Angela made her way down the stairs, her heart racing with nerves and anticipation. She followed the crowd headed to the cafeteria, hoping she'd find Stales easily.
And she did.
He stood by the entrance, waving excitedly the moment he spotted her.
"Hey!" he greeted, his smile bright.
"Hello," Angela said softly, a shy blush creeping up her cheeks. It felt silly, but this was the first time someone had looked genuinely happy to see her. Back home, people avoided her because of her mother. Here, at Alpha Academy, she wasn't just someone's outcast daughter. She was Angel. A boy with a fresh start.
And she already had a friend.
"I have to be honest...I wish I were you right now," Stales said suddenly, slapping her arm playfully.
"Ouch!" Angela winced, pulling back. Her entire body flinched from the unexpected sting.
Stales blinked. "Wait, did that hurt? I barely touched you."
"It did. Don't do that again, please," she muttered, rubbing her arm. She wasn't used to this kind of roughness. Not physically, not emotionally. Not from boys.
"My bad," Stales said quickly, genuinely surprised. "So, you want to know why you're lucky?"
Angela folded her arms. "Enlighten me."
"You got into Gold House," Stales said with mock envy, then added dramatically, "and your roommate is Alpha Kaito. Do you know how cool that is?"
Angela fought the urge to groan. If only he knew.
There was nothing cool about it. Kaito was a walking storm cloud...grumpy, arrogant, and completely full of himself. Living with him felt like trying to breathe in a room with no air.
"Being Kaito's roommate might seem scary but, I'd trade places with you in a heartbeat," Stales continued, clearly fantasizing about it.
"Let's do it then," Angela said, rolling her eyes. "You go to Gold House, be Kaito's new roommate, and I'll happily move to the Red House."
Stales laughed, shaking his head. "It doesn't work like that. Kaito gets special privileges. The school allowed him pick his roommate."
Angela's eyebrows lifted. "Really? I thought it was random."
"Not for him. He's… different. You'll understand eventually."
Angela didn't want to understand. She didn't even want to be in the same room with Kaito, let alone figure out how his mind worked. Still, something about what Stales said made her pause.
Kaito chose her? That couldn't be right… could it?
"So," Stales said, nudging her back to the present. "Have you met him yet?"
"Kaito?" Angela asked as they walked into the cafeteria. There were over a hundred tables. Most of them were full. No one looked her way, which meant she was doing a good job at blending in.
"Yes, him of course."
"I wish I hadn't," Angela sighed. She followed Stales to where the trays were stacked. She grabbed one and joined the line. Stales was right in front of her. He kept glancing back, clearly wanting to talk more.
"You're unbelievable. Do you know who he is?"
"Kaito the Alpha. Leader of the Gold House. My roommate. Nothing special."
Stales got served and had to stop talking. He went to sit at a nearby table.
Angela got her food and sat with him. Stales didn't waste time getting back to the topic.
"Gold is valuable, right?" he said. Angela nodded while eating. He kept talking without touching his food. "Gold House stands for the West. It's named after the West Pack. Black is for the South, Red for the East, White for the North, and Blue for the Central House."
Angela kept eating, wishing he'd just be quiet and eat too.
"These five houses match the five parts of the werewolf kingdom. All students come from these areas. They're really important."
"Okay," Angela said, just to be polite.
"Each house has an Alpha leader from that region. For example, Kaito leads the West House. His father is the Alpha of the West. Then there's Taros, the Alpha of the North."
"Taros?" Angela choked a little when she heard the name. Was it the same guy who gave her a ride earlier? "I met someone with that name today."
"I don't think it's him. He's not in school right now," Stales said with a smile. He was happy Angela was paying attention. "Alpha Hiro leads the South Pack. Alpha Renn leads the East...that's my pack. He's dangerous. You should stay away from him. He knows how to trap people."
Angela felt a chill. After what happened with Kaito, the last thing she wanted was trouble with another Alpha. She'd keep her distance.
"So, who leads the Central House?" she asked.
"No one," Stales said.
Angela looked surprised. "Why?"
"They say it's always been that way. Only the staff knows the real reason. It's weird because only a few students are placed in Central."
"Really?"
"Yeah. But one guy in my class told me…" He glanced around, then leaned in and whispered, "Something bad happened in the Central House years ago. It was sealed for a long time. They just opened it again last year."
Angela froze. That sounded creepy. What did he mean by something bad?
"I don't get it," she said, frowning.
"Someone died there," Stales said quietly.
Cold chills shot down her back. Her eyes widened as she shouted, "What?"
Only a few boys at nearby tables heard. They gave her a strange look, then went back to eating.
Just as she was about to ask more, someone walked up to her and said, "Get up, I want your seat."
"You want me to leave the table?" Angela asked, confused. There were plenty of empty seats around. Why hers?
There was no answer, and Angela didn't bother to look up. She kept eating, pretending nothing was wrong.
But then she noticed it, everyone was staring at her. Still, she wasn't going to move. She had chosen that seat, and if anyone had a problem, they could say it to her face.
Suddenly, the guy snatched her cup and smashed it to the floor.
Angela's anger flared. She grabbed her soup plate and stood up.
She froze when she looked at him.
He was tall, with messy red hair and sharp green eyes that hinted at trouble. He was huge bigger than Kaito and strong like a tree trunk.
He was dangerously good-looking, but that didn't matter to her.
Without thinking twice, Angela dumped the soup all over him...hot or cold, she didn't care.
When she turned to sit back down, she noticed Stales was speechless. His mouth hung open.
The other students which Stales had called them seniors were watching too. They were Kaito's classmates.
They started whispering her name, mocking and chanting it until fear crept into her chest. What was happening?
"Stop," the red-haired guy said, his voice booming through the cafeteria like thunder.
The noise stopped instantly. The silence was heavy. It made her skin crawl.
Angela leaned toward Stales and whispered, "Who is he?"
Stales was shaking. "R-Renn," he stammered. "Alpha of the East Pack."
Angela's heart dropped.
She turned back to him—Alpha Renn—his eyes burning with rage. What had she done?
Before she could react, he grabbed her by the throat.
Her feet left the ground as he lifted her and slammed her into the wall.
She could barely breathe.
Is this how I die? she thought, her vision going blurry.