The kids would be the death of her! They were out to get her.
Just one day—one blessed day—couldn’t they avoid trouble?
Principal Jameson pressed her fingers into her temples as the phone lines screamed like sirens.
Her office looked like the inside of a call center with the lights blinking, two phones off the hook, and the desk intercom buzzing.
Her secretary stood inside the office instead of at her own desk outside, juggling a headset and a mobile at the same time, speaking quickly.
Another call lit up. Then another. Then three more stacked on hold.
"Put them through," Jameson said tightly.
Her secretary clicked a button. "You’re live with Principal Jameson," she mouthed, and slid the handset across.
"Principal?!" a woman’s voice exploded into Jameson’s ear before she could say hello. "Is my daughter safe? Has she been bullied? We just saw the video of some poor girl drowning! What kind of school are you running? Is this a dogfight ring or a school?"
Jameson swallowed and pitched her voice low and calm. "Ma’am, I understand how upsetting that clip looks. The situation is under control. The student is stable, and—"
"Stable? I saw her limp! Isn’t that attempted murder?!"
"It was an isolated conflict," Jameson said, forcing each word through her teeth. "We do not tolerate violence. Our security—"
"Security? Where was security when the child was choking on pool water? My daughter is human. HUM-AN. Can you guarantee she won’t be next?"
Across the desk, the secretary was soothing another caller. "Ma’am, yes, I know what the caption says, but please ignore the hashtag. It’s not ’werewolf bullying,’ it’s a disciplinary incident involving some students. The victim is receiving care—"
Jameson pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ma’am," she told her caller, "we are reviewing footage and interviewing everyone involved. I give you my word—"
"Your word means nothing if those monsters—"
"Excuse me," Jameson snapped before she could stop herself. "We do not use that language about our students."
But the woman laughed, high and brittle. "You’ll hear from my lawyer."
And the call cut.
"Christ Lord." Jameson groaned.
Another line rang and the secretary, still on her second call, lifted a finger—one moment, please—then pressed the base of the phone.
"Sir, with respect, please stop shouting. The girl is breathing. Yes. Yes, she is breathing. No, the rumor about broken ribs is false. We will release a statement soon—"
Jameson’s chest burned. She reached for the next call. "Principal Jameson—"
"You people lied when you said ’safe for humans,’" a man said at once. "We’re coming to get our son."
"Sir, campus access is restricted during—"
"Try and stop me."
The line died. As well.
"Pull the lines," Jameson said with flat voice.
Her secretary froze. "Ma’am?"
"I said pull. The. Lines. Now.!"
At once, the poor lady Amara rushed to the board and killed every incoming feed. The office dropped into a sudden, heavy hush. For the first time in thirty minutes, Jameson heard her own breathing. It was loud and angry.
In one move, Jameson swept everything off her table.
"What is wrong with that girl?" she hissed, pushing a palm through her hair. "Elsie Lancaster. What is wrong with her brain?"
Jameson had clawed her way back from the previous scandal by hitching herself to Violet Purple’s fame and the cardinal alphas’ glow. It cushioned the blow, and she retained her position. But now, there was no Violet. No distraction at all. Just a viral video of a human girl limp in a pool and the words "werewolf bullying" stamped across a thousand feeds.
They were going to nail her to the wall.
The office door opened without a knock.
Jameson looked up with murder in her eyes. Natalie Avax strolled in like she owned the building, a small smile on her face.
"This isn’t the time," Jameson snapped.
"Oh, this is exactly the time," Natalie said without a care, stopping in front of the wrecked desk. "You’re busy, so I’ll be quick."
"What do you want?"
"Have you forgotten?" Natalie tilted her head. "I am the elected representative of the Fifth House—the human house—charged with the welfare of all humans at Lunaris Academy." She called out her position with emphasis.
"One of ours was hurt today, and that means action."
Jameson barked a laugh. "The Fifth House is a plan on paper, Avax. A TV stunt. We’re not operational."
"Is that so, ma?" Natalie’s smile sharpened. "Then perhaps you should tell that to the millions who watched you announce it. Or should I go make a statement? ’Principal Jameson says the Fifth House is fake.’" She sweetened her tone to mimic a newsreader. "I’m very quotable."
Jameson ground her molars. "What do you want?"
"Expel Elsie Lancaster."
The words smacked the air like a slap.
"What?!" Jameson and her secretary said at the same time, their eyes blown wide.
"You must be out of your mind," Jameson said, heat rushing to her face.
Lunaris Academy belonged to the wolves. It was their home ground, their history, their power. Yes, a few had been expelled before, but never over a human’s case. To expel a werewolf girl for bullying a human would set a flag in the ground: the school wasn’t run by wolves anymore. It would send a message that Jameson had surrendered the reins. She could picture the fallout in ten different directions and all of them ended in fire.
"That cannot happen," she said.
"Why not?" Natalie asked calmly.
"It just cannot," Jameson pushed back. "Expelling a werewolf because of a bullying incident, do you even understand how that sounds?"
Natalie leaned in until only the desk separated them, both palms flat on the wood. "Do you want to know how it sounds when I rally the humans to protest a werewolf trying to drown a human girl on school property? How it sounds when we march through your gates with parents and press? How it sounds when your seat gets very, very hot?"
Jameson felt the threat slide into place like a blade between ribs. That little poison, she thought. If she’d known this girl would use the Fifth House like this, she would have protested against it. Perhaps she should have listened to Asher’s proposal.
Natalie’s eyes glinted. "And truly, I don’t know why you’re protecting Elsie. She has no backing. Not the cardinal alphas. Not the Alpha King. Nobody will catch her. Why let a wild pig drag you down to the mud?"
Jameson stared at her, speechless. Natalie did have a point. But then to have a child like her tell her what to do. It simply pissed her.
Then Natalie straightened, smoothing an invisible crease from her skirt.
"I’m sure you know the right thing to do, Principal Jameson," she said. "I’m simply sharing my opinion. I hope you make a good decision. In the meantime, enjoy the little chaos."
Natalie turned and walked out.