Chapter 004: Brewing Danger

AXEL.

It’s been five years since I last stepped foot in Greystone, and yet everything looks exactly the same. Feels the same, even. Then again, this town was never big on change.

As I ready myself for the first day of junior year, I can’t numb the surge of nervousness running through me. Starting school would mean my first attempt at any kind of social interaction since losing my parents—and honestly, I’m not sure I’m ready for it.

Lucas seems to sense my hesitation from where he stands. “Ax, you’ll be fine,” he encourages, tossing my bag into my arms. Glancing at him, I force a small smile.

He throws an arm around my shoulders as we head to the front door. “I know it’s your first day, but honestly, there’s nothing to be worried about.”

The look of concern on his face starts to shift into a sly smirk. “Anyone tries to mess with you, just call me. I’ve got your back, dude.”

The irony in his joke—so familiar from our childhood—makes me laugh. Lucas, smaller and leaner than me, would always talk big on protecting me if trouble ever showed up. In reality, I was always the one doing the protecting.

Watching me laugh, he grins. “You’ll love Greystone High,” he says with a small nudge to my shoulder. “And honestly, you should try out for the football team. You're seriously ripped, man.”

“You wish,” I chuckle, accompanying him out of the house. As we step out the door, I stare at Hayley's house just opposite us, and a sudden thought strikes me.

“Hey Luke,” I stop to ask. “Shouldn't we wait for Hayley? Y’know, seeing as we're all going to school now?”

Lucas cranes his neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the school bus approaching from down the street. “Nah, don't bother. She's probably already at school,” he answers, before turning to me. “She’s an early bird. Y'know, proper straight A student,” he adds with a cheeky grin.

Of course. Hayley was always the smart one amongst us.

When the bus reaches us, we climb in and ride all the way to school. On arrival, I find Greystone High to be way bigger than anything I imagined. A tall, regal building draped in the town's traditional colors of black and gold, the school stands at an imposing height, it's rooftops serenaded with flags and banners that cascade downwards.

The moment we step off the bus, there’s a buzz of activities all around us, as students rush past in every direction, yelling greetings and bumping into one another with reckless abandon.

Suddenly, I feel my insides tense and I sense a familiar shift—my wolf is stirring. I place a hand on the bus to steady myself, drawing in slow breaths.

“Woah, dude. Are you alright, Ax?” Lucas asks, stepping closer and placing a hand on my shoulder.

“I'm alright,” I lie, forcing a nod. Finding my feet, I stand properly. “I'm good, couz. Let's go,” I beckon to him, clutching at the straps of my bag across my shoulder.

But something doesn't feel right. I've only ever shifted twice—the first was on the night of my first full moon, just after I was marked, and the other was in a moment of danger.

It's a summer morning, so there's no full moon. Which can only mean one thing: danger is close. And of all the places to shift, this would be the worst. Not now, and definitely not today.

Lucas starts to walk ahead of me when we hear the engine of a car roar to a halt in the parking lot. The attention of everyone is instantly drawn to a white, elegant vehicle parked at a reserved spot, far from the school's bus. Its doors swing open and two girls step out.

As they waltz towards the school's gate, students whisper and make clear a path for them.

When they approach us, it occurs to me that they're identical.

“Wait,” I begin, “are they…is she—”

“Yep,” Lucas cuts in. “They're twins. The Watson twins. Ivy and Roxanne.”

He gestures to me to keep on walking, and slowly, the crowd of students who stopped to glance at the girls break apart, returning to their usual rush.

“They're billionaire kids,” he continues. “The whole school knows them.”

I raise a brow. “Let me guess, they're proud and snobbish.”

“Well…” Lucas shrugs. “Ivy is. She's essentially the pomp queen of the school, that one. But Roxanne is… she's different.”

My heightened senses pick up on the switch in Lucas's pulse as he talks about Roxanne. His heart rate quickens for a few seconds, and I know what it is.

“You’re in love with this Roxanne, aren't you?” I ask with a coy smile.

Lucas stops mid stride and turns around to face me with an incredulous look on his face.

“Dude,” he whispers, glancing around and holding a finger to my lips. “No…I mean, yeah. Kinda.”

