Chapter 4

The next day, Beta Mateo awoke us early in the morning. Hopping in our car, we followed him, and he drove us to the outskirts of the small town we were now going to live in. The house was more of a cottage and had a wide veranda out the front and a gravel driveway.

The house was lovely and cozy, nestled amongst the trees and away from the Pack and town. Hopping out of the car, I make my way inside, along with my father. Beta Mateo unlocked the green wooden door before handing the keys to my father.

"Are you sure you want to live out here? There are plenty of empty places in town that may be better suited for your needs?" He asks.

"No, this is perfect, thank you, Beta," my father replies.

"We are of the same rank, and honestly, you have been doing this a lot longer than I have. You could probably show me a thing or two. Just call me Mateo, and welcome to the Pack," he tells my father before patting him on the shoulder as he walks past him. I watch as he walks down the steps to the lawn before he stops beside me. He sniffs the air slightly, staring at me peculiarly.

"You smell different from most wolves," He states, looking at me, and I stiffen slightly.

"What do you mean?" I ask worriedly.

"I don't know, just different; I can smell you're a wolf, but your scent isn't powerful, but also something else. You smell familiar," he says, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Anyway, I will let you get settled in, don't forget that Pack runs are compulsory and on Friday afternoons at 6 PM sharp. I know you are excused this week, but it would be good to introduce you to fellow pack members. We are a tight-knit community, and the rest of the Pack will feel more at ease with newcomers that attend, something to think about," Mateo tells my father, who nods to him. I quickly walk up the steps with the box in my hands.

"We will try our best to be there on Friday," My Mother says, giving me a look as she walks up the porch steps toward me. I quickly follow her inside.

The place smelt like it had been closed up for a while, and I glanced around. A massive fireplace in the lounge room took up one wall, the floorboards stained dark brown, almost black. My mother walked around, opening the curtains and cracking open the windows to let the breeze in and let the stagnant air waft out.

Walking through the living room. I found the kitchen, which wasn't as dated as the rest of the house. It had granite benchtops and stainless steel appliances, and a small island bench in the middle.

A few of Alpha Ezra's men helped bring the furniture in, and my mother and father started unpacking while directing them where to which room. Carrying the box from the truck to the back end of the house, I find my room. Next to the bathroom and the window looked out to the surrounding forest. My parent's room was down the hall and had an ensuite, and was slightly larger.

I started putting my bed frame together, and the people helping brought the rest of my belongings into my room before I heard the truck leave. We spent the rest of the day unpacking and cleaning. By the time night came, I was exhausted and fell asleep before eating dinner, only to wake up wide awake in the middle of the night.

 Going to the kitchen, I grab a glass of water. This place was quiet, unlike our last house that was on a busy road. I liked how secluded it was out here, with fewer people to interact with, and I felt more comfortable without having neighbors prying into our lives.

Going back to my room, I climb back into bed, falling asleep under my purple duvet tucked to my chin as I snuggle into my bed.

The next few days went by in a blur of getting into a comfortable routine; when Monday came around, I got dressed in my jeans and blue T-shirt before grabbing my bag and loading my schoolbooks into it. My mother and father are meeting up with Alpha Ezra today before being assigned to their new jobs. Pulling up out the front of my new school, I feel dread settle in the pit of my stomach. My mother looked at me in the rear-view mirror.

"You will be fine, and by the sounds of it, I may be working here. Just keep your head down and behave; everything will be fine, Kat," she tells me, and I sigh, opening the back door and climbing out. I look up at the brick building that no doubt would be like the last one, a disappointment and a place of torment if they find out about me not having a wolf.

I leave straight for the head office and am greeted by a lovely woman in her mid-thirties. She had straight auburn hair that hung to her shoulders and big round glasses perched on her perfectly straight nose. Her hazel eyes looked at me as I entered. A smile greeted me.

"You must be Katya?" She speaks.

"Yes, I am here to pick up my timetable," I tell her, making my way to the foyer desk. She looks down at the papers on her desk before pulling out a manilla folder and handing it to me.

"Your timetable and a map of the school are in there; there is also a library card and your locker combination," she says, handing me the folder. I open it looking down at the timetable. My stomach drops when I realize they have training every afternoon except for Fridays.

 I wondered if my mother knew that even the students trained every day and for two hours. Two hours of formal training and an hour of training with our wolves every Tuesday and Wednesday. Great, simply fantastic. I will not even be here a day before everyone finds out, and I am banished. Maybe I can be excused for the first week, I wonder.  

"Thanks," I told her before walking out to find my locker. I put in the combination, unlocking it. I noticed a few curious stares at the newcomer, but no one was outright mean, which was a relief. Putting my stuff in my locker, I grab my books for the first period. I had English first. As I was closing the locker, I jumped when I saw a girl staring at me. She had dark hair cut in a pixie cut, a nose ring, and dark eye makeup.

"Hi, you must be new here. I am Jasmine," she says before grabbing my timetable.

"Ah, Katya," I tell her awkwardly.

"We have most of the same classes. You can follow me if you want, and I will show you around." She seemed friendly enough.

"Thanks, that would be great," I tell her.

"So you are from Alpha Jackson's Pack, I heard," she says. I say nothing; gossip has already started.

"My father is third in command. He heard Alpha Ezra and Beta Mateo talking, so you have Beta genes?" She asks, and I nod. Not that they would do any good without a wolf.

"Your mother has quite the reputation too, the only female warrior in Jackson's pack; what was it like living there?"

"Um, it was okay, I guess, just like any other pack," I tell her.

"Yeah, well, Alpha Ezra hates Alpha Jackson; It surprised me to hear he actually let someone transfer over. Your parents must have a pretty excellent reputation. We have had no newcomers in a few years," she says before stopping next to an open classroom door.

"This is our English class; Mr. Tonks is nice, but don't be late. He hates tardiness. "I looked in the classroom, and unlike the classrooms back in my old Pack, everyone was chatting quietly as they waited for the teacher to arrive. My last Pack, the students, did whatever they liked and were loud and uncontrollable most of the time, so I was a little surprised to see everyone on their best behavior. Jasmine pulls me to an empty desk, and I sit beside her. She points out a few different groups of kids chatting.

"That group over there is safe, as I like to call them; they won't cause any trouble," she says, pointing to a bunch of kids talking amongst themselves. They looked a little nerdy, not that I cared; I was also a bit of a nerd.

"Now that group over there, try to avoid them. The blonde girl's name is Angie, and she is a real bitch. Also, queen B of the school, as you can probably tell, just try to coast through the middle like I do. You should be fine," she says before pointing out a few other smaller groups before the teacher came in, who thankfully didn't make a fuss about there being a new student. Instead, he set us straight to work writing on the whiteboard before telling us to copy it.

The day passed by in a blur, and for the most part, I did what Jasmine advised and kept to myself. I sat out on the oval with Jasmine watching as students and teachers set up the training grounds at lunchtime. Nausea filled me, knowing I was about to do two hours of training when I suddenly saw my mother walk out onto the field along with Alpha Ezra.