“Look who showed up," My cousin Emily, the daughter of Nightshade Pack Beta said flatly, "Autumn, right?" For the first time in nearly seven years, I saw her. She stood in the doorway, looking exactly like I expected her to—tall, blonde, blue-eyed, and annoyingly pretty. Even in sweatpants and a tank top, she still managed to look like she'd stepped straight out of werewolves elite.

I smiled at her, “Didn’t take much guessing—nice to meet you, Emily," The polite kind of smile you give family members you're forced to tolerate, but she barely even acknowledged me. She just shifted her pink cheerleading bag with name of Wolfstone Preparatory High School. on her shoulder and glanced toward her mother as if she had better things to do. Rude.

My mom had warned me about Emily before I move from Eclipse Pack to Nightshade Pack. Spoiled. Self-centered. Completely used to having everything her way. Of course, I already knew that. When we were little—like, when we were actual little kids—I'd spent one horrible summer here. Emily had ordered me to stay out of her room. I'd hit her. She grabbed me back. By the end of the day, my dad had shown up to take me home early.

But now, my father, Gamma Michell, has thrown me back into this hellhole once again.

“Emily, Rachael and Stephanie are coming over at six. Did you want pizza or something?” Aunt Amanda stepped in quickly, probably sensing the awkwardness.

Emily sighed loudly, tracing the outline of her perfectly manicured nail along her cheer bag strap. “Yeah, sure. Mom, can you order from that place near school?”

My aunt nodded. “Of course. And, um, maybe Autumn could play with you girls tonight?” My face instantly went hot. Oh god. I literally spent the entire afternoon getting ready for Emily's arrival, planning exactly how to avoid this kind of thing. I even got snacks and a drink ready in my room so I wouldn't have to come out and deal with my stuck-up cousin. Now my aunt was just throwing me into the fire.

“Uh, actually—” I started quickly, "I think I'll be okay. I can make my own friends.” I tried to dispel Emily's hatred of me, but obviously it didn't work. She squinted at her mother like she'd just suggested something disgusting.

“Emily won’t mind, right, honey?” Aunt Amanda gave her a warning look as she asked. My mom had made the same expression before—maybe because they were sisters. To be honest, I didn’t really want to play with Emily and her friends, but my mom told me to be kind to Aunt Amanda and not to take advantage of her kindness since her daughter already had.

“Of course not,” she replied coldly, stomped off down the hall and slammed her bedroom door. The sound was so loud that it practically shook the walls. I felt my cheeks burning, looking down at my feet awkwardly. The difference was that this time, my father wouldn’t be coming to pick me up.

Aunt Amanda sighed, patted my hands. "Sorry about her. She's just having a rough week. She, uh, failed her Werewolf History test."

Yeah, sure. Emily didn't care about history, or school, or anything that wasn't directly about her. I smiled and nodded before returning to my room. Just as I was about to close the door, I heard Aunt Amanda call out behind me, “She’ll like you, I promise!” I nodded again and then shut the door.

She will. When I leave. But who knows when I’ll be able to go back—maybe after graduation? I don’t know if I can stay calm until then.

Six o'clock hit. Just as I finished packing my bags, a knock came at the door. I opened it and saw Emily’s friend slip into her room. Crap.

"Autumn, sweetie," Aunt Amanda smiled, "The pizza’s almost here. Why don't you go hang out with Emily and her friends?"

"Um, I think I need to finish my pack first."

"Actually, I still haven't looked at my schedule for tomorrow. I don’t want to get lost."

"I'm really tired from the trip."

If Emily insulted me one more time, I’d slap her into next week.

Of course, I didn’t say that last part. I had manners. The point was, no matter what excuse I came up with, Aunt Amanda always found a way to keep me from escaping.

I sighed, defeated, and dragged myself into the hallway. Aunt Amanda smiled, satisfied, and hurried off to grab the pizza.

In the meantime, I was already thinking about how to get out of that hellhole as soon as possible. Clearly, Emily and her friends weren’t going to welcome me.

Standing outside Emily's door, I could hear muffled giggles and whispers from inside. "On Friday, he and his friends got drunk and barged into the principal's office, catching the principal and his lover making love," Emily whispered inside. "Anyway, what I want to tell you is that I asked him."

