Xena’s POV

I hadn’t noticed how crowded the campus had become. The first bell rang, letting us know we had five minutes to get to class.

Samuel frowned as we both stood up to head inside. I felt someone watching me and turned to see Ryder staring at me from across the quad. Helen was practically glued to his side. I wanted to smack that smug look off her face, but I turned and headed to class instead.

The morning dragged by slowly. The teachers’ lectures were mind-numbingly boring. I was taking all advanced classes, which actually required me to pay attention, but I couldn’t focus.

My last class before lunch was Advanced Calculus. The door opened, and Ryder walked in with another guy I didn’t recognize. Ryder scanned the room, spotted me, and sat on the opposite side. His sexy friend sat next to him. I was in the back row—I couldn’t concentrate in the front. Not knowing what was happening behind me made me anxious, so I always sat in the back.

Occasionally, I’d feel his gaze on me, but I tried to focus. The teacher was reviewing last semester’s material, so I pulled out my sketchpad and continued working on my phoenix design. Most people didn’t know my IQ was off the charts. Three years ago, I tested out of high school, but I didn’t want to be a freak, so I chose to stay and go year by year.

All the teachers knew, which is why they never called on me or worried when I skipped. Not to mention they were all werewolves who knew exactly who I was. Dad and the other alphas had ordered them not to tell anyone about my intelligence. It wasn’t something I wanted to share anyway.

When the bell finally rang, the teacher called out, “Miss Harris, could you come here for a moment?”

Everyone left except Ryder and his friend. “Hello, Ms. Johnson. I’m Ryder, and this is William. I wanted to introduce myself,” he said smoothly.

“Ah yes, Alpha Benedict’s son?” she looked at him.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied.

“Pleasure to meet you. I should mention that even Alpha’s sons aren’t exempt from homework,” she said, giving him a stern look. I stood awkwardly to the side.

“Understood,” he said, clearly annoyed but not arguing.

“Miss Harris, can I count on you again this year?” she asked, turning to me.

I couldn’t help the smug smile that crossed my face. “Yes, ma’am. Looking forward to it.”

“Excellent. I’ll email you the details.”

“Sounds good!” I said before walking away.

“Wait!” Ryder jogged to catch up with me. “Xena, this is William. He’ll be my beta. William, this is Alpha Hank’s daughter.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” he said formally.

I raised an eyebrow at his professionalism. “Likewise. If you’ll excuse me…” I turned to leave. My stomach was growling.

“Still on for this afternoon?” Ryder called after me.

“Yes, sir,” I replied without looking back. I could feel them following me, but I didn’t care. I needed food.

The lunch bell rang, and I quickly grabbed my tray, scanning the cafeteria for familiar faces. Like always, each group had claimed their territory, wolves sitting with their packs while humans filled in the remaining spaces, blissfully unaware of the predators in their midst.