Joshua's Secret

Jess

Jess POV

I bounded down the halls of Yvonne Crescent Secondary School with my head held high a big smile on my face. As I passed by the lockers, the other students glared at me like I was a misfit. I don't blame them for seeing me in that light. I never talked to anyone in this school. I only came here to study, hiding who I was to protect myself. It was a universal rule that no werewolves were allowed to go into human society unless they desperately needed some food. However, the times have changed and some parents want to send their children to school.

Some parents want to send their children to school, but this is a challenge for multiple reasons. Only four wolves from my pack were able to get in Yvonne Crescent. I was one of them. The other four were Ruby, Roxy and Bella. They were not the most pleasant girls to talk to, but I wanted to be friends with nonetheless.

I arrived at the canteen and sat on their table. "Hi," I greeted them. None of the girls responded- their eyes were glued to their phones. Ruby looked up first and rolled her eyes when she saw me. Ruby nudged Roxy in the ribs and poked Bella, tutting her head to the table at the end of the cafeteria. The three of them quickly stood up, not sparing me a single glanced as they left the table. I sighed, before taking out the lunch my mother prepared for me. I ate in peace, not giving a care about the insolent stares directed at me.

I was about to leave when the trio returned to my table again, carrying heaps of food on their trays. Roxy sat to my left and Ruby to my right, smiling warmly at me. I could tell that something was off, but I decided to play dumb and listen to what they might have to say.

"We're really sorry about earlier," Roxy smiled sheepishly at me, twirling her red hair with her manicured fingers. "Yeah, right," I wanted to retort, the words right at the tip of my tongue. I bit down on my bottom lip, clenching my fists underneath the table. "Let's just talk, yeah?" Ruby leaned against my shoulder, making me want to shake her away.

"I'd love to, but I have to go," I fibbed, trying to get up from my seat. However, Ruby and Roxy pinned my wrists down the seat. I grunted, struggling to get out of their tight hold. They both smirked deviously at me, while Bella took the trays from earlier. She tilted it sideways, the food moving slowly down. I gulped, my heart racing a million beats per second.

Before a single strand of spaghetti could land on my skirt, I used my legs to push the table away from me. Boy, was I glad that the table was not attached to the seats. I growled, glaring at Ruby and Roxy before forcefully thrashing my arms. I made a run for it an grabbed my bag. As I left the canteen, I could hear Bella whining about her ruined uniform. I climbed up the stairs and went to the girl's bathroom down the hallway. I checked if there were any students inside the bathroom. When the coast was clear, I slammed the main door shut and locked it.

I threw my bag to one corner, anger coursing through my veins. I growled lowly, my knuckles turning white. My rage was so strong that tears started to well up in my eyes, streaming down my cheeks and falling into the sink.

I breathed in deeply, but it did nothing to calm me. I raised my clenched fists and gasped when I saw that my palm was dripping red. I opened up my palms to see that my claws were growing. The sharp tips had cut my skin. I looked into the mirror and saw my reflection- my eyes were red. My wolf ears appeared on top of my head, and my tail grew to its original size. I shrieked, horrified. I fell down on my bum and crawled backwards until I hit a stall door. I was shifting!

"H-how? It isn't even full moon!" I cried, pulling my hair in frustration. What was I going to do? I frantically searched for a way out of the bathroom without anyone seeing me. The first idea that came into mind was the small window at the end of the washroom. Outside the window was a pathway that led to the forest (which of course, was barricaded by a tall fence, but it was nothing I couldn't climb). I washed my bloodied hands first before grabbing my backpack. I quickly unlocked the door to the washroom. I jumped into the open washroom window and crashed into some nearby bushes.

I pushed myself back up, shaking off the leaves that got stuck on my skirt. I glanced around the vicinity, hoping nobody spotted me.

I looked over to my right and found a boy staring at me. My eyes widened in shock. I knew how I must have looked then- a freaky girl with wolf ears and red eyes with dirt all over her uniform. I gulped, smiling sheepishly before running away. As I passed by him, I got a whiff of his scent. He reeked of coffee and firewood. My eyes zoomed in on his facial features- dirty blonde hair and emerald green eyes. If it was any other day, I'd think that he was handsome.

I climbed over the barbed wire fence, jumping down. I did not dare to look back. I just wanted to go back home. I continued transforming along the way until I became a full wolf.

