Val fluttered her eyelids open and lunged up, crashing her forehead with something solid.

"Ow!" she and Alex both said in unison.

The short girl was hovering over her with one eye shut and a hand rubbing at her forehead.

"Val," Daphne breathed out in a rush.

"The one and only," she snorted and sat up. Her hands went to clutch at her throbbing head when flickering images halted it. Slowly, she turned her head back to Daphne. She wanted to scream. "You need to tell me what's going on."

"Rest for a little while longer, we'll explain everything la—"

A pointed cough cut her off. They both whipped their heads behind them, to a man sitting calmly in the armchair.

Val eyed the stranger curiously as he stood up. He was a tall man, with brown hair and warm, brown eyes. He had broad shoulders and a slender-but-solid build, with muscles flexing under the dark blue fabric of his shirt. He turned his attention to Daphne. "You can't keep putting it off." He nodded. "It's time she knew."

Val resisted the urge to shrink back on the couch. He wasn't exactly intimidating, rather there was some sort of power repressed in his frame. As if his muscles could burst at any given moment.

"It's time I knew." She nodded, agreeing, still watching the stranger with uncertainty. If she could, she'd laugh at the absurdity of the situation. She felt like a child, sinking deeper into the couch while she let the grown-ups do the talking. But she was no child.

Daphne glared for a moment before speaking. "I'm not sure how exactly to say this without sounding like a complete lunatic..." her voice trailed off. Val pushed her brain to go through all that she'd heard, trying to put the pieces together. She doubted she'd take light of anything being said at this point.

"You're a werewolf," The tall man sighed and stepped closer. "And you need to learn how to control it before you rip someone's throat out without even meaning to."

"I thought we were supposed to be gentle," Alex hissed.

"You were taking too long," he deadpanned, "and she needs to get to grips with the situation; sugar-coating it is not going to help her. The sooner she begins her training the better."

Val couldn't speak past the lump in her throat, pulse thudding loudly in her head. Her mouth hung low, eyes whipping from one face to the other; silently begging for one to come out and call it all for what it should be — a prank. But she knew what she saw out there. Daphne read her trail of thoughts and shook her head solemnly. She couldn't deny what was right in front of her eyes.

"I know this must be confusing for you, but it's true..." Alex came a little closer. "Most people in this town aren't human."

Human...

An echo of memory had her looking up. They had called her human.

"Sam and Erik are werewolves, like you." She tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear nervously. "And the rest of us are vampires."

"Us?" she finally mumbled, lips pursing. Alex looked away for a second before fixing her gaze back on her.

Val gasped as two sharp fangs protruded from her mouth. A small red glint blended into the green of her eyes, swirling around the pupil in thin, bright threads. It would have been beautiful had she not been so terrified. Her hands were grasping the ends of the sofa, unconsciously trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

Alex lowered her head, almost shamefully, and Val instantly regretted her actions. Her fangs disappeared just as fast as they'd appeared, and she mumbled a quick "sorry" before running out of the house at a speed unthinkable for any human.

But Alex wasn't human; and neither was she.

"Val—" Daphne started, eyes pleading. Val raised a hand.

"I just... I need some time." Her mother — stepmother — tried to meet her eyes, but she wouldn't look at her — couldn't.

"I know it seems like you can't right now, but I need you to trust me." Val didn't reply. She trusted her, always had, but right now she needed to stay alone and sort things out.

She ran to her room and locked the door. Daphne thankfully didn't try to follow her as she unleashed her frustration on the pillows. It felt like hours had passed when she finally stopped raging and relaxed. Closing her eyes, she let the darkness consume her.

*****

Val passed through the school entrance and walked into the building, her thoughts landing on the conversation she and Daphne had had the previous night.

She spent the entirety of the day training, draining herself, and drowning that itch in her head that just wanted to lash out at everyone. It wasn't hard to stay clear of her during the day since she still had to work, but it was nearly impossible to do that when she came back.

She had been knocking on the door for three long hours before Val finally decided to let her in, sheepishly passing her a box of family-sized pizza and sitting on the bed.

She had assured her that she'd get all her answers soon, gaining a frustrated groan from Val, but she obliged. She was mad at her for lying, but she knew there was a reason behind it, judging by all those hesitant looks and all the damage her teeth had done to her nails. And it had better be a damn good one.

Of course, she would pester her about it whenever she found a chance. Withholding the information would only further her torture, which was as good a plan as any when it came to her stubbornness.

She did, however, learn a few things about werewolves. About what she was.

And Daphne... She was a witch. A being of nature, she'd said, borrowing the earth's magic. Channeling it to their will.

The school corridors — however empty — were booming with laughter. Val winced, resisting the urge to block the sounds that hit like hammers in her head. Daphne had informed her about her new heightened senses and apparently 'patience was key'.

