[Photo of Vincent]

The bell rang for all of us to go to the last period of the day. For me this was PE, or more correctly termed: Human PE. The werewolves had a separate PE class from us because obviously they were a lot stronger, faster, and just all around more muscular than us humans.

Our PE teacher was a werewolf, and one could easily tell he was annoyed with how weak we humans were. He blew on the whistle, telling us all to assemble on the track that was outside, circling the football field. In the middle of the field was the werewolf class. I noticed Kyle, the football quarterback. He was by far the strongest guy at our school and had yet to find a mate. Some of the human girls who weren't faithful to their species were drooling at his feet.

I grimaced. He's basically a dog! What, does he drink out of toilets? I laughed at my joke.

Coach blew his whistle. "Ms...whatever your last name is, can you hurry up so your fellow human classmates can get the mile-run over with?"

I nodded and hurried over to the starting point.

"Check it out, Kyle's looking over here," my friend Jessie whispered into my ear.

I frowned at her. "Doesn't bother you that every full moon he turns into a dog?" So werewolves can phase into their wolf form at will, even if there's not a full moon out. However, humans were warned that on full moons, werewolves get more primal than normal and will attack whatever it perceives to be a threat. Poor Danni, she was told that her werewolf mate would be even more possessive on a full moon. Every full moon she stayed home from school because her mate refused to let her leave his side.

Jessie shook her head. "I like to think of it more as having a pet boy than dating a dog," she mused.

At that Kyle really did turn to face us, giving us a snarl. Damn his werewolf hearing. Nevertheless, Jessie and I burst into hysterics.

I was really surprised with Jessie. She wasn't at all afraid of werewolves; in fact, she wanted to be chosen as a mate. She said it'd be like finding her soul mate, plus she wouldn't have to worry about him cheating on her.

No, instead she'd have to worry about getting fleas. That thought got me thinking. "Jessie," I whispered, extra low so that the werewolves wouldn't hear us, "is the werewolf version of crabs, fleas?"

Jessie stood in thought. "I would think so," she pondered.

Coach blew the whistle, telling us to start our run. "Try to make it less than twenty minutes humans," he roared.

Jessie and I gravitated towards the center of the track so as to kind of make our mile shorter by the rules of geometry. We ran for a while, not even completing our first lap when we began to walk. Whatever, we figured that, due to Alpha's orders, werewolves aren't allowed to harm humans in school. Therefore coach wouldn't be able to punish us too severely.

"So you fill out your application to the college yet?" Jessie panted, already out of breath. Yeah, we're out of shape.

Jessie was referring to the only college in our territory. It was expected of all the werewolves and humans to attend this college because of pack rules. It was simple really: it's in the territory, so you go to it.

I shook my head.

Jessie frowned. "You know the deadline is in three weeks, right? And that essay is hard! It's all about how you feel your life has become better thanks to the emergence of werewolves in your area. I had trouble thinking about a thesis, so I just said I appreciate the increased security." There was an increase in security when the werewolves took control of the county. I call them the Werewolf Police, although in the werewolf hierarchy, they're technically known as Trackers. They monitor the borders, making sure no vampires get in, and no humans get out.

"I was thinking about applying to Miami...for their marine biology program," I lied. Sometimes Alpha will let humans go to different territories when education or a family emergency is involved. They kind of count as like a tourist and are expected to return at a set date. All I have to do is schedule a meeting with Alpha and bring my transcript that shows my high grades in my science classes. If God loves me that day, then Alpha will agree and let me go to Florida, a human community. Then when my time is up and I have to return back to my territory, I'll just go to some place where there are no werewolves or vampires. There's a rumor that South Africa wasn't affected by their emergence.

Jessie looked at me, her eyes wide and mouth hanging low. "Nora," she hissed, "you can get in a lot of trouble if you leave the territory." We both stopped and looked at Coach to see if he had overheard our conversation. There was no indication he did. His eyes were glued to his clipboard. We looked over at the werewolf class. Everyone was running around, I think playing soccer. However, they were moving too fast so it was hard to tell.

"Relax," I said, starting to walk again, "I'm gonna ask Alpha for permission before I go."

"What if he says 'no'?"

I bit my lip. "I'll apply to the college here just in case then," I lied. If Alpha refused my application to leave, then I'll just have to sneak out. Our territory actually has one of the highest successful escape numbers. In total two people have ran away and never been found. It's rumored that they died on their way out though.

