Heart of Steel

Chapter 5

School. One of my most favourite parts of the day. Nope, not sarcasm.

I sat at the back of the room, surrounded by my packmates. Mrs Mogan droned on and on about Shakespeare, but it was so interesting, my attention was riveted on the blackboard. Beside me, Aidan was snoring quietly into his textbook, and Anna, Bella, and Tristie, the 'Blondoes', were painting their nails a matching shade of ghastly pink and chattering animatedly. Clarence, the joker of the pack and in his wolf form, a beautiful, russet wolf, was laughing with the others. The humans sitting on the other side of the classroom stared at us, some with fear, and some with awe.

Elliot Alaine High School was truely an extraordinary school. Dominated by teenage, hormonal wolves with humans at the bottom of the high school food chain, the school was separated into three distinct groups. The humans, timid and cowardly, were intimidated by the wolves with their beauty, and their incredible athletic abilities. The young wolves of Scarlet Moon pack and those of rival pack, Blood Shadow. The boys were all incredibly tall, musucular and the girls, beautiful, statesque and sinewy. But all of them had one thing in common, the predator-like way they move.

I still don't know how i managed to fit in. I wasn't pretty, nor athletic. Though I had chomped incredible amount of food, I still had a ridiculously thin body, without even any excuses of womanly curves.

I refuse to feel insecure about my body. I had way too much stuff to do than worry about shallow things like the 'Blondoes'. Though we were packmates, I had never talked much to them, mainly because my character was too different from them. They were all shopping freaks, talking about the latest Prada shoes, the prettiest Chanel dress and other brands that I have never heard of in my entire life. Victoria's Secret? What's that?

My life was booked with academics, training and missions which usually left me sweaty and dirty. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Matilda, the only person I considered my friend, nudged her gold-rimmed spectacles with the tip of her fingers and looked at me questioningly.

"Brie, did you heard what Morgans said? We are having an assignment."

"Ok. So? It's written on the whiteboard." I said.

She sighed and shook her head, causing her wild, curly red hair to bounce."Brie, you are always zoning out."

"Am not." I retorted.

"So tell me what Morgans said." She said smugly.

Ok, I was zoning out.

"It is due in two days?" Morgans' assignment was often due in two days.

"Nope. Three days. Ha!" Well, worth a try.

She sighed again. "Zacharius Colbert is your partner for this assignment."

It took me a full sixty seconds to register what she said.

"What? Why?" I squawked, too loudly.

Mrs Morgans closed in on me, her next victim.

"Miss Tracer, since you are so interested in asking questions, please tell me why Shakespeare left Stratford?"

Oh blast, I can't remember! I glared at her, trying to intimidate, while my mind was blank. That woman glared right back. I swear, she is the only human who isn't affected by my stare.

"Tick tock. I'm still waiting." She hummed, looking pointedly at her watch.

Zacharius Colbert raised his hand.

"He wanted to start his career as an actor and playwright." His deep, velvety voice resonated through me and sent shivers down my spine, which I tried to ignore.

The Blood Shadow wolves stared at us smugly. I could feel my packmates all stop whatever they were doing, and glare back in hostility.

The tension in the classroom rose and the humans squirmed.

The lunch bell rang, and saved me from further wrath. I scooped my books into my bag, eager to leave. While I was shaking Aidan awake, the wolves gathered around one another and whispered.

"Brie is partnered to Zacharius Colbert? That hot jerk?" Tristie asked excitedly.

Aidan glared at her and said," It's nothing to be happy about, you fool. Scarlet Moon and Blood Shadow do not mix. That bunch of canines are assholes."

"Yeah, but Zacharius Colbert is one hot boy! Did you see his butt?" Bella whispered to me.

I shushed her, and then noticed Zacharius Colbert's gaze on me. It was burning a hole into the side of my face.

"What?" I snapped, partly from fear, partly from embarrassement.

"Don't get your tail into a tizzy... Partner. Meet me in the library during free period to discuss about the assignment." He ordered and without another backward glance, turned and strolled away, followed by his werewolf minions.

i glared after him. Why should I listen to his dumb demands?