CHAPTER 40: _ WE KNOW WHAT YOU ARE

Heidi freezes the moment Sierra says her name. Her voice doesn’t even need to be loud before it can travel sharply through the corridor, finding its way into Heidi’s ears and curling in her gut. Sierra stands there with three of her hyenas in their impeccably neat and never wrinkled uniforms.

"We were just talking about you..." Sierra drawls, like she’s telling a joke only she finds funny.

The other girls titter in agreement, winking at each other and bubbling at the prospect of the twisted fun they are about to have. They’re blocking the hallway, forcing Heidi to stop a good five feet away. Junie stiffens beside her, fingers tightening on the strap of her bag.

Sierra tilts her head. "...About how you got tagged and humiliated by the Alphas for not learning your place. Did you really think they gave you attention the other day because you were special? No. They did so because you deserve nothing but suffering, and now..."

She pauses for emphasis, tapping a finger against her own chin. "Now you’re going to die by their hands."

The courtyard suddenly feels smaller. Heidi forces herself to stand still even though her insides have begun to knot over one another. She’s going to die because of some stupid ink. She’s the whole school’s target now, huh?

What? The Alphas throw a bone over a childish and nonsensical plate and every freaking dummy in this school bites? Hell, for someone like whom they consider low class and unworthy, she seems to possess more brain cells than the lot of them.

Sierra tilts her head as swiftly as the swing of a blade. "But girl, really. It’s better for everyone if you die. Especially me! It means no more dirt in my father’s precious estate."

The word dirt hits Heidi harder than she expects. She swallows, forcing her face blank, because showing pain right now is like bleeding in front of sharks. People like Sierra are insecure fools who take consolation in trying to bring others whom they perceive as better than themselves down.

Heidi won’t give Sierra any consolation she doesn’t deserve.

However, Junie shifts beside her, clearly uncomfortable. It’s then that Sierra’s gaze changes course, zeroing in on her like a hawk spotting fresh prey. "And who’s this?" she asks, squinting savagely at the poor girl.

Heidi knows where this is going before it even starts. "This is Junie. My new friend and classmate." She sighs, internally rolling her eyes.

"Ohhh." Sierra drags the sound out, tasting it like wine. "So the little Omega learns her place and makes friends with trashy people like herself."

Her friends nod along, eyes scanning Junie like she’s something they’d scrape off their shoe.

Maribel, one of them chirps in sweetly. "Adorable. So progressive of you, Heidi."

Then Sierra tilts her chin at Junie. "Scram."

Junie blinks, her throat bobbing. She glances at her friend quickly but Heidi catches the silent question in the glimpse. Should I go? Will you be okay on your own?

Heidi nods once in response. Go. Better she leaves before this turns uglier.

Junie takes a step back, relief on across her face, but she doesn’t even get two steps before one of Sierra’s girls by the name Ivy snags her by the arm and yanks her forward again.

"Where do you think you’re going?! Why are you asking a pesky Omega like her for permission to leave after Sierra already told you to?" Ivy yells, almost tossing Junie on the floor.

Oh, God. Heidi blinks rapidly to send the tears forming in her eyes away. Junie has to go through this injustice because of her. If only she hadn’t tried to help or be her friend, she wouldn’t be getting tossed around like a piece of dirty bag.

Her life as a human was a rosy one. It was basically the type of life anyone can ask for. She’s got a lovely father and mother who would do anything for her. She topped every class and graduated with good grades.

She was literally the luckiest girl on earth before the Moon Goddess decided to curse her with this stupid werewolf "gift" which subsequently made her end up here.

How dare they call this a gift? How dare the entire Duskwind call them the "Moon blessed"? Moon blessed?!

Pft!

More like the Moon cursed. Heidi boils inside as she reminisces about her previous life as Heidi Remington and wishes she could just go back. Back home... to her parents.

Junie’s stammerings bring her back to reality, "I wasn’t asking for permission..."

"Oh, sure," the third girl, Ginny interrupts, her lip curling.

Junie shakes her head quickly, words tumbling over each other as they leave her mouth. "No, I just meant... since we were leaving together, I wanted to know if it was cool with her if I left her alone."

Just then, Ivy smiles in a way that isn’t a smile at all before she slaps Junie hard across the cheek. The crack echoes, and Junie’s head whips to the side. Heidi’s stomach drops, adrenaline shooting through her veins.

"So what if it wasn’t cool with Heidi?" Ivy glares, hollering, "Would you stay then?"

What the fuck?! Heidi’s jaw drops. No, no, no. This is totally unacceptable. She loses it.

"Hey!" Her voice bursts out before she can think. "Leave her alone! She didn’t mean it like that!"

The plea barely leaves her mouth before a sharp pain blooms at the base of her skull. Sierra’s hand is tangled in her hair, yanking her head back until her eyes water.

"Oh?" her assailant purrs, leaning in so close Heidi can smell the mint on her breath. "Then how did she mean it, you pornstar?"

P-pornstar?! What the hell is Sierra doing calling her a pornstar? Heidi wonders in total bafflement.

Her face scrunches up in surprise as Sierra yanks her away. "Who’s a pornstar? Me?"

Her first answer comes in the form of the three other girls giggling, covering their mouths and whispering something to one another. Heidi steps forward, hands curling into hard fists that turns her knuckles white when Sierra place two hands on her waist.

"Yes, Heidi Grace. You’re a pornstar."