“I swear, he looked younger when I talked to him. No one could tell he was close to 60.”
“For a moment, I was scared he would take out his dentures and devour us,” Ella points out with a frown. “Forget it, Dave. I just want my peace.”
“Yes.” I nod. “I would like to have a quiet, calm, and uneventful year. Study, eat and hang out with you guys. I don’t need anything else.”
I am Annalise Preston. If I had to describe myself, I would say I am the epitome of normal. I could be fitter, and could care more about fashion. I still have some baby fat around my hips. My hair is long, brown, and slightly curled. I don’t look bad, but I confess, I’m also not a supermodel. People don’t turn around for a second glance when I walk by them. I don’t have guys flocking to me. Here and there, I had schoolmates and wolves from my pack interested in me, but it didn’t happen a lot.
If I had been able to compensate for my normal looks with any talent, I might have grown up a bit more confident in who I am… but unfortunately, all the great genes went to my older sister and my younger brother. Harmony is smart, strong, and pretty, and Steve, albeit being a bit naïve and not the best student, is athletic and pretty popular within my pack.
But it is what it is. I am just… Annalise. The only wolf within my family without a gift, the reason I am only an Omega, the lowest rank, although I should be Beta by birth. I consider myself lucky though, because everyone in my pack has the same rights, unlike in others. We are allowed to get a higher education, and if we have the drive and strength, we can also become pack warriors. You could even rank up in your position, no matter what you were born as.
I started college a few months ago, taking the bus to campus each day until I successfully convinced my parents to let me move into the student dorm. If it were up to my dad, I would have continued living at home – the college was only a 45-minute bus ride away after all. But Harmony took it upon herself to help convince him, telling him how a little independence and freedom were important for me to grow up.
Mom was on my side.
Many wolves from my pack go to this college. It’s nice. I like my people. Sure, I am not particularly recognizable, so many don’t really pay attention to me; but it’s not like they bully or ignore me. I love my pack – it’s like an extended family.
I can’t wait to learn, study and become a helpful member of my pack. I might not be strong enough to be a warrior, but at least I have my brain. That’s a muscle I can definitely train.
“Jeez, what’s going on here?” Dave mutters, his voice muffled as he bit into a croissant. There is a massive amount of people in the hallway for some reason, right where we have to pass to go to our statistics class.
I grab my bag tighter, signaling for Dave to follow me while I try to lead us through the crowd. Dave has his half eaten croissant e in one hand and his books in the other. Of course, he had refused to use a bag – because it’s unfashionable and un-hipster.
Eventually, I take pity on him. “Give me some of your stuff, Dave.” I free him of his books and steal his croissant from his mouth. “That’s mine now.” I grin. “Consider it payment.”
“Just be thankful that you are cute, and I have a soft spot for you and your bubble butt, which looks absolutely stunning in those tight jeans, if I may say so. I always knew you had a nice ass. Stop hiding it,” he sighs dreamily. “But hey, keep the croissant. I need to watch my carbs anyways.”
I ignore his comments about my butt, just grumbling slightly, and lead us further through the masses of students.
“What’s going on here anyway?” Dave asks. “Are there free drinks? If so, let’s stand in line for some too.”
“At 9:00 AM?”
“What else could make a bunch of students flock together like that?” he asks in return.
Not a bad question. “Strippers?”
Dave grins. “I like how your mind works, honey.”
“Or…” I pause, my eyes finally catching the center of everyone’s attention. “A celebrity,” I state blandly.
Dave follows my gaze; he seems completely unfazed. “Who’s that?” he asks. “Anyone I should know? Pretty sure I haven’t seen him in any magazines. And I was just at the hairstylist four days ago – plenty of time to catch up on celebrity gossip.”
“Not inyourmagazines,” I explain quietly. I throw another glance at the person who caught everyone’s attention. A tall guy with messy black hair. He is lean, not overly bulky, yet muscular enough to draw attention to his upper arms. He has styled his hair into an almost ridiculous-looking spiky hedgehog style. One of his earlobes is pierced, and I heard his tongue is pierced too. There are a few tattoos on his arms, the most prominent one being his pack’s symbol. I recognized it instantly. Any wolf here will have.
“Please elaborate.” Dave eyes the guy curiously. “What’s sexy edge-boy’s name?”
“You find him sexy?” I ask in disbelief.
“I have a weak spot for the drama queens. You know that. And he looks dramatic as hell. A true little edge-lord,” he grins.
I stare at Dave for a while. “Please,” I whisper. “Never say anything like that again when he can hear you.”
“Why? So dangerous?”
I shrug. Technically it’s forbidden to attack a human without good reason. They’re too easy to kill, too easy to hurt, break and bruise. But you never know when it’s wolves from a really powerful family.
“So, who is he?” Dave asks again.