Unknown- Chapter One

I walk through the town, watching people warily. While my Mark is covered, I still prefer to be on the look-out. Humans don’t take too well to werewolves. I glance down at my covered hip, where the paw print is. Your Mark must be hidden at all times. It’s not rare for a human to attack a werewolf just from a single glimpse of the paw.

My nose twitches. There. I found him. It’s the rogue that keeps being reported. But he’s always reported as a wolf, not as a human. They don’t know what he looks like. I follow my nose into a crowded bar. The reek of alcohol fills my nostrils and I stifle a sneeze. I track the rogue to an occupied barstool.

He stiffens. He knows someone is behind him. Slowly, he turns to face me. He grins menacingly. “Aren’t you a little young to be at a bar, honey?” I’m seventeen. Not old enough to drink, not that I particularly want to. But that’s beside the point.

“I’m not here for a drink, honey.” I say, mockingly. Unnatural yellow eyes narrow at me.

“Then what are you here for?”

“I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out yet. Has the alcohol ridden your nose useless?”

The man takes a deep whiff and his eyes widen. I smirk. “Looks like you’ve figured it out. You’re coming with me.” I latch onto his arm and yank him off the stool. The crowd parts for us as we exit the bar. We turn into a dark alley and I shove him into the wall.

“Why don’t you have a pack?” I demand.

The rogue has the nerve to smirk at me and I slam him against the concrete again. “Don’t… need one.” He rasps.

“Yeah. You kinda do.”

“Why don’t you have one, then?”

“Because no one wants me.”

“Well, that’s a bit of a problem, isn’t it?”

I snarl, my now-elongated teeth showing. “Maybe it is. But I have the Council on my side. And guess who’s going to be paying a visit?”

The man gulps.

Two hulking forms stalk into the alley. One is Marked along his rippling bicep, and the other one’s paw print is covering the back of his neck.

“We’ll take it from here.” One of the men says. I nod once and let the rogue drop to the ground. Casting one last scornful look back at him, I walk out of the alley.

After walking a few minutes, I stop and lean against the wall. Almost immediately, a lovely woman with hair the color of corn-silk appears in front of me. I duck my head in an awkward bow. “Hello, Aubrey.” I say.

“Greetings, my dear Kella. I have some news for you.”

I look up eagerly. “Yes?”

“You will be attending one of our schools. One just for werewolves.” Aubrey says, smiling.

That hadn’t been what I was hoping for. But if Aubrey says I will be doing it, I have to trust her good judgment. I fake a smile. “Really? Thank you!” I lie.

She beams. “I knew you would be excited. You start tomorrow. Your things have already been packed. Goodbye!” And then my role model turns and, after one last grin, goes on her way.

I sigh, disappointed. I thought she was finally going to offer me a spot on the Council! After standing there for a few more minutes, I finally start to head back home.

I don’t sleep well that night. My head is full of worries. What if I never make any friends? What if I do awful in every one of my classes? And worse, what if I let Aubrey down?

After sleeping fitfully for several hours, my alarm finally goes off. I shoot out of bed and pull back the covers neatly. Within half an hour, I’ve taken a shower, gotten dressed, and eaten breakfast. I’m all set to go.

A burly man is waiting for me. He has a jagged scar going down the left side of his face, giving him a fearsome appearance. But he gives me a surprisingly gentle smile as I greet him.

“Good morning, Kella. My name is Johnson. I will be escorting you to Baymont Academy. I trust you are ready?” I nod. “Good. Then we are on our way.”

I follow him out the door and into a black Mercedes with tinted windows. He climbs into the driver’s seat and I clamber into the back. We ride in comfortable silence the entire trip. After a few hours of watching the changing scenery, a huge building comes into view. My first thought is Whoa. The school is a castle. Johnson grins at my expression, which I can imagine is amusing. “This is your new school.” He rumbles.

We pull up at the entrance, gravel crunching beneath the tires of the car. “Thank you.” I tell Johnson quietly. He gives me a smile and a quick nod of his head and then drives away. I stand at the giant entrance, unsure of what to do. I don’t have to wait long, though. A tiny woman with laugh lines around her mouth bustles out the door.

“Kella?” She inquires. I nod and the woman smiles. “Follow me. Your bags are already up in your room.” She pauses. “Oh, and my name is Lauren. I’m one of the professors here.” She walks quickly into the building with me trailing behind her.

