… whimpering she mutters, “That’s Aiden Adler!”

So, the Alpha is back?!

I can’t help but continue to stare, drawn to him, even from this distance.