9

My breathing had instantly increased and the claws were out. 

"Avery". 

Ignore him. 

"Put them away!". I lifted my head slowly in annoyance and glared at Hale. 

I took a shaky breath. "You don't think I'm trying!".

His green eyes kept darting between the doors and myself, sitting on the other end of chairs outside the principles office. I huffed. "Can you at least calm your pulse! I can't relax with it drumming in my ears relentlessly".

He swallowed. "Someone from your den has just entered the school grounds".

I met his eyes again. He was serious. 

I bit my lip. "I can't smell anything".

He shook his head at me, his whole body tense. "That's cause you're not in control. Is it your father?".

I shot him a blank look. "How would I know if I can't smell em'!?! You're the mature wolf here, you tell me".

He clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Like I know each member of the Wood pack well enough to tell them apart by scent".

I suddenly swallowed in fear. "...Tahlia".

Derek's eyebrow raised up in confusion. I felt my claws retract in fear, how that's possible I don't know. My head stared down the doors on the right, Hale's head whipped to the doors on the left.

Two women, Two wolves entered the reception area of Beacon Hill Highschool. They stood proudly in each doorway of reception. As if in symbolism to the ancient feud and the two families in which it held.   

...it's my mother. Her eyes swept over the entire room as though it was beneath her. Once her eyes landed on me she tusked. "Avery, here, now!"

It was muttered so quietly that the only ones capable of hearing it were the Hale's and myself. A sort of supernatural whisper that had to be taught. She'd so far not acknowledged the alpha, instead she played on her instincts. Instincts to protect her pup, that pup being me. I gulped before walking over to her with my head to the side. A sign of submission.

My mother put two of her manicured fingers under my chin and raised my eyes to meet hers. I gulped while she raised a pretty eyebrow on her perfectly sculpted face. "La route est dure mais c'est notre route".

Yeah, I wasn't kidding when I said we don't take our motto lightly. I felt my breath leave my body. My mother basically just promised me I'd be punished tonight. I bit my lip. "It was nothing, just passing notes. I swear, that's it".

My mother scoffed. "Please, I read the note. It's one thing to be talking to one of them. Another thing entirely to risk exposure. You've risked ourselves, our family and our pack. This is why we punish according, so we can remember and we survive by never doing it again".

I rolled my eyes slightly. "I'm not a child, I know what 'La route est dure mais c'est notre route', means. And I didn't risk exposure, so no punishment".

My mother leaned into my ear and whispered. "I'm surprised you can't smell it from all the way over here".

Oh shit. I had risked exposure...with a Hale! Dead. I'm dead. 

I turned behind me hopefully to see Hale in a similar position as myself. Instead Tahlia sat proudly beside her son, the two of them growling lowly at my mother, who scoffed and gripped my shoulder. "I'll ease him into it".

A choked laugh of defeat left my mouth. "You could always not tell him".

She sighed. "I can't keep a secret like that from my mate, you know that".

I felt myself cringe. My mother is so dependent to the point it's almost pathetic. "I hope I won't end up like that".

My eyes met hers and she glared in warning. I didn't care, father wasn't here and I'm going to be punished anyways. 

A cough broke our stare down and I tuned to find my principal blushing at the sight of my mother. I rolled my eyes. Dude, She's so not worth it considering she's a secret psychopath with claws. "I-uh only when you're r-ready Mrs Woods".

My mother nodded curtly at him before strutting into his office, her heels clicking angrily behind her. I blew out a fearful breath before following, here we go.

Two chairs were in front of his desk. Derek sat in one with his mother standing behind his chair protectively. I made sure to rest my pulse the second I entered the room and to avoid looking at Tahlia Hale. If I'm being really honest I'm almost too scared to look at Derek, her pup while she's in the same room. Would that offend her? I didn't want to break the feud, again. She knows I literally owe her my life and I intend to pay her back by pretending she doesn't exist. It's the safest option anyways. 

I quietly sat in the only other seat. Once seated I could feel my mother smiling kindly at my principle. She sighed before she gripped my shoulders and extracted her claws. The slight pain had me holding in a whine, instead I winced. The warning was clear, she was going to do all the talking.

I kept my gaze souly on my hands in my lap. I could feel Derek's gaze on me every so often. It would switch to my mother's extracted claws digging into my shoulders and then back to my face.  I huffed in annoyance, I really didn't need the judgment on my family right now. 

Our principle, Mr Danvers is well...an oblivious whimp. To put it lightly most people are aware that Becon Hills isn't normal but nobaody brings it up. A taboo to the humans, they're happier to 'pretend' that its animal attacks and we're more than okay with being ignored. I doubt this guy even knows what day of the week it is and he looks like the wind or even the air con could blow him over. 

Mr Danvers hadn't said anything yet and it was only once my mother cleared her throat that he perked up in his chair. I rolled my eyes, so he'd checked her out again. Sometimes beauty is a curse, although we're actually cursed to howl at the moon. It's all part of it, our beauty lures humans to us. A little fucked up. 