"Asked him how the principal and his lover play?" One of the girls joked.

"Come on, don't be so crude, Stephanie. The last thing I need is for my mom to find out I'm causing trouble at school," Emily said, a bit annoyed. "I asked him if he was interested, and he turned me down! In front of everyone!"

"Damn, that's so cruel."A different voice said. I lean a bit closer. Now, I’m definitely curious.

"Oh, it was, Rachel." Emily snapped. "The worst part? His stupid friends started laughing. Right there. In my face. I don’t get it— isn’t it normal for two popular people to go to the Lunar Howl Festival together? I didn’t expect him to turn me down. Oh my God, I was so embarrassed. I almost ran away, covering my face.”

"Maybe he drank too much and didn’t see your face clearly, that’s why he turned you down," Rachel comforted her.

"I thought the same at first," Emily sighed. "But I messaged him this morning. He read it but didn’t reply."

"How did you get his number?" Stephanie asked curiously.

"One of his friends gave it to me. I checked the contact number on her phone, and it was correct." Emily said a bit dejectedly. "Monday’s almost here, and I don’t know how to face him afterward." Emily clearly wasn't used to rejection. I could almost picture the way her face must have twisted in embarrassment. But who was he? Who had the nerve to reject the Beta’s daughter? Didn’t he know how rude she could be?

Just then, my aunt returned, and I quickly stepped back, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping.

"Here," she handed me a pizza box with a warm smile, then opened the door after knocking. "Go on in."

With no other choice, I went into the room.

Instantly, the chatter stopped. Three pairs of eyes snapped toward me. They smiled, but they were obviously fake.

"Girls, this is Autumn," my aunt introduced cheerfully. "She's new. Be nice to her."

"Hi," I managed weakly.

"Hi, Autumn," they chorused in that overly-friendly tone only cheerleaders of Wolfstone Preparatory High School. could master.

My aunt closed the door behind me, and the click sounded more like a lock than a gentle closing.

Great.

Now I was stuck in Emily’s room—still overwhelmingly pink and purple—with three cheerleaders gawking at me like I'd just fallen from space.

A girl with dark hair, sitting cross-legged on the fuzzy pink rug, motioned me over. "I'm Rachel, the daughter of Beta Anthony of Sunshadow Pack," she said. I nodded at her. She was much shorter than the other two girls, and even though she was trying her best to straighten her back, she still couldn’t look as tall as they did. I sat down slowly, trying not to drop the Pizza box.

Another girl, blonde and perfectly polished, flashed me a friendly smile. "Stephanie, the eldest daughter of Alpha Nicholas of Steelclaw Pack", I smiled back. Luckily, it wasn’t that bad. At least they seemed friendly now.

Emily casually flicked her hair and gave me an overly sweet smile. "We're playing Truth or Dare, In?"

Rachel flashed a mischievous grin, leaning forward. "Actually, it's more like Dare or Dare. The loser has to kiss Omega Robert!"

"Who's Omega Robert?" I asked.

"The ugliest guy in the pack." Emily said gleefully. My stomach instantly knotted. Well, friendly. I began to regret not fighting harder to stay locked away in my room.

"Uh, maybe I'll just watch?" I didn’t want to play, especially with people I barely knew and already didn’t like. They seemed to have forgotten the superior hearing of werewolves, lying right in front of me. Or maybe they knew I knew, but they just didn’t care. Besides, I don't want to give my first kiss to someone randomly.

"Come on, don’t be so boring." Rachel’s smile faded, “You have to do it. We all did." Stephanie nodded enthusiastically beside her. I felt Emily's gaze burning to the side of my head.

They were waiting, watching for any sign of weakness. I knew exactly what was going on. This wasn't just a game. If I backed out, they'd label me a coward, weak, pathetic.

I couldn't let that happen.

"Fine," I nodded. "I'm in."

Emily grinned. “Then how about Colton Alexander?” The other two girls’ eyes widened, and they immediately became excited. I raised an eyebrow. What the heck was Colton Alexander? Were they just talking about him?

