Chapter 162

There was a silence that descended over the table while we finished our meal. We were all a little shell-shocked about everything.

Then Wendy turned to me and leaned in. “You have the king’s phone number?”

Her comment broke the silence, and we all laughed. I waved my hands in the air. “It’s nothing. All alphas get his number.”

Toya cut a look at me from the corner of her eyes. “I don’t have his number.”

I nodded. “Your father does.”

She nodded. “I got his number because during the summer there was an emergency. I needed to request permission from the council to protect my pack, and my father was out of commission. My father’s beta gave me the number, and the King told me to keep it.” I shrugged it off. “I figured, after what I said, I would rather he heard it from myself than Nina. There is no telling how she would have twisted it.”

Everyone nodded, and Thora opened her mouth, but the announcement tone came over the speakers. Before she could continue her thought, Alpha Vince’s voice came over the speaker.

“Students, there is a meeting in the auditorium that is mandatory. We will check everyone in, so do not skip it. If you skip it, you are automatically expelled. It starts in thirty minutes.” The click of the speaker disconnecting was like a gunshot. Everyone stood in a rush.

“There is no way they can check everyone in within thirty minutes,” Hanna said, her wide eyes scared. “I can’t get expelled. My family used their life savings to get me here.”

“Come on. We will get there. We can come back for our trays, or the staff can dump everything. Let’s go.”

We rushed through the school and joined the giant line to get into the auditorium. Ever so slowly, the line moved, and I could see everyone getting anxious.

I checked my phone and saw we had less than ten minutes to get inside. What the hell was taking so long? I turned to everyone. “Follow me. Something is wrong.” I headed to the front table where two women were working from tablets, with four more off to the side.

“Come on,” the first couple of students called, but I could see the tiny smirk that the lady at the desk was trying to hide.

“I’m sorry, the system is going so slow. I can’t seem to find your name.” Her voice and fake concern had my hackles up instantly.

“Excuse me?” I pushed to the head of the line, and the woman snapped her eyes at me.

“Yes?”

“Why is this taking so long?”

“Because it is.” The second woman snickered.

I felt my eyes narrow. “Why are you holding up the line?”

“I’m not.” She glared up at me. “You are.”

“I doubt that.”

“What’s your name, since you feel you have the right to accuse me of delaying students?”

“Ainy Maclean.”

She scrolled on her tablet for a minute, and then she stood up, pushing the chair back. “Alpha Amy, I’m so sorry. You can head right in.”

The guy at the front groaned. “Seriously?”

I turned to face him. “What’s wrong, please? Tell me.” I smiled and tried my best to seem gentle.

“Alpha Amy, please head inside. There is no need for you to slum it with the riffraff.” The woman touched my arm, and my head snapped to her, and my eyes flashed.

“Did I say you could touch me?”

She stammered. “No, I just don’t want you to be late.”

I turned back to the man. “What’s happening?”

“I’ve been here for almost five minutes. Any time a ranked wolf comes up to check, she finds their name instantly and allows them in, but she still hasn’t found my name.”

I turned back to her and snatched the tablet. “What’s your name?”

“Hey,” she weakly protested. The second woman watched with fear on her face.

“Edward Canto.” I saw that the list was alphabetical by first names. I scrolled to E, and there he was. I turned back to the woman, and I let my aura slip out. “Are you purposefully holding these students out here? And before you open your mouth, tell me the truth.” I watched her fight the command, so she was a high-level wolf. I released my full aura and asked again. “Tell me the truth, now!”

She dropped to the ground with her face pressed to the floor. “Yes. These last few years unranked wolves have become a virus that has been taking over this school. When Alpha Vince said those not in attendance were going to be expelled, this seemed like a golden opportunity, and I wasn’t going to let it go to waste.” Her vitriol against unranked wolves was disgusting.

Chapter 163