I’m instantly hit by a barrage of smells. Most of them are the musky smells of werewolves. The scents both relax me and make me tense up at the same time. Kids walk past me in groups, laughing and talking. But the minute they notice I’m there, they fall silent. I don’t know what that means, but I don’t think it’s good.

One group of girls walks past me and they all shoot me scornful glares and sneers. My upper lip curls, exposing elongated teeth. Much to my surprise, the lead girl, snarls at me right back. I take a step forward, my eyes flashing and teeth bared, but am stopped by Lauren.

“Don’t pick a fight with those girls. They’re the queen bees here. And if you get on their bad side, they will make your life a living hell.” I glance at Lauren, surprised. I wasn’t used to teachers swearing openly.

But Lauren is turning down another hallway and heading up a flight of stairs. “All of the rooms are upstairs. Boys aren’t allowed in a girl’s room after 10 o’clock and vice-versa. But that’s really the only rule we have about the rooms. The other stuff is just common sense. Sound good?” I nod. “Great.” We stop in front of a door and Lauren starts fiddling with a bunch of keys. She finally finds the right one and inserts it into the lock. She opens the door. “Voila! This is your room. And once you’re done here, feel free to roam the school.”

The room is about the same size as the one I stayed in while working for the Council. The walls are completely blank, with two windows with a clear view of a field of exercise equipment. The door shuts behind me. I spin to see that Lauren has left the room. I sigh and look around for my luggage. The suitcases are next to a plain dresser. I heave one over and unzip it. My clothes are neatly stacked, and I start to unpack them, devoting myself entirely to the boring task so as not to let my thoughts dwell on the upcoming horror of school.

Tacked to the mirror above the dresser is a piece of paper. Upon closer inspection, I find that it’s actually a schedule.

Period 1- History of Werewolves; Bell, Ryan; Room 104

Period 2- Werewolf Anatomy; Conrad, Michael; Room 612

Period 3- Werewolfism; Gray, Christina; Room 520

Period 4- PE; Hill, James; GYMNASIUM

Period 5- Lunch; N/A; DINING HALL

Even though I’ve never really attended school, I’m pretty sure there was more than five periods, not including lunch. Maybe the Academy won’t be so bad, after all.

I leave the room, taking care to put the key in my pocket. I’d rather not start off the school year by getting locked out of my room on my first day. The halls are bustling with activity. But yet everyone avoids me like I’ve got the plague. Because I’m a new student? I don’t really know. The only experiences I have ever had with people my own age was when I was arresting them.

I desperately want to escape outdoors, so I follow the smell of fresh air to a set of wide-open doors. I gratefully step outside, relaxing immediately. Then I sprint into the thick woods. You can’t move very far without running into a tree.

There is a snap behind me and to my right. I tense, my muscles quivering. Glancing to my right, I see that there is no one there. I relax a smidgen. But then a whiff of werewolf catches my attention. My body spins around of its own accord. I’m in a near-crouching position, my lips curled back in a silent snarl.

A large, russet brown wolf stands before me, regarding me with dark, curious eyes. It sniffs the air, testing. Then, as I watch, it Shifts into a tall, dark, muscular girl. “Are you new?” She asks in a husky voice. I nod mutely. The girl grins. “My name’s Angela. I’ve only been here for about a month. What’s your name?”

I finally have found the strength to speak. “Kella.”

Angela’s dark eyes sparkle. “C’mon. I want to show you something.” She takes off sprinting through the trees, dodging the low branches neatly. After a moment’s hesitation, I follow her.

She comes to a stop by a field. It looks familiar to me for a second before I realize that it’s the field that my room overlooks. Only, now it’s occupied. I look at Angela questioningly. “This is where the guys work out. And trust me when I say that it is fun to watch.” She waggles her eyebrows suggestively, and I have to stifle a laugh.

You’d have to be blind to think that the guys on the field weren’t good-looking. Dayum. They’re definite eye candy. You can see the muscles straining as they lift the heavy weights. Then I notice a group of guys off to the side.

“Why aren’t they working out?” I whisper to Angela. She whips her head to the side and looks at them.

“Ooh. They’re about to start a mock fight.”

“What’s that?”

“They Shift and then, duh, fight.”

We watch avidly as the guys stretch and shake out their muscles. Then two step forward to the center of the ring. I stare, transfixed, as they both Shift into giant wolves. One of them is a dark gray, while the other one gleams gold.

“My money’s on the blonde one.” I say.

