“Ms. Brown!” I heard a voice yell, jolting me from my sleep. I looked up to see my math teacher, Mrs. Jacobs, scowling down at me.

“You may be top of the class, but I won’t allow you to sleep in my class,” she firmly said.

“I apologize; it won’t happen again,” I said, and she rolled her eyes, walking back to the board to continue with the lesson. I haven’t been having much sleep together with the assignments I have to do plus those of other people . I have no time to sleep.

The lesson went by in a daze. Before I realized it, it was already lunchtime. I had some pieces of bread that I took from the park house when our Luna asked me to throw them away.I planned to have them instead of buying lunch from the cafeteria. I make a little bit of money by doing other people’s homework and helping some in their tests, so I can use it for lunch money. But as our departure draws near, I plan to save every penny I have.

I walked out into the busy hallway. Everyone was talking about the coming-of-age celebration of the Alpha’s son, Elijah, and no one noticed me, which was a relief.

I pulled my hoodie up as I made my way down the crowded hallway to my locker, trying to blend into the throng of students.

Suddenly, Elijah materialized before me, clad in his leather jacket, jeans, and boots, his imposing frame blocking my path with an air of entitlement, his figure menacing, his dark presence casting a shadow over my small frame. I felt a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach, making me swallow hard and take a step back.

“Where are you going, carrot head?” he said, taking a step closer, his gray eyes piercing through me with an icy coldness that sent shivers down my spine. His smirk filled with malice.

Elijah was a true Alpha; not only was he the captain of the football team and the most popular guy in school, he had a commanding presence with a strong, muscular build and a confident demeanor. His dark hair is usually kept short.

He bears the mark of leadership with pride, exuding strength and power in every movement. He was a guy every girl had a crush on, a modern-day Adonis. But most importantly, he was my bully; he, like everyone else in town and the pack, hated my guts.

One of his cronies, Isaiah, who was also his best friend, trailed behind him, his smirk mirroring his own. Isaiah was usually nice to everyone else but me; people in the pack even call him the nicest guy around, fitting his position as Elijah’s Beta perfectly.

He too was part of the school’s football team. His lean, toned physique, and athletic build speak of agility and endurance.

“Well, well, well, look who decided to grace us with her presence,” Isaiah sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. “Do you have our homework, carrot head?” he asked.

“Y-Yes,” I stammered and reached into my shoulder bag.

“I don’t like what you did with your hair,” Elijah said, touching a short strand of my brownish-red locks. I have always had ginger hair, but everyone growing up kept calling me carrot head, so I told Maria to dye my hair. But that didn’t stop them from calling me that name up until now. A few days ago, somebody stuck bubblegum in my hair while I slept in class, so Mariah had no choice but to cut my hair short.

I frantically looked and looked, but his homework wasn’t in my bag, and then it hit me; I remembered rushing out and leaving it on the kitchen table because of how late I was.

My heart pounded in my chest as I braced myself for the inevitable onslaught of insults.

“You’re wasting our time,” Elijah said impatiently.

“I’m so sorry,” I said and began apologizing.

“You worthless idiot!” he yelled, and I cowered from his anger. Not only because he bullied me but because he was soon to be Alpha.

“I need my homework first thing tomorrow; get it!” he gritted in anger before storming off.

“Better not forget it,” Isaiah said and tugged painfully onto my short hair. I heard everyone whispering and giggling; even the teachers turned a blind eye to my bullying, so I learned to take it. I learned the hard way not to fight back or tell any of the teachers.