That and practice. Which she would be starting very soon.

She kept her head low but her eyes roamed to the bodies around her, wondering which of them were like her — and which like Alex.

A scowl covered her face at the thought as she raised her head, spotting them all standing in front of her locker. She'd been lying to her — they all had been. And even after listening to what Daphne had to say, she still felt hurt, betrayed even. It was a surprise, she hated giving people power over her like that, but they —

She'd felt a pull since the moment they'd met. A deeper understanding perhaps, about something she didn't even know she was.

"Can we talk?" Sam spoke first when she reached the group.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Val breathed. She wasn't angry, all her anger had drained out of her already. She was just... disappointed. Sad.

"Because that would have gone great," Damian snorted. "Hey, Val, my name is Sam and in my free time I like to hunt down woodcocks and howl longingly at the moon. Want to be friends?" He waved his hands dramatically while making his best 'Sam' impersonation — which he failed miserably. He gave her a sideways look, her mouth twitching upward in a hint of a smile.

Ian pursed his lips. Taking a look around, he shook his head and stormed off. The others, at least, seemed to understand why, their gaze following him to the edge of the corridor before he turned.

"Doesn't he talk a lot lately?"

"Damian..." Sam warned and shook her head, turning back to Val. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you... we just didn't want to scare you away."

"It would have been a lot easier if you would have just told me from the start you know..." she mumbled. Sam covered Damian's mouth as he nodded in exaggerated agreement and opened his mouth to speak, hands spreading in front of him in a 'duh' manner.

"We know," she said in a low tone, slapping the back of his head when she let him go, "we just..."

Val nodded and let out a long sigh. "I know. Let's just get to class." She gave a small smile and saw Alex relax from the corner of her eyes. Erik grinned, relieved, she thought, and made way for her locker.

*****

"Finally!" Alex groaned and stretched when the bell rang, signaling the end of classes. "This day has been going on forever." Her dramatic tone made Val chuckle. They had just exited the classroom when a hand tugged at her shoulder.

"Zack!" She jumped, surprised. He was the man from two days ago. "What are you doing here?"

His eyes flickered when she called him by name — in a positive way, she thought. "I'm teaching here." He tilted his head. "Alex, I'm going to need you to bring her with you to practice today." Zack's mouth stretched into a mischievous smile when he spoke to her again, "It's time you started training."

Alex nodded, pumping her fists in the air. "Finally!" Noticing Val's wariness, she leaned in and elbowed her side lightly. "Oh, just you wait!"

*****

Val looked at her friends expectantly as more people kept pouring inside the gym. Apparently, gym class was canceled for good, this would be its substitute. Or this was real gym class, she couldn't really understand.

They'd refused to explain any of it to her, insisting it'd be better if she watched and learned. She could tell she wasn't going to get an answer from them, but that didn't mean she'd stop trying. That annoyed the hell out of Damian, which turned out to be a wonderful incentive of its own.

"Gather round!" Zack finally called. Everyone formed a circle around him. They all seemed so... excited.

"We'll start with an hour or so of running, and I've been told you haven't paired up yet, so we'll get that dealt with afterward." He waved them off and went to stand at the wooden door on the wall while everyone started running around the clear space. Thankfully, training with Daphne helped with keeping up the pace — and not spilling the contents of her lunch for everyone to see.

One-and-a-half-hour later, they had all formed another circle around Zack while he read the pairings aloud. Eagerness, she realized, was etched in all their faces as name was called after name.

"Alex Thomson with Erik Daniels; Ian Moon with Samantha Summers, and Volana Donovan with Damian Black."

Val turned to Damian, a wild grin forming at the edges of his mouth.

Each pair was spread out within a distance of five meters from each other and Alex gave Val an apologetic look, confirming her suspicions of having something to do with the group staying together. Maybe not to the extent of who was with whom though...she hoped.

"Damian, since it's Val's first time, you'll be showing her the moves," Zack said. Val cursed under her breath. She already knew how to fight, but the person she was partnered with was less than ideal. Or maybe, she thought with a grin, it was a great opportunity.

"But Zack," Britney pouted. "As one of our best fighters, shouldn't he be training with me? You know I'm going to need the training..." Val caught her eyes, and for once, she didn't mind if the pouting got her what she wanted.

"That title you keep throwing around freely won't gain you any special treatment, or any kind of leverage in my class, girl," Zack bit out. "Black has been paired with Val to help her catch up, and you'll address me as Beta Larson and Beta Larson only. You'll do well to remember it."

Title? Val furrowed her brows.

Britney tilted her head slightly to the side, baring her throat as she backed away. Daphne had mentioned it was a sign of submission to a higher-ranked wolf. The blond gave her a look full of promise. The violent type. And Val couldn't have been any more excited.

