Chapter 7 Dakota I closed my locker's door and to my surprise, I saw Logan leaning on the next locker. I ignored him and turned to leave. "Dakota," he called hoarsely. "What do you want?" I asked, turning back to look at him. "Are you here to remind me that I am nothing but a weakling? Can you make me understand what you guys gain from bullying people that are inferior to you guys? I'm sure you must have had a good laugh after you disgraced me in the morning." "Are you through?" Logan asked, glancing at my lips. God, he was unbelievable. I sighed. "We need your help, Dakota," he said at once. I raised an eyebrow. "We?" "Your stepbrothers. We need your help with our studies-" "Oh, all of a sudden you guys accept I'm your stepsister?" I asked, with a mocking smile. "Principal Serena just informed me that if my brothers and I don't perform well this summer, we won't make it into College. That also means that we won't qualify to be the Alphas of Crescent Ridge Pack. I heard that you were the best student in Silver-Claw Academy, so we will need your help." I leaned closer to him. "You really have some guts to think I'll care or consider helping you guys." I made to leave but he gently caught my wrist. "Leave me alone," I said, struggling to get free from his grip. He pinned me to the locker and placed his right hand above my head. We locked gaze with each other, intensely. "Relax, sissy. It's an offer," he said, grinning. Yeah, he was more handsome and charming when he grinned but I disliked it. "I'll train you to control your wolf in return." I stared at him for a while. He leaned in closer and whispered in my ear. "What do you say?" "No, thanks," I snarled, pushing him away. "Dakota," he called, but I walked away. I stormed back into the classroom, my pulse still racing from the locker hallway encounter. Logan's nerve never failed to amaze me. After everything he and his brothers had put me through public humiliation, verbal abuse, mocking my status as a so-called weakling-he had the audacity to ask for my help? I stepped into the room, ignoring the buzz of whispering students. My seat was at the far end, right near the windows. I could make it if I kept my head down. Almost. A stretched leg tripped me halfway through. I stumbled forward, my books flying from my hands, papers fluttering to the ground like defeated butterflies. Laughter erupted immediately. "Oops," Matilda cooed with fake innocence, examining her manicured nails. "Watch your step, Dakota." Kylie giggled. "Seriously, are you blind and pathetic at the same time?" Keisha leaned over my scattered books, using the tip of her high heel to shove one farther away. "Oopsie. Maybe next time you should crawl. Might suit you better." I swallowed hard, biting my lower lip to keep my temper in check. I crouched down and began collecting my things. My hands trembled, but not from fear. From pure, seething rage. "Look at her," Kylie said, voice thick with mockery. "The Crescent Ridge Pack's charity case." "More like a rejected stray mutt," Keisha added, laughing cruelly. "Class, did you know that Dakota's real dad actually rejected Dakota and her mom because they were nothing more than weaklings?" The class erupted in laughter. Tears threatened to sting the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them back. No. Not here. Not in front of them. And then I heard a voice. Low, sharp. Calm but deadly. "Pick that up, Keisha." Silence rippled through the room. I froze, my hand hovering over a paper. Keisha looked up, her face paling. "River, hey, we were just-" "I said pick. it. up." River's voice didn't rise in volume. It didn't need to. There was something in the way he said it that made the air crackle with tension. Matilda tugged at Keisha's shoulder. Keisha bent down, face flushed, and retrieved the paper she'd kicked. "Apologize," River said, stepping closer. His eyes, gray and ice-cold, bore into her. "What's going on here?" Conan questioned as he walked into the class with his brothers. Everyone began to give them explanations of what happened. "Well, I think we all can agree that Dakota is old enough to stand up for herself, right? Oh... true. Weak wolves do need heroes." Conan teased, as they moved to their seats. Majority of our class members laughed. "I'm still waiting for your apology. Or would you rather I tell the class the secret you told your friends?" River questioned. Keisha looked like she might faint. "Sorry, Dakota." "And the rest of you," River turned toward Matilda and Kylie, who were suddenly busy looking at anything but him. "Do you think bullying her makes you strong?" "We were just playing," Matilda mumbled. River gave a cold chuckle. "Right. Playtime's over." I stood slowly, shocked beyond belief. He looked at me next, and our eyes met. For a moment, I saw something flicker there. Something protective... something raw. "You okay?" he asked, his voice gentler when directed at me. I nodded mutely, clutching my books to my chest. River turned and went back to his seat like nothing had happened. The rest of the class went on like they were walking on eggshells. The rest of the day passed in a strange blur. I couldn't stop replaying what had happened in my head. River had defended me. Publicly. That wasn't something anyone had done for me. When the bell rang for our project period, Alicia nudged me and grinned. "Ready for some fun? Let's make this