“Attention everyone!” The gymnastic professor yelled to overcome the background noise of chatting and laughing throughout the large hall.

“Please make two lines with your chosen pair.” She continued with her nasal voice. “Today we have a special assistant to help us with training.” Her voice became solemn while concluding the sentence.

Elena coupled with Rex, while Giulia stood in front of her brother. “Let’s show these puppies how it’s done!” Rex smirked with amused eyes, receiving in return a snort from a Black Devil wolf.

The first weeks at Redwood High went on smoothly, after their first eventful day, with the fight and Marco meeting his broody mate. Glances and stares were the only attention Elena and Giulia were receiving and, in all honesty, they also managed to become friendly with some Black Devil classmates. Rex was fully accepted in the Redwood football team, as he was one of the best players.

And about Marco, well... he was a very different case. In several occasions, when he appeared from behind a corner or entered a room, many Black Devil students stopped talking and directly stared at him, petrified, like he had a black shadow hovering him everywhere he went. Other times, they slightly bowed their heads.

Once, a young guy made Marco books scatter all over the floor, by accident, and was so mortified that fainted on Marco’s feet.

At first, Marco didn’t mind, pretending he wasn’t affected. Either ignoring them or scoffing, like a superior being. However, after some more episodes, he was totally angry at those Devils students, at his unaware mate and, also, at Elena and Rex, who started to bow their heads ~ in a sarcastic way, to add fuel to a very pissed fire.

One afternoon, after a group of students had approached Elena’s and Marco’s direction and suddenly moved to the opposite way, Marco grunted loudly and called his mate by the phone. He complained with a certain extend of exaggeration that Elena was laughing so much she had to hang herself on Marco’s stiff shoulder to not fall on the floor. She could imagine the speechless face of a shocked Crucifero on the other line, under his mate’s attack. Marco could be such a drama queen when he wanted to.

When the day after, the majority of Black Devil students were missing and Rex sarcastically said that Crucifero had put them in chain and enslaved them... well, later on, they discovered his joke wasn’t so far from the truth: they had undergone a tremendous training, barely allowed to eat and rest for the full day. Marco kept a satisfied grin on his face for the rest of the day, and not because he enjoyed the suffering of other fellow students. It was a gesture of care from his mate, even thought a bit dramatic and violent.

“Is Crucifero the special trainer today?” Elena asked Marco, busy with his phone.

“As if I knew what he does” He responded, rolling his eyes.

“Who could this special person be, then?” Giulia joined the conversation, ignoring her brother’s pouting face.

“I heard from Crucifero that their Alpha is back. So maybe is him.” Marco mentioned casually, checking his nails with too much interest. Elena and Giulia looked at each other and then back at Marco again. “Did Cruci actually tell you that?” Giulia questioned with a hint of suspicion. ”Did he actually pronounce three words in a row?” Rex mocked from behind. Elena put her elbow over Marco’s shoulder. “Crucifero already said three words in a row, Rex! Leave Marco alone!” She said with fake seriousness that didn’t go unnoticed to a grinning Rex.

“HE IS MIIIINE!” Elena growled loudly, imitating Crucifero deep voice, and resulting in a flush of laughs from Rex and Giulia, a snort from Marco and some coughs from herself, since she forced her throat too much in the action of pretending to be Marco’s mate. “That’s karma!” Marco jeered and poked repeatedly at her sides, making Elena suffocating between more coughs and laughs.

“Sooo..” Giulia intervened and looked at Marco with anticipation. “Pff yes ok!” Marco exclaimed rolling his eyes. “When I said ‘I heard’ I literally meant I heard.” He explained.

“You mean you were eavesdropping your mate!” Elena stated, with fake accusation in her voice. His mouth trembled into a smile. “Well a mate has to do what he has to do!”

“I wouldn’t be surprise if you were checking his phone either.” Giulia mentioned casually. When Marco didn’t reply and held a guilty face, Rex was shaking his head, muting “Stalker”.

“So! Go to the point.” Elena continued.

“You heard Crucifero talking to someone and you have figured out his Alpha is back”

“No! I assumed it!” Marco replied while resting his elbow on Rex’s shoulder nonchalantly. “He was repeating the name ‘Mirko’ and ‘Alpha’ in the same conversation in a way that they are the same person and also in a way that the same person happened to be on the phone with Crucifero himself... probably.” He said in a complex way, on purpose to confuse them.

Giulia pursed her lips, while Rex chuckled.

“So you spied on him while he received a call from, ‘probably’, his Alpha, whose name is, ‘probably’, Mirko.” Rex traduced the long speech, while Marco blushed and finally nodded.

“And by the way he was speaking, you are sure that his Alpha is back.” Giulia concluded, receiving another nod. While her friends where laughing at Marco, Elena was lost in her thoughts, reflecting about the strange shivers she felt when she heard that name...

