Chapter 7: Skipping Lessons

LILLY'S POV

It is early in the morning and luckily, I wake up at an early time. I finish my chores and cooked the left-over meal for my grandmother. I don't have to worry about filling my belly since I work in a restaurant. I can always get food there. Moreover, the restaurant owner likes me so much. He is a close neighbor of ours.

My grandmother wakes up seeing me about to leave for work. I sling my old backpack across my shoulder, after making sure that my mufti is neat. I hurry to my grandma's room, and I greet her after kissing her knuckles.

"May your old hands be blessed, granny" I say to her as usual and she pats my hair.

"May you profit as you begin this day." she prays in return, thinking that I'm going to my workplace. Truly, I go to my workplace for a few hours in the morning, but go to school once it's daybreak and return to work after closing hours.

I turn around to exit the house, but hears grandma's voice upon reaching the entrance.

"Little One," she calls and I respond to her, frowning my face a bit. I know what is to come out from her mouth next.

"Wherever you are, don't ever mingle with the royal wolves and never take off your hair clasp." she begins and I recite after her. "Don't ever allow any guy to touch you and don't cross the boundary of we humans. Don't eat bad food and you must always practice silence and help the needy. You should be silent where the need be, and should render help where needed. I repeat, don't ever mingle with the werewolves." we finish her saying and I chuckle.

"Alright granny, I'm off to work." I say, running out of the house. I don't want her to ring those same words to my ears and if I should stay any longer, she will definitely repeat it all over. My grandma is such a nice lady and I love her so much. I never disobey her or give her trouble. At least, for most things.

She began ringing the warning words to my ears since I began to walk as an infant that I don't think I can forget it anymore and since then, we recite it together. Quickly, my heels find their way to the restaurant not far from home. I am the only waiter in the restaurant and I have to help the boss -my old fogey. Playfully, I developed a likeness for him as he fills up the fatherhood feelings which I lacked as a child. No one else could think I'm just a waiter in the restaurant if not told due to the way he treats me. He treats me so well just like I'm his daughter and I'm so grateful for that.

After helping out for a while in the kitchen, I needed to ask old fogey for some money. The last bit of coins on me has been used up the previous day to purchase foodstuff for our upkeep. Yet, I need money for myself.

"Old fogey," I call from the kitchen with an apron around my waist.

"I want to ask for a favor," I begin and he looks up at me trying to see through my mind and guess what I am thinking. I tell him I need an advance wage, promising to work harder than before and making a puppy face, the gesture that I know so well would work for him.

He agrees to give me and I thank him heartily. Old fogey instructs me to serve the sitting customer. "So early?" Today is one of the rare days where we would have someone come buy food without the outbreak of sunset.

It's was only some meatballs that was ready and I serve them to him. On a closer look, I recognize his face. The boy that was bullied by his mates at school. Surely, he doesn't know me but I unknowingly gave him the impression that I know of him by telling him about his identity.

After school, I had gathered information about him from the school mates. They all said he's the powerless pup of the Alpha Marcus who was the king of Alacia. I notice his face get tense as the description spew out of my mouth, but I don't care. He's such a nerdy fool for not been able to stand up to his mates.

My return to the kitchen was quick and brief, but I didn't see the weakling in sight anymore. Only a few coins which he dropped beside the empty plate on the table did I see. He's surely going to school and that reminded me that I have to go to school as well. I just began and I can't afford to accumulate bad reports.

Hurriedly, I bid Old Fogey goodbye and run towards school with my backpack where my school uniform and hoodie reside. There is a small abandoned hut a few streets from school where I used to change into my school uniform. I change my clothes there, not forgetting to wear my dark hoodie on my uniform. I have to keep a low profile no matter what to avoid my grandma from knowing about my schooling.

Getting to my class, everyone seems to be silent, concentrating on something. There are grins on their faces which make me wonder what is going on.

