“Ruby, you’re grounded.” My mother told me, her arms crossed. I was chewing absentminded on my pancakes, pouring generous amounts of syrup on every few bites.

“You’ve already ground me, remember,” I quipped back, taking another bite. My mother narrowed her eyes, tapping her foot lightly on the ground. My dear father, my only savior, decided to pitch in.

“You know honey, she’s not wrong. Plus, I don’t think she meant to come across so…” he grimaced, “angry.”

My mother turned from me to my father, her anger changing subjects. I smiled at them, knowing that this wouldn’t go well for my father.

After my angry show last time, my mother had come to the conclusion that I needed to be ground. Again.

My brother had woken me up earlier than normal, and physically forced me to get ready. Since he’s studying under my father, he doesn’t need to go to school, so he has time on his hands.

This led to my mother having the time to give me a lecture, which leaves us where we are now.

I stood quietly, grabbing my bag with the lightest touch, letting my parents argue besides me. Before I could get past the table, my mom interrupted me.

“You come straight home tonight, Ruby!” My mother said, before looking back at my father, who was trying to combat her strong arguments with his own weak ones. My father was a strong willed man, but he was nothing compared to my mother.

I waved goodbye as I left, but I knew they didn’t see. Their arguing could be heard outside the house. It drifted from the inside, and faded as I got closer to my car. With a huff, I unloaded my bag into the passenger seat, before getting in.

I let myself breathe, something I had almost been neglecting. It felt like I was always holding my breath, afraid of what was going to happen next.

My attention was suddenly drawn away when I smelled Vanilla. I hated that smell, it only reminded me of what I didn’t have. But it also told me that he was near.

Begrudgingly I lifted my eyes, turning towards the direction of his house. There was a road separating his house and mine, as well as a short picketed fence. I saw him on the sidewalk, leaning down, looking at something.

I focused my eyes as I tried to see what he was looking at. When I lowered them, I saw something moving around on the ground. Sharpening my gaze, I was finally able to identify the odd creature.

A kitty.

It was Ms. Benny’s cat. She lived a few doors down, and had far too many cats for her own sanity. Yet, she took good care of them, so there was no reason for anyone to say no to her.

The little fluffball was soon enough picked up by Connell, who hugged him to his chest. I furrowed my brows at the sight, wondering how such a malevolent man could cuddle a kitty.

I guess anyone can cuddle a kitty.

After a moment of thinking, I pulled my phone out of my bag, going to my camera. Ten seconds later, I had a picture saved to my camera roll, and my phone was back in my bag.

He was looking at the tags of the cat when I pulled down the road next to him. I slowed to a stop, getting his attention. Though I didn’t want to stop, I thought I could be the bigger person. For now, at least.

“That’s Ms. Benny’s cat, she lives 3 doors down,” I said slowly, my hands tightening around my wheel. His facial expression didn’t change, he only looked at me for a few seconds, trying to decide what to say.

He didn’t say anything, he only gave me a short nod, before walking off in the direction I told him. My mouth fell open as I glared after him, anger pitting itself in my stomach.

Who doesn’t say thank you when you help them! Jackasses, that’s who! I angrily sped off, my hands tightening and loosening around the wheel as I went.

I was already going to be late because of my good deed, so I decided to get myself a donut as a reward. I know I already had breakfast, but I’m a growing girl, I need nourishment.

As I tapped my foot, waiting for my food, I got an idea. Pulling my phone from my bag, I logged into Hustle, a social media app that was popular around my school. Reason: anonymity. Anything could be said, posted, or shared, with complete secrecy.

It’s a breeding ground for rumors.

With 3 clicks the photo was up, and the entire student body was tagged. Easy. Some might call it petty, and honestly, I’d probably agree.

Secretly, I love the photo. He looked so, nice. But if you’d had an experience as I did with him, you’d know he’s void of a heart.

But this picture was really cute.

I got my food soon after that, putting my phone back in my bag. I could hear it buzz, but I decided not to look at it. By the time I got to school, I knew it would be everywhere. That was a given. Everyone had Hustle. Everyone.

Time seemed to slow as I drove to school. My phone was continuously buzzing, so I turned it off at a red light. When I pulled into the parking lot, people were glued to their phones.

If I wasn’t still angry, I’d feel bad. Not that it was all bad. Some of the girls thought it was cute, letting their squeals easily fill the halls. “It’s a cute guy with a kitten, how could someone not like that!” I heard one girl say as I passed. I had to agree.

The boys thought it was stupid and wimpy. The ones who would speak out, did. “He’s not so scary at all, just a old cat man!” They’d laugh. They often found their nonsensical conversations amusing, even if no one else did.

Maddie and Sara met me in class, hunched over one desk, pointing at a phone. Even they couldn’t get enough of the hustle craze.

“Ruby, have you seen this?” Maddie said, giggling under her breathe. She pushed her phone away from her, letting me see. The picture I had taken had gotten a variety of likes, and far too many comments to count.

