by Cheree Alsop
“I really am sorry,” she said quietly.
He shook his head. “I talked to Rafe and he explained things. It’s okay.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, her gaze worried.
He nodded. “Thank you for dishing me up some food.”
“I was worried Amos and Don would eat it all,” she replied.
Jericho chuckled from across the table. “It’s not Amos and Don you need to worry about,” he said. He pointed at Pip’s plate.
The little werewolf had piled spaghetti, meatballs, salad, and rolls so high that the meatballs kept spilling off onto the table. The Second Year ate them as fast as they fell.
“What?” Pip asked with his mouth as full as a chipmunk’s when he realized everyone was looking at him.
Alex laughed and shook his head. He took a bite of the spaghetti.
“Better than moose?” Shaylee called from across the room.
“It was a deer,” Pip corrected, spitting food onto the table.
“Ew, Pip, gross,” Terith complained. She shoved the pieces back to him with her napkin.
“Whatever,” Shaylee replied. “We know you prefer something with hooves.”
Alex ignored her, concentrating on his food to get it cleared as fast as possible.
“Why aren’t the professors here?” Jericho asked.
Alex and Cassie exchanged a look. Several other Lifers at the table fought back smiles.
“There’s a tradition,” Alex answered.
“Every year,” Trent said.
“What tradition?” Jericho questioned with a worried expression.
A roll flew across the room and landed in Torin’s spaghetti, splashing sauce all over him. Torin’s face reddened. The Lifer Alpha picked up his entire plate and threw it back at Boris. The Termer Alpha ducked; the plate flew past him and hit Kalia square in the face, covering her in spaghetti.
“Duck!” Amos yelled in his deep voice. Everyone at their table obeyed. A platter of lettuce flew over followed by a bowl of dressing. It splattered across the table.
“This is the tradition?” Jericho asked. “This is ridiculous!”
“Yeah,” Trent said, scratching his buzzed head, “But the professors have found that the food fight creates camaraderie within the packs as they defend each other. They decided long ago that it was easier to stay out of it than try to break it up, and that the benefits outweighed the negatives.” He paused. “Kind of like that deer Alex helped to bring down.”
Everyone looked at Alex. He gave a little shrug of his shoulders as a bowl full of rolls slid under the table. He picked one up and handed it to Jericho.
The Alpha looked at his pack like they were crazy. He shook his head, and the hint of a smile crossed his face. “Pack Jericho?” he asked.
All fourteen other members of the pack grabbed rolls. “Pack Jericho,” they replied.
“Get them!” Jericho commanded.
Pack Jericho swarmed from beneath the table and pegged the other tables with rolls. An answering hail of meatballs, dressing, and strands of spaghetti flew through the air. The pack dove under the table again.
“Well that wasn’t a good plan,” Jericho said, his chest heaving.
“What about the wolves?” Alex asked.
Everyone watched him carefully, wondering what he was getting at.
“Remember how they hunted?” Cassie pressed, catching on.
Terith nodded excitedly. “Strength in numbers,” she said.
Jericho smiled as everyone warmed to the idea. He picked up a handful of rolls and meatballs and tucked them in his arm. Everyone followed their Alpha’s actions.
“Ready?” Jericho asked.
“Ready,” Alex replied.
“Let’s hunt,” Jericho said.
He jumped from beneath the table and the rest of Pack Jericho followed. They kept to his heels, pegging werewolves left and right as they tried to take down the pack’s leader. Pack Jericho ran in a tight pack around the room, throwing meatballs and rolls, and pausing to resupply when the pack was low.
“We give up!” Shannon and Shaylee finally said, holding up their hands as Pack Jericho swarmed the table their pack was hiding beneath.
Alex couldn’t help laughing. No one had ever given up during the food fight. Jericho gave him a thumb’s-up and they ran to the next table, ready to peg those hiding beneath with reformed meatballs and handfuls of spaghetti.
“We’re done,” Boris shouted. Lettuce was caught in his hair. Alex spotted Kalia behind him still covered in spaghetti. She looked ready to phase into a wolf and tear someone’s throat out.
