Dark Moon (The Moon Series #2)

Thirty Seven

I sigh as I'm forced into the cheerleader outfit to support the stupid football team. Basically, Isabella arranged this behind my back, thinking I'd enjoy it. So, I was going to pretend to enjoy it for her sake.

My hair is curled, and some strands is pulled back into a red bow, makeup brushed across my face, and my entire body shaved so I didn't embarrass myself as well as wear white shoes. Who wears white shoes to a sports game? Ash chuckles in my head, listening to my thoughts.

You're such a Luna. He teases. I roll my eyes, not bothering to respond to him. Kiko bursts in, an angry look on his face.

Kiko and Mark decided to move back in a week or so ago, thinking that we needed their help since they heard about everything from the past few months and I was now grounded from driving any vehicle and being driven to school by anyone other than a school bus. I wasn't allowed any sweets and I had a bedtime now.

"How come you have a C in science?" He roars, I instantly point to where I know Ash is sitting on my bed.

"He doesn't let me work with the chemicals or anything saying that he's worried that it'll hurt me. Often times he makes me skip the class." I quickly place the blame on my soulmate.

"Asher! Keys. Now. Also, you're sleeping in a different room than Jay. I don't trust you two together." Kiko orders, the women helping me prepare for the game tonight tries to hide their laughter at our whines of disagreement.

"Now that's just cruel, Kiko!" I whine, stomping my foot and crossing my arms with a huff.

"Well if that's what gets you two to listen and behave then that's what I'll do!" He rolls his eyes, his black hair freshly cut and making him look like an army general. Mark walks up behind Kiko, resting a hand on Kiko's arm.

"Kiko, take a deep breath and just talk this through with them. Like we talked about." Mark warns, Kiko closes his eyes and slowly breathes for a few minutes.

"Okay, Jaiyana. I want you to work on your grades. Asher, I understand you want to protect your mate, but she needs to do her science work. Now, the bus is going to be here in ten minutes. Hurry up, grab something to eat, and get to the bus stop." Kiko ordered, I nod seeing as I was finally ready to go.

Grabbing my backpack, I hurriedly thank the women who helped me before I pound down the stairs and grab a few things from the fruit drawer in the fridge, a few protein bars, and a wolf sized container of dry cereal that I'll snack on throughout the day. I grab my huge water bottle, filling it with water and stuffing it into the side pocket of my backpack.

Kiko decided that only Ash and I were going to be punished because we're the leaders, so everyone would follow whatever we said. Ash kisses my cheek, grabbing what he needs as I head outside and jog down the long driveway. I make it just in time as the old yellow bus screeches to a stop, hurting my ears. Whining, I feel Ash gently grab my hand and push me towards the bus.

It was always a fight between us because I couldn't handle being in there with fifty kids and all the smells as well as the sounds, I couldn't handle it. Ash sighs, picking me up and throwing me onto his shoulder as I growl and whine to be put down. He climbs the bus steps, nodding to the kids already on there as he practically throws me into my seat.

"Now, sit Jay. This is our punishment for being horrible leaders as Kiko puts it, so suck it up. If anything, I should be the one complaining since I'm the newest to the werewolf community." He points out, I sigh and slump in my seat as he sits next to me despite the bus drivers yells that we couldn't sit together.

The kids scream, their heartbeats, even the smell of them all together made me feel like I was being enclosed into a tomb forever. The screeches of the brakes and tires, the skidding of rocks as we traveled up and down roads, the mere breaths of the human children annoyed me to death. I was angry and scared and confused all at once, I broke down into tears and buried myself into Ash's arms.

Ash gently shushes me, rocking us slightly side to side as he inserted my earbuds into my ears and played music on high to block out all the other sounds. He pushed my nose into his neck, helping me only smell his calming scent of pine and mint.

