.

.

.

Before school started, Blaine told me he'd catch up with me and had to go to the gym because he left something yesterday when we both were using it. Blaine for basketball, and me using the weights to get stronger.

As I walked down the courtyard, my entire being froze as I saw the last being on Earth I wanted to see.

Beta Toby.

Beta Toby wasn't even my Dad's Omega, but Silas boosted his ranking all the way to Beta for some reason or the other. Toby thinks he's the hot stuff in the pack. He's tall, spiky black hair and has an ever present smile on his lips which can make some female wolves look at him with interest. Underneath the true face, I knew that ugliness lied inside. His leer at me always made me want to be dressed up in a garbage bag. Even then he's make you feel highly uncomfortable. He creeps me out to the extreme.

"Ah, Edith, nice of you to be here," Toby gives me a smile, unashamedly checking me out. "Silas just asked me to check up on you guys at school. See if you would come back to meet some of his friends."

I blanched at the thought. "I'm not going with you," I stated. I'm not going with him anywhere. "I'm at school." Toby took this in as defiance.

Toby grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my flesh. I winced trying to pull away but not wanting to cause a scene. His voice turning angry, "I said-"

A low growl emitted from behind us which caused Toby to shake a little, dropping his hold on me immediately.

I knew who it was before Toby did. Toby probably thought it was a teacher, but it was only West dressed in his grey sweatpants and a black sweater, looking really good with his tanned skin. He didn't look happy as his gaze sliced through Toby, looking at me if I was okay.

Toby's eyes narrowed to slits. "Who are you, pup?" Toby tried to intimidate West with his height, straightening to his full height.

"Just a classmate," I rushed quickly before West can say anything, least of his freaking name or who he is. Anxiety came over me quickly. I didn't need Toby telling Silas about anything of my school life least of all put West on his radar. I willed West to shut up and leave, but his gaze was still sending daggers to Toby. I really hoped he didn't see Toby grabbing me.

"The real question is who the hell are you?" West's tone could cut glass. Oh no. The last time he looked this pissed off, he punched someone.

"Watch your tone, pup. I'm the Beta of the Mystic Redlands, Toby Fields. Respect your superiors."

West gave Toby a smug look, "Huh, never heard of you-" West glanced at me then, "or your pack."

Thankfully, Blaine came right then, distracting Toby from say anything. He ushered Toby and I to the opposite side where West was. And West was met up with Theo.

I looked back to give West a glare, hoping he got the message, but he just winked at me.

"You pups nowadays don't respect your superiors. It is everything wrong in your generation. Who was that brat anyways? Maybe his parents can teach him a lesson," Toby ranted. "Are they filling your head with, what? Education?" He let out an ugly horrible laugh that made my skin crawl. "They're letting she-wolves out of their packs and unsafe in the world?"

I released a breath when it seems like Toby forgot the entire conversation. I secretly hid a smile thinking about how Toby was unsettled by West. Toby definitely felt West's strong presence, and was rattled that someone would take him head on.

"We're good here," Blaine told Toby quietly. Toby's lips curled.

"This institution isn't for you," Toby looked at me. I stiffened. "Too bad they're requiring everyone or else you'd be in the kitchen."

I clamped my mouth shut. Giving Blaine a look gave me all the willpower I needed not to sock Toby in the face. Blaine shook his head slightly. How would it be so easy to just...say something. Cause trouble. Toby wanted trouble.

Toby's phone rang, and he dismissed us, leaving the school premise causing Blaine and I to sigh with relief.

"What was he even doing here?" Blaine hissed.

"I don't know. He wanted me to come with him back to the pack. Silas' friends are there. Again," I replied. Blaine sucked in a sharp breath.

"You're going to be trying out next week?" I asked him hopefully, trying to change the subject. I thought this morning was going to be at least okay, but it wasn't with Toby sticking his face in my one safe zone: school.

Blaine nodded with a smile, "Yeah. I've been practicing a lot and West has been a huge help."

Lunchtime came around, and everyone at the school was buzzing about one upcoming huge event.

Penelope was talking about how she felt about Homecoming. "Do you know what our theme is?"

"No," I picked a piece of pepperoni off the pizza. Haven't really thought of Homecoming, actually.

"It's something really stupid," Penelope continued, stabbing her Brussels sprout. "It's literally a masquerade." Stab.

"That's..." Callie trailed off.

"Human," Penelope informed us. Stab. "Totally completely human. We might as well just go to Homecoming shifted in our wolves."

Callie smiled a little.

"We've never been to one so it'll be good, right?" I asked.

"Wait," Penelope stopped stabbing her sprouts. "Wait- are you going?! DID SOMEONE ASK YOU?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A few wolves turned to us in which Penelope flipped them the bird. "No, no one asked me."

"West didn't ask you yet?" Penelope frowned.

"You and West?" Callie asked, sounding very interested and I almost choked on my food.

I shook my head vehemently, but Penelope smiled.

"Don't they make such a cute couple?" Penelope asked.

"Oh yes," Callie nodded, then she sighed a little at this. "I see the way West looks at you during gym. He really likes you. And he has a very great personality too. You guys would be so good together. Like yin and yang."

"Yes," Penelope gave me an I-told-you-so look. "They would make the cutest couple ever."

"Why don't you want to go with him?" Callie's curiosity made me question everything.

"Well...." I tried thinking of something. Anything. Should I just tell her we're mates? But then I'd have to explain my life story to Callie, and I didn't think I was able to at this point. "He...didn't ask me."