"Exactly," Rachel clapped her hands together in delight. "You have to invite him to the Lunar Howl Festival next Monday."

"Great idea!" Stephanie praised.

"Wait, who's that?" I asked. It better not be the guy who rejected Emily. If he turned her down, there was no doubt he'd do the same for me.

Stephanie laughed, "She seriously has no idea."

"Alright, since you're new to the game, I'll fill you in. Colton Alexander is the son of an Alpha, but no one knows exactly which Alpha. What is well known, however, is that his family has donated a lot of money to the school, as well as training equipment."

Well, I already knew. Colton Alexander will be a big problem.

Awkward.

That practically summed up my first day at Wolfstone Preparatory High School. This high school was established by the royals as a comprehensive institution, bringing together students from all packs—in other words, the elite in training from every pack. It’s said that admission here is extremely limited, which is why everyone had a radar that instantly picked up on the "new girl" vibe.

Every hallway I walked down, every classroom I stepped into—eyes followed me everywhere, sizing me up like I was some weird zoo animal they'd never seen before. I felt out of place, trailing awkwardly behind Emily and her cheerleader clones. So far, I haven't made any friends.

"Catch up, Autumn," Emily called back, her voice laced with annoyance. I missed my old school way more than I expected. Back home, I had my group—not super close friends, but at least people I could eat lunch and trainning with. Some of them had texted me “miss you” messages over the weekend, but I hadn't bothered responding. That's just me—always distant, always keeping people at arm's length.

Honestly, I wasn't even sure why my parents bothered sending me here. Okay, fine, I might've thrown a few some parties back home, and yeah, my dad—aka Gamma Mitchell—might've been embarrassed to have to break them up. But did that really warrant exiling me to Hamilton? Actually, most of the time, I’m just at school, eating, sleeping, trainning, and hanging out with Matthew. Speaking of which, I miss him a lot, probably more than I miss my parents.

Before I knew it, it was lunchtime. I stood at the entrance of the cafeteria, unsure where to sit. I scanned the room, eyes bouncing from table to table. Emily’s table was easy to spot, smack dab in the center. She was practically royalty around here, effortlessly popular in the kind of way that made crowds part like the Red Sea whenever she walked through them. And I got stuck being related to her.

Lucky me.

I spotted Rachel and Stephanie giggling quietly, their heads bent close, probably whispering about me. Emily flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and leaned in, smiling slyly. Definitely whispering about me. It felt exactly like one of those stupid scenes from teen movies my mom always laughed at, except this was my life now, and it was so not funny. Maybe I should have responded to my old friends' texts. At least then I'd have someone to complain to about how Emily was already turning my life into some kind of drama fest.

Before I could slip away unnoticed, Stephanie spotted me from Emily’s table, raising her hand and waving enthusiastically. Ugh. Seriously? Was it too late to pretend I forgot something in my locker? Maybe I could even claim I needed to change my schedule. Anything. It’s actually not a problem. I only had one class with Emily, my first class, so I can handle it. On Thursday, when I was forced to hang out with Stephanie and Rachel, they asked me about my schedule. I had one class with Rachel and two with Stephanie, but I realized she usually skips those classes, and I end up dragged into it too.

“Autumn!” Stephanie called out, impossible to ignore. “Come sit!” All eyes locked onto me again. Wonderful.

I hesitated, my feet glued awkwardly to the linoleum floor. At the last moment, I decided to turn around and leave. Just then, I heard a loud "bang," followed by the sound of a tray falling to the ground. I crashed onto the floor, then quickly got up. Damn it, I bumped into someone. My lunch was gone, and ketchup splattered everywhere—especially on the guy’s shirt. The entire cafeteria went dead silent. My face instantly felt hot enough to fry an egg.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” I blurted out, fumbling around for napkins. But of course, no one moved to help me. They just stared, waiting for whatever came next.

