Page 10 of Clawless

The rest of the seats had filled up around us, and I glanced over my shoulder in an effort to find the girls. I couldn’t see Marnie, but the Arras omegas were in the next block and while Nadia was in conversation with another girl, Jasmine shot me a quick thumbs up. I smiled back, although I knew it was a poor effort. If I had to be at the academy, it was nice to be in the same pack as Marnie, but my heart was over there in the dark green chairs.

Except for the blonde she-bitch who was sitting in the front row. Pearl LaRue looked every inch the pack queen with her perfect features and long, gleaming hair. She wasn’t looking at me, but the guys flanking her were. I swallowed hard as Jasper’s lieutenants, Baron and Felix, stared back at me with contempt. This wasn’t the curled lip of the guy in front of me, but a deeper and more personal reaction. Because the last time I’d seen them, they’d narrowly missed being killed by their best friend. And all because I’d taken some drug that drove their wolves mad.

I slunk down in my seat, that smug feeling replaced by shame. I wish I’d asked Gabriel Michaels more questions about the scent shield. Maybe it was just a freak reaction. I thought I’d taken too much and made myself sick. And Mr. Wentworth had said it might have become mixed up with my first attempt at a shift. But these were all just theories, and I couldn’t see any one of them wiping the disgust from the eyes of Jasper’s best friends.

I forced myself to look away and concentrate on the stage. There was a podium in the middle, banks of fancy lighting illuminating the semi-circle of seats behind. The academic staff appeared first, most of whom I hadn’t met. The only one I really wanted to see was Mr. Wentworth, but my heart sank a little when the Math teacher didn’t appear. Maybe he wasn’t needed for this assembly. I held onto that hope, because the thought of him being punished for helping me on Hunter Moon made me feel sick.

And the sight of the two alphasons striding across the stage didn’t exactly calm my nerves. Reed was slightly in front, his usual blank expression in place as he took one of the vacant seats. His alphas all straightened their spines a little as he gave our block a long, slow inspection. But my attention was on the guy who strolled into the spotlight behind him, looking like he’d just rolled out of bed. And then dressed out of his laundry hamper with the lights off. He was wearing the same leather pants he wore in place of the school uniform, with an old cable-knit sweater drooping off his shoulders. He had scuffed boots and messy hair and as he flopped into the last vacant chair, a collective sigh went up from half the females in the place.

Me? I could go a good long while never having to look at Callum Sawyer again.

But the focus moved from the alphasons to the man striding up to the podium. He was big, with a burly chest and a shock of gray hair, and looked like he was more used to ordering soldiers up a hill than addressing a bunch of high schoolers. But when he introduced himself as Principal Bregman, the alpha I’d insulted murmured, “Arras Pack. Wonder how that happened.”

He didn’t sound curious, but I was. I didn’t have good memories of the last principal, who had pretty much thrown me to the pack lab wolves, but I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing to have an Arras wolf in charge, either. I’d never really looked to the administration for help, but a friendly ear would have been a bonus. Would someone who technically reported to the new alpha giving me a fair hearing? Doubtful.

I slumped a little further down in my seat as the principal placed his hands on either side of the podium and gave us a stern look. “This is more than just a high school. You attend Hunter Moon Academy to prepare for your future roles in the pack. To solidify the bonds within our clan. And to protect what’s ours.” There was a natural command in his voice, and the fidgeting shifters grew still under his steely regard. “Our packs will only survive if we take care of our most vulnerable members. Our omegas.” He made a sweeping gesture across the three groups, as if everyone didn’t already know where we were seated. I met Reed’s eyes for a moment, and I felt a quiver of awareness at their silver sheen.

Principal Bregman went on. “They are vulnerable, because they are valuable. And because low-natured predators will always try to take what is ours.” He opened a small notebook and began to read, “An attempt was made to abduct an omega wolf from her home territory less than twenty-four hours ago. The incident occurred off pack grounds, but the perpetrators are believed to be the Black Den Pack. A full investigation is underway, but in the interim, security measures at Omega House will be tightened. Personal alarms will be made available to all vulnerable students. And every omega will be required to take a countermeasures course.”

I frowned at Penny, who whispered, “Self-defense classes.”

Snorts and giggles bounced across the auditorium at this announcement, but the new principal smothered them with a glare. “We don’t know if the most recent incident was because the student in question was an omega, or because of pack politics. But we know it was a targeted attack, and we’re going to do everything within the power of the academy to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

He stepped back and held a hand out towards the wings. I wasn’t the only student who sucked in a breath as Jasper Arras appeared and strode out to meet the principal. They exchanged a manly handshake and then the new Pack Alpha walked to the front of the stage. He paused there for a moment; not so much gathering his thoughts, as ensuring he had the rapt attention of every student.