project epic." I smiled back, still a little dazed. "Yeah... let's do it." We gathered in the back corner of the library where our group was to meet: Alicia, Melanie, River, Logan, and me. Logan strolled in late, looking like he owned the place. He dragged a chair beside me-too close-and casually dropped his bag on the table like he didn't almost pin me to a locker an hour ago. "Miss me?" he asked with a smirk, brushing his shoulder against mine. I glared at him. "Like a rash." "Our project topic is The Practical Applications of Calculus in Real Life," Alicia informed. It wasn't an easy one, but it was fair. And very Mrs. Freda. "Remember," Mrs. Freda had said sternly, adjusting her square glasses, "this will count for thirty percent of your summer math grade. I expect full cooperation from all group members." I pulled out my notes and went to sit beside River. Logan, of course, plopped down beside me, even though there was plenty of space elsewhere. "Let's divide this logically," Alicia said, taking the lead. "There are five of us, and five subtopics under the main theme: velocity and motion, population growth models, optimization in business, area under curves, and rates of change in biology and medicine." "I'll take velocity and motion," River said, flipping open a fresh page in his notebook. "I've got some ideas about how it relates to werewolf speed training." That earned a couple of raised brows. "Creative," Melanie commented. "I'll do population models." "I'll handle optimization in business," Alicia added. "I've got a cousin who runs a shop; I can ask her questions." I glanced at the paper. "I can take area under curves. There's this concept involving land measurement and environmental impact I was reading about." "That leaves me with rates of change in biology," Logan muttered. "Perfect," Alicia said, ignoring his grumpy tone. We all started jotting down notes, but Logan wasn't doing much other than glancing from my paper to River's face. Especially when River leaned toward me and asked, "So, are you thinking of modeling that with integrals or just sticking to graphical interpretations?" "I was thinking integrals, then maybe support it with a visual analysis," I said, eyes lighting up as I flipped through my textbook. "I read about this technique involving trapezoidal approximations-" "I didn't know you were such a nerd," Logan said loudly, interrupting. I looked up, startled. River sighed. "She's contributing. Try it sometime." Logan scoffed, leaning back in his chair. "Sorry, didn't realize we were all trying to impress River the Great." We ignored him. For the next hour, we actually made good progress. River and I collaborated closely on the content layout. Our conversation was quiet and natural, flowing between notes and light banter. At one point, our heads were both bent over the same textbook, and our arms brushed. I looked up, and he was already watching me. His voice lowered. "You're really good at this, you know." I blinked. "At what?" "Explaining things. Leading." My breath hitched, but I recovered. "Thanks." He smiled, small and genuine. "You're strong, Dakota. Don't let them tell you otherwise." I stared at him. My chest ached a little, not in a bad way. And then- Clatter. Logan pushed his chair back too forcefully and stood up. "I'm done for today," he announced. We all turned to look at him. "Everything alright?" Alicia asked cautiously. "Peachy," he said. "I just don't like distractions." I frowned. "Then maybe you shouldn't be part of a group project." Logan shot me a glare. "Maybe you shouldn't flirt with every guy who says two nice words to you." The silence that followed could slice through bone. River stood up slowly. "You got something to say, man?" Logan shrugged, the arrogance rolling off him in waves. "Seems like she forgets how fast people can turn on her. Her dad for example." "Don't test me," River said coldly. "I'm not scared of you or your little Crescent Ridge bloodline drama." "Of course you're not. You're just thirsty for sloppy seconds," Logan snapped. "I hope you don't deceive my stepsister and leave her like her dad did." I gasped, my eyes wide. "Excuse me?" We locked gaze with each other for a while before a tear rolled down my cheek. "Now you've ruined every chance of me wanting to help you with your studies. I won't help you. I don't care if Principal Serena herself comes begging. If you and your brothers fail and never become Alphas, maybe the Pack will benefit from not crowning arrogant bullies with titles they don't deserve." Logan looked like I'd slapped him. "We can continue the project tomorrow, guys." River placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Let's get out of here." "Yeah," I whispered, my voice shaking from fury. "Sorry, Dakota," Alicia yelled as we left the study hall. Once we were down the hallway, River leaned against the wall, watching me as I paced. "You okay?" he asked. "I don't know," I replied honestly. "I've never said all that out loud before." "Well," River said with a half-smile, "you've got a hell of a voice when you do." I laughed, even though I felt like crying. "Thanks. For earlier too. In class." "I don't like bullies," he said. "And I really don't like people who try to break others just to feel powerful." I nodded. "You're so cool." There was a long pause. Then he said, more quietly, "Why did your dad leave you and your mom?"