Chapter 1: How It All Started

Shayla

The first period bell rang and Shayla scrambled to grab her books from her locker and get to class on time. It's Geometry. She couldn't stand the subject but strived to keep her A average so she could get into college one day. She wanted to get out of this town and that was the only way to do that.

She regretted not having that second cup of coffee. She had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

She stepped foot inside room 102 just as the second bell rang.

"Good to see you made it, Miss Ellis," said Mr. Roberts over his wire-rimmed glasses.

"Sorry, Mr. Roberts. It won't happen again."

"That'll be the day. Get to your seat please."

"Yes, Mr. Roberts," she said as she slid into her assigned seat.

The classroom door flung open, and a new face presented itself to the class. He was the cutest boy Shayla had ever seen. He had sandy blonde hair that was feathered back just perfectly. His eyes were emerald with gold flecks throughout.

Shayla tuned her gaze away as she felt her face grow hot. She knew she was staring and didn't want him to notice. The thought of any boy wasn't in the equation for her. Not now, maybe not ever.

Besides, who would want a half wolf, half human girl? That was an entire situation she didn't want to have to explain. It was a side of her she didn't even want to know herself. She felt as if no kid would ever ask for a life where one parent is human, and the other is a wolf. Yep, you heard that right, wolf.

She had never met her wolf self, though she was very aware of it all the time. She pushed aside the fact that she had keen hearing and sight with super strength to boot. She was able to ignore these abilities. She tucked them down deep as she could.

Right now, she needed to concentrate on helping to raise her little brother. If her father wasn't going to do it, she needed to.

"Class, this is Evan Jenkins. Evan, tell us a little about yourself," said Mr. Roberts as he motioned Evan to the front of the class.

Shayla could tell he'd rather jump off a cliff than speak to the class, but he really didn't have much of a choice.

"Well, my name is Evan. I am from New York. I moved here with my mom. I have a dog named Cooper and a goldfish. That's about it."

"Thank you, Evan. You may take a seat."

Of course, the only empty seat was right next to Shayla. She looked up at him as he walked over to his chair. She got a better look at his face. Something seemed familiar. She had seen those eyes before, or had she? Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. It seemed to be doing that a lot here lately.

She shrugged off the thought of knowing this boy and turned her attention back to last night's assignment. She glanced over it and sighed heavily.

"Not your favorite subject, I assume?" asked Evan.

Shayla looked over and his eyes held her hostage for a moment until she broke the gaze by looking back towards her paper.

"How'd you guess?"

"The sigh didn't exactly sound like a love relationship with your Geometry questions."

She chuckled and looked back over at him.

Had her mom been here, she would help. Kinley, her mom, was great at any type of math. Shayla always struggled so her mom would sit down with her nightly and go over her assignments with her.

But she couldn’t now. She had been killed by a wolf. Luckily, she had taught Shayla just enough for her to make it through the rest of the year. She'd give anything for another math lesson with her mom, though.

She found herself trapped in his eyes once again. There was something hidden in them. Like a treasure that needed found. They begged to be explored further. She looked away again and scolded herself.

Just stop. Stop right now. You know better than this.

It was then she knew she was in trouble.

"Hi. I'm Evan, and you are?"

"I heard. Evan, New York, and a dog named Cooper," Shayla said smartly.

"You forgot about the goldfish."

"Right. I'm Shayla. Montana, no pets and a little brother."

She didn't want to tell him it had been her responsibility to get her brother ready for school and off to the bus every day. And that she had to make him dinner every night.

She didn't want to tell him how her father used to be her hero, but now he was just a shell of who he used to be.

She didn't want him to know she ran the bath before bed so Hadley could wash before she tucked him in.

And she didn't want him to know that she was the one that kissed and hugged her little brother good night, every night. And read him a story and cuddled him when a nightmare would arise and he came running and screaming to Shayla's room.

She didn't want to tell Evan any of that.

Or, that she was a wolf, and her father was the Alpha of the Fearless Great Falls Pack.

Or, that her mother had been killed by a wolf named Seamus from the Manhattan Shadows Pack from the very state he came from.

There was too much she didn't want him to know, or anyone for that matter. Her secrets would remain secrets.

She slipped back into the present conversation before he was wondering where she had gone.

"Nice to meet you, Shayla. I look forward to hearing you sigh for the remainder of the year."

"Nice to meet you, too. And you better get used to it in this class because you will be hearing it a lot."

He laughed and it was the most magical sound she had ever heard.