Lycan's Prey by Jessica Hall

Chapter 41

Valen POV

Valarian and Casey excitedly pull me down the halls of their run–down school. The floor alone is filthy with scuff marks, and I shiver with disgust, fighting the urge to start scrubbing the floor. The classrooms aren’t much better, the desks are falling apart as the chipboard flakes, some kids are even sitting on milk crates. I look around to ensure this is a school and not some homeless shelter.

Valarian shows me to his desk. His is definitely the cleanest one in the room. I watch as he removes a white table cloth from his bag and sets up his desk. His pencils sit neatly in a row as he places each one out carefully. However, Casey opens her pencil case and upends it on the table, and I see him cringe before he glares at her and starts rearranging her pencil in a straight line.

I didn’t want to touch a thing in here; this place is a bacterial infection waiting to happen when the teacher comes in. I have to do a double–take of the woman. She indeed had a poodle’s hair, like she chose the style out of a dog magazine. It was short and curly on top, and then a poof of hair cascaded to her shoulder, her round glasses perched on the end of her nose. She taps her ruler on the desk, trying to grab the students‘ attention when the ruler snaps, and she stares at it before tossing it over her shoulder. It landed in the bin, making me wonder how many rulers she had broken.

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“Oh, Alpha Valen, and why are you here?” She looks around nervously at the students like she thought I was somehow a danger to them.

“My son,” I tell her, pointing to Valarian, and she giggles. The sound was more like a hyena; damn, she was a strange lady. She waves me over, and I glance at Valarian, who rolls his eyes at her. I gave him a pointed look at his rudeness, but I now understood why he called her a poodle. I had to fight the urge to straighten her poofy hair as I walk over to her when I got a whiff of something that smelt strangely like weed, the kind you smoked. I sniff the air as I stop next to her.

“Are you high?” I whisper to her.

“You would be too if you had to teach this lot, want some, got a bit left.”

I blink at her, she just offered me drugs, I glance around the classroom wondering if I imagined it, surely she didn’t? What sort of school was this?

“Ah no, but I, my son, and Casey will be leaving now,” I tell her, motioning for both kids to come with me. Valarian starts picking up his stuff off his desk when the woman taps my shoulder with her finger. Which makes me glance at her.

“I’m sorry, sir, but you are not on either of their contact lists, I cannot allow you to take those children,”

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“He is my son, and I brought Casey here,” I tell her.

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“Unless you are on the documentation, I cannot allow you to remove them from class, and as far as I know, Valarian has no father. Everly Summers never mentioned you being his father; he is a rogue, sir and you cannot just come into a school and claim a child as your own. We have rules and regulations.”

Rules, I wondered briefly what their practices were on drugs and teachers offering parents to get high. This woman is getting on my damn nerves; not only is she high as a kite, but she also looked ridiculous and was unfit to be teaching primary age children or anyone for that matter.

“Valarian, Casey, grab your stuff,” I tell them. The entire class watches on as Mrs. whatever her name frantically steps in their way as they move to the front of the classroom.

“Sir, I am sorry, but I can’t allow you to take them,” she screeches.

Ignoring her, I reach over and grab Valarian’s hand, tugging him gently over to me when her hand falls on my arm. The growl that tears out of me makes her quickly step back away from me.

“Touch me again, and you will find yourself out there with the forsaken,” I grit out, and she gasps. Casey rushes over to me, stepping beside Valarian and I turn on my heel leaving the classroom. This was unacceptable, and I couldn’t believe Everly would allow our son to be taught here by a high

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woman. What was she thinking?

“Where are we going, dad?” Valarian asks.

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“Anywhere but here,” I tell him stalking off down the hall. I slow my steps when I see both kids struggling to keep up with my long strides.

and today is the show and tell; I brought Mr.

every week, Casey,” Valarian tells her.

અને

do not,” she pouts.

“You do too.”

“Na.”

Valarian and her bicker on the way to the

Scruffy,” I tell her, needing them to stop arguing while I thought of what to do about this entire schooling situation. When my phone rings, I stop just outside the school’s entrance and pull it from my pocket. Everly’s name pops up on the screen, so I answer it.

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me to say you have kidnapped Valarian and

have done no such thing. Technically I am still on school property,”

just rang me, Valen. Where

you know his teacher is a stoner?” I whisper the last part through gritted teeth. She falls quiet for

of the teachers there are from the

“It is unacceptable.”

I have not got time for this. I am in a meeting with….ah… with

I

be in school, and I am supposed to pick

I demand. If she has a boyfriend, he will be

my turn to pick

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I stop and look at all the open classrooms before glancing down at Casey

know which one is Taylor’s

just kidnap other people’s kids,” Everly screeches through the

to take them. You have five

Great, I start off walking back to

teacher jumps before a

you come to your senses before I

and a little girl at the

dad, we breaking out of here,” Valarian tells her, and her eyes dart to the teacher. Oh, right, stranger danger, I think. Shit, I would technically be

when the teacher’s phone

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of the class and me. Like her tiny, withered

“Hello, Ms. Summers.”

eyes dart to me before she looks at Taylor and shakes

I can’t allow him to take her.”

well put Ms. Aldrene on then.” The teacher chats to whoever she was handed over to when the teacher suddenly

with you,” I take the phone from

“Hello?”

you seriously kidnapping our

this is not a school,”

like the schooling Mr. Solace do something about it. It is the only school here for rogue children, but I swear to God you try to take my daughter out of this city; you won’t need to fear the forsaken. Alpha or not, I will skin you alive

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I ask her.

18 78********

for a second before grabbing her school bag, and she nervously hands the phone to her teacher when Casey grabs her hand. We leave the school, and I put the kids in the car before jumping in the driver’s seat. I

we going, Mr. Valarian’s dad,” Taylor asks, and my eyes dart to her in the rearview

about the

can’t go there.”

not?” I

Casey says, playing with her Mr. Scruffy dog that was missing an ear and

an eye.