When I reached home, I threw the door open. I frantically tried to search for my brother. I found him in the kitchen, eating leftovers from last night's dinner. I approached him quickly, setting my bag down on a chair.

I pawed Joshua's knee, whining loudly. Joshua screeched when he saw that I was in wolf form.

"Wow! Jess, is that you?" Joshua asked. He dropped his spoon into his bowl of beef stew. He went down on one knee, petting my head. "Did you shift in school?" he scratched the back of my ears. I nodded in response, whining loudly. Joshua gestured me to follow him, clearly knowing what to do. I padded behind as we made our way to Dad's office.

"Dad," Joshua knocked on Dad's office door. "Come in," Dad replied. Joshua and I entered the office. His eyes were still fixated on the papers he was filling up. Joshua cleared his throat, making Dad look up from the documents he signing. "Jess turned into a wolf in school this morning," he announced. Joshua pointed at me, making Dad throw his pen aside and push us out of the door.

"It isn't even full moon," Dad muttered. "This has to be some kind of disease," he lamented.

A few hours later, I was still my wolf form. Joshua, Dad and I sat outside the hut. Joshua was pacing back and forth in worry, eyes narrowed in deep thought. A tall woman emerged from the hut, calling my father's name. I ran to the doctor, wanting to know the results of my check-up.

"Jess is fine," she smiled warmly at us. Joshua sighed in relief, while Dad wiped the beads of perspiration on his forehead. "The reason why she shifted so early was because of her unique genes. She must have inherited something from either you or your wife that made her become a wolf before full moon," she stated. I tilted my head to the side, wondering if Mom transformed before full moon. Dad scratched his head, puzzled. "The first time my wife and I shifted, we were both under the full moon," he grumbled. "Perhaps her ancestors, Alpha," the doctor patted Dad's shoulder. With that, Joshua, Dad and I went back home.

It took me eight hours to transform back into my human self. By then, I was mentally and physically exhausted. I was about to go upstairs when my mother summoned me to the kitchen. I sighed, dragging my feet over to the kitchen.

"Jess, darling," my mother pulled me into a tight hug. "I heard from your father that you shifted early. It's okay," she comforted me, carding her fingers through my brown locks. I wrapped my arms around her waist, breathing in her calming scent of roses. We broke apart a few moments later. "Now, get some rest," Mom said. "We'll be shopping for Joshua's birthday tomorrow afternoon," she added, before going back to her chores. I nodded, rushing upstairs and pouncing on my bed.

I woke the next morning with the morning light obscuring my vision. I rubbed my eyes as I hopped out of bed. I shuffled my feet to the bathroom where I started to get ready for school. When I finished showering, I wore whatever I found first in my closet that morning. Before leaving my room, I tied my hair into a simple ponytail. I went downstairs for breakfast with my backpack and green varsity jacket in hand.

I greeted my family a pleasant morning while opening the fridge. I pushed aside some of Joshua's green tea bottles and grabbed my protein shake, as well as a ham sandwich my Mom made the other day. "How bout I take you to school today?" Joshua suddenly offered that morning. I quirked my eyebrow in confusion. "Don't you have training today?" I asked. Joshua turned pale, frantically shushing me. "Shut it, I don't wanna go today! Just let me take you?" he whispered. I rolled my eyes.

"You know Mom and Dad can hear you, right?" I snickered before turning my back on my brother. Joshua groaned. "Let's go Dad, you promised you'd take me to school today," I reminded Dad, who was still reading his newspaper. He shot up, the legs of his chair screeching loudly against the floor. I heard him searching for his shoes behind me.

As we walked down the forest, my Dad began to ask about the day before. I knew that he was doing it out of concern, but if I told him the truth.... The reason why I shifted so early... It would only complicate things. I didn't want to think of the possible outcomes.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Dad asked as we reached the school gate. I nodded in response, smiling sweetly at him.

I hugged Dad before waving him goodbye. I walked into the campus, heart thumping. After yesterday's ordeal, I'm going to have more attention drawn to me. I mean, those three girls are very popular here. And I fought them. I couldn't let anymore insolent stares or rude statements anger me today. I had to keep it together.

I went to my locker first this morning. I unlocked it, taking out the textbooks I needed for class that day. I slammed my locker door shut, sighing loudly. I could the three of them approaching. Their laughter was so obnoxious. How were these girls at the top of the school's social hierarchy?

