Serenity's POV
The ride with Eric and Anna going to school was entertaining. Eric just listened to Anna, and I rant about the boys and the pack, how we never get to go out more like, how I can't go out with Anna- or how I regularly get swept off my feet and over one of their shoulders when they see a boy walk around.
"It's just crazy." Anna laughs, "I swear if it isn't for Biology, I don't think Serenity would know what a- "
"Okay!" I cut her off, saving both Eric and me the embarrassment.
Eric gave me a thankful look. I tipped my head sideward and grinned in response. It is fantastic how we have this body language thing between us. It makes things less awkward.
But Anna was with us, and I shouldn't put my guards down.
"I am serious! You haven't even touch any other boy or talked with anyone else other than the Alpha boys." She crossed her arms over her chest, sat back, and looked out the window, frustrated.
I felt my cheek flush, and my hand instantly covered my face, amused and embarrassed at the same time, trying to hide from Eric. I glanced at him, and he has an eyebrow raised. He glanced at me.
"Is that true?" he asks.
"The blush and embarrassment on my face?" I chuckled, "Yes."
He laughs, keeping his eyes on the road. "The spoke to nobody else than Alpha boys."
"Oh…" I looked away, "Yeah, it's practically home and school for me. No extracurricular even. My dad spoke to the headmaster, who told the teachers that I could only be paired with Anna or Liam for projects."
"And they agreed to it?" he asks, surprised.
I shrugged, "When you tell people that it's for security purposes and present proof in the form of police records of kidnapping attempts on me, I guess anyone would agree."
"Oh…" he frowned, his face looks like he was thinking hard, "So, you were kidnapped before?"
"Not me." I shook my head. "My double."
"Double?"
"Jane," Anna answers, bored, "during the start of high school, she was killed when some hunter mistook her as Serenity." She absentmindedly sighed. "Jane was a rogue, but seeing that she looked almost like Serenity, her dad took her into be- "
"I think Eric got the gist, Anna," I said in almost a whisper, but I was sure they heard it.
"Sorry…" Anna murmured.
I stared out the window, nothing, in particular, my thoughts lost with the memory of Jane. We weren't just look-a-like; we thought alike too. Whenever the boys were an ass, she'd kick them back in place for me.
The day she died was the day before my 16th birthday, dad- with much pleading and kneeling- finally agreed that I could go out to the mall and go bowling. Those days it was as if we were worrying about nothing. No scent, no tracks, or even news about the hunters, and I used that as a reason to get what I want.
To the boys' dismay, we went to the mall, bought ice cream, looked around stores, and tried clothes. It can easily be considered the best day of my life. Until Jane never came out of the dressing room, we looked for her all over the mall. Anna thought she gave us the slip to buy me a gift, but when we called her, the shuffling, the shouting and fighting- the scream. I closed my eyes tight, shutting away the memory.
"Serenity?"
I sat up and turned to Eric, who had his hand over my shoulder. He was looking worriedly at me. I glanced out and realized that we were already in school. Anna was outside Eric's Aston martin.
"You okay, cherry blossom?"
Hearing my nickname made me grin and sigh. Calming myself down, "Yeah… I think so."
He smiled and squeezed my shoulder, "Everything will be fine, princess, that will never happen again, okay?" he said this with so much assurance that I believed it right there and then. "Great." Then he glanced outside as well and caught his smile falter, "I hope I can say the same for me."
I followed his gaze and saw some of the female shifters from our pack trying to see through the heavily tinted car windows.
I laughed, "What? The boy who had the guts to walk into me taking a bath, scared of clothed girls?"
He laughs as well, "If you consider that clothing, then I've arrived in male heaven." He points out the girls' clothes that showed off their perfectly flat stomachs and toned legs.
I raised a brow and smirked, "Then show me that you mean what you said to the boys."
He gave me a look then another glance at the girls before sitting up. "Okay, you know, I'm not into the man whore thing, but you do understand that I am a growing alpha boy with constant hormone high." I pressed my lips together, fighting off a smile, "I mean, even a human boy must have so much trouble here…."
"Your point being?" I grinned.
He scratched the back of his head, his face scrunching up, and he blushes. "You might catch me, Uhm, adjusting it when I'm approached by one of those."
I laughed again, "Those are my pack sisters, silly."
"From what I witnessed yesterday, you don't care who the girl is." He smirks, reminding me that he witnessed the fight outside mama Ellena.
Come to think of it, I never asked what he was doing at Mama Ellena's home.
I hear Anna call from outside and glanced down his body and back, biting my lip, "I don't think that adjusting it would be classified as man whoring. So don't worry, it's cool." I smiled at his surprised and still red face. "Besides, that's one of the few natural things I can let pass."
He chuckled as I unlock my door, but I felt Eric reach for my hand. "Serenity, wait." I turned to him and was surprised that he leaned forward. I looked down at his lips then back at his eyes. "Let me get that."
With that said, he quickly stepped out of his door and opened my door in a split second. I wasn't even able to pull away from the awkward position he put me in.