"Get started!" Zack boomed and Val turned to Damian, a half-smile still playing on his lips.

"Do you practice that face in front of a mirror?" She raised a brow. He just shrugged.

"Volana, huh?" he asked. "Where did you get a name like that?"

"Birthday present," she deadpanned and he laughed, still looking at her expectantly when they started to circle each other.

"All I know is that's what my mother wanted to call me," she shrugged, eyes narrowing. "But I prefer Val."

"Of course," he grinned. What had she done?

"Donovan! Black! Move your asses!"

*****

Her muscles groaned as Val swung again. Damian gracefully dodged her punch and caught it in mid-air, twisting it around and using his weight to throw her to the floor. Again.

"Can you make it any less easy?" he mocked, offering his hand. For all his taunting, Val took pleasure in seeing him pant; she wasn't as easy an opponent as he made her out to be. That prick — he wasn't supposed to use his speed yet. She slapped it away and stood up on her own, getting ready to charge at him again when Zack called an end to the day.

He sniffed the air. "Go home, you reek." A smile stretched his lips and he watched as everyone changed and left. With growing horror, Val found that those changing rooms were actually one big room — and they were all supposed to share it together.

"Nakedness is part of being a werewolf," Sam pointed out with a chuckle, "you better get used to it."

Nevertheless, she hid as much as she could. That was still a room full of hormonal teenagers. If it worked the same with teeth-y vampires and werewolves.

Alex almost jumped on her when she reached them outside. "How did you like your first practice?"

"Had her fill of the mattress," Damian said cockily, appearing from behind her.

Val glared. Nothing would stop those idiots from laughing, so she didn't even try to put in the effort.

"Don't worry," Erik said sympathetically, a hand patting her shoulder, "it could have gone worse. You should have seen Alex at her first practice; she cried!"

Alex groaned. "Why do you keep bringing that up? And it was fine, considering it was my first practice!"

"I'm pretty sure you spent the majority of the time sticking to the ground." Erik cocked a brow. God, he and Damian seemed more and more alike with each passing day.

"The 'buttcheeks' must have come from somewhere, right?" she retorted and he roared with laughter.

"Am I missing something?" Asked Val.

Sam chuckled. "She has been calling him that since she moved here."

"She wasn't born here?" A shake of the head.

Zack called her name from the back. "I need you to stay. You need to catch up with the rest of the class so we'll have a couple hours of extra training every day." She groaned, cursing and throwing menacing looks at both Erik and Damian who had set their goals on pissing her off, as she walked toward him, waving the others off.

"I think I should start by explaining how things work around here." Val nodded as they both sat down on crossed legs.

"I'll start with the basics, you'll figure everything else out by yourself. There are small towns like ours all around the world, hidden from all human eyes — which they must remain." A pointed look. "Some only accommodate one species, like an all vampire town, while others, like ours, accommodate them all. That's also a reason why our territory is so vast. Most of us prefer to live in the safety of it, where you don't have to hide what you really are."

"I thought you said it's hidden away from all human eyes, how is it that humans live here?" She grimaced at the use of the word. She guessed the fangs and the sprouting fur ruled her out of the species.

"The humans are all born here. It's tragic for a family when it happens, but some are not passed down the wolf gene, while others only possess heightened senses. Most of them end up as representatives in our industries. We have to support this place somehow," he added the last part when she raised an eyebrow.

"So that's why everyone kept looking at me when I first arrived..."

He nodded. "We recruit or take people in from time to time, but we hardly ever take humans. When you first arrived you still smelled of a human so it's only natural they were cautious — and curious. We haven't survived this long by being reckless."

She nodded. "So... I don't smell like a human anymore?" He didn't have to answer.

"Every wolf's ranking is earned by one's power. Every pack has an Alpha and a Luna to lead them. Next in line is the beta, then the gammas. The gammas are usually the warriors of the pack, training since they were ten."

"And you're the Beta...?"

He smiled proudly. "Yes. I take on all Alpha responsibilities when he's away."

"And where is he?"

"Away."

"Enlightening," she drawled. "Are there any other towns nearby?" She could have sworn she saw his eyes darken for a moment.

"There's only one other in these forests, so you have to be careful about not leaving our territory. They will either rip you to shreds or declare war on the whole town; and they'd like nothing more, trust me. They've always had their eyes on this place and I'd be damned if they ever got their hands on it!"

"Stay in our territory. Got it," she noted.

"Now get up kiddo, I got to show you how to change." Zack stood up and offered his hand. Val took it, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Bring it on, old man." The look on his face was full of promise, and it suddenly occurred to her that he'd be training her from then on. Something told her bruises would be the least of her worries with him.