“Come on,” Jericho said. They followed him. Table after table gave in to the merciless onslaught from Pack Jericho.
They were almost to the last table. Pack Torin still waited. Alex wondered if they would give in like the other packs. Jericho was about to call out the command to attack when a single meatball flew through the air. It sped toward Jericho at a force only an Alpha could have managed.
“Jericho!” Alex shouted. Everything slowed. He leaped. Would he make it in time?
Jericho turned; his eyes widened. The meatball that was intended for his face slammed into Alex’s chest. Alex fell to the floor gasping for air. Everyone froze.
Alex gulped in a huge breath, then the laugh he had been holding in burst from him. All around the room, answering laughter erupted. Jericho fell to his knees beside his Second gasping with laughter.
“I’ve never seen anything so hilarious,” the Alpha proclaimed.
Alex sat up and attempted to wipe the meatball mess from his shirt while he grinned. “I couldn’t let my Alpha take the bullet,” he replied.
Cassie smiled at her brother. “That was awesome,” she said, pulling spaghetti from her curly brown hair.
“That was ridiculous,” Terith stated, but the grin on her face said she had enjoyed it.
“Way to be dramatic,” Trent said, slapping Alex on the back.
Amos grabbed Alex by an arm and lifted him to his feet.
“Thanks, big guy,” Alex replied.
“You funny,” Amos said, giving a deep chuckle. “You make me laugh.”
“He made all of us laugh,” Jericho agreed.
The packs climbed from beneath their tables. Everyone looked around at the mess.
“Well,” Alex said. “Guess we better get cleaning.”
“You mean you clean up, too?” Jericho said.
“Not like we can leave this for the professors,” Pip replied. He grabbed several brooms from the corner where they had obviously been placed on purpose.
Alex took one and began sweeping. The other packs joined in, marking the conclusion of the first lunch of the term.
***
The students went back to their quarters to change.
“Awesome job, Second,” Jericho said. “Way to go beyond the line of duty.”
“Anytime,” Alex replied. He stepped into his room and froze.
The scent of blood filled his nose. He flipped on the light, and grimaced at the carnage. Someone had taken a chicken and smeared the blood all over his bed and the floor. The following word was written in blood on the wall: Dinner.
“I just wanted to ask. . . .” Jericho’s voice died away when he saw what Alex was looking at. “Any chance that’s syrup?” he asked, though it was obvious by his expression that he could smell the blood.
“It’s alright,” Alex said. “I’ll take care of it.” He took a step forward.
Jericho grabbed Alex’s arm. “No, Alex. We’ll take care of it,” the Alpha said. He called over his shoulder, “Pack Jericho, to Alex’s room.”
Within seconds, every member of the pack was staring at the blood. Cassie’s eyes filled with tears. Alex shook his head, telling her not to cry. She took a calming breath and nodded, but her dark blue eyes still glittered brightly.
Jericho’s voice carried steel when he told the pack, “Someone came into our quarters and violated the room of one of our p
ack members. Are we going to stand for this?”
The fierce ‘No’ that answered rang through Alex’s heart. He had never had a pack member defend him before, let alone the Alpha. Alex watched numbly as everyone got to work scrubbing his room. He carried his blankets to the wash basket and was bringing a clean change back when Professor Kaynan opened the door to Pack Jericho’s quarters.
Kaynan’s nose wrinkled at the scent of blood. “Is everything okay?” he asked.
Alex nodded. “Just a bit of hazing. No one got hurt.”
“Are you sure, Alex?” Kaynan pressed, his red eyes searching the meeting room.
“I’m sure,” Alex replied. “Are we late for class?”
Kaynan nodded. “About ten minutes late. Grace is waiting to teach you guys English, then you have Mouse and Lyra for Biology. Pack Maliki is already down there.”
“We’ll hurry,” Alex promised, amazed he must have missed the bell with everything else that was going on.
Kaynan hesitated, but Alex gave him a reassuring smile. Kaynan nodded and left the room.
