Chapter 2 SHADOW OF THE GOLDEN CHILD

BELLATRIX'S POV

"Bellatrix Nyx Lykaios!" my father roared, the Alpha-blood in him making the air in the room heavy. 

"You will show respect in this house! If you cannot act like a daughter, you will be treated like a servant. Do you understand me? You’re a Beta. Your job is to support, to protect, and to follow. Not to stir up trouble with your betters."

I pushed my plate away, the food untouched. 

"Of course. But then, anytime, I'm training in order to protect the pack, you have a problem with it. I'm not hungry. I'm going to school"

"Sit back down!" Mara commanded. 

"You will finish your breakfast and then you will walk Clara to school. I don't want her getting her dress dusty because she had to take the shortcut through the creek alone."

"She has feet, doesn't she?" I muttered, but the look Dennis gave me told me that if I pushed further, I’d be spending the night in the woodshed.

The journey to the Academy was a slow-motion torture. Clara walked five paces ahead of me, her hips swaying, greeting every pack member we passed with a radiant smile. 

I walked behind her like a dark shadow, my hood pulled low.

"Morning, Clara! You look beautiful!" a shopkeeper called out. "Thank you, Mr. Miller! Have a blessed day!"

Then the man’s eyes landed on me, and his smile vanished. He didn't say a word. He just looked away, as if my presence was a smudge on an otherwise perfect morning.

As we reached the school gates, the real taunting began. The hierarchy was most brutal among the teenagers. 

The Alphas and high-ranking Betas stood in the center of the courtyard, while the rest of us hovered on the fringes.

"Oh look, the Princess and the Pauper have arrived!" a high-pitched voice rang out.

It was Sarah, a Gamma female who lived to kiss Clara’s feet. She stood with a group of girls, all of them dressed in the latest fashions, their eyes glinting with malice.

"Careful, Sarah," another girl giggled. 

"The Pauper looks like she hasn't slept. She probably spent all night barking at the moon since no one will ever mate with a girl who has more scars than sense."

Clara stopped and turned to them, her expression one of "pained" kindness. 

"Oh, girls, stop. Bella is just... dedicated to her training. She can't help it if she doesn't know how to be feminine."

“Oh My! Clara is too kind to this rabid dog. I can't believe she is still defending her”

“I know right. She is too innocent and that is why the rabid dog and taking advantage of her kindness”

"She doesn't know how to be a wolf, either," a male voice joined in.

My heart skipped a beat. Standing by the fountain was Ronan Nightshade. He was leaning against the stone, his muscular arms crossed over his chest. 

He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and the cruelest. His brown eyes locked onto mine, and for a second, I saw something flick in them, a spark of something intense before it was replaced by a cold, mocking sneer.

"A warrior Beta?" Ronan laughed, the sound echoing through the courtyard. "I’ve seen her in the pits. She fights like a cornered rat. Pure desperation, no technique. If she were in my unit, I’d have her scrubbing the floors, not holding a blade."

The crowd erupted in laughter. I felt the blood drain from my face, leaving me cold and exposed. 

I wanted to scream, to fly at him and show him exactly how my "desperation" felt when it was wrapped around his throat. But I stood my ground, my hands curled into fists at my sides.

"At least I'm not a coward who hides behind a title, Ronan," I said, my voice projecting across the square. 

Having a crush on him doesn't mean that I will keep my tongue on a tight leash. There is a reason why I'm not a love struck fool. I won't let him stomp over me. Crush or not.

The laughter died instantly. The air grew thick with tension. Ronan stepped forward, his presence suffocating. "What did you say to me, Beta?"

"You heard me," I whispered, though it felt like a shout. "You talk about technique, but you’ve never had to fight for anything in your life. Everything was handed to you because of who your father is. If you were really a strong Alpha, your have gone to make your own pack instead of inheriting your father's legacy"

Before he could respond, a heavy hand landed on my shoulder. I flinched, but the touch was steadying.

"That's enough, everyone," Lorena Graves said, her voice loud and bored. She stepped between me and Ronan, her messy brown hair blowing in the wind. 

She was an Omega, but she had the brass of a General. "Don't you all have classes to fail? Or are we planning on standing here all day making fun of a girl who could actually kick all your asses in a fair fight?"

"Lorena," Ronan warned, his eyes narrowing. "Stay out of this."

"Make me, Alpha-boy," she retorted, blowing a bubble with her gum and popping it. "Come on, Bella. We’re going to be late for Strategy. I hear we’re learning how to spot an ego from a mile away today. You should be an expert."

She pulled me away, her grip firm. I didn't look back, but I could feel Ronan’s eyes burning into the back of my head.

"You're going to get yourself killed one day," Lorena whispered as we entered the hallway, her bravado slipping just enough for me to see the worry underneath.

"I’m already dead in this pack, Lo," I replied, my voice hollow. "I’m just waiting for the rest of the world to realize it."

"Not on my watch," she said, squeezing my arm. "Now, let’s go. I have a feeling today is going to be a long one."

“Sure. You are nothing but a mother hen” I retorted playfully. I always thank the Moon Goddess above for giving me a friend like Lorena. She has always been my ride or die. She has stuck with me through thick and thin since the day I presented as a beta. She was the best thing that ever happened to me. 

Even with her parents disapproval of me, she still sticks by my side.

“Of course. Who will beat your ass when you go down the wrong path” she chuckled and pulled me into our classroom”