Angela smiles, not taking her eyes off of the wolves, and says “You’re on.”

The dark one is huge and brawny, but the golden wolf, while smaller, is also rippling with muscle. He’ll be quicker, not relying more on brute strength like the gray one is. A whistle is blown and the two wolves leap at each other.

Almost immediately, the gray one has the other pinned beneath him. But, quicker than the human eye can see, he squirms out of the hold. The gray wolf lunges, but the other one, anticipating the move, whirls around and out of the way. The result is a major face-plant. Or, can you even call it that? A muzzle-plant? I don’t know, but it looked like it hurt. The smaller wolf takes advantage of the gray wolf’s stunned position and leaps on top of him. His muzzle is right next to the gray wolf’s throat. If the fight were real, the golden wolf would be able to go in for the kill, quickly and easily.

I shoulder Angela, grinning. “I won.” She laughs and gives me a quick shove. I stumble a bit, regaining my balance, but step out of the cover of the trees. Immediately, about twenty sets of eyes land on me. I freeze.

“Hey!” Someone shouts. “What are you doing here?”

I try to slip back into the woods, but it’s too late. They’re all coming for me. I groan. It’s not like they’re going to kill me, but I might just die of embarrassment. Angela walks over to me. “Don’t worry.” She says. “I’m right here with you.”

Suddenly, I’m facing a very tall boy. I look up, up, and up until my eyes finally rest upon the face of a very pissed off werewolf.

“Um, hi?” I squeak.

He growls low in his throat.

Naturally, being the stupid person that I am, I have to respond to his challenge. I bear my teeth. Someone chuckles.

“Hey, dude! Tread carefully with this one.”

The guy bends down and stares me straight in the eyes. “What are you doing here? I doubt Coach gave you a pass.”

I stammer, trying to come up with an excuse because I’d sooner die than tell him that we had been checking them out. But then someone shoulders their way in through the crowd. It’s the golden wolf. Only, now he’s human.

“Leave the girl alone. I haven’t seen her before. She’s probably new.” I turn my eyes toward him and look him over.

“I was totally right.” I mutter to Angela. She laughs lightly.

“Right about what?” He demands.

I flush. I don’t think my face has ever been redder than it is now. “Your fight. I said you would win, and I was right.”

“Why did you think I would win?” His deep blue eyes are curious.

“Well, the other guy was bigger, but you looked faster. And in the end, agility almost always trumps brute strength.”

He laughs out loud. “Well, the girl certainly knows her stuff.” He looks at me, more seriously this time. “Did you just Turn? Because I don’t think you did.”

“No.” I admit. “I’ve been a werewolf for several years.”

“Then why haven’t you been at the Academy before now?”

“I had a job.”

“For…?” He presses.

I sigh. Is he really going to make me say it? “I worked for the Council. Aubrey was my mentor. I tracked down rogues and arrested them.”

There’s a rough laugh, but it’s not coming from the boy in front of me. I swivel my head to the left and glare at the source of the sound.

“What?” He asks, still chortling. “Look at yourself. You can’t be over five and a half feet tall? Why would you of all people have that job? All of us could probably kick your ### easily.”

“Are you sure about that?” I challenged, my voice hard. My muscles are tensing up and my heart is racing.

He stops laughing. “Oh? Are you going to fight me? That’s probably not a very good idea.” He drops his voice and says mockingly “I don’t want to hurt you.”

A snarl rips from my throat and my eyes flash. He grins and Shifts into a ginormous light blonde wolf. I do the same, almost instantly becoming a large black wolf. Everybody steps back.

“Don’t.” Angela says. “Brayden will crush you!” I just look at her and wag my tail. My heart is pounding in anticipation. A fight will lessen my anxiety.

Brayden leaps at me, but I’m already gone. A little nip is applied to his flank, just enough to draw blood. He growls. My tongue lolls out of my mouth in a wolf grin. Someone in the crowd chuckles. “She’s laughing at him.”

I duck under Brayden’s stomach and bite at his sensitive underbelly. I roll out, and Brayden finally gets his first hit in. His claws rake down my side. Alright. Play time is over. I jump onto his back and latch my jaws into the scruff of his neck. He howls and tries to shake my loose. But there is no way in hell I’m letting go. Finally, he lies down in submission. I release my hold on him and climb off of his back. Then I duck my head in respect. He mimics the gesture and I Shift back.

