Around fifteen minutes into the class, an adult Caia didn’t recognize walked into the room and murmured something in the teacher’s ear.
The teacher sighed and then instructed the class, “Open your books and read the introduction while I deal with this.”
Then she was gone.
The hum of conversation in her absence rose to an extraordinary level, not that any of the noise pertained to the book being discussed.
“You understand I don’t trust you,” Alexa suddenly hissed.
Caia was curious about what she’d done to elicit this reaction. “Why?”
“You’re not like the rest of us, Caia, and that’s plain to everyone. Even you’re not dumb enough not to notice.” She sneered, “In fact, I bet you think you’re better than us.”
Caia was instantly confused and agitated. There was that “you’re not like us” stuff again. She felt the heat under her cheeks and hoped to goddess Alexa couldn’t see it. Unused to confrontation of any kind, Caia attempted to defuse the tension between them. “I promise I don’t think I’m better than anybody.”
“Right.”
She scowled at the wolf’s disdain. What had she done to deserve it? “You don’t even know me.”
“I know enough. And you should know that I’m watching you. I’m not buying your ‘I’m so fragile and innocent’ crap, and I’ll make damn sure Lucien doesn’t either. And if you do anything to jeopardize the pack, I’ll be the first one to gouge a piece out of your hide.”
Caia felt a flush of what could only be described as white-hot heat. It flickered over her skin, up her neck, and into her face. All of a sudden, Alexa’s chair flew backward and into the desk behind her, causing its owner to shriek in outrage.
The class gaped at Caia in shock as if she’d been the one to push Alexa. Her packmate stumbled out of her chair, throwing it back at her desk, all the while glaring at Caia. The brunette bristled with fury.
Why was Alexa mad? Caia was the one she was deliberately trying to make look bad by her pretense.
“Girls, what on earth is going on over there?” the English teacher demanded as she reentered the room.
Alexa slid back into her chair with enviable grace, crossing her long legs in a way that attracted many eyes. “Nothing is going on,” she replied smoothly, sweetly.
“Fine. Let’s return to our work then, please.”
The class settled back down.
Then Caia heard the low murmur of Alexa’s voice near her ear. “You just made a huge mistake. Kicking my chair with the force of your strength in front of ‘them’. Lucien isn’t going to be happy.”
Caia narrowed her eyes. “I didn’t kick you. We both know that. Whatever games you’re playing, I suggest you stop.”
Her nostrils flared and she bared her teeth before hissing, “Oh, cut the innocent bull. Your ass is mine. You better keep me happy, or I will tell Lucien.”
“Girls,” their teacher snapped. “Back to work.”
Heart racing, Caia stared down at her notebook, adrenaline coursing through her body. It was hard enough trying to fit in. She didn’t need Alexa deliberately sabotaging her.
What Caia wanted to know … was why?
The incident with Alexa made it difficult for Caia to concentrate during her next few classes. Last night’s dinner had felt like a success but now it was overcast by Alexa’s manipulative and threatening behavior.
Lost in her thoughts as she walked a tray of food through the cafeteria, she only became aware of the whispering when she neared the pack. Human eyes followed her and her wolf ears caught snatches of conversation. They were discussing how weird the pack was and subsequently how weird Caia had to be.
Maybe they hypnotize pretty people, she heard a girl whisper almost enviously.
Caia almost laughed. It does look odd, she thought, approaching these gorgeous creatures. Mal didn’t even look like a teenager.
“Hey,” she greeted them as she slid in beside Jaeden. She avoided Alexa’s eyes.
“How’s your second day so far?” Jaeden chirped, biting into her sandwich with gusto.
Caia glanced at Alexa. She stared back at her with a blank expression on her stunning face.
“It was fine,” Caia said.
They talked among themselves but Caia struggled to pay attention. Her hypersensitive ears kept picking up human conversation. They seemed truly disconcerted by the pack.
“Don’t you hear them?” she suddenly asked and then wished she hadn’t when everyone at the table stopped talking to look at her.
“What?” Mal’s eyebrows furrowed.
“Them.” She subtly nodded her head, gesturing at the rest of the cafeteria.
“What about them?” Jaeden seemed concerned more than confused.
“They’re whispering about us.”
Dana shrugged. “So?”
“So, don’t you think separating ourselves from them makes us look more … conspicuous?”
Jaeden considered her. “Caia, weren’t you a bit of a loner at your old school?”
She nodded. So what?
“Loners are just as conspicuous, but no one really said anything, right?”
“That’s different. I mean, I just … listen to them. We unsettle them.”