Chapter 3: Welcome to Arclight
Dana's POV
My heart sank. "My...my father?" I practically deflated, a deep pit forming in my stomach. Why was he doing this?
"Yes. You have nothing to worry about Miss Varynn. The other three alphas are very well behaved. Top students in their class too. They won't be a bother," She continued.
I stared at her like she just said the most ridiculous thing ever. Them? Top of their classes? I scoffed. Boys like that would buy their grades for 'pocket change'. Ain't no way in hell they were at all smart. "You have to be joking," I couldn't help but say.
The principal, who I now knew was Tricia from her name tag, just stared at me. "You'll see, just try to get along with them. Being foreigners is never easy for students," She said.
Wait.
They weren't part of my father's pack?
'Of course you dumbass. How can there be more than one Alpha in a pack?' Taryn sneered at me.
Fair enough.
I suppressed a groan. "So I can't be moved to any other dorm?"
She shook her head, worsening my fears. "No. That's the only space we have for you. You need to get used to it, or talk to your father directly," she spoke softly, but her voice had an edge. Like she was tired of me complaining.
I didn't want to talk to my father.
"Fine. I'll stay. But if they do so much as peep into my room, I'm leaving."
I stormed out, not bothering to hear her response. Though it sounded something like, "Welcome to Arclight, Miss Varynn," I scoffed. Welcome my ass.
I couldn't bring myself to walk back to the dorm. Knowing how heartless they were, and the fact that I openly defied them this morning? It made my stomach churn uncomfortably. "I'm fucked," I muttered, sitting on a ledge close to the fountain. The sky was dim, birds flying off into the sunset.
Was this my life now?
"I thought we weren't supposed to use bad language on school grounds," I heard a male voice behind me, and immediately sprang to my feet.
A boy stood behind me, about an foot taller than I was, wearing a basketball uniform. He was twirling a ball on his finger with his right arm. My body sagged in relief. I thought it'd be one of the Grandlake phonies.
Tch.
"What's it to you then? Gonna punish me?" I replied, folding my arms. He smirked, a small yet oddly cute gesture, and walked towards me. He placed the ball under his arm, and stood close.
I had to crane my neck to look up at him. He had light brown eyes, and gave this innocent charm. I almost gaped as he towered over me. "I'm Zade," he extended his hand.
For some reason, I took it. "Dana."
"Well Dana, I'm pretty sure you've had an interesting first day," He said, still holding my hand.
My brows furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I saw your altercation with the Alphas this morning. I gotta give it to you, you have guts," He said it like I had just won a trophy.
I almost scoffed. "I don't get it. Am I supposed to be afraid of them?"
He finally let go of my hand, warmth spreading where he left. Then, he walked back to the ledge and sat, watching me. "Simply put, yes," He said.
"Well I'm not afraid of anyone. Not even those jerks. Why are they allowed to do that to people?" I asked, my mind suddenly drifting to Joshua. I didn't see him on the steps when I left this evening. I just hoped he was okay.
Zade sighed softly. "It's not really something we can do anything about. They're not outright bullies, but yeah, everyone fears them,"
"Bullshit."
"Language," He scolded.
I glared at him and turned to walk away, but somehow he stood up and pulled me back. "Hey, in places like this, you either move with the crowd, or be alone forever. And trust me, no one's survived it,"
I didn't know how to reply to that.
"Anywho, I just came to say my sister's all sad and depressed because of you, and I want you to apologize," He continued, crossing his arms. I could've sworn today couldn't get any worse.
"Hana?" I took a wild guess, and immediately saw the resemblance. She was also the only girl I spoke to today.
He nodded. "That's her. Somehow she said you snapped at her when she just wanted to ask you a question. She also called you mean and pretty."
I felt this weird sensation spread throughout my body, like chills, but not as cold. "You want me to apologize to her because she thought I was mean? She was spying on me."
He shrugged. "Maybe, but she's just a little girl, and it doesn't change the fact that she was hurt," His expression turned serious.
"Look, I've had a hard day and I don't really have the time for this," I whispered. I was this close to breaking down in front of this wolf.
Taryn purred against me, trying to soothe my nerves.
"I don't see how any of that's my business. My sister was hurt by your actions, and you need to apologize. Now," he growled.
My lips parted. Was everyone in this school an asshole? Was I really going to be with these people for the next two years?
"Fine," I muttered, crossing my arms and turning away, blinking back tears.
"Hey, I didn't mean it that way. I was trying to act like them. The Alphas you know," He chuckled softly, bouncing the ball on the floor. I turned to glare at him, my eyes misty. I hoped he couldn't see it, but he did. His expression changed, and he muttered, "I'm sorry. You can apologize later," he turned to walk away.
"Thank you. I just need a break," I said, my throat tight. It made him stop and turn around, startling me a bit.
Taryn was restless, whining and curling up inside me. I wanted to tell her to calm the fuck down, but Zade was already standing in front of me again. His scent wafted into my nostrils, and I looked up as he stared down at me.
"I have an idea," He muttered.
Around two hours later, I sat on a stool in what looked to be a dining hall. Except there weren't tables or chairs or anything to show that it was a dormitory. This place was filled to the brim with students, flashing light, a DJ at the podium, and a bar towards the door.
It was a full on party.
Zade walked over to me. "So, what do you think?"
"To be honest, I really wasn't expecting this," I said, laughing lightly.
"This is just what you needed," He chuckled. Then he pointed towards the dance floor. "Wanna dance?"
Who was I to say no?
He pulled me by the arm as the music played loudly, and we got to the dance floor where the others were. Slowly, we started to move. I wasn't exactly a good dancer, but Zade was, and it made up for my slip ups. We laughed and joked about ancient ways of dancing, and he taught me a few steps too.
I was actually having fun.
But Taryn was still restless as hell. 'Girl, what is it? You're making me uncomfortable,' I muttered to her.
'Full moon,' was all she said. I gasped softly, excused myself from Zade and headed outside. Sure enough, the full moon was out, shining brightly.



















































