Allison's Point of View
As the bus to Highland came to a stop in front of me, I stood at the bus station, coughing my bag. Everything I've worked so hard for over the past three years is finally coming true.
I haven't had a life because of school, studying, and working two to three part-time jobs, but it all feels worthwhile today. I'm heading to Highland to study at the only university in the country where wolves and humans study together, and a lone shifter like me is more than welcome.
I take a step forward and hand my bag to the man who is loading the bags onto the bus. I climb the stairs and look around for a seat. Because we are one of the first stops, the bus is only about a quarter full, and I can easily find an empty seat halfway down. I try to prepare myself for the long voyage ahead.
Highland is on the other side of the country, and getting there will take more than a day. The bus will take a circuitous path throughout the country, stopping at a number of key towns and cities along the way.
Flying would have been more convenient. There are direct flights that would get me there in a couple of hours, but they are an unnecessary luxury for me. The bus may be inexpensive by most people's standards, but once I arrive in Highland, I'll need to find a part-time job immediately before my meager resources run out.
That is my main concern: running out of money. That despite all of my efforts and sacrifices to get there, I find myself unable to afford to stay.
I'm not afraid of moving to a new town on my own. I'm used to moving around and never staying in one spot for long. Mum and I would relocate every six months to a year. We'd have to find a place to live, I'd have to acquire a part-time job to help pay the expenses, and I'd have to adjust to a new school.
I would strive to make new acquaintances and study hard in order to catch up and stay towards the top of my classes. In summary, I was doing all possible to keep my ambition of attending this university alive.
One of the best aspects of studying in Linton is that I will be able to stay for five years. For the first time, I will be able to settle anywhere and call it home. There will be no more being forced to leave because the local pack dislikes loners or because mum simply decides one day that it is time to move on.
She was always convinced that there was a greater town waiting for us to discover it. With a better school than the one I was attending, a nicer place to live, and better-paying jobs. We'd have to go if she decided to look for a better place.
Now I'm finally going somewhere that will accept a lone shifter. I'll be able to transform into my wolf and flee without worry of being chased out of town by the local pack for being on their pack's territory.
Highland is in the territory of the Scarlet Moon Pack, however they are a peaceful pack. They don't consider all lone wolves to be rogues. They leave us alone until we cause trouble, which is especially true if we are attending university.
It'll be great not to have to constantly look over my shoulder, waiting for the local pack to figure out who I am and launch an assault.
The only drawback is that my mother is not present to share this moment with me. She has been the one constant in my life. Always there to lift me up and cheer me on when I fall. There to make our constant movement more bearable. Laughter and joking, each new town an adventure. And it happened while I was with her.
That all came to an end six months ago when she was murdered in a car accident. The van driver who drove her over
walked away from the scene. I don't even have the reassurance that her assailant has been apprehended and punished. She was never informed that I had completed all of my tests and had been accepted to the university of my dreams.
So here I am, eighteen years old, an orphan, set to embark on my new life without her. At the very least, I won't have to figure everything out on my own.
The university has connected me with another lone wolf who has agreed to show me around and assist me.
to establish himself as a new werewolf on school. For the past month, we've been messaging each other every day.
Jaxon assisted me in locating acceptable student housing close to the institution. I'm going to live with the other werewolf students. They are all loners, like me, and will be able to assist me in adjusting to my new circumstances.
I look out the window, seeing the landscape change as we leave Cunnington behind. Every couple of hours, the bus stops to pick up fresh passengers, and we have the opportunity to eat and use the restroom.
The bus is steadily filling up, and I don't think the seat next to mine will be empty for long. We arrive in the first major city on our trip after six hours. It takes us half an hour to get to the bus station via the congested traffic. When we arrive, I grumble quietly when I notice the long line of people waiting to board the bus.
The seat beside me will not remain empty.
There is almost no chance that another wolf will sit next to me. Wolves do not take buses. Those that are part of a pack or have enough money will drive or fly themselves. Only a lonely orphan like myself would be forced to travel by bus.
I am not an anti-social person, nor do I despise humans in the manner that some shifters do. It only takes concentration to maintain the pretense and act like a human in their presence. We must be extremely cautious not to raise their suspicions. The last thing we want is for people to think we're not human. They must never discover the existence of shifters.
That may appear simple because we look and sound exactly like them in our human form, but even the most gullible human can detect a difference. They can detect the predator lurking within.
I've had more experience dealing with humans than most wolves. We loners tend to live on the edges of werewolf society, hiding in human communities and pretending to be just like them because we don't belong to a pack. We strive to blend in while remaining as distinct as possible. We work with humans and attend their schools, but we rarely form close human friends because it is simply too risky. So the prospect of spending the next eighteen hours in close proximity to one makes me nervous. I just hope they're not the chatty kind.
Maybe I can pretend to sleep for the most of the trip.
As the new passengers board the bus and begin to look about for a seat, I notice a tall man with dirty blonde hair and a muscular build approaching me. As he considers where to seat, his glance travels around the bus and its passengers. He looks over at the seat next to me before looking up. He comes to a halt and looks me in the eyes. My heart skips a beat as I take in his brilliant blue eyes and his broad mouth, which widens into the sexiest smile I've ever seen.
He is too beautiful, too perfect to be human. My heart skips a beat as I realize who he is. A wolf similar to myself.
"You're blocking the way," a passenger stuck behind him complains. "I have to find a seat."
The seductive stranger turns to face him. I observe as the human pales and takes a step back. "I'm sorry," he says quietly.
This seemed to satisfy the magnificent wolf, as he turns back towards me, his gaze fixated once more on my face, a smile playing on his lips. He walks up the aisle and points to the seat next to mine.
"Is this seat taken?" he asks, his gaze never leaving my face.
"No, it's free," I gulp. I'm able to sputter.
As he settles into his seat, he smirks at me.
He turns to me and speaks gently so only I can hear him once he has made himself at ease. "There's no need to predict where you're going, little wolf. Highland University."