Jessie smiled and kept up with my pace. We finished our mile in twenty minutes, much to Coach's agitation.

"Slow ass humans," he growled.

I shrugged it off. As soon as I graduate and leave this place, I'll never look back and then I'll be free of these stupid mutts! Coach blew the whistle, telling us all to go to the locker rooms and get changed because the period was close to ending.

One our way back to the locker room, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and, to my dismay, saw Kyle walking behind me.

"'Sup Nora," he smiled, showing off his huge canines. His giant fang-like teeth sent shivers down my spine. If there was one physical aspect I hate about werewolves, it's their canines.

"Hi," I mumbled, turning my gaze forward. I was only about one minute away from the girls' locker room, why did Kyle have to catch me now?

"So I was wonderin'," Kyle began, moving so that he was he was in front of me, walking backwards, "there's this new horror movie playing tomorrow at the theaters, and I wanted to know if you and Jessie would like to come with me and Josh."

I shook my head. There's no way in Hell that I'd ever hang out with a werewolf! "No thanks, I'm busy."

Kyle put on a fake frown. "C'mon Nora, you know you should take full advantage before I find a mate," he said, trying to wiggle his eyebrow seductively.

"I have a boyfriend," I lied, again. Damn, I'm a regular Pinocchio today.

Kyle eyed me suspiciously, totally challenging my made-up boyfriend. "What's his name?"

I rolled my eyes. "You're not Alpha, I don't have answer to you."

"Well then," Kyle mused, "I could just mention that you've never met my friend Josh, who doesn't have a mate either." Kyle smirked, knowing that he got me. Unmated werewolves had priority over humans. I was sort of required now to meet Josh if he demanded to see me just in case to see if we were, God forbid, mates. Plus, if a human is in a relationship and gets chosen to be a werewolf's mate, then the human has to end the relationship. If they're married though, then the human has the right to stay with their spouse, but it's likely that the werewolf will either try to kidnap their mate or kill the spouse. Plus, a mated werewolf is forbidden to be in a relationship with anyone but their mate...if that were possible.

Werewolves become completely obsessed with their mates.

"Tell Josh to call me if he really wants to see me, then I'll think about it," I said. I finally reached the locker room and rushed inside to get away from Kyle. My locker was at the back of the room next to Danni's.

"Hi Nora," Danni said when she saw me. She took off her gym shirt, allowing me to see the bite mark that her mate put on her shoulder, signifying that she's taken.

"Hi Danni," I mumbled, a little scared to talk to her, lest her mate get jealous of our semi-friendship. Danni sensed this and quickly got changed so that she could leave. Ever since Danni got chosen to be a mate, people grew afraid of her mate's possessiveness.

I got dressed in my regular clothes and went out of the locker room to wait in the hallway for the remaining three minutes of Thursday at school. Jessie soon left the locker room and walked up to me. "I was just told by Andrea that there's a new PE coach. Old Coach is getting fired, that's why he was in a bad mood...well, extra bad mood today," she said.

"Are they human?" I asked, hoping with all my might that I'd have a human teacher this year.

Jessie shook her head. "No he's a werewolf. He's actually the beta-to-be."

"That sucks."

Danni walked out of the locker room and up to a werewolf girl named Vanessa. The two of them started to talk like friends, Vanessa probably gaining points from her mate because she's a werewolf and a girl.

"Excuse me girls, I'm looking for the principal's office. I'm going to be your new PE coach," a deep voice said from behind us.

Jessie's phone buzzed in her pocket, so she gave her attention to that, leaving it up to me to answer the voice behind me.

I turned around, seeing a muscular chest at first, then looking up to see a face. The man had dark, black hair was messy and ice blue eyes that looked as if they could stab into the souls of others; they were piercing. His canines were huge, showing off his werewolf fierceness.

As I stared at his eyes, I could see them widen, most likely to gauge my threat level.

"You go down this hall, then take a left at the water fountain, and keep going down that hall. There's a door on your right that should lead to a bunch of the administrative offices, and then from there the secretary can guide you," I said. I was actually really proud of how well I can give directions.

The man just kept standing in front of me, staring with his mouth hanging open. Perhaps he didn't hear me.

"Um, you go down this hall and then take a left-"

"I finally found you," the man said, a wide smile creeping up on his face.

I cocked my eyebrow. Where was this wolf going with this?

"I'm Vincent," he said, "I'm your mate."