That much was true.

"Because he thinks you're going to reject him flat out," Penelope said. And I was.

"You wouldn't even give him a chance?" Callie's eyes widened. Now she probably thinks I'm a heartless wolf.

"Er," is my best response.

Of course, just then, speaking of the devil.

West is looming over our table. "Hey guys," he greets to my friends. Nodding at a knowing Penelope and a star struck Callie.

"We were just talking about you," Penelope grinned at him.

I kicked her under the table.

West lifted an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What about?"

"Are you going to Homecoming?" Penelope asked him.

I'm going to kill her.

"Depends," he answered.

"On?" Penelope pressed.

"On who's going," his gaze zeroed in on me, but I was really interested in Penelope's brussels sprouts. Those things were the worst. How could she even eat them? Especially in the cafeteria?

"Edith's going," Penelope assured him.

I gave a tight smile, only looking at her, "I'm probably not."

"You probably are." Penelope's eyes flashed something before she leaned back in her chair. "She might be going with someone too."

"Is that right?" by the tone of West's voice it was like a challenge.

"Depends," Penelope smiled then, "on who's asking." Callie was smiling through out the whole conversation.

I wanted to just not be here.

"What brings you here?" I found my voice. I knew I was changing the subject. Everyone knew I was changing the subject. But who cares. Anything but this conversation.

"Can I just have a word with you alone?" West asked. Both Penelope and Callie's eyes widened with interest.

"Sure," I said, glancing around to make sure that no one was watching us. Then finding it stupid. I followed him outside the cafeteria, where the courtyard was scattered with a few wolves. He sat down on the grass.

"Are you going to Homecoming?" West asked straight off the bat.

"Maybe," I shrugged. It all depended on how I was feeling to be honest, and I wasn't feeling the whole home coming part.

"Are you going to bring anyone?" West asked, trying to be casual, but I saw a tenseness in him.

"And if I did...bring some other guy to Homecoming?" I asked him, lifting an eyebrow. West was known for beating people up. He didn't believe in non-violence. Yet he was kind to everyone. Everyone that wasn't a douche. Simply put, West is an anomaly. He has a laid back personality, but one wrong word might make him take a go at you.

"Maybe I would beat him up," he replied easily. "But...then...if that's what you want who am I to stop you?"

My mate. That's exactly who would want to stop me. By the way he was looking at me, he knew that I knew why. This unspoken bond between us that I've been fighting against, that I'm still fighting. Every time I look at him.

"You'd beat someone up?" Granted, he didn't beat up Jared- just punched him. But I guess that still qualifies as beating someone up. Especially given the fact that Jared had to go to the hospital.

West clenched his jaw. "I won't exactly celebrate if you're with some other guy."

"But you'll resort to violence?" I asked him, my voice rising.

"The thought of someone touching you like that makes me angry, yeah," West gritted out. I didn't know how I felt if Abby and West suddenly got together. I know I had no right to be jealous over it. I was the one who didn't want a mate. I could pretend all day that I didn't care, but West looking at me like that.

No one's ever looked at me like that.

It definitely made me feel things. Like the girly pup kind of way that I try to stomp on. He smiles at everyone the same way, but the way his hazel eyes darken when he sees me...

Chances were that I wasn't going unless Penelope held her promise that we were going to go.

"And I wanted to ask- the reason why I came over- was to ask why the Beta was treating like you're below him?" West's voice deepened in anger.

"That's just the way he is," I said truthfully. But it's actually because I don't have Alpha status yet. Toby will never see me as an equal much less superior. Not many wolves in the pack saw me as an Alpha.

"He has no right to grab you like that," West's voice was still angry.

"It's fine," I lied.

"No, it's not fine," West frowned. "I wanted to-"

"WEST!" I noticed Sophie and Abby running towards our direction.

"It's Jax and Theo-"

"Wha-" West turned to his friends trying to talk but Abby interrupted him.

"I tried stopping them but they wouldn't stop!" Abby exclaimed. West ran a hand through his hair, a stressful tick I noticed he did.

"Where are they?" West asked, his voice just tired. Abby and Sophie were leading the way, tugging West urgently. He threw an apologetic glance back in my direction, and I gave him a lame wave.

West wasn't at gym. "I know you're worried," Callie told me quietly as we were stretching. Today, we decided to just walk along the tracks outside even though it was a little chilly.

"I'm not-" I shook my head. "I'm not worried."

A lie.

Callie knew this too. She gave me a secretive smile. "You should go to Homecoming. Just for the experience."

"We'll see." Gosh, Penelope was rubbing off on her.

"If West asked you would you say yes?" Callie pressed.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. I mulled over this the whole time at gym.

Going into the elementary school without West was weird.

Miss Judy also took notice. "Where's West?" she asked when I walked into the classroom.

I'm well, thanks for asking. "He's- I don't know," I shrugged, frowning. I willed myself not to care about it, but I wondered what happened. Something definitely happened during lunch.

Miss Judy just frowned at me, like my presence was interrupting her peace or something.

I heard something crash outside in the hallway.

The only pups in this building were the ones inside. There was Lucy and five other pups playing with the toys inside.

"Stay inside right here," I ordered them. I stepped outside the classroom, looking around in the hallways. Nothing but the pup's artwork decorated the wall.

I let out a breath, turning back.

Then a growl.

A rogue wolf broke in the building.