(Isabella)
"Young lady, when exactly will you stop having problems in school?!" My mom yelled as we stepped into the living room. I rolled my eyes, bracing myself for the inevitable rant.
"If it's not a student, then it's a teacher, and this time it was both!" she added, her voice rising higher on each word.
I had beaten up a student and thrashed a teacher at school today, and the administration couldn't wait a full day to call my mom in. Instant panic mode.
"Well, I wouldn't bother them if they hadn't bothered me first," I replied, sinking into the couch, visibly unbothered by her nagging.
My mom let out a scoff, lashing out, "You're a girl, Isa, a girl!!"
Yeah, tell me something I don't know. I've never counted myself a boy.
"And congratulations on getting another transfer," she said with a sardonic smile. "This is the fifteenth school you've transferred to in just two semesters since we moved to this town!" Her emphasis on "two semesters" was deafening.
"Actually, it's the eighteenth one," I corrected, throwing her a cheeky smile that only earned me a deadly glare.
"Isabella Parker!!" My dad's voice thundered as he entered the living room.
Uh oh… my dad hearing about it was the worst thing that could happen to me right now. My ears were going to be full of sermon today.
"What is this I'm hearing? You got transferred again?!" He strode into the room, his demeanor fierce.
"Nope… I'm not," I pursed my lips. "I don't see any reason I'd get transferred, right Mom?" I blinked at her, hoping for some help.
"She's been transferred again," my jaw dropped as my mom sold me out. "And this time it's a boarding school," she added, sighing like she'd already surrendered to my fate.
Golden Haven. Ugh. I despised that place. Named after this mudane park and owned by its Alpha. It was no secret that only park nobles and children from affluent families could afford it. The thought alone was enough to turn my stomach.
"This… this should be the last and final time you get transferred. If it happens again, you'll have to say goodbye to the four walls of school," Dad set a deadly ultimatum. An ultimatum I don't think I can overcome even though it's just my last year in highschool.
"Do I make myself clear, young lady?" he asked, his expression grim.
"Clear, sir," I replied, my heart sinking a little.
He nodded in satisfaction and exited the room, my mom following closely behind him. Whatever this semester had in store for me, I didn't want to think about it. I reached into my bag, pulled out my headphones, and put them on. Curling my legs up on the couch, I stretched out lazily and let sleep pull me under.
It felt like mere moments later when a hard spank hit my left arm, jolting me awake. "Ouch!" I exclaimed, rubbing the spot as I turned to see who had dared to disturb my slumber. To my disappointment, it was my mom.
"Hi, Mom," I said with a sigh, still groggy.
"You've been asleep for hours! Did you forget that you're moving out tomorrow?" she shot back, frustration etched on her face.
"Moving out?" I raised an eyebrow, my surprise genuine. "I'm only going to a new school."
"Moving into a boarding school," she clarified, emphasizing the word 'boarding' as if it held all the weight of the world.
"Oh," I said, realization dawning on me.
"Get up. I just transferred some money into your account. Go get everything you need for boarding school," she instructed.
"Alright, thanks," I yawned, attempting to sink back into the couch. It was my stuff, after all. I could get it anytime, or maybe I wouldn't need it at all.
Another swift spank landed on my arm, prompting me to sit up straight. Dear universe, thank you for making her my mom and not someone else—I would have made their lives miserable by now.
"Get moving! And grab these from the grocery store," she said, handing me a list.
Reluctantly, I took my headphones back from her and put them on again, pulling my hood up. With my hands shoved deep into my shorts pockets, I stepped out of the house, the door shutting behind me with a gentle thud.
As I walked a little further from home, swaying softly to the music flooding my ears, a group of guys began to encircle me.
I pressed a button on my headphones, cutting off the music as I took measured steps forward.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A troublemaking hybrid who can't even shift," a voice sneered. The one who appeared to be the leader approached me with the predatory confidence of a wolf stalking its prey.