Mirko

Just the name made her feel warm from the inside, while Titilas was purring like a radiator.

Why did she feel that way?

And then, a very tall guy with shady eyes made his entrance from the main door of the gym. An aura of pure power and domination was spreading from this new werewolf. It was very difficult to detect how old he was at first sight, he could have been around 25 but also at his early thirties.

“Gamma Rolando is here.” Few whispers reached Elena super ears. So that was the 19 year old Gamma?!

“I heard Alpha is coming with him.” Another voice spoke nearby.

“I hope he will come to school naked!” A she-wolf giggled.

Elena was getting used of constantly being surprised by Black Devil high-ranked members ~ a Beta and now a Gamma still so young, still in high school, even though they were in part time mode, probably because very busy with their pack duties... or torturing rogues… or eating them alive. Whatever was the reason, they were busy and full of responsibilities at that early age. And obviously they looked quite terrifying and serious, but those werewolves were barely adults!

Elena’s curiosity to see their Alpha was killing her; she had been hearing about him and his famous black wolf, Craken, since she could remember.

Her wolf suddenly howled, making Elena in alert and looking around for any sign of danger.

‘What’s happening Tits?’ She asked her with concern. Her wolf was acting crazy and moody since they had started the new school. Later at home, Elena was planning on seriously understanding what was going on with her.

“Alright people, start with a simple punch and deviation exercise.” The Gamma commanded with no emotions; his eyes scanned Marco briefly and then moved away so quickly that Elena could have imagined it.

"Yes Gamma, he is the best person as well as the famous mate of the Killing Machine from your pack!" Elena smiled at her thought.

When all the students faced each other and began the exercise, he started to walk around, giving feedback. He also stopped few fights between his low-tempered pack members. Just a glare from him was enough to pacify disputes.

Elena must admit he was frightening even for her, already used to her father and some of the Full Moon Warriors’ ferocity. His eyes were so cold and empty, Elena felt sorry for this young person ~ it was like witnessing a rough and malicious soul trapped in the body of a normal young guy.

Black Devil pack members probably assumed that Full Moon’s ones were weaker, solely because their work-out sessions were more human, but they could have not been more mistaken. In fact, when the time of wrestling came, Elena and her friends won literally all the times, and very quick.

Their Gamma never showed any kind of emotions, apart from when Marco was about to fight a large brute from Black Devil: there he was slightly more attentive and stiffer, perhaps under menace of his Beta, who surely had commanded him to keep an eye on Marco. The latter, at first, could seem less strong compared to a massive Rex, but it was all appearance: his Beta blood and cunningness were so much part of him, that Marco was a tenacious and smart adversary.

“Alright!” Gamma Rolando interrupted all the chatting after the fight sessions were over.

“Black Devil members listen up!” He commanded. “Your Alpha will be joining soon for a short meeting about your new training schedule.” He continued, shushing everyone instantaneously at the mention of their Alpha’s visit.

"Full Moon and rogues, you are dismissed from this class.” The Gamma didn’t wait for any reply and moved to talk to the teacher, who was now agitated and sweating.

Elena bit her lips, feeling more curios than ever by their Alpha arrival at the school. She really felt a weird pull and curiosity toward him and wanted to see how he looked like in reality. With a Beta and a Gamma like those two elements, the Alpha could probably arrive at the school directly in his wolf form with his dark wings and red horns.

“Remember that the volleyball trials will be held tomorrow over here” A random voice interrupted Elena’s thoughts. “That would be fun!” An excited Giulia giggled, hugging Elena with one arm and Rex with the other. “I will come to cheer!” Rex said, mimicking her voice with a fake girly tone, which cost him a nudge from Giulia.

“Come on Rex, haven’t you already checked out all the chicks of the school?” Marco replied with an exasperated expression. Now he had a mate, so Rex lost his partner in crime.

“They are never enough for our big boy here, right Rexy?” Elena laughed and pinched Rex cheeks, the same way you would do to a baby. And, as babies normally hated it, Rex wasn’t different. “You little rat!” He caught Elena and threw her on his shoulder, among the laughs of Marco and Giulia, while Elena groaned.

And then, out of nowhere, Elena was hit again.

That amazing scent.

The same one she sniffed the first day at school. The scent that launched her in the middle of a wild forest: there it was, in the air again. Her wolf was howling uncontrollably, but Elena ignored her, lost in her world. She couldn’t explain the sensations that were exploding inside her, the pure feeling of completion and magical bliss. She glared at the main entry of the gym and felt the inexplicable need to run and open it, like there was a magnet pulling her over there to reveal what or who was behind it.

And then, suddenly, while Elena was on one of Rex’s shoulders like a sac of potatoes, with her hair like a messy nest all around her face and her legs kicking the air (or Rex) to get free, he entered from that same door she just stared, just opposite to where they were heading. The most beautiful creature she had ever lied eyes on, pure raw beauty and primitive power.

Mate!