My greedy eyes drank him in. My last image of him still made my heart ache, and I’d dreaded the moment when I’d see that raw emotion on his face again. But Jasper no longer looked like a high school student who’d been kicked in the teeth. Now he seemed otherworldly. As if in the last ten days he hadn’t just grown up, but risen so far beyond the rest of us, he was a different species entirely.

As he gazed out at the rows of students, I felt the weight of our combined anticipation. Jasper had always attracted attention, but this felt different. I’d started to sense it before Hunter Moon. That there were actually two sides to him: Cocky Jasper, who was all sunshine and smiles; and Scary Alpha, who lurked underneath and came out when he was pissed. As he stared out at us, the stage lights bounced off his pale hair and threw stark shadows against the hard planes of his face. But it was the golden sheen to his eyes that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. He’d always looked like he’d been dipped in sunshine, but now he glowed. And I wasn’t sure it was a warm glow.

When he spoke, his voice was all Jasper, and nothing like him at all. “I appreciate the protection our beta guards provide to our more vulnerable students in Omega House. But the Black Den Pack are a very real threat, and they are getting more aggressive.” Every eye in the auditorium was locked on him, but Jasper’s focus suddenly swung my way. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from flinching under the intensity of his golden gaze. My heart accelerated, my palms instantly slick, and I wondered if he could tell I was struggling to find my next breath. “Which is why Arras Pack will be deploying a private guard to patrol the campus, starting next week.” There was a flurry of murmurs, not all of them pleased with this news, but Jasper squashed them with a single glance around the room. Something else was coming; I could feel it in the way his eyes flicked back to me, then just as quickly moved away. “And all omegas will be wearing tracking devices from now on. No more surprises, shifters. We are locking this campus down.”

Now it was the omegas’ turn to exchange frantic whispers. But just as Penny was reassuring the other girls, Principal Bregman leaned into the microphone. “And in case any of you are planning to take your protests to the other pack leadership, consider them noted. They’ve agreed to the plan, and have assigned control of your safety over to Alpha Arras.” He let this sink in for a moment then said, “Everyone but the omegas, you’re dismissed.”

Nine – Jasper

Seeing her was like a kick to the guts.

Seeing her sitting with the omegas from the Marshall pack… Well, fuck me. That was more a claw to my balls.

But I didn’t let any of this show as I stood at the front of the stage and lay down the new law. Because as much as the alphasons were glaring at me, it was a done deal. I was making the rules, and everyone on this campus now answered to me.

The assembly kind of fizzled out after that. As the students started towards the doors, I cast a glance over my shoulder at Liam, and he gave me a nod. The arrangements were in place. The room was set up and the technicians were ready. And if the alphasons wanted to act like little bitches about this, I had plenty of hardened security guards to twist their arms.

As for the omegas, most of them were glued to their seats and staring at me in shock. But Reed was in my face before the faculty had filed off the stage. “You’re kidding, right? You can’t tag them like dogs.”

Principal Bregman looked like he wanted to intervene, but I waved him away. There’d only ever really been three rules at the Academy. They boiled down to the basic principle that staff were the authority, but in their absence, pack law applied. I wasn’t even pretending that shit existed anymore. I might have been the youngest Pack Alpha in clan history, and the only one to lead from his school desk, but I wasn’t turning this into a debate. And it sure as hell wasn’t a democracy.

“Your Pack Alphas both agreed to this. Take it up with them.”

Callum just gave me a smirk from the chair he was lounging in, but Reed looked ready to blow. He liked to think he had it all locked down, but I could see the tension rippling off him. One of the perks of alpha power was sensing others’ weak points, and Reed’s were all tied up in his belief he was in control of his base instincts. Stupid fucker.

“The alternative is a removal of all weekend privileges, zero off-site activities and round-the-clock guards. All to be funded from your own pockets.” I looked past him to what remained of our audience. Most of the females couldn’t meet my eyes, but the Head Omegas from both the Marshall and Sawyer packs were staring at me like I was Satan. I ignored the slight frown on Nadia’s face; she wasn’t about to defy me in public, but I forced my features to soften a little. “It’s not a leash,” I told the group at large. “We just want to keep you safe.”

My gaze touched on Vail, who was looking at me like she’d never seen me before. Good. She, more than any of them, needed to understand the rules had changed.

I addressed the cowering omegas. “You probably have some concerns, so let’s try to put you at ease. Firstly, it’s a quick procedure. Ten minutes tops. It’s relatively painless, and you won’t be able to feel the device once it’s in place. A trained technician will insert it into the skin behind your ear. It won’t hamper your shift, or impact you in any way while in your wolf form. And the information we obtain from your tracker will not be used for any purpose but to keep you safe. Any other questions?”

Most of their heads were still bowed, but Reed’s Head Omega lifted her hand. “When and where, Alpha? Will we have to go to the lab to have the procedure done?”

---