Yeah, I'm a Lycan hybrid, but no one knew that part of me yet. My mother's human, which meant that I couldn't shift yet. We'd been driven from Star Crimson Park to countless others because of this, and now we found ourselves in Golden Haven Park, just waiting for the Alpha's inevitable decree to leave.
"Wouldn't it be peaceful if you'd just let me be?" I replied.
"It would have been peaceful if you hadn't beaten up my girlfriend!" His anger flared, intense and raw.
A slow grin spread across my face as I recalled the encounter. "Oh," I pouted my lips dramatically, feigning realization. "You're that bitch's boyfriend, aren't you? Fitting, really."
He glared at me, his frustration mounting. "What are you waiting for, boys? Get her!" he barked, and in an instant, his pack shifted into their intimidating wolf forms, eyes glowing with predatory hunger. So very cheeky! These wolves keep oppressing me with their shifting.
I scratched my left eyebrow lightly. They thought their strength lay in numbers and the power of their shifts. Eagerly, I raised my hand and beckoned them closer, a calm smile on my lips.
As the first wolf lunged at me, I sidestepped effortlessly, feeling the rush of wind as it missed me by mere inches. With a swift motion, I grabbed the wolf's collar and used its momentum against it, throwing it to the ground with surprising force.
"One down," I muttered under my breath, a slight smirk creeping onto my face.
The other wolves snarled, their eyes narrowing as they circled me. I could hear their growls, their determination to take me down pulsing through the air. The second wolf charged, but I was ready. I sidestepped again, and as it stumbled past me, I delivered a quick kick to its side, sending it crashing into a nearby tree.
"How many of you are there?" I teased, momentarily enjoying the thrill of the confrontation.
The leader who had approached me, was getting frustrated as he watched his pack take hits. Rage clouded his judgment as he lunged at me next, teeth bared. I narrowly dodged, ducking low and spinning around to deliver a powerful punch to his ribcage. The force of it echoed in the air, and he yelped, stumbling backward.
"Is this really your best?" I taunted, catching my breath as I turned to face the remaining wolves, who were now hesitating. I could see fear flickering in their eyes.
The last wolf made a desperate attempt, trying to flank me from the side. I saw it coming just in time and pivoted, grabbing its fur as it leaped toward me and flipping it over my shoulder, sending it crashing to the ground alongside its packmates.
With all their friends down, their bravado dissipated. The last two wolves exchanged glances, and just like that, they were off, bolting into the woods as fast as their legs could carry them.
I stood, chest heaving with exhilaration. I brushed off my shorts nonchalantly and snapped my head towards them, "see ya later guys," I smirked and continued my walk to the store.
Almost at the store, my phone beeped in my pocket, pulling me momentarily from my thoughts. I fished it out to read a message from my mom: "What's taking you so long?"
With an exasperated sigh, I typed back a quick, "Coming." Just as I pocketed my phone, I collided with something hard and sturdy. Rubbing my forehead, I looked up and instantly locked eyes with a pair of deep-set ocean blue orbs. His tousled, razor-cut blonde hair framed a chiseled face adorned with a heart-shaped set of lips and thick, expressive eyebrows.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice deep and smooth, sending an unexpected thrill reverberating through my chest. So incredibly sexy and alluring!
"Yeah, and I'm sorry," I mumbled, still entranced by him.
But before I could gather my thoughts, a sharp slap echoed through the air, the sting ringing in my cheek. "Are you blind?" a fierce female voice cut through the moment.
I turned my head to see a woman glaring at me, her dark eyes smoldering with anger. Her hand was possessively wrapped around the young man's arm—definitely his girlfriend.
I instinctively touched the spot where she struck me, a scoff escaping my lips as anger bubbled inside. I contemplated retaliating, but then a bolder idea flickered to life in my mind. Dropping my hand, I faced the young man again.
Without warning, I stood on my tiptoes, leaned in, and pressed my lips against his.