It was 2 am and I had just finished my English assignment, yawning and rubbing my chilling teal eyes and grabbing what remained of my now slightly warm tea.
It was now officially the last Monday of my senior year, and school hadn't been easy for me in the pack. My wavy silver hair and green eyes were unusual for a werewolf, let alone a human.
My father, Derrick Watson, the Beta of the ShadowFang pack, had told me they were a gift from my mother, but no one knows who my mother is other than him. And at this point, I'm pretty sure it's a secret he plans to take to his grave.
Years ago, before my birth, our pack was plagued by rogue attacks, and in one fierce battle, my father led a group of them away from the Luna, killing them but found himself too injured to carry on, he waited for death, proud he'd done his duty before dying.
But the goddess had other plans. His mate found him and healed him, and they made me at some point. My mother had died during my birth, leaving my father to wander back to this pack heartbroken and with me, a starving infant in his arms.
I've tried asking my father who my mother was, but he shuts down every time, saying that I had her eyes and that she was gentle and sweet., never a name, where she lived, nothing about where she came from, zero clues.
As frustrating as it was, it wasn't an issue until I got into school and noticed instantaneously that my hair confused the other children. I was left to my own devices a lot of the time since the other children kept their distance. But then again, that was before Dani's family transferred into our pack.
Daniella, unlike my peers, saw my hair as a wonder and latched onto me like an annoying ball of sunshine, following me and trying to get me to acknowledge her. And that took a few weeks if I'm completely honest.
I had learned to avoid all interactions with other kids by the third grade, so it was a hard habit for her to break me out of after five years of practice.
That all changed when Bethany Hart, the popular girl that was known to be dating the future alpha realized that the school year was already done, and unlike most of our classmates, no one had seen my wolf.
I hadn't struggled to keep my wolf under control when I'd lost my temper, not even once. Bea and I had been trying to finish up some homework in the cafeteria before heading home, we wanted to relax after we left.
But that's when Bethany walked up to us and just pulled the back of my chair down sending me to the ground and smashing my head off the linoleum.
"What the fuck!?" Dani cried out, standing hastily from her chair, her green eye changing as her wolf floated to the surface.
Yellow now cycling her irises, she let out a growl. Bethany and her two followers laughed.
"What's Janna going to do about it, hmm?" she grinned evilly before continuing a lot quieter, so only the wolves among us would hear. "I've watched her all year, and she's almost 17, she can't shift! She's Wolf-less, she can not take her father's position when MY Alpha is sworn in, she's worthless!"
Mandy, Daisy, and Bethany cackled wickedly. Their heavily makeup-caked faces looked like they could crack at any moment, while mine shifted to the expressionless mask I typically wore when students confronted me.
"Just cause she knows how to control her temper unlike you twits, doesn't mean she can't shift," Dani growled and pushed her away, warning her to stay away from me.
My father and I had done our best to keep it hidden, but it seems we had failed. The only people who knew were Alpha Pierce and Dani, but now my secret was about to be the talk of the town.
The next morning everything was different, whispers were heard wherever I went. Some insults, some pity, it seemed like I couldn't escape it even with Dani by my side, and eventually, the humans at our school began to treat me rudely as well.
When Dani was around I had fewer issues, so I pretty much only went to places with her or my father and tried to lie low when I had a class without her.
My father ultimately realized that the other kids were picking on me, and being the pack's Beta, and therefore in charge of our pack's forces, he decided I needed to start training.
And he didn't go easy on me, one day even bringing Dani into our training, so I had a sparring partner that was closer to my size.
Dani, wanting to help protect me, and wanting to be a future warrior, agreed instantly, ecstatic at the opportunity, and took the training incredibly seriously, which made the training much more difficult.
There came a time when even without my wolf and her strength I was able to overpower Dani, and the two of them beamed proudly at me, making a joke about trying to train me to beat my father next.
The three of us then went out for pie and ice cream to celebrate, we laughed and enjoyed each other's company.
Yes, she may have started annoying but she became more than my best friend, she became the sister who fights by my side. She was someone who I could always depend on, a true friend.
Putting my now empty cup down on my desk, I stood up and stretched before curling myself into my blankets hoping sleep would come quickly so I could wake up in time.
Dani will kill me if we're late again, it's bad enough she knows I plan to leave her for college. I close my eyes and it's not long before I slip into a deep sleep.