Chapter 6 Dakota As usual, my stepbrothers had left me to walk to school. I still wasn't over last Saturday night. The rejection. The shift. My wolf. "Hey," a husky voice called, bringing me out of my reverie. A car came to a stop beside me. The window of the passenger's seat opened and I sighted the mysterious guy from my birthday party. River. "Care for a lift? I believe you are going to school," he said, staring at me. "No, thanks. I can walk," I declined and continued walking. River continued driving. "The school is still far from here. It's not like I'm planning to kidnap you. I'm just offering help." "Which I clearly don't want," I snapped. "You must not have heard about River. He never takes no for an answer," he said, stopping the car. He leaned over and opened the door. "Please, get in." I bit my lower lip. "C'mon," he said, with a grin. "Alright. Only because I'm late for school." I slipped into the passenger's seat. Before I could reach for the door, River leaned over me, one hand braced against the headrest, the other reaching past my waist to grab the door. The sudden proximity stole the breath from my lungs. Whatever cologne he was wearing, it really suited him. He smelled really good, like fresh flowers. The door clicked shut beside me, but he didn't move away. His face was so close I could see the faint stubble along his jaw. "Your seatbelt," he murmured, voice low, smooth, and far too close to my ear. I could have done it myself, but he reached down slowly, fingers brushing my arm as he grabbed the seatbelt. My heart nearly leapt out of my chest. I was too aware of him, of the way his body boxed me in, of how his breath stirred the hair near my temple. He pulled the belt across me with maddening care, his knuckles skimming my collarbone as he clicked it into place. Our eyes met briefly, but in that fleeting second, I swear something inside me shifted. "There," he said, his voice a little lower and a little rougher. He didn't move away immediately. Neither did I. The silence stretched. "Are you okay?" I bit my lip and nodded. "Y-yeah, I am." He leaned back on his seat and started driving. "About last Saturday night-" "I'm fine," I chimed in. "I wasn't the one who rejected you, Dakota. I can't believe anyone would reject someone like you," he said, darting his gaze to me. "Can we not talk about it?" I asked. "Okay." In less than forty minutes, we arrived at school. "My first day in Crescent Ridge High School," River rolled his eyes as he got out of the car. He came around and opened the door for me. I got out of the car. "Thanks." He grinned. "You said you are a transfer student. Why were you transferred?" "Because we were moving into Crescent Ridge Pack," he explained as we walked into the school building. "It was all Brenda's idea." I arched an eyebrow. "Who's Brenda?" "My mom," he said, moving his hand through his hair. He smirked. "She's nice. Whenever you want, I could take you home to meet her." I smiled. "What do you think?" he asked as we walked into the class. Unexpectedly, I locked eyes with Logan. I looked away quickly and held River's hand. I could still feel Logan's burning gaze on me. "I can't believe she's with the new guy all of a sudden," Matilda said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Not like we care," Jasper scoffed. "We definitely don't," Conan added with a smirk. "She can be with whoever the fuck she wants. It won't change the fact that she is nothing but a weakling," Logan said and everyone laughed. I saw River's eyes darken. "Hey," he yelled, pointing to Logan. My grip tightened on his hand. "It's fine." Logan stood up. So did Conan and Jasper. "What?" "Don't you dare call her a weakling," River warned. "What will you do?" Logan asked. "Acting all tough and shitty for a weakling you just met on Saturday?" River released his hand from mine and began heading towards Logan. I swallowed hard. "River, you just got transferred. Please, ignore them." He didn't budge. "Hello everyone," a commanding voice called from the doorway, right in time to stop the drama that was about to unfold. "I'm Mr Isaac, your new History teacher. Mrs Hannah Freeman had to quit so she could concentrate on her family," he added from behind me. I began walking to an empty seat. "Dakota," Isaac called, making me stop. I turned around. "Good day, Mr Isaac," I greeted. He smiled at me. "I hope you enjoy your class with me, today," he said and turned to the board. "Alright, everyone take your seat." "You're lucky," River said, smirking. "You must not have heard of me," Logan said, frowning. "Oh, sure I did. I heard you and your brothers are nothing but bullies," River said, fiercely. "But have you ever heard of me?" "What's the noise about?" Isaac asked, turning away from the board. "It's nothing. Mind your business," Conan snapped. Isaac began walking towards my stepbrothers. "Trust me, I wouldn't even need to move a muscle before making you feel pain." "You didn't just threaten my brother," Jasper said angrily. "I did," Isaac said. "Last warning, kids. I respect your father but that wouldn't stop me from beating up your asses." I sat down. "This man has a lot of nerves. If he loves his job, he better not mess with Alpha Maddox's sons," I heard someone say from behind. "Hey," Alicia said, sitting beside me. "Hello," I said, looking at her. "And who's that hot guy you walked in with?" she inquired, searching my eyes. "River. I met him at my birthday party." "Gosh. Alpha Maddox's sons now have a competitor. Girl, he's as hot as hell." Alicia's eyes darted to them. "As for our new history teacher, he looks too handsome and tough for a teacher. He's the first teacher to put those bullies in their shoes. "So students, I know you have learnt a lot about History. Who can help me with the definition of History?" Isaac asked as he returned to the board. A lot of hands were raised. "Please help us, Ms. Dakota," Isaac said, pointing at me. But I didn't raise my hand. I