“A bit of hazing?” Jericho said, entering the meeting room.
Alex shrugged. “A bit.”
“If that’s a bit, I don’t want to know what a lot of hazing is,” Jericho replied with a shake of his head.
“Someone’s still holding a grudge against your hunt,” Trent told Alex.
Nobody had to say who had done the dirty work. Though Shannon and Shaylee had been the most vocal about it, they must have told Boris. His scent was mixed with the blood in Alex’s room. The Termers were holding true to the Academy tradition of hating Lifers. They were banning together. Alex realized it didn’t matter if he was a Lifer underneath an Alpha who was a Termer; the target was still on his back.
Alex led the way to the classrooms. Jericho was content to follow, learning the hallways of the Academy. Alex liked the Alpha’s quiet ways. He had been under a few Alphas who insisted on pushing their leadership on everyone, making sure each knew who was in charge. Jericho accepted that he was one of the newest members of the Academy, and it didn’t seem to bother him to ask Alex for advice. Alex’s views on what made a leader were changing.
“Welcome to English,” Grace said from the front of the classroom. Her long dark brown hair swayed around her waist as she turned to smile at them with sightless blue eyes.
Alex took a seat and smiled at her even though she couldn’t see him. Grace had lost her eyesight due to experiments during the same time Kaynan was made into a werewolf. Somehow, that linked them. Grace could see when Kaynan was in wolf form beside her. She taught without needing to see, however, and was one of Alex’s favorite teachers.
“We thought it would be interesting to begin the term learning about ‘The Call of the Wild’,” Grace said. Several students in the class laughed. She held up the book. “Prepare to be educated by Jack London. This story was originally published in serial form in a magazine, with one portion being released at a time. We’ll follow the same format as we read.”
Alex glanced at Cassie. His sister was already ten pages into the book. He sighed and opened his own. Reading wasn’t his favorite thing, but he would humor Professor Grace and attempt it.
***
Professor Lyra looked just like her husband in that she was small and skinny with big glasses, but Lyra also had long blonde hair pulled back in two braids. She wore a lab coat and smelled faintly of cleaning agents. Her room was the cleanest in the entire school.
Biology began with Professor Lyra showing the muscle breakdown of a deer on the screen. Everyone in Alex’s pack moaned. Alex stifled a laugh.
“We just saw that,” Terith complained.
Professor Mouse adjusted his glasses and gave her a surprised look. “If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time I’ve taught animal musculature,” he began.
Von spoke up with a finger in his nose, “Professor Rafe’s wolves killed a deer while we were in wilderness education.”
Trent nodded. “It was a first-hand encounter with the deer’s musculature,” he said.
Mouse fought back a smile at the students’ dismayed tones. The professor glanced at Pack Raynen’s side of the classroom. “Did you happen to have a similar experience?” he asked.
Raynen shook his head. “The deer was pretty much eaten when it was our turn. We saw mostly bones.”
“Lucky,” Terith said quietly.
Mouse glanced at Lyra. “Wish I could have been there,” she stated.
Terith shook her head and let out a loud sigh. “You’re all sick.”
Mouse chuckled. “Well, since you’ve already seen this up close, you’ll know the answers to the questions I’m about to ask.” He pointed with a laser pen to the hind leg. “What is the name of this muscle?”
“The rump roast?” Pip replied.
Several members of Raynen’s pack laughed, but Jericho’s wasn’t amused. Alex shot him a grin, surprised at the small Second Year’s bravery. It he wasn’t careful, the Termer was going to be hazed next.
Mouse rolled his eyes. “Very funny, Pip. We’re going to go with the biceps femoris muscle. Can anyone tell me why this is important?”
Chapter Seven
By the time the pack was dismissed, Alex’s page was filled with notes. He shut his notebook and followed the others into the hallway.
“What next?” Pip asked.
Jericho gave him a stern look as Pack Raynen walked by. “Are you trying to get on the other packs’ bad side?” he asked.
Pip ducked his head as protocol dictated and scuffed his toe on the ground. “No. I’m sorry.”
