Mondays were dreary as they were, but having Biology first lesson somehow made it worse. Robyn looked around as the students filed in and chatted with their desk-mates. She hadn't seen Caleb in the class since the accident. When she thought of it, she had barely seen him at all. Their friendship wasn't that special or deep. They were just simple biology buddies, although she felt it had the potential to be more.
Now, Rick had become her permanent deskmate. Not that she minded, he helped her a lot. Robyn had, however, never cheated off him again. She had written the tests entirely on her own and she dreaded looking at the results, which Mr. Samuels carried with him as he entered the class.
She knew she hadn't done well in them, but the thought of hearing that from her teacher made her anxious. He wasn't particularly stern with her, but he definitely could be. It also didn't help knowing he was the boys rugby team coach. He was just one of those teachers no one wanted to displease.
Robyn wrung her fingers together as everyone settled down and waited for class to begin.
"Morning," Mr. Samuels called, dumping the load of paper he walked in with on his desk. Some mumbled back a reply half-heartedly, as anyone would expect on a Monday morning.
Without wasting a second more, Mr. Samuels started handing out the marked papers. "Your actual exams start in three months," he spoke as he went around the room, "considering the way some of you have performed in this test, I'm afraid what the outcome of your exam would be."
He looked pointedly at Robyn as he handed the test back to her. Robyn couldn't meet his eyes, instead she focused on the red F on the top of the sheet. As she'd expected.
Rick whispered something to her but she couldn't hear it over Mr. Samuels' voice.
"We've not even finished learning all the topics yet," he continued.
To Robyn it felt like they had already learned more than necessary.
"So, it's been decided that this class is going to be shared with another teacher," Mr. Samuels finished handing out the remaining papers, then returned back to his desk, leaning against it.
"We'll move through the topics much quicker with two teachers, and it would leave us some time for revision before the exam."
Robyn groaned internally. It was stressful as it was with one teacher, she couldn't imagine the workload with having two. She opened her timetable and marked the lessons with the new teacher on Mr. Samuels' instruction.
"Besides, some of you really do need more time for revision."
Robyn's eyes fell on the paper laying face-down on the table.
"Those of you who do know who you are. I would suggest you get tutoring from someone in the class, or come see me during lunch and we can go over the topics again," Mr. Samuels turned and began writing on the whiteboard.
Robyn was certain of one thing, she would not get tutoring from him during lunch.
"You're all adults so I hope you make a wise decision about it," he concluded.
A soft sigh left Robyn's lips.
Rick raised a hand. When he turned to face the class again, Mr. Samuels gestured for him to speak.
"Who's going to be our new teacher?"
That hadn't crossed Robyn's mind. If it was someone like her previous biology teacher then she might just fall in love with the subject again.
"She's someone you've not had before," their teacher replied, "she's just graduated with her teaching degree, so I hope you guys will be easy on her. Her name is Ms. Higgins."
Robyn heaved another sigh. Since exam weeks were nearing she'd have more pressure from all three of her subjects. She only prayed she would do well in them and not fail any.
The rest of the lesson went by in a blur; it was no wonder Robyn couldn't remember anything during the tests. When the buzzer went Robyn was the first one to stand and pack her things away.
As she walked past the teacher's desk, he called her.
She whirled around, thinking of an excuse to save her from being tutored by him.
"You're one of the students who need extra help."
Unable to meet his eyes, Robyn focused on papers on the desk.
"I'm free to tutor you, but if you'd rather study with a classmate then Holly's pretty good--"
"Sir, I--"
"Holly actually has chemistry catch-up during lunchtime," Rick interrupted. "If you want, Robyn, I can tutor you," he looked at her sideways.
"Well, you can decide what you'd like. Of course, you don't have to take tutoring but looking at your performance I would greatly encourage you to," Mr. Samuels interlocked his large, thick fingers, looking genuinely concerned.
If she didn't decide now it could cost her her grade. And she really didn't want anything lower than a C.
"Yes, sir," she looked at Rick, "I'll take your offer, then."
The night was peaceful. Ray looked at the sky, the clouds so thick it muffled the light of the moon. He had noticed Robyn a lot during the day at school, even during times she had no clue he was watching. Or maybe she did know and felt indifferent about it.
Now that parents evening had past, they had no reason to spend time together. No reason to get to know each other. No reason to nurture their bond that Ray just couldn't deny, even though he had rejected her not once, but twice now. He did it for his mate, to save her from being this beastly. He couldn't let her walk into that. He couldn't let her give up her human identity--just for his sake.
He heaved a sigh, repeating to himself for the hundredth time that he did the right thing by letting go.
Just then, a familiar scent wafted into his nose. His eyes flew open, burning a luminous blue. In a second he was on his feet, racing to the pack house.
"Dad--"
Everyone was on the move already. The women and kids first, hurrying in the basement, to safety. In the distance, Ray saw it. A row of shining eyes, closing in on them. Ray braced himself, there were at least forty of them. All Emerald pack members.
"Victor, have our wolves surround the house. We can't let them enter," Andrew barked an order, then his body burst into that of a wolf. He rose with a snarl, his coat dark grey, like the sky.
Around Ray, a dozen other members shifted, clothes shredding around them like confetti. Something pulled in his heart, ached deep for a reason he knew too well. The fights their kinds had among themselves. The nature they were born into, to protect what's their ruthlessly, to kill or be killed. More wolves came forward, some that had only recently shifted for the first time.
The pack harboured a hate towards the enemy, for killing their previous Alpha. For threatening their safety. For taking lives of their sons and husbands. Ray's lips pulled back, revealing long, shining canines that dug down to his chin. His body took on a cloak of the energy that lay dormant within him.
He ran forward, as the enemy wolves leaped into the light, a growl lodged into their throat. All around him, fights broke, cries erupted, the tinge of blood stained the air and the earth he stood on. He caught a wolf mid-air and lunged it back.
All at once, a dozen of them pounced at him from every angle. Before Ray could block or counter it, they fell on him heavily. The air was knocked out of his lungs on impact. Their jaws snapped, claws dug and dragged across his skin. A strangled growl vibrated through his entire body--they were holding him down by their sheer weight. A pair of jaws pierced deep in his shoulder, sending a jolt of hot pain down his arm and head. A cry blew out of his lips as another bit into his leg.
White fur sprouted across his cheek and forehead, his claws growing thick and long, his hair crackling white. From the shadows, someone pulled back a trigger and shot out a lone, silver bullet.
The wolves laying on him sprang away. Instantly, Ray sat up. The bullet penetrated his ribs. Then another one did.
He fell sideways from the blow, his ears ringing from the burn. His arm went numb, the silver working it's way into his system, like lava. He spat out blood, clutching his side. Ray wheezed in a breath, the motion pushing him on the edge of combustion.
His limbs went lax, and he fell back on the ground with a thud.
He felt hot. In quick succession his senses faded away, lost all awareness until the only thing remaining was a throbbing pain that engulfed him completely.
A flash of red broke her sleep. Robyn jerked upright, her heart almost flying out of her mouth.
What was that? She was in peaceful sleep until... Robyn took a deep breath, to calm her down and get some bearings. Her phone lit up, showing it was just past midnight.
Gingerly, she lied back down, slipping her palm under a cheek. Her other hand fisted her night shirt, right above her heart. It still hammered wildly, twisting in an unusual pain. For the first time since yesterday, she longed to see Ray.