I rose my head to stare at Mr Danvers, he only looked at Tahlia and my mother though. No suprise there.

"As your both aware, your children and not just these two but all of them seem to have their differences. Unfortunately their apparent hate for eachother is not only disrupting the halls but now students during classes. Especially these two, Avery for isntance.."

He swang around in his chair before dumping a rather large file on his desk. By large I mean bulging with multiple tabs sticking out. I felt her claws sink that extra bit more into my shoulders causing me to hold my breath before letting out a sigh of pain. 

"...Has multiple offences Mrs Woods. Now, because of your family's uh generous contributions to the school we've felt there was no real need to intervene and get your self involved. However, as this damaging behaviour is now disrupting classes and other students something needs to be done."

My mother scoffed. "All this because of juevilie behaviour like passing notes?. This school, one that survives of generious donations, one that was founded by our familes can't even discipline students. I believe according to state guidlines that the correct outcome is a half hour detention. Next time you call any member of my family down here, you should think long and hard about how dependent this place really is on us. And remember Mr Danvers, the board watches you and how well you follow state guidelines, don't waste my time".

I felt my mother's claws retract. She bent down and kissed my forehead before growling lowly at my principle and stuttered out. Already done, and I couldn't blame her, she's technically not supposed to be anywhere near Tahlia without my father present. That's like offering up our pack on a silver paltter to the Hale's. Even though this is mutual land, it's still cutting it close. If she died then my father would go insane and then...no more pack. My principle looked shocked as he watched her strut out of his office.

Mr Danvers then looked at Derek. I swallowed nervously, if that was the response of my mother then what what would an Alpha's be if someone belittled their child?

Mr Danvers grabbed another file, one allot slimmer then the bulging ready to burst one next to it. I gripped the arms of my chair to try and steady my heartbeat. Why didn't I walk out with my mother?

Now, I'm stuck here. With Tahila, Derek and Mr Danvers while Derek is going to be grilled. Talk about awkward. And I can't just walk out, that'd be rude. And I'm not my mother, I'm not a bitch...well, you know what I mean.

Mr Danvers nodded nervously at the Alpha from my nightmares. "Uh S-So on to Derek. While your son, Mrs Hale doesn't have quite the record as Miss Woods it should be noted that he is on the same path as her. I'm under the impression that your son actually initiated the note passing today in class. The disruption to normal daily activities caused by these two has been ignored for most of their schooling. However, I'm nearly at the end of my rope with all of them. Not just Derek and Avery but Laura and Anna too. I could bearly stand Peter and Alec butting heads and if I have another two years of fighting then something really needs to be done. I think it's clear that your family". Mr Danvers looked pointedly at me. "Are going to be rather diffuclt in achieveing that". He then looked back up at Tahlia. "So, I think the only way to go forward is to seperate all your children into seperate classes so other students won't be disrupted".

"No."

What? I slowly turned my head to Tahlia. She looked down at Mr Danvers in annoyance? like he wasn't worth dealing with. I shrank back in my seat and looked at Derek. He looked bored and unfazed by his mother objecting. Now, I really wished my mother was still here. Why would she oppose her son and I together in classes? I know my father would jump at the idea of seperating us even more. 

She smiled cruelly at him. "They stay together". 

Mr Danvers nodded slowly back at her. Aware I guess of who he's talking to. Both our familes owned the town, we had power in most establishments. My mother wasn't kidding about the school board, she could get him fired in a snap of her manicured claws. The Alpha of the Hale pack had just as much if not more power than us. It was actually pretty bold of Mr Danvers to think he could get any of us to conform.

His beady eyes looked deafeted and he sighed in frustration. "Alright, Thank you so much for your time Mrs Hale. Derek and Avery, your excused make you way back to Mr Hariss' class".

I'm beyond confused as to why I'm still in the same class as Derek. With a huff I got out of my seat and followed somberly after Derek with my head down. Wouldn't want to accidently look at Tahlia Hale.

Derek stopped short and made his way over to Tahlia, they stood more so at the doors to reception. I debated just standing here outside Mr Danvers office. I really don't want to walk past them, not without mum. I bit my lip and started to walk casually out of recpetion. Their conversation halting as I started to move. I hadn't even bothered to listen. 

As I walked past the entry way I felt tingles on my wrist. I looked up at Derek's concerned face. I was aware of Tahlia, eyes looking at us both in pride. It was unconfortable, What did I do to get respect from my father's worst enemy?

I glared up at him. "What now?"

He bit his lip, and I felt...hot?. I shouldn't feel like this! not from him. "What will they do?"

My heart skipped a beat and his face crumpling told me he heard it. I took a shaky breath. "I don't know b-but it won't be pretty. I'll heal".

I don't know why I actually replied. Or why I felt the need to comfort him by telling him I'll heal. Afterall I'm the one that'll be punished. This is too confusing and wrong...

With a sniff and a final glance at those pretty hazel eyes, I ripped my wrist out of his grasp and made my way to class. Derek Hale had caused way too much damage for one day and I won't make the same mistake again.