Beneath the Alpha's Moon Chapter 178: Back to School

Liam’s P.O.V.

Ever since I returned to the pack, it felt like I was caught in so twisted joke orchestrated by the Moon Goddess herself. Everywhere I went, Mai Blackwood seed to appear, her piercing silver eyes tracking my every move. At first, I thought it was just coincidence. Maybe fate had a cruel sense of humor, placing in the orbit of my lifelong torntor. But when it kept happening—at the pack house, the training grounds, the market—I began to wonder if she was following .

The first ti it happened was in the forest, a place I’d sought out for peace since I was a kid. It was the only place where I could escape the whispers and stares. That day, I’d grabbed my sketchpad and set out to my favorite spot by the lake, ready to lose myself in drawing.

I hadn’t realized she was there until I heard the crunch of leaves behind . Turning around, I spotted her a few feet away, leaning casually against a tree, her arms crossed, watching with that infuriating smirk.

"Are you stalking now?" I blurted, clutching my sketchpad against my chest.

Mai pushed off the tree and strolled toward , her movents as graceful as a predator stalking prey. "Relax, Liam. It’s not stalking if you’re just that predictable. Wandering into the woods alone to sketch so squirrels? Classic Rivers behavior."

I bristled. "I don’t sketch squirrels."

She arched a brow. "Oh, my bad. You’re sketching bunnies today?"

I could feel my face heating up. "What do you want, Mai? Don’t you have anything better to do than follow around?"

Her smirk widened, and I hated how it made my chest tighten. "Just making sure you don’t get yourself killed, Oga. You know, wandering around unprotected like this... you’re practically asking to get jumped by a stronger wolf."

The implication hit hard, as it always did. Weak. Fragile. Helpless. I clenched my fists and glared at her. "You think I can’t protect myself? Just because I’m an Oga doesn’t an I’m weak. My father’s an Oga, and he’s one of the best warriors in the pack. I could—"

"Easy, tiger," she interrupted, raising her hands in mock surrender. But the smile on her face didn’t falter—it only grew. She was enjoying this. "You’re cute when you’re mad, you know that?"

I froze. My heart skipped a beat, and I stared at her like she’d just sprouted another head. "What did you just say?"

Her own eyes widened slightly, and for a mont, I saw sothing almost... human in her expression. Like she hadn’t ant to say it out loud. But then, just as quickly, the mask was back.

"Never mind," she snapped, her tone turning sharp. "Forget it. Don’t get too full of yourself, Rivers." With that, she spun on her heel and stalked away, leaving standing there, completely and utterly bewildered.

The next day was my first day back at the pack high school, and I was dreading every second of it. My parents had been so excited for to return, talking about how much I’d grown, how everyone would see how strong I’d beco. But the truth was, I wasn’t ready to face the stares, the whispers, the laughter.

After registration, the school secretary led to my class. My heart sank the mont I stepped through the door and saw her sitting near the back, her silver eyes locking onto mine. Mai Blackwood. Of course.

"Everyone, this is Liam Rivers," the teacher announced. "He’s joining us from..."

"The outskirts," I muttered.

The teacher smiled and gestured for to take a seat. "Welco back, Liam."

I barely had ti to sit before a voice piped up from across the room. "Hey, Scarface! Nice to see you again!"

Laughter erupted around . I felt my face burn, but I kept my head down, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing react. Throughout the lesson, crumpled pieces of paper hit the back of my head, but I ignored them.

By the ti lunch rolled around, I was ready to crawl into a hole and never co out.

High school sucked. It always had, but sohow, being back in this pack’s high school made it even worse. I’d barely survived the morning—dodging stares, enduring whispers, and pretending I didn’t hear people snickering behind my back.

Finding an empty table in the cafeteria felt like winning the lottery. I dropped onto the chair and poked at the so-called food on my tray, trying to decide if eating it would be worse than starving.

For once, Mai Blackwood hadn’t said a word to all day. She sat with her usual crowd, laughing like she didn’t even know I existed. That should have been a relief. It wasn’t.

Because if Mai wasn’t the one making my life hell, soone else would.

A shadow fell over my table. I looked up, already knowing it wasn’t going to be good.

Phillip.

I’d learned his na after he called Scarface in front of the entire class. He had that kind of face you just wanted to punch—smug grin, sharp eyes, a permanent expression that scread I own this place. And behind him were three of his goons, each carrying a tray loaded with mashed potatoes, spaghetti, and gravy.