Fighting a smile, I lift the side of my shirt and peer at the scratches Brayden made with his claws. They start just above my Mark and extend up and a little bit past my ribs. They may sting for a little bit, but I doubt I’ll even scar. Even as I watch, they’re fading a bit. That’s another advantage of being a werewolf. You heal fast.

Someone starts clapping hesitantly. And soon the air is filled with the dull roar of applause, mixed in with some whoops. I look over at Angela, grinning. She smiles back at me and envelopes my in a bone-crushing hug.

Suddenly, all of the noise stops. I peer around until my eyes land on a short, bulky man striding with a grim purpose toward the large grouping of teenage werewolves.

“What’s going on here?” He bellows. Silence. Nobody wants to speak up. He looks at everyone in the face. Except me. Good thing I’m so short. He can’t see me. There aren't many advantages to being 5’ 2”, but it helps when you’re trying to hide.

The man’s dark brown eyes alight on Brayden, who has numerous scratches. “Brayden?” He asks.

“Yes, Coach?”

“What happened?”

Brayden shuffles his feet. “I picked a fight.” He mutters.

A raised eyebrow. “And?” He presses.

“I lost.” Brayden mumbles, staring at his bare feet.

“To who?”

“I don’t know her name.”

“Her? You lost to a girl?”

“Yeah, she’s new here.”

“A recently Turned girl?”

“Not recently Turned. Just new.” I finally speak up and start shoving my way through the crowd.

Coach looks at me. His eyebrows draw together. “You’re awfully small to beat Brayden. He’s one of the strongest werewolves we've got here.”

“I've been working for the Council. When I Turned, I was seven years old, which is obviously too young to attend any of the Academies. So the Council took me in. For whatever reason, when I got old enough, they didn't send me to an Academy. Evidently I was too ‘valuable.’ So, they gave me the job of hunting down rogues and other problematic werewolves and arresting them so they could have a trial before the Council. Aubrey told me yesterday that I would be attending this Academy.”

“Ah. I’d heard that a special young werewolf was coming. But they didn't say who or when.”

“Well, that would be me.”

“The Headmistress said you would be training with my boys here, so I assumed you would be a boy. My mistake.” He extends his hand toward my. I grasp it firmly and shake it. “I’m Coach Hill, by the way. But everybody just calls me Coach.”

“Nice to meet you, Coach. I’m Kella.”

“It’s a pleasure, Kella.” He puts a hand on the small of my back and guides me away from the gathering of werewolves. “Any questions?”

“How come there aren't any boys training out there?”

Coach laughs. “Of course you would ask that. Well, those are the best werewolves we've got. Now, I’m not trying to be sexist or anything, but they’re a helluva lot stronger than the girls. And those boys are being prepped for some good jobs that may be available in the future.”

“So, I’m going to be lifting weights?”

“I was told you may not be interested in that. However, you will be expected to participate in the mock fights. But something tells me you won’t be objecting to that.”

I shake my head, smiling. “Nope. Not a problem.”

Coach chuckles and gives me a slap on my back. “Well, you can go on back to your friends.”

“Friend.” I correct him. “I don’t know if any of them like me, but I think I can call Angela my friend.”

“Ah, Angela. She’s a nice girl.”

I nod. “Yeah, she really is.” I look back to where she’s waiting. “Well, I better get back. It was nice meeting you.” I flash a smile back at Coach and then take off toward Angela.

She greets me in a giant hug, which I hesitantly return. Hugs were not casually offered like this when I lived with the Council.

“That was awesome!” She squeals excitedly. “You, like, demolished him.”

I just grin. Then I notice one of the guys staring at Angela. “Don’t look now,” I say. “But there’s a pretty hot guy over there who’s checking you out. He’s Latino and is Marked on his left bicep.”

It’s funny to see Angela fighting this internal war inside herself. To look or not to look, that is the question. She peeks at the guy. Her jaw drops and she turns to me. “Oh my God! He’s gorgeous!” I have to agree that he is. Ebony hair and soulful honey eyes. Eyes that are staring straight at Angela.

I give her a gentle shove in his direction. She casts one nervous look over her shoulder at me, and then starts talking to the guy. From what I’m able to pick up, his name is Jordan.

I back out of the crowd. Being around too many people makes me nervous. I don’t mind it all the time, but when the throng is made up almost entirely of males, it feels kind of awkward.