Calm my love. I'm here for you, just rest and listen to the music. He rubs my back, just lulling me back to a calmness at my center that made me just melt into him. I lull in and out of sleep, barely even noticing as Ash carries me off the bus and towards the school. I'm latched onto him like a leech, my arms tightly wrapped around his shoulders, my head stuck in his neck, and my legs wrapped around his waist.

As we walk into school just as the bell rings, I startle awake but hold onto him tighter. Chuckling, he continues to our first class and sits down with me wrapped around him. Thankfully we have Isabella as our teacher, so she didn't question it.

Slowly I began to loosen and slowly take my headphones out. Ash chuckles, gently brushing his fingers through my hair. "Ready to start school?" He smiles with amusement, I pout but nod as I slide off his lap and sit in the chair next to him. I tune back into the world, hearing Isabella beginning to tell us about the wolf war of the 1600's.

"In 1609, tensions rose among the wolf packs. Luna's were slaughtered, families were lost, Pack's attacking one another, and Alpha's were tyrants who wouldn't allow anything be even an inch out of place. And the cause of it all were marks." Isabella glanced over at me, her eyes looking at the hidden mark.

She nods to me, gesturing for me to come up. I sigh, walking over to her since I knew the plan last night. I shrug off the cheerleading jacket, pulling my shirt over just a tad so they could see the mark.

"This is the only active mark in about four hundred years, Jaiyana is also one of the few who lived through the marking process. You see, the mark burns you for the first couple weeks as it heals, and you always have to be in contact of your soulmate. Then usually in just a few months after that, you begin to have a heat. It's practically torture, and it slowly kills you, it only lasts for three days." Isabella swallows harshly, gulping as she reminisces of me almost dying.

"It dehydrates you, burning you on a fever three times your usual body temperature, and it makes you feel as if you're being burned alive. I almost died on many occasions because of it. My organs stopped working, my lungs collapsed, and my wolf repaired it just for it to happen again. I barely survived." I turn around, showing off the name of my soulmate engraved into my shoulder.

"Asher and I both have each other's names on our shoulders, not by choice. It's the sign of meeting your soulmate way too young, just hours after I was born. It is the sign of me having my powers." I sigh as I hear them gasp, quickly pulling on the jacket again as I quickly sit back down by Ash.

Ash puts his arm over my shoulder, but I begin to feel something stir in our Pack. My senses heighten, thundering paw steps and growls are heard just as I feel the border's being crossed.

I lurch to my feet, growling angrily. Instantly guards are inside, one of them being Isabella's mate. "Take all the children into the gym, lock everyone in this school inside there. I want guards protecting the humans, you hear me?" I order, shrugging the jacket back off.

"Yes, Luna." They bow their heads, only Isabella's mate stopping and hanging behind.

"Isabella, please go in with the humans into the gym. Please." He begs, fear in his eyes. Isabella nods, kissing him deeply.

"I will. Be careful, please. Come home." She whispers, her lips trembling as they part. He gives her one last smile before shifting and loping out the door. Isabella sobs quietly, straightening up as she pushes down her sobs and looking towards the children in this room.

"Gym. Now. Don't make too many sounds. On the way to the gym explain what's happening to every classroom we go by and try to keep everyone calm, we need to make sure that they don't know we know their coming." Isabella orders, leading everyone out of the classroom but they stop in fear when they hear a howl in the distance.

Rainey holds onto Enzo, gazing around in fear. "Enzo, go with your mate. Keep her safe, you hear me?" I growl, pushing them towards the group of our class that Isabella tries to keep calm and convince them to leave. Enzo nods, heading out and helping Isabella push everyone towards the gym.

"Jay, go with the group to the gym. I'll handle this." Ash hugs me, I push him away with a growl.

"No! This is as much of my fight as it is yours. I will fight! I will be out there fighting for us, because this is our fight. We do this together!" I growl fiercely, Ash searches my eyes with his before slowly nodding.

"Then let's go." He agrees, kissing me softly.