Five
The next morning, Sara was awoken from her sleep by a loud sound. She jolted awake, her eyes roaming the room frantically, searching for an intruder.
From her vantage point on the bed, she could see no one. And then she remembered going to sleep against the door. Why was she on the bed?
She looked down at herself and found that she was in the same clothes she had worn yesterday. The fear that had gripped her for a second that maybe one of her roommates had broken into her room waned.
She must have woken up in the middle of the night and came over to the bed, she figured. Not only was she still in yesterday's outfit, but she was also lying on top of the duvet.
Relief swept through her. She had survived the first night. Now, all she had to do was survive the first day.
Checking her phone, she saw that it was half past seven. She had to get her course timetable from the office at eight, and then find her way to her first class.
Getting out of bed, she walked to the door and listened. There was no sound coming from the other side, and she hoped that meant her roommates were gone.
When she emerged in the living room, it was indeed empty. Going back into her room, she gathered her toiletries and towel and headed for the bathroom. She took a quick shower, and then went back to her room and changed. Then, grabbing her book bag, she left the room, locking the door behind her.
She made it to the office just a little past eight. The secretary's desk outside the school president's office was empty, so she stood nearby and waited.
A few moments later, the door to the presidents' office opened and a woman walked out, followed by a man.
"Do you need anything?" the woman asked her, getting behind the secretary's desk.
"Yes. My name is Sara Mae Xavier, I'm new. I came to fetch my school timetable."
"Give me a minute," the secretary said, getting on her computer.
"Miss Xavier?" A stern masculine voice came from behind her. Sara turned and found the man who had come out of the office glaring at her. "Come into my office," he said, and then walked back into the president's office.
Sara gulped, unsure why the president was addressing her so sternly. It was only her first day and she hadn't done anything to warrant getting summoned into his office.
"You better not keep him waiting," the secretary advised, giving her a quick glance before looking back down at her monitor. "I'll have your timetable ready by the time you are back."
Sara nodded and walked towards the president's office. The door had closed behind him, and she pushed it open and walked inside.
He was standing at a window behind a huge mahogany desk, his back to the door.
"Yes, sir?" she announced her arrival, clasping her hands in front of her belly.
The man turned, his grey eyes hostile as they landed on her. "So you are the one who had the nerve to attack the Alpha King."
Sara swallowed. Oh, so it was about that. Is this something he did to every new delinquent who got dumped in his school?
"Yes," she replied.
He scoffed, walking away from the window and towards her. "Such guts. You have no shame, do you?"
Sara bit her tongue. It would be no use to tell him that she wasn't in the wrong. The court hadn't believed her, and he already seemed to have made up his mind about her.
"Good thing you are here," he said, coming to a stop a few feet from her. "I love dealing with Omegas like you who think they can do whatever they want."
Sara's hands folded into fists at the threat. If the school's president had his eyes on her, she would have to be extra careful to not cause any trouble.
She drew her gaze from his, and her eyes fell on a portrait with a familiar face mounted on the wall. Her insides shrunk as Victor's eyes stared back at her. Victor. He was the sponsor of the school.
She now knew this had little to do with the president's routine for newcomers and more to do with the fact that the Alpha King sponsored the school. Giving her a hard time was without a doubt his way of currying favour with Victor.
It really was going to be hard to keep a low profile in this school, wasn't it?
The president eventually let her leave, after warning her that he would keep his eyes on her and if she stepped out of line, he would be happy to set her straight. She was relieved to get her timetable and leave the vicinity of the office.
Looking at her timetable, she realised she had a class right then, in building B. Fortunately, the building was not far from the administration offices, and she found the lecture hall after a few minutes.
There were students in the class, but the professor wasn't there yet. Looking around the hall, she located an empty seat on the second row. She started for it, but suddenly, someone stepped into her path and blocked her.
She only had enough time to register that it was the girl who had been with Kai the previous day before the girl slapped her hard across the face.
Sara gasped in shock, holding her smarting cheek. "What the hell?" she demanded, glaring at the girl.
"That will teach you not to steal peoples' boyfriends," the girl said, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Excuse me?" Sara demanded. "What are you talking about?"
The girl pushed her shoulder roughly, causing her to stumble backward. "Don't you dare act innocent. If it weren't for you, Kai wouldn't have broken up with me."
"What has that got to do with me?" Sara demanded, getting angry. But she held herself back, even though she badly wanted to slap her right back. She couldn't afford to get into a fight. Not after the very specific threats the president just made.
"Everything!" the girl snapped, her voice loud enough that everyone in the class could probably hear. "You have only been here for a day and you are already throwing yourself at him like a cheap whore. Let me tell you, I don't care whether you are his roommate or not, if I see you near him again, I'll tear your ugly face and see what you can seduce him with."
"Did she just call you a whore?" Edna demanded, her mind-voice angry.
"Ignore her," Sara told her wolf through her thoughts. "She is just another pathetic bully."
"If we don't show her that she can't mess with us, she'll keep doing it," Edan pointed out, "like those girls back at home."
"Do you hear me?" the girl demanded, angry that Sara wasn't saying anything. "Stay away from Kai!"
"If you got dumped, that's none of my business," Sara told her. "Now if you'll get out of my way, I need to find a seat."
Edan bristled, dying for a fight, but Sara managed to keep her cool as she side-stepped the girl.
At least until the girl grabbed her by the back of her hair and pulled her back.
The last control Sara had on the situation slipped, and Edna got her way. Turning around, she reached for the girl and returned the favour, grabbing her hair too.
The class erupted into cheers as the two girls scuffled, knocking each other into the tables in the front row. At some point, they ended up on the ground, trading punches and slaps.
Nobody tried to stop the fight, and none of the two girls showed signs of giving in, until Kai appeared in the hall. Sara noticed him first. She shot to her feet and stomped over to him. "Can you please tell your crazy girlfriend that I have nothing to do with you breaking up with her?" she demanded, breathing heavily.
The other girl got to her feet, fixing her clothes and wiping a bloody nose.
Sara looked expectantly at Kai, waiting for him to set everything straight. But when he looked at her, he shrugged and said, "But you did seduce me."
Sara gaped, not believing what he had just said.
The class broke into whispers, and the girl tried to rush towards her again, but Kai stopped her. "I'm done with you," he told her, pushing her back.
She stumbled back, tears streaming down her face.
Sara grabbed Kai's arm and jerked, feeling her anger rise all over again. "What do you think you are doing?"
"God, what a bitch," some girl said as she led Kai's ex away.
Kai leaned towards her, his dark eyes gleaming with mischief. "Do you want me to lie about what we did all night long?"
On instinct, Sara raised her hand to slap him, but he caught her hand before she could make contact with his face. To her chagrin, he brought the back of her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly. "Let's talk later, babe. It's class time."
Then he let go of her and walked away, finding a seat in the hall.
Sara stood there, catching her breath, fighting the urge to go after him and knock some sense into his head.
In the end, she had to walk silently to her seat when the teacher appeared. Numerous pairs of hate-filled eyes followed her as she made her way to her chair. A few choice words were thrown her way, all from her female classmates.
Just like that, she became the common enemy of every female werewolf in the vicinity. It was like the school back at home all over again.