Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
I turned on a curious, watching Hope. “It’s okay, baby, the mean man is gone.”
She cooed at me, beaming that wide, gummy smile. In a blink she disappeared, leaving only a moving onesie and a floating bear.
“I CAN’T BELIEVE ASH let them both back into the castle after what they’ve done.” Nia spoke to me but looked where everyone was looking—at the dais where Badr and Orion were holding court. “Badr attacked the entire school, and Orion is under investigation for murdering the former headmistress! Innocent until proven guilty, sure, but you’d think both of those charges would get you moved to the home/virtual-learning list.”
I didn’t say anything, I was too busy slicing, dicing, and stabbing my beef sausages.
It’d been a week since Badr’s return, and only a few days longer than that for Orion. Both of them swore they’d undo and destroy everything I’d been building... and it was working.
Badr and Orion claimed the prominent seats on the dais, surrounding them were a gaggle of alpha and beta girls—one of them Megan—hanging all over them and every word.
My throne used to be there, but it mysteriously disappeared the morning after Badr came back. By lunchtime that day, the table was back and taken over by the popular alphas again, all of them staring at me when I came in—daring me to pitch a fit and make myself look small and petty for fighting about a table.
I didn’t take the bait... and that was my first mistake.
Once the alphas and betas got back their popular table, they claimed all the seats in the back—going so far as to wake up early, be the first ones through the mess hall door, and grab all of the best seats while the rest of us were still wiping sleep from our eyes.
The message they were sending was clear: This is our school. We run this place. The rest of you accept what we deign to give you.
If this bullshit was confined to the mess hall, it wouldn’t be such a problem, but their in-my-face rebellion was stinking up the classrooms too.
Since official classes were canceled while we prepared for the placement exams, teachers were holding study halls, review sessions, and Q & As to help us prep for the tests. Or I should say, they were holding them for the alphas and betas. Because said wolves were dominating every session.
They monopolized all the instructors’ time, and whenever an omega or epsilon tried to get a word in or ask a question, they shouted, sang, banged the tables, or made fools of themselves until the questioning student gave up.
The worst part was the instructors were letting it happen. Even though the alphas’ behavior were demerit offenses, the instructors were only giving them detention—which the alphas promptly turned into an after-class party, kicking back with music, beers, and a good time.
Thanks to me stupidly giving up my power over the teachers, I had to go to Ash to discipline them, and her only response was “instructors are within their rights to choose their punishment. If they’ve decided on detention, it’s not your place to question them. A punishment is a punishment.”
Except, it wasn’t a fucking punishment when everyone in the school knew they spent all of detention partying.
With Badr and Orion as their leaders, the alphas were quickly reasserting their dominance over the school... there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
“I thought Ash was here to help us,” Nia went on. “Why is she letting all of this slide?”
“Why indeed, Nia.” My gaze slid to Vice Ash. She stood in the corner of the mess hall, sweeping a stern eye over everyone—me most of all. “She’s a mystery, Nia. I don’t think anyone knows her true motives. Not even Luame.”
My phone chirped right on cue. The texts had been coming fast and furious that morning, and all of them from one person.
Sunella: Despite my assurances that the council will cover any legal damages, the clan leaders are insisting they must continue participating in Volana’s sham of a public forum. They say it’s because they’ve received overwhelming public support and approval for their willingness to “listen to their subjects.” Apparently, if they refuse to continue at this point, the backlash won’t be favorable for them or the council.
I say, the loss of the monetary compensation Volana hinted at is the true backlash they’re concerned about, but none of them will admit this, or say how much she’s paying them.
Regardless, I assume you have a plan to put a stop to these forums, and the council wants to know that plan now.
Older, wiser alphas put these laws into place centuries ago, and they did so for good reasons. Our laws will not be questioned, and will most certainly not be changed, by a bunch of arrogant pups who haven’t even gotten their back teeth.