"Serenity?" he held out his hand.
I rolled my eyes, thinking how corny it is, but I still accepted his help.
"I guess the news is true…." I stepped up nearer to him and heard a few gasping around us, "chivalry has gone to the dogs."
He laughed as I stepped aside and passed by him. He closes the door and walked behind me.
"Good morning, ladies." I greeted.
"Good morning, princess."
"A welcoming committee for me. This is new." I looked around. They were all eyeing Eric, and that sort of made me angry. "I'm guessing my brother and the boys haven't arrived yet?"
"Yes, well, it is a bit early…" one girl answered, "surprising you aren't with them today, princess."
I smiled, stepped aside, and made room for Eric, "Oh, well, that's because I left early with Eric here."
His effect was fatal, the girls went all seductive and eyed him with lust, and it made me laugh when he took a step away.
"Hello, ladies." He said, "My name's Eric Johansen from the Crescent Pack."
"Seeing you are with the princess, should we assume you are an Alpha blood?" Krystal asks.
"Yes, I am," Eric says.
"Hmm, the princess' mate perhaps?"
Eric smiled at me, "We'll know during her birthday, wouldn't we?"
I caught the girls exchanged looks, "Then you aren't allowed to be near her. That will not be fair to the other suitors, would it?"
I rolled my eyes, "Fair or not. I doubt I would get along with the other Alpha boys."
Suddenly we heard a buzz around the parking lot, we looked, and I frowned. My brother's hummer came into view and parked beside us.
Students walked toward us while the female lit up instantly and ran to meet my brother, Liam, Jake, and Aaron.
I shook my head in disgust.
"See what we have to put up with every morning?" Anna mumbles. "I swear, someone needs to knock some sense to those boys of yours, Serenity. I'll take care of the girls."
Eric chuckled, "Well, he is the soon-to-be Alpha of the Royal Family's pack and not to mention the captain of the football team, and the others are his next in command. What do you expect?"
I watched as they filed out of the car, saying hi to the girls and their friends. Some were human.
"Urgh, such a cliché," I said. "Anyway, we should get you your schedule and stuff."
He nodded as we walked through the crowd. Then someone pushed me, and I felt myself about to make a face plant when I felt an arm encircle my waist and pulled me back.
I looked behind me, leaning on Eric's muscular chest, "You okay, cherry blossom?"
It took a moment before I nodded in response. At this point, I can't seem to trust my words. Again, Eric was too near, and I don't think he is aware of his effects on me. He nods before slowly letting me go, still keeping me near him as his expression turned into a glare.
"Watch where you're going." He says. The moment I saw who it was, I frowned.
"Hm, the new boy's feeling brave." Orlando grimaced. His friends laughed with him.
"I think you owe my friend an apology." Eric continued, not stepping back.
"Who? This snobbish popular queen bee here?" he glances my way, looking at me with disgust. "I didn't even know she can make friends aside from those who her brother approved of."
Okay, so let me introduce you to Orlando Bush. Yeah, I hope he was a classy as the once first family, but no. He has terrible news from head to toe- even his aura was menacing.
"Eric." I reached for his arm and pulled him back, "Let's just go."
Eric looked at me for a moment, and he calmed down a bit and nodded.
"New boy's a pussy." Orlando says, and his friends laugh again.
Eric glared back at him, and this time, so did I.
"Look here, class clown," I snapped. He turned to me, obviously surprised that I was talking to him, "you aren't that funny, nor do I appreciate uncalled-for attention from you. So if you treasure your family jewels, I'm advising you to get your fat asses out of our way before I move you myself."
They all exchanged looks then laughed before they laughed at my face.
Well, I can't expect them to obey. They are humans, after all. It's moments like this. I love Siam and Liam's tag team, but not today, maybe never again.
I stepped up at Orlando and bitch slapped him right in front of the whole school population- okay, that's a bit of exaggeration, but you get what I mean. His head was thrown sideward. His hand reached for the cheek I hit; the moment he stood up, he glared at me.
"Again, get out of my way." I sneered.
"You bitch!" he snaps, but I was just too angry that I hit him again, this time hard enough to make him fall on the ground.
I hovered over him, making him look up at me, his face all red. The second one will surely bruise.
"Next time I said get out of my way, you do it." I snarled and kicked him where the sun doesn't shine, and with the shoes, I was wearing, even I have got to say that it hurt.
He rolled on the ground, holding unto his precious and fragile broken cargo, whining in pain. With that, I walked back to Eric, who had his mouth open and was gawking at me.
I gave him a sweet smile as if nothing happened. "Shall we?"
He chuckled and gave a weak nod. "Remind me not to get on your bad side." He says, making me laugh. At the same time, Anna made people get a move on, saying that the show was over.
I turned to where the boys were, and they were still gawking, Liam, of course. He had a knowing smile on his face. He taught me how to hit and kick hard. Just in case I need to defend myself, he said.
Then I turned to Eric again, "Let's go."