Page 4 of Beginnings

Chapter 2

Ember

“Hey!”I yelled.

My books and pencil case hit the floor, their contents spilling everywhere. Feet kicked my stuff down the corridor, their owners completely oblivious. I didn’t normally carry such things around with me, now that I’d finished my exams. But today was when I cleaned out my locker and left this school to start the bureau’s agent training programme full time. It was a five year intense programme of physical pain, advanced weapons training, placements, and fieldwork. I really wasn’t looking forward to it. Working in a team, relying on others and having them rely on me was not my idea of fun, but there was another reason for going through with it...even if that other reason was a dick undercover SBI agent. Except people like these assholes who just sent my stuff flying onto the floor were also going in the training programme.

“What d’you do that for?” I was not in the mood for queen bitch today.

Shannon was one of those privileged, plastic, pretty girls with gorgeous hair and perfect teeth, who used too much makeup; but it wasn’t her looks that made me want to smash my fist in her face; it was just...her. My fingers curled, and my teeth actually creaked, my jaw was clenched so tightly. I wanted to do it, I truly did. Only respect for Rawson and Lyss stopped me.

The breath I inhaled and then exhaled slowly calmed the storm in my belly. I would not embarrass them by getting kicked out of the agency training programme before it had even started. And that’s what would happen if I attacked another student. I’d worked damn hard to hit top marks at this academy, and I wouldn’t waste all that hard work on the likes of her.

Shannon’s big brown eyes narrowed, and her head tilted. She was studying me. Her eyes glinted amber for a split second, her wolf shining through, right before she kicked one of my books into my face. A shifter’s kick is far more powerful than any human’s, and does far more damage.

A sharp pain stung beneath my right eye. I grunted. Don’t do it. Don’t do it, I repeated to myself, closing my eyes as I struggled to temper my anger while centering the heat that surged through me. Claws itched to burst from under my fingernails. Yeah, I was a shifter, but no one, and I mean no one, knew what the other spirit in my soul was—not even me. I forced her behind a wall in my soul, my own fear caging her. I might not know what she was, but I knew she was destructive, and dangerous, and I couldn’t control her if she soared free. Right now, the lupine side of me strained to get to Shannon and rip her throat out. Squeezing my eyes shut, all I could think about was that I couldn’t release my wolf. I’d planned on going through my fake Primis change alone. Mainly because it would be my second change, still painful, but not as slow or agonising as the first, and if anyone recognised it wasn’t a true Primis, it would raise too many questions about why I’d changed into a wolf at such a young age.

“Aw, look, the runt is trying not to cry,” Shannon taunted.

My eyes flew open. Runt?Cry? I don’t cry.It was true though, even at eighteen I was still skinny, with no tits or arse. I grinned inside. But what I did have in spades was anger and a viciousness that I’d kept hidden all these years from everyone here.

The stupid girls that shadowed Shannon giggled at her words.

Maybe I’d punch their lights out, too...

“W-what?” I stuttered. As always, when my anger reared its ugly head, my blood heated to the point I could barely speak, my throat burning as if I might spew fire.

“You. You’re an ugly, skinny reject that nobody wants.” She leaned in closer, her eyes narrowing. “Even your foster parents didn’t want you. I heard my dad say Rawson only hunted you down because he’d been ordered to bring you in. My dad wants you where the SBI can watch you. And he’s Rawson’s boss, so…” She shrugged her shoulders, but her eyes glinted looking me up and down and her top lip curled. “Why does my dad want you so badly? What makes you so special…? Oh yeah, and when Connor came round last night to fuck me…Oops...” She giggled and put her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide and innocent. The stupid girls behind her tittered again. “Oh well, the cat’s out of the bag now, though I don’t think even my father knows about our relationship. I guess he thought Connor fucking his eldest daughter, and then killing her, would be enough.” A smirk curled her painted mouth. “Connor laughed at how pathetic you are with your crush on him, and how he likes to wind you up by flirting with you.”

My face flamed. “I don’t have a crush on that imbecile!” I swiped at the blood beneath my eye.

She leaned back, folding her arms under her ample chest.

“Oh, no? I’ve seen the way you look at him when he’s in the training rooms with us; like you want to rip his clothes off and ride him like Ava always used to.”

“Gods, you’re disgusting. And how do you know what your sister and Connor did, anyway? Did you spy on them or something?”

Rather than be embarrassed, queen bitch just smirked and shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe he showed me.”

Pain lanced my heart. He wouldn’t stoop so low, not when he could have any woman he wanted. Besides, I had no reason, or right, to be jealous over who Connor slept with or spent his time with. Except, I’d always thought of him as mine, especially when he could soothe my anxiety with a mere touch. He always convinced me everything was okay; that I’d be okay. And I always allowed myself to believe him, trusting him almost as much as I trusted Rawson and Lyss, which admittedly wasn’t completely, but it was still trust. Except, I hardly saw him now, unless he was in the huge training halls at the academy. Or like last month, when he dropped in at home to see Rawson. He gave up on me a long time ago, and left me to fight through my demons alone. He left me.

I bent down to retrieve my stuff, totally over this conversation. My fingers curled around a pen and plucked it from the ground.

Shannon squatted down in front of me. Her little black miniskirt moved up her legs revealing her legs right up to her pink panties. I turned my head and glared at the floor. She really had no shame.

“Bet I can get him to fuck me tonight, too…”

I froze, but my blood didn’t, it boiled. Fury slammed through me. Connor was better than her! Or was he? I broke out into a cold sweat at the thought that he might want Shannon.

“Mmm, all those hard, big muscles covering my body.” She licked her lips and groaned, her eyes fluttering shut. “All those alpha vibes he has going on.” She touched her panties between her legs. “The way his dick...”

“Enough!” Fire surged forth from her cage, heating my skin as my fist connected with Shannon’s chin. Her teeth snapped together with a loud crack, and she was airborne. Blood spurted from between those pouty lips. Her stupid friends screamed, but none of them ran to help her. They just stood there—gaping.

I froze too, hoping I hadn’t killed her. I knew my strength when my wolf was riled, even if no one else did. Crap! Now I was going to end up in one holy heap of trouble. It was my last bloody day, and she’d wrecked my chances at the bureau! Bitch!

Everyone around us stopped and stared. I could feel the weight of their attention. I forced Fire, as I called that inner raging spirit, away, and snarled at them all. It was always the way; when you were being picked on no one gave a shit, but if you fought back you were suddenly under a spotlight.

“Fight!” Someone shouted. A stampede of feet and shouts came our way.

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