Wolf #1: The Pack [COMPLETED]

Chapter 23

Image Citation: lovelyydarkanddeep.tumblr.com. Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/pin/510103095291654857/.

Warning: Violence (if the above image wasn't a hint towards that)

Chapter 23

Richard throws me an exaggerated yawn as our teacher speaks. I hide my grin behind my hand, stifling a laugh as he continues to make gestures while her back is turned. The rest of the class is almost asleep, staring at the clock with hungry eyes. After what seems like a torturously long class period, the bell rings and we all spring from our seats.

"Finally," Richard drawls as we walk towards the cafeteria, "I have been waiting for lunch since breakfast!"

I burst out laughing, "You better watch it—that fast metabolism only lasts for so long."

"Which is why I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can," He wags his eyebrows at me.

We've patched up since my birthday. There are still moments of discomfort because it's clear that Richard still has feelings for me. But he knows how crazy I am for Jace and after we had set some clear boundaries, I've begun to hang out with him a bit again. Not much, since Jace is still wary of Richard, but enough to escape the madness of the Wolves for a minute.

As we near the cafeteria, I head for the girls' bathroom, "I'll see you at the table."

"I'll save you and your boytoy a seat."

I roll my eyes for the nickname he has for Jace and push the door open to the bathrooms. Jace and Rachel have come to sit with us at lunch now, which is both nice and interesting. Jace and Richard are still trying to tolerate one another, but thankfully Rachel and I soothe the tension for the most part. I wish that Young-Jae could sit with us because he's the ultimate mediator, but he's homeschooled.

I'm washing my hands when a small group of girls walk in. Our eyes meet through the mirror, and we all tense. It's Natalia and two other girls from Breccia.

"Hey Amelia," The one, a girl named Camilla, waves. She's training to become a Healer like Mallory and is one of the friendlier Wolves I work with.

They're all pretty decent to me, but most are wary of me because the word is still spreading of me not being human. Camilla has been one of the Wolves that spoke to me when she still believed me to be a human. I think it's largely because she's one of the few Wolves in the pack that has been going to public schools with humans her whole life.

"Hey," I smile back and dry my hands. Glancing at the other girl, I wave at her as well, "Dominique—yeah?"

She nods, "Nice to meet you."

My eyes finally fall onto Natalia. She's looking at me with an impassiveness to her gaze, but her jaw is held together tightly. She hates me. I can feel the pure and dark emotion rolling off her. It reminds me of the feeling I get around Leon—the kind of destructive anger that would make you do things you never thought you could.

I just can't figure out exactly why she hates me so much. It doesn't take much to surmise that she's close to Jace, perhaps closer than I'm comfortable with. But I thought Wolves were uptight about the mate-and-bond thing, so I assumed she would have kept her distance and accepted the situation for what it is. Clearly these Wolves aren't all that different from normal, jealous human beings.

"I'll see you guys around," I smile again at them all and turn tail. There's no way I want to be near Natalia—she scares the living crap out of me.

"Bye," Natalia bites out.

I step out into the hallway when I'm suddenly yanked back into the bathroom. Before I can make a sound, she throws me. My head connects with the tiled wall. I bounce, hear a sickening crack, and crumple to the ground.