"What the hell!" I scream inside me. The weakling is getting bullied again. The class are so focused that they didn't notice my presence at all.

"Go get us some snacks" I hear the class controller; as he calls himself say.

The Weakling hesitates which I am proud of until he stands up to go get them what they want.

"Is he stupid?" I want to smack him and pinch his ear back to his senses. This absurdity has to stop. I want to stop him but I suddenly remember grandma's warning never to associate with the wolves and stop myself.

But I can't stand the fact that someone like the weakling is getting pushed around like a tamed dog. On reflex, I hold his hand stopping him from proceeding. The class controller glares at me, but I stop him. Never in a minute did I get scared of him at all. He's a werewolf, right? good, I'm a human but not everything is done with strength. A high IQ is needed in some things and I can boldly flaunt my intellect.

I make my point known and everyone is speechless. The bully raises his hand at me, but the weakling jumps in between us making everyone full of surprise.

"Yes! That's the spirit." I say inside myself.

Before the bully would turn the situation around into a big fight like the previous day's, I grasp the weaklings' hand, leading him to the rooftop after climbing a long flight of stairs. Gasping for breath, I breath out heavily, holding my knees tightly to regain my strength. The weakling is behind me gasping too. Surely, he's a weak wolf. The distance we covered should not be lengthy for a werewolf, talk less of a royal pup.

I stand back on my feet, straightening up myself and the hood of my hoodie falls behind my head. Exposing my previously covered face.

"Little Lilly?" he gasps upon seeing my face. I guess he picked up the name when he heard Old Fogey call me that.

"Yes, me. Are you surprised?" I ask, trying to sound him out for his foolish nerdy behavior.

"Ah...Ah... No, just.... Yes, I am surprised." he replies, staring foolishly at my face. But this time around, the way he looks at me is a bit different, then I remember my hood fell off. I quickly cover my head with it, tucking my hands into the hoodie's pockets.

He walks to a far corner of the rooftop which is out of the sun's reach sitting down on the bare floor frustratedly. I grin at him and walk closer to him, placing my butt on the ground beside him. He stares at the sky for a long time and there's no doubt he is thinking about what happened.

"Why do you allow them bully you?" I break the silence.

"Huh? Nothing, just so and so reason." he replies with a smile.

"You don't have to hide it, I know you don't have the power a werewolf should possess. Is that why you lower yourself? For heaven's sake, you are a prince! Why are you so nerdy?"

"What do you know? Just because you know the little talks about me doesn't mean you know all that goes on in my life!" he yells at me and I flinch.

"Then make me know and learn to stand up for yourself instead of being a disgrace." I yell back at him. Does he think he's the only person with the ability to use a loud voice, I'm way better than him at it. Silence ensues once again until he finally speaks up.

"I have a reputation to protect. My father is the king of Alacia and I am the next Alpha and Alpha King. But I was born without powers...."

"You weren’t born without it, it's just not time for you to discover them." I chip in, correcting his notion of himself. Like my grandma would say, time tells the fate of a being.

He scoffs at my statement and continues. "I have never felt the feeling of belonging in the pack and I always get bullied. Anytime I try to stand up for myself, I get beaten up. The last time I tried to stand up to Blake, I got punished by the Luna.

"Who's Blake? And why did you get punished?"

"The class bully is Blake. As for getting punished, I have no idea, but I know the best way to stay away from trouble and torment is to be an obedient dog.

"And do you think that's what your father wants?"

"I don't know, but......" a sorrowful expression covers his face. I place my hand on his, looking straight in his eye.

"You don't have to feel sad about yourself, I'm going to help you. At least, till it's time for your powers to show up."

"Help me?" he asks, with confusion.

"Yes, everything does not have to be done with strength, you need to develop your intellectual ability and skill."

"You mean?"

"Come with me," I pull him up heading down to the first floor.

"Wait, are we going out of school?"

"You don't call it going out, you call it sneaking out." I chuckle at him.