Chapter 13

Elena Cruz

Elena drove to campus the next morning in her new car, still not quite believing it was hers.

The engine was smooth. The seats were comfortable. Everything smelled new and expensive. She kept glancing at the maroon paint gleaming in the morning sun, kept touching the steering wheel like she needed to confirm it was real.

By the time she pulled into the student parking lot, she’d almost convinced herself this was normal. That people just gave other people brand new cars all the time. That it didn’t mean anything.

But the stares started immediately. Students turned to look as she parked. Heads swiveled. Conversations paused. Elena could feel their eyes tracking her as she got out and grabbed her bag.

She kept her head down and walked toward the main building, trying to ignore the attention.

“ELENA!”

Lila’s voice cut across the parking lot. She was practically running, Harper trailing behind her with a more reserved expression.

“Is that your car?” Lila demanded when she caught up. “Please tell me that’s your car.”

“Yeah. It’s mine.”

“Since when?”

“Since yesterday. Dr. Hale bought it for me.”

Lila’s mouth fell open. “He bought you a car? Like, just bought you a whole entire car?”

“I needed one for school. He said

Lila grabbed Elena’s arm. “Elena, that car costs more than most people make in a year. That’s not simple . That’s something else entirely.”

“It’s more than a lot,” Lila said. She was grinning now, that teasing glint in her eyes. “I’m just saying. Elena’s stomach flipped. “He doesn’t like me. I’m his friend’s daughter. He’s just being nice.”

“Nobody’s that nice, babe. Harper, back me up here.”

Harper hesitated. “I mean, it is a very expensive gift. But maybe he just has money and doesn’t think about it the same way we do.”

“Or maybe he’s into you,” Lila singsonged.

“He’s married,” Elena said firmly. “And like more than twenty years older than me. He’s not into me. He’s just taking care of me because my dad asked him to.”

“If you say so.” Lila didn’t sound convinced. “But if a man bought me a car, I’d at least consider the possibility he wanted something more .”

“Well, he doesn’t.”

But even as Elena said it, she thought about how nice he has been towards her since she arrived.

Deep down, in a place she didn’t want to examine too closely, part of her wanted Lila to be right.

Wanted to believe that maybe Dr. Alex looked at her and saw more than just his friend’s daughter. More than just a responsibility. More than just someone to protect.

But that was stupid. Dangerous and wrong. He was married. He was older. He was her father’s best friend.

Nothing could happen. Nothing would happen. Elena pushed the thought away before it could take root.

They walked into the building together, Lila still chattering about the car. But then she stopped mid-sentence and leaned closer to Elena, sniffing.

“Okay, what’s going on with your scent?”

Elena pulled back. “What?”

“Your scent. It’s faint again. Like it was when we first met you.” Lila looked at Harper. “You smell it too, right?”

Harper nodded slowly. “It’s barely there. Like it’s gone.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