“Yeah,” I replied, keeping my voice steady. Maddie smiled, and upon seeing her perfect white teeth, I smiled back. Her smile was so contagious.

“Well, he sure is in trouble. Suddenly people aren’t so afraid of him,” Maddie turned off her phone, leaning back in her seat. Sara, who had been quiet, nodded slowly.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Sara spoke lightly, her eyes looking off into space. Maddie and I looked at each other, eyebrows raised.

“Why do you say that?”

Sara shrugged, her arms crossing. “It’s not actually a bad picture, it just shows that he’s humane. Besides, if a wolf wants to pick up one of those awful smelling creatures, they have to be strong willed.”

I let out a hum, thinking about it. She wasn’t wrong. To werewolves, cats smell awful. Sara is also allergic, which means she’s in no way appreciative of them.

The first bell rung, and no Connell. “Maybe he’s scared away,” Maddie laughed, and a few others people joined in.

“As if Mr. Wood has Hustle,” Fletcher’s voice echoed the classroom. We all nodded in agreement. Most kids saw that as a good thing; the element of surprise.

We waited impatiently as the time slowly passed. There was a kid in his seat, as well as one on his desk. People were scattered around, most breaking every single rule he had set in place. I chewed the inside of my cheek, unsure how I felt.

He deserved it, I told myself. Yet, I still felt bad.

“Hey Ruby, I’m having a party tonight, wanna come?” Fletcher asked, putting his arms around my shoulders and pulling me to his side. I smiled up at him, my eyes studying his sandy hair and freckles cheeks.

Fletcher was the class clown, as well as the star quarterback. He could always make me smile. In a lot of ways, I wished he was my mate. Even thinking that, though, felt wrong. He’s also been openly gay since freshmen year. So yeah, probably would never happen.

Fletcher also loves throwing parties. Though he was the golden boy of the school, he through some killer parties. Alcohol and drugs were the light things at the parties. Bests part for him, he never brought anything. He just set up the place and spread the word, and let everyone else run wild.

I thought about the question for a few seconds, thinking about the pros and cons. Pro, it will get my mind off of things. Con, I’m grounded. Like really grounded.

I threw a smile up to Fletcher, giving him a quick nod. “Sure Fletch.”

He hugged me, before being called away by one of his friends. Fletcher’s parents were the medics of our pack, but he didn’t have a bone in his body like them. He’s the one that gets hurt the most, which I suppose isn’t the worst thing. After all, he always has someone willing to help.

Suddenly, the door opened, and in walked Connell. He had no expression on his face, but his eyes went wide when he saw the state of his classroom.

Less than a week ago we would have been sitting perfectly still, barely breathing. It wasn’t that way now.

“What’s going on in here!” Connell growled angrily, slamming the door shut behind him. I flinched at the sound, and sunk in my seat.

“Hey Mr. Wood, didn’t know you were such an animal lover!” One of the boys in my class yelled. I rolled my eyes, it’s as though that was a bad thing. I hadn’t set it up to be like that, I meant to ruin his reputation, not help it.

Connell looked confused, his eyebrows coming together as he tried to piece it together. Deciding to help him out, Maddie pulled up Hustle, and showed him the picture.

His confusion melted away as realization crossed his face. With his eyes blazing, he looked straight at me, knowing that I had to have taken the photo. Under his glare, I sunk lower into my seat, my eyes going to the floor.

Connells booming voice echoed around the room, causing everyone to go quiet. “Everyone sit down! Now!”

It was the voice of an alpha. And a strong one, at that. I knew he was powerful, and there was no doubt from the first moment I met him that he was of alpha blood. Technically, I am too (though it’s not very apparent).

It was more of a roar, and everyone followed his instructions. My stomach knotted as I clutched my necklace, squeezing it so hard I could feel the indentations in my palm.

He waited impatiently as everyone sat down, before leaning against his desk. The air in the room seemed to get thicker as we waited for him to speak.

“I expect more from my students than this foolish behavior. Now, I’m aware that I am a substitute, but I expect you to treat me with as much respect as you would have shown your regular teacher,” Connell looked around the classroom as he said this, his voice calm and even. It was almost scary how easily he could become calm. Was that a bad thing?

Connell seemed to take a deep breathe, before he looked up again. Straight. At. Me.

“Whoever took this photo, I’m not sure what you’re intention was, but I expect more.”

Ouch. That hurt. He wasn’t wrong though. Not only was it stupid, there was no clear motivation. I was just angry. Why did I have to be so quick tempered?

I let out a breath as I looked at him, something welling in my chest. You know that feeling when you really want to show that you want to cry, but you just can’t, so it just stayed in your chest. It’s overwhelming sometimes.

His eyes left mine as he looked around the class, letting what he said sink in. The tense atmosphere seemed to fade a little as he started class.

“Macbeth,” He wrote on the board, and everyone seemed to let out an uncomfortable groan.