stood. "History is the study of past events." "Correct," he said with a nod. I sat. "Ever heard of Silver Wolves? Anyone?" I swallowed and avoided looking at him. "Yes," Logan said. "Some people believe their existence is a rumor, some people believe it's history and some people believe it's real and they are still present." "A round of applause for-" "Logan Maddox." We clapped. "I'll point out one thing from what he said," Isaac paused, averting his gaze to me. "He said some people believe Silver Wolves' existence is History. Seventy-five percent of research says that Silver Wolves were a thing of the past. They were as numerous as white, black, brown and other colors of wolves." "Does that mean Silver Wolves' existence is not a rumor?" a student asked. "Yeah, it is not a rumor. They existed in the past-" "So, why did they go into extinction?" Alicia asked keenly. "Because they were hunted," Isaac answered. "By who?" "Hybrids," Logan replied. I became frightened. "He used to be the best student until Matilda turned him into a bully. He loved her so much and changed for her. Then, he influenced his brothers. It's hard to believe, right?" Alicia asked. She nudged me. "Hey. Did you hear something I said?" "Huh?" I snapped out of my reverie. "Jeez. You weren't even listening to me," Alicia said, tapping her forehead. I flicked my eyebrows. "I'm sorry. I got carried away." "Don't tell me you have a crush on your stepbrother," Alicia said, glaring at me. "No, gosh," I said, giving her a pathetic look. "Good. He's no longer the Logan we used to know," Alicia said. The bell went off, pulling us out of the past and into the present. Mr. Isaac turned away from the board. "Ah, time up. Anyways, there will be a test by the next class. Be prepared," he said, stacking his notes. "See you all soon." He gave one final look in my direction, his eyes unreadable, and then strode out. Almost immediately, the door creaked open and Mrs. Freda, our Math teacher, walked in briskly in her usual heels and a floral blouse that screamed 'strict but soft'. "Good morning, class," she said in that sharp, no-nonsense voice of hers. "Good morning," we chorused. She glanced at her clipboard. "Logan Maddox," she called. Logan, who had been lounging in his chair with one leg propped against the desk, raised a brow. "The Principal wants to see you," she informed. Without a word, he got up and left the room, brushing past River. Mrs. Freda turned her attention back to us. "Now, about your upcoming project-you'll be working in groups of five. I trust you all have figured out your groups?" Everyone began nodding. There were whispers and slight shuffles as students exchanged glances. "River?" Mrs. Freda's eyes flicked to him. "You're new here. You'll need to join a group. Any preference?" Before he could speak, her gaze settled on me. "Dakota's team has only three people. River, you'll be joining hers." I blinked. Wait, what? I thought Alicia had already gathered people for our group. "Actually-" a voice said from the doorway. Heads turned. Logan was back. "Mrs. Freda," he continued smoothly, "I don't have a team." "Logan," Matilda called. Mrs. Freda narrowed her eyes. "You don't have a team? I thought you were in your brothers' group." Logan shrugged, his tone lazy but eyes alert. "I didn't want to be in a group so they had someone else replace me. But now, I do." "Alright," she said, a bit hesitant. "Who do you want to join?" The entire class leaned in, waiting. Logan's gaze swept past everyone, then landed on me. Right through me. "Dakota's," he said simply. A stunned silence rippled through the room like a gust of wind. Even River turned to look at him, brows raised. Alicia's jaw was practically on the desk. "Excuse me?" I asked, blinking rapidly. "You-you want to join my group?" Logan walked further in, the usual arrogant tilt to his shoulders, but his face unreadable. "I expect you to be many things but not deaf, little Dakota." "I can't believe you are joining our group," Alicia started, clearly shocked. "Any issue with that?" Logan asked, still watching me, not Alicia. River's jaw tightened. "No," said Melanie, the quiet girl beside Alicia. "See?" Logan said with a slight smirk. "Y'all want me in your group." Mrs. Freda looked between all of us and sighed. "Fine. River, Logan, Alicia, Melanie and Dakota. That's one group. Now, no more switches." As she moved on to finalize the rest of the groups, the tension at our table was palpable. I could feel River's energy stiffening beside me. I cleared my throat. "So... Logan, why the sudden interest?" He pulled out the chair across from me and leaned back. "Maybe I like challenges." Alicia made a choking sound. "You mean the project or Dakota?" Logan gave a small smirk but didn't answer. Instead, his gaze slid to River and held. "I bet you don't have a problem with it. You are not threatened by my presence, are you?" "No," River said, keeping his voice low but direct. I pressed my fingers against my temples. "Can we just focus on the project?" "Sure, my lady," Logan muttered, sarcasm thick in his voice. "Don't call me that," I snapped quickly. Logan tilted his head. "Oh? Struck a nerve?" Mrs. Freda glanced up. "Do I need to separate you boys?" "No," Logan and River said in unison. Alicia leaned into me, whispering, "This is getting spicy." I groaned. "This isn't a soap opera, Alicia." She gave me a sly grin. "Could've fooled me." Just then, Logan leaned forward, arms folded on the table. His eyes bored into mine. "You must be having a good time with Mr Stranger." "Good is an understatement, Logan. I'm having the best time with him," I said, forcing a smile. River smirked beside me. "I heard that. Quite a good answer." Logan's eyes darkened. Alicia muttered under her breath, "Girl, you are in the middle of a serious situation. And I'm living for it." I sighed. Great. Just great. The worst part? I couldn't stand Logan. It was obvious he disliked me so much, so why did he join my group?