He stares at me with a sheepish look. “Look, she's smart, okay? And she's pretty, and she's…wait, how could you tell?” he asks, his cheeks now bright red.

A soft voice cuts in from behind us. “I'm pretty sure everyone in Greystone High knows you've got a crush on Roxanne, Lucas.”

We turn around to see Hayley alongside a tall, bespectacled girl with curly hair. Lucas feigns a mock face of annoyance and Hayley casually sticks out her tongue at him in response before turning to me.

“Hey, Ax,” she greets with a warm smile. “First day at school. What'd you think of Greystone High?”

I glance around, taking in the frenzy of movement around us. “I think it's huge,” I admit. “Way bigger than my school in Ashbrae.”

Her eyes sparkle, her smile still spread out. “Wait till you see the football field. I think you should try out for the school's team.”

Lucas shoots me a look. “You see? Same thing I said.”

Thinking about it now, the idea of football never appealed to me at my previous school. I was too scrawny and frail, and there was no way I could consider tryouts. But now, everything's different. My body's stronger and faster, almost like I'm an enhanced human.

A side effect of the wolf living under my skin.

For that reason alone, I choose to consider the idea.

“Alright. I'll go for tryouts.”

Hayley’s smile deepens and she keeps her eyes glued to me. For a brief moment, I sense a similar emotion to what I felt with Lucas moments ago, but I can't make meaning of it. Is she…in love?

The girl next to her clears her throat, staring at Hayley. Hayley turns to her, and then to me, looking a bit flustered.

“My bad, sorry. Axel, this is Corey—my best friend.” She turns to Corey. “Corey, this is Axel,” she raises an eyebrow, “the one I told you about.”

“Mm,” Corey hums, stretching out a hand to shake me. “Great to meet you, Axel.”

“You too,” I reply, taking her outstretched hand.

A bell rings out through the corridor.

“And that’s our cue to be in class,” Hayley announces, taking my hand and leading the way, with Lucas and Corey trailing behind us.

As we approach the classroom, I sense it again—that unmistakeable feeling of danger. It's much stronger now, and the hairs on my arms start to rise as my wolf seeks control.

We step into the classroom and settle down, forming a small quartet: Hayley and I sitting behind Lucas and Corey. To the edge of the classroom, I spot the Watson twins seated next together, one texting on a phone and the other bent over a textbook.

The class teacher, a middle aged man with a lean frame, steps forward and greets everyone.

“Morning guys, and welcome back to school.”

His eyes land on me. “Ah, it seems we have a new face in class today.” He gestures for me to stand. “Would you mind introducing yourself?”

Great. Just when I hoped to slip into school like any random kid.

“Good morning. Name's Axel,” I answer, rising to my feet.

The teacher smiles. “Great to meet you, Axel. Where did you transfer from?”

“I transferred from Ashbrae… ugh”.

A sharp pain tears through my head, cutting me off. My wolf is thrashing on the inside of me now, and I know I'm only whiskers away from shifting. I turn my head around, trying to push down the discomfort, and that's when I see them—three fierce looking boys seated at the back of the class. One in particular, dark haired and stoic has his gaze trained on me.

His glare is heavy, boring into me like he can see right through me.

I force the pain aside. “I've just transferred from Ashbrae High,” I finish.

“Well, welcome again. I hope you'll enjoy your time here,” the man says, still smiling. “I'm the head teacher for this class, Mr Paul Miller—and just so you know, there might be a pop quiz later this week. So, heads up.”

I nod, though my mind is only half on his words.

As I take my seat, Hayley places a hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright, Ax?”

I turn around again and the three boys are still staring at me. The dark haired one leans forward now, his elbows resting on the desk. His gaze narrows on me, like a predator sizing up it's prey. I look away and turn to Hayley.

“I'm fine. Who are those guys at the back?”

She follows my gaze briefly, then shrugs. “Oh, that's Shane and his group. They're just basic jocks, not your cup of tea,” she says assuredly.

But as I settle back into my seat, a thread of tension tugs at me. There’s something off about this Shane—and the feeling of unease, the pain in my head and the sense of danger I've felt all morning; it's all connected to him.

I can feel it in my bones.