The guy brushed off his clothes. He exuded a strong scent of grapefruit and the marine He was tall—like basketball-player tall—with messy dark hair and narrowed green eyes that burned into, totally impressed. Even beneath the smeared ketchup, he looked like the kind of guy who could chew me up and spit me out without batting an eye.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I scrambled to pick up his unopened soda, practically shoving it into his hand. “I didn’t mean—I was just trying to leave, and gonna change my schedule. I didn't mean to embarrass you. If it helps, I'm pretty embarrassed, too," I keep going, my cheeks turning even redder. When you're the only one talking, it gets pretty awkward—especially with over two hundred people listening. My words seem to echo off the walls. "Anyway, I'll get napkins—”

He watches me, eyebrows furrowed, jaw tightening. "Watch where you're going," he finally hissed. Without a word, he turns and leaves the cafeteria. I release the breath I was holding, my stomach relaxing. Slowly, I head toward the lunch table I’d been avoiding, dodging the janitors as they shoo me away from the spilled food.

My face red and completely mortified. As I sat down, Stephanie leaned forward, eyes twinkling mischievously. "You know who that was, right?" I shook my head.

"Colton Alexander," she said with a smirk. "The guy you're asking for the Lunar Howl Festival." I blinked.

Could this day get any worse?

It totally could. Because I couldn’t escape him.

As if determined to haunt me for the rest of my miserable day, Colton Alexander popped up everywhere. He was in my third-period History class, my fifth-period Biology, and even my seventh-period study hall. Each time I spotted him, my heart sank. By the time the final bell rang, I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was curl up in a ball somewhere and forget this day ever happened.

Of course, no way. When I stepped outside, there he was again—leaning against his shiny black car, surrounded by a bunch of his friends. They all seemed so cool, and Colton stood at the center of it all, casually laughing at something someone said.

I glanced toward Emily’s car that next to his, hoping against hope that she'd forgotten this stupid dare, but she, Stephanie, and Rachel were all standing by it, staring me down expectantly.

“You’re not serious, right?” I whispered desperately as I approached her. “Can’t I at least wait until he forgets about the ketchup disaster?”

Emily shook her head. “Nope. It’s now or never, Autumn. Ask him now, or you can find your own way home.”

I stared at her in disbelief. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, I totally would." Emily's smile widened. "It's up to you."

I looked back at Colton and his friends, swallowing hard. If I made a friend with a car here, it wouldn’t be a problem. It takes about 20 minutes to drive from Aunt Amanda’s house to here, so walking would probably take three times that. If it weren’t for the rule against shifting into a wolf here, shifting and running home might have been faster. However, that wasn’t the most important part. The real issue was, I didn’t know the way. I could end up wandering for hours, unable to find my way home. I glared at Emily and her group, feeling frustrated. Despicable.

"He won’t agree, it’ll just make me more embarrassed."

"How would you know if you don’t try?" Stephanie encouraged me from the side.

I sighed, "Then at least wait until there are fewer people on his side before going over."

Emily glanced at her phone and announced, "You’ve only got 5 minutes."

Luckily, the group was slowly thinning out. There were no longer five people, just two: Colton and a brown-haired man.

With sweaty palms and a racing heart, I made my way slowly across the parking lot, and walked to him. Colton's friend spotted me first, nudging him and nodding in my direction. Instantly, Colton’s stance changed, his shoulders tensing, as if bracing for impact. He probably thought I was coming to spill mustard on him next. He's switched to a white button-up, another uniform option. I wonder what he did with the black one I ruined.

His friend gives him a teasing smile before walking away, and I breathe a sigh of relief. The fewer people who see my embarrassment, the better.

"Uh, hey," I stammered awkwardly, stopping a safe distance away. “About earlier—I just wanted to say sorry again. For the ketchup.” I awkwardly lowered my head, staring at the crack in the floor. I could feel him examining me as I stood there, waiting for his response, but none came. I looked up at him and saw him staring back at me, so I quickly lowered my head again. I kicked at a small stone on the ground, bracing myself for rejection. "Maybe... would you like to join me for the Luna Howl Festival?"

Meanwhile, I heard the sound of Emily and the others laughing behind me.

He stared at me for a while, and my nerves tightened more and more. I really shouldn’t have been so nervous, because I had already anticipated the answer.

"Alright, I tried," I whispered.

“Okay.”Colton shrugged and said at the same time.

"Wait, what?" My eyes widened. A series of surprised gasps came from behind me. Of course, they heard it.