Before I could escape, Roxy lunges at me, causing me to drop all of my books. I could feel the anger consuming me. I knelt down to pick up my books, but not before being kicked harshly behind. I fell flat on my face. All around me, I could hear everyone in the hallway burst peals of laughter. I growled lowly, trying to remain composed. I gritted my teeth, as I picked up my textbooks. The three girls left me alone, cackling loudly along with the rest of the school.

Class went by painfully slow, with the three girls sitting behind me. They hurled balls of paper throughout the lesson, snickering whenever I winced. I grimaced, breaking my pen at one point. I grunted as I cleaned up the mess I made. I dashed out of the classroom the moment the bell rang. I decided to hide in the library since it was lunchtime, but I realized that I brought out my History book accidentally that morning. I whined, making a quick detour back to my locker.

When I saw that the hallways were empty, I opened my locker and shoved my History book inside. Before I could close it, I felt a sharp pain behind my back (yet again). I hissed in pain as I felt my arm being forcefully pulled away from my locker. I glanced behind me and saw Bella giving me a condescending look. Ruby pushed me to the floor, while Roxy took out a short but thick stick from her backpack. My eyes widened in fear, goosebumps appearing all over my limbs.

"This is what you get," she said, crouching menacingly. She raised the stick, quickly bringing it down. I cried out as the stick hit my left thigh. She hit three more times before tears started streaming my cheeks.

"Stop!" a deep voice boomed in the empty hallway. I looked up and gasped. It was the same boy I saw yesterday. I shifted my attention to the three girls and found Roxy trembling. The boy slowly approached us, his stance intimidating. "Do anything else, and I will kill you," he snarled. My mouth went agape when his eyes turned a darker shade of green, his scent of coffee and firewood becoming stronger.

Roxy dropped the stick she was raising her arms in surrender. "Shaun, why are you helping this nerd?" Roxy asked, eyes twitching even though she was terrified. At the same time, Bella and Ruby let go of me. I scrambled to stand up, wiping off all the dirt that got on my shirt. I looked down at my arms and thighs, shocked at the amount of bruises I had.

"Well, that's because," the blonde pushed the other girls aside, pulling me into a hug. "She's mine," I turned scarlet at that statement. Before I knew it, I was being kissed by a random stranger. I turned redder, momentarily forgetting how to breathe.

The three girls gasped in horror. Ruby and Bella's eyes were as wide as saucers. Out of the three, I found Roxy's reaction the funniest. Her jaw was wide open, and her eyes were so big that I thought they would fall out of its sockets. I nearly snickered into the kiss.

We broke apart from the kiss. Shaun's cheeks were as pink as mine were.

"S-Shaun! You can't be serious!" Roxy screamed, pulling her hair in frustration. "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE MINE! MINE!" she cried, falling to her knees, shoulders trembling. "S-Shaun...." she sniffled. "We've known each other for years now, come on," Roxy pleaded with him.

Shaun sighed, face remaining expressionless. "Roxy, enough with the crocodile tears," Shaun growled, inner wolf is clearly showing. "We weren't even friends to begin with. Now, leave us alone," Shaun waved a dismissive hand at them. He grabbed my hand and closed the locker door as we walked away.

Shaun took me to the courtyard. When we were alone, I broke down, sobbing quietly into his shoulder. "Thank you," I smiled sheepishly at him while wiping my tears away. "Not a problem, sugar," he replied nonchalantly. He passed me a piece of tissue, dabbing away the tears streaming down my cheeks. "Don't cry now. I'm here," he reassured me, patting my head affectionately.

"So... You were a wolf all along, huh?" I asked when I was able to speak again. Shaun nodded. "And you're my mate, too," I added, turning scarlet the second time that day. Shaun chuckled. "Yes. You know, we're in the same classes sometimes.... Jess," Shaun scratched the back of his neck, clearly shy. I could relate.

"Oh! So you're the Shaun who always gets top in Biology!" I chirped. "Yes, that's me!" Shaun guffawed. "How come you never noticed?"

I avoided his gaze.

"I never bothered to know about my classmates,"

"Well, that's a pity ain't it?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that!"

"Come on, let's get to know more about each other," he changed the subject, aware that I was uncomfortable talking about my social life. I didn't mind that Shaun was going to be my mate. He was sweet. I smiled, the incident from earlier at the back of my head. Now, the only thing I was thinking about was my future with Shaun. 

Here is chapter 3 finally out. Exams are over and I will try my best to update more. Sorry for the really long wait. I hope giving you Joshua's little sister Point of view would kind of make it up.