Unfortunately, I back out into a solid form. An exhalation of breath tickles the back of my neck. Slowly, I turn around. I’m facing a solid chest covered in a heather gray t-shirt. I look up and up until my gaze alights on the intense sea green eyes of the boy I backed into.

“Sorry.” I mutter, and back up a bit.

“It’s fine.” He says in a husky voice and chuckles. Oh. My. God. The sound of his laugh is so damn sexy. I continue to move out of the way until I’m just on the edge of the woods. Then, making sure I’m almost out of site, I Shift, blending into the shadows.

I’m not planning on just abandoning Angela, so I don’t go too far. I travel until I reach a small den. The grass underneath my paws is soft, green, and spongy. And there’s a roof over my head. I lie down and settle my head between my front legs.

It’s so relaxing, just lying here and listening to the sounds of nature, that I fall asleep against my better judgment. So, I’m woken by another wolf trying to crawl into the den. Startled, I leap up. A golden wolf is making its way in. I’m still kind of sleepy, so I make room for it. I scooch towards the right side of the den, leaving just enough room for the big wolf to lie down. He does, and his furry body presses against mine. The feeling is odd, but not all together uncomfortable. Before I know it, I've fallen back asleep.

When I wake, I’m still pressed up against the other wolf. Only now he’s awake. I look at him and realize with a shock that he’s the boy I ran into earlier. Not many people have eyes that bright. He starts to Shift, until he is just a large boy with golden blonde hair and sea green eyes. He crawls out of the den. I Shift back as well and make my way out, too.

He’s stretching, raising his arms above his head and opening his mouth in a wide yawn, revealing straight, white teeth. I stand there silently, combing my fingers through my hair to work out the knots. The boy is watching me, amused.

“What?” I snap.

He just chuckles. “Nothing. It’s just kind of funny seeing you so awkward.” I just glare at him.

“I’m Blake, by the way. I hear your name is Kella?”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

Blake doesn't say anything, just looks at me with a smile quirking the corners of his mouth. Oh my lord. His mouth. It’s almost completely perfect. The lower lip is just a smidge fuller than the upper lip. I have to tear my gaze away from his mouth. I look up into his eyes, which are an unnatural green, framed by long, dark lashes.

“I… I have to go.” And then I turn and run off for the field.

Too late, I realize that it’s dark out. Angela would have already left. “Damn it.” I mutter to myself. Backpedaling, I sprint towards the school. When I reach the doors I came out through earlier, I find that they are locked. I’m shut out of the school. But then I remember that I had unlocked my windows, so I would be able to access them from the field.

I turn around again. It’s kind of tiring, running in circles like this. But, at the same time, it’s exhilarating. I reach the field and look up at my room’s windows. They seem pretty high up. I muster up all of my strength and leap up. My fingers grab hold of the window sill, and with a huge effort, and a near fall, I heave myself up, open the window, and clamber in. I face-plant on the floor. Hey, just because you can do some cool stuff like Shift into a wolf, doesn't mean that you get some kind of superhuman grace. Because if it does, than I obviously didn't get it.

I close the window and lock it, checking to make sure it’s secure. And when I turn around, I find myself looking at a very large, very scary looking wolf. I shriek and let out some very unladylike words. The wolf just watches me. A quick test of the air indicates that this is not a werewolf, but just an average wolf. I’m honestly not sure whether or not I’m supposed to panic. My second thought is: How the hell did it get in here?

But then the wolf does something odd. It lies down and rolls over onto its back. That may not sound like much, but it’s actually a sign of submission. What the hell is going on here? I hesitantly approach the large animal. She lets out a small whine, flips over, and wiggles her way over to me. I know it’s a female. I saw it flip over. And I also saw the lack of, ahem, the male parts. Her course gray fur glints a bright silver in the moonlight being cast through my windows. And, like the eyes of all wolves at night, her eyes gleam a greenish orange. I tentatively extend a shaking hand out to touch the top of her head. The fur is soft and silky. She leans into the touch, purring like a cat. It’s kind of funny, and I find myself laughing.

“I’m going to call you Raksha.” I tell her. It’s Mowgli’s adoptive mother in the story The Jungle Book, which is one of my favorites. Raksha’s answer is to lick my face. I laugh again and gently push her head away. Then I change into a pair of pajamas and climb into bed, worrying about the morning to come. Raksha jumps onto the bed and curls up next to me, providing a welcome source of heat. And then I’m carried away in the soft black waves of sleep.