Jericho couldn’t keep his stern expression long. “I’m just trying to protect you,” he told the younger werewolf. “You might want to keep that mouth in check if you don’t want to become the center of attention around here, especially with the kind of attention our pack has been attracting.”
“Okay,” Pip agreed. He glanced at Alex. Alex was surprised to see the boy’s search for approval. He couldn’t keep a stern expression, and when he smiled, Pip grinned back and followed at his side to history.
Alex grimaced at the sight of Torin’s pack already seated on one side of the room. The Lifer Alpha looked just as excited to see Pack Jericho walk in.
“Great, the rejects,” he muttered.
Several members of his pack laughed.
“Hope you enjoy Pack Loser, Amos,” Sid, Torin’s Second, said.
“It’s good,” Amos replied.
“It’s good,” Sid mimicked, imitating the werewolf’s slow speech.
Amos looked at Jericho.
“Ignore him,” the Alpha commanded. Amos nodded and looked away from the laughing pack.
“Good morning, Professor Thorson,” Cassie said as soon as he entered the room.
“Good morning, Miss Cassie.” The smile the human professor gave her warmed Alex’s heart.
Cassie and the elderly professor had become fast friends during their first years at the Academy. Professor Thorson was learning how to work with werewolves, and Cassie hadn’t opened up to anyone besides Alex since their parents were killed. Given Cassie’s keen interest in history, and Professor Thorson’s ability to teach facts all day without referring to a book, it was a friendship forged the moment she had stepped into his classroom as a First Year.
“In this class, we’re going to begin with werewolf mythology and how it ties into the fears we encounter today,” the professor began.
Torin sat up. “How is that history? Werewolf mythology isn’t made up of facts.”
“Are you sitting here today?” Professor Thorson asked.
“Does it look like I’m sitting here today?” Torin retorted in an obstinate tone.
“Yes, it does,” the professor answered simply, obviously used to stubborn students. “And you are a werewolf. Because werewolves are born, and not made through bites and other methods of spreading lycanthropy as some myths detail, werewolves have a past just like humans. Therefo
re, werewolf mythology must contain some facts, otherwise you appeared from nowhere.”
“Poof,” Pip called out.
The look Torin shot the Second Year was filled with threat.
Professor Thorson held up a hand. “Alright. Let me prove it to you. Open the books in front of you to page thirty. There are many accounts of ancient gods changing mortals into wolves. In fact, one of the oldest known written works on earth is called “The Epic of Gilgamesh”, in which the goddess Ishtar turns a man into a wolf.”
He smiled and sat on the edge of his desk. “In the human world, Lycanthropy is defined as a mental disorder in which the patient believes that he or she is a wolf.” Several students laughed. The professor continued, “However, we know a lycanthrope is a werewolf; the word comes from the Greek lykos, meaning wolf, and the Greek anthropos, meaning man. This word can be found throughout history, and in some of the oldest accounts of mythology.”
He indicated the page he had instructed them to turn to. “In ancient Greece mythology, the King Lycaon of Acadia attempted to feed human meat to a visitor, who turned out to be none other than the god Jupiter. Jupiter transformed Lycaon in to a wolf. Lycaon’s name and the word Lycanthropy come from the root of the Greek word lykos, meaning wolf. So you see, the myths are connected.”
“So the Greeks believed in werewolves?” Torin asked. There was a hint of interest in the bored tone he tried to maintain.
“Very much so,” Professor Thorson replied. “Many civilizations have their own werewolf stories. Did you ever hear the story of Romulus and Remus?”
“I have,” Cassie said.
Alex smiled. It was unusual for his sister to speak up in class.
At the professor’s nod, Cassie recited, “Romulus and Remus are a part of Roman mythology. Their mother, Rhea Silvia, conceived twins by the god Mars. When the twins were born, they were thrown into a river by Rhea Silvia’s jealous uncle Amulius. The twins were saved by a wolf who raised them. Remus was later killed, and Romulus founded a great city, and named it after himself.”
“Rome,” Pip said, his eyes wide.