They all sat down like we were friends. Like I’d invited them.

"Welco back, Rivers," Phillip said, flashing a grin that made my stomach churn. "You know, we have a tradition for new students."

Sothing about the way he said it made my skin crawl.

I didn’t get the chance to ask what he ant.

Before I could react, they all lifted their trays and dumped their food over my head.

The cafeteria exploded with laughter.

Gravy dripped into my eyes, mashed potatoes oozed down my shirt, and spaghetti tangled in my hair like so disgusting nest.

Sothing inside snapped.

I shot to my feet, rage boiling over, and punched Phillip square in the face. His head snapped back, blood spurting from his nose as he stumbled.

Then all hell broke loose.

Fists flew, trays clattered to the floor, and before I knew it, teachers stord in, dragging us apart.

*********

Cleaning the basketball court after school wasn’t exactly how I wanted to spend my afternoon, but it was better than sitting in the principal’s office listening to a lecture about violence not being the answer.

Phillip scrubbed a stain on the floor, glancing up at with a sneer, his nose still red and swollen. "This isn’t over, Rivers. I’m gonna deal with you."

I t his glare without hesitation. "Bring it on."

He scoffed and turned away, but I could feel his anger. Good. I hoped it burned.

*********

As soon as I was free, I shifted.

The transformation was always the sa—painful, raw, but freeing. My bones cracked, reshaping as thick gray fur covered my skin. My senses sharpened, the world becoming more vibrant. The sll of the trees, the distant rustling of leaves, the damp earth beneath my paws—I took it all in as I tore through the forest, heading straight to the lake.

It was my favorite place, the only spot where I could breathe without feeling like soone was watching .

I reached the water and shifted back, wading in. The cold wrapped around , washing away the humiliation, the anger, the weight of the day.

Then I heard it.

A rustling in the bushes.

My instincts scread at to be alert, but I wasn’t scared. Not here. Not in my own sanctuary. Still, I knew it was ti to leave.

Sneaking into the house was easier than I expected. My parents were in the kitchen, too busy setting the table to notice my clothes—now clean but still damp from the lake.

I didn’t want them worrying about . They had done enough of that already.

At dinner, my mom placed a plate in front of with a warm smile. "How was your first day back?"

I forced a smile. "Great."

She bead, and my dad gave an approving nod. I swallowed the lump in my throat and focused on my food, shoving down everything I really wanted to say.

Then ca the knock on the door.

Sharp. Impatient.

"I’ll get it," I said quickly, pushing back my chair.

The second I approached the door, the scent hit .

Phillip.

And his friends.

My hands clenched into fists, my jaw tightening. What the hell were they doing here? Had they really tracked to my house just to start another fight? What I was about to do was so stupid and borderline reckless but I wasn’t about to let my parents see this.

So, taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped outside, closing it behind .

There they were—Phillip, his nose still bruised, and the three idiots who had humiliated in the cafeteria.

I crossed my arms, leveling them with a glare. "What do you want? If you ca to fight in my own house, you’re dumber than I thought."

To my complete and utter shock—

They all dropped to their knees.

Phillip actually looked nervous.

"We’re sorry," he said, his voice lacking the usual arrogance. "Please forgive us."

I stared at them, mouth slightly open.

I had prepared for insults, threats, anything but this.

"...What?"

Phillip shifted uncomfortably. "We shouldn’t have done that. The cafeteria thing."

Oh, so he knew it was a terrible idea? Genius.

One of the other guys cleared his throat. "It was just supposed to be a joke, man."

I arched an eyebrow. "A joke?" I took a step forward, watching them flinch. "That’s funny, because I don’t rember laughing."

Phillip rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah... look, we were out of line. We got carried away."

I folded my arms, waiting. If they thought I was going to let them off the hook with a half-assed apology, they were sorely mistaken.

Phillip sighed. "We were wrong, okay? We’re sorry. Just... please don’t hold it against us."

I narrowed my eyes. This was so bizarre I couldn’t even process it.

I had spent years being bullied. I had been laughed at, humiliated, and treated like I was nothing. And now, these guys—who had just dumped their food on a few hours ago—were kneeling in front of , asking for forgiveness?

It didn’t make sense.

None of it made sense.

And that was what scared the most.