When The Moon Calls You Home

CHAPTER 4

The bell shrieks, and the scrape of chairs fills the room as everyone rushes to leave. I push my books into my bag and stand, ready to slip out unnoticed, but Jesse is already there—planted in the narrow aisle like he owns it. He doesn’t say a word, just leans against my desk with that smug tilt of his head, his shadow cutting across my seat. His smirk isn’t loud, but it’s sharp enough to dig under my skin. The air between us feels heavier than the chatter around, and I can’t tell if he’s daring me to move or just enjoying making me squirm. Either way, he’s not moving, and I’m not giving him the satisfaction of flinching.

“What the hell is your problem?” I demanded, my voice sharp, the anger I’d been holding back finally spilling out. My hands were shaking slightly, though I tried to keep my stance steady, refusing to let him see just how rattled I really was.

“I’m just stating the obvious. Jax is leaving soon,” he said casually, like it was nothing—like it was supposed to mean something to me. But it didn’t. Not even close.

“So? That doesn’t mean s**t,” I snapped, stepping closer, trying to keep my voice calm but failing miserably. “Especially not for you and me. Do you honestly think I’m going to start to like you, or get closer to you, just because your brother’s gone? I don’t think so. Not for a second.” My chest burned, my blood felt like it was on fire, and I could feel my wolf snarling beneath the surface, impatient and furious.

“Why not? What the hell does he have that I don’t?” Jesse shot back, his voice rising, a mix of frustration and arrogance that made my teeth grit.

I stopped for a moment, looking him dead in the eye, letting the truth hit him like a cold splash of water. “Dignity,” I said simply, the word deliberate, heavy with meaning. The word hung in the air between us, sharp and unyielding. Without waiting for a response, I pushed past him, my heart still pounding, and stormed out of the classroom, leaving him standing there, stunned—or maybe just realizing he had no idea how to handle someone like me.

Jesse is right behind me and I could tell that he was getting angry again.

I swear this guy has some serious anger issues that need to be addressed. Not that anyone is ever going to really address them.

I barely make it into the hall before Jesse’s hand snaps around me, slamming me against the cold, hard wall. Pain explodes at the back of my head where it hits, and I grit my teeth, refusing to let him see it. He pins me there, his weight pressing down, unyielding. My wolf claws at the edges of my mind, on high alert, sensing the storm inside him—anger, raw and dangerous—and matching it with my own rising tension.

I can feel his wolf brushing against mine like a warning, a challenge. My pulse races, and I don’t know what to do. Should I apologize and keep him from exploding—or fight back and risk making him even angrier? I don’t want to give him the satisfaction, but every second pinned here feels like my options are slipping away.

“What the hell?” I yelled. But he pushed me against the wall, holding both of my shoulders in place so I couldn’t move. I couldn’t push him off of me.

“I am the Alpha’s son. But you, you are nobody. A poor little orphan girl that my parents took in because they felt sorry for you. You have no right to talk to me like you just did. You need to learn your place in this pack and it’s not as high as you think it is.” Jesse growled in my face.

“You’re not the future Alpha. As much as you want to be, you will never be the Alpha of this pack. Even if something happened to Jax, do you really think Alpha Joseph would give the pack to someone as unpredictable and volatile as you? He’d choose an heir before he gave it to you.” I growled back.

His eyes started changing color. His wolf wanted to take over and he was fighting for control. Not because he wanted his wolf to hurt me. But because Jesse is the one that wanted to hurt me himself.

“Be careful.” My wolf Oakley warned me in my head. “I can feel his wolf. He’s losing control.” She continued.

I looked around and there were a lot of people watching the whole interaction, but I didn’t blame them for not getting involved. I mean, he is the son of the Alpha. That would only mean trouble for them.

Suddenly, I feel the sharp scrape of claws digging into my shoulders, ripping skin, and drawing hot streaks of blood. I bite back a cry, forcing myself to stay still, to stay strong. I can’t let him see that it hurts me—can’t give him that satisfaction.

But it’s obvious he’s already reveling in it. His smirk tells me everything I need to know: he likes this, likes seeing me on the edge, likes the control. My wolf snarls inside me, coiled and ready, tasting the metallic tang of blood and anger, but my mind screams to stay calm, to not feed the satisfaction he’s clearly chasing.

Suddenly Jesse was grabbed from behind and thrown across the hallway and I stumbled as I was finally released from the wall.

Hazel ran over to me and she saw the blood trickling down my arms, looking at the wounds on my shoulders.

“They’re nothing. They’ll heal quickly. They’re not too deep.” I said.

I stood up and turned around to see Jax throwing Jesse around the hallway and people running to get out of the way as Jax was beating the hell out of his brother.

A teacher finally saw what was going on and called for backup.

It took several teachers to get Jax and Jesse apart but even then it wasn’t easy.

Jax was still screaming at Jesse to stay away from me. If he ever tried to hurt me again then Jax was going to kill him.

“You can’t protect that b***h forever.” Jesse yelled.

“You are never going to come near her again.” Jax growled.

“How are you going to stop me when you’re leaving?” Jesse asked.

“I’ve already made sure of it.” Jax said, shocking Jesse and myself.

What did he mean by that? What did he already make sure of? What plans did he already have in place?

“You can’t keep her to yourself forever. She’ll see who the real man of the family is soon enough.” Jesse said.

What the hell is he talking about? How could he even call himself a man? After everything he just did, after the way he hurt me, there’s no way he can possibly think he has any right to that word. The audacity—it made my blood boil and my hands trembled all at once. My wolf was on edge, coiled tight inside me, warning me, but I forced myself to stay still, to breathe through the anger and the sting of pain.

The teacher finally grabbed Jesse, dragging him away, and I felt a brief flicker of relief, though my heart was still pounding like a drum in my chest. Before I could even think, Jax was at my side, concern etched deep in his face. He checked me over carefully, his hands gentle but firm, making sure I was okay. I told him I was alright, trying to sound steadier than I felt, but the look in his eyes betrayed his worry. He didn’t like the sight of the injuries on my shoulders, the small puncture wounds that burned and stung, reminders of Jesse’s cruelty.

Without another word, he took me by the arm and guided me to the nurse’s office, moving with protective urgency. The nurse cleaned the wounds carefully, her hands precise and soothing, and wrapped them in fresh bandages. Even though I knew the puncture marks would fade in a few hours, Jax wasn’t willing to take any chances. He stayed close, hovering, watching, making sure I was truly okay. I would be alright—I could feel it—but Jax’s fierce need to protect me was clear, and in that moment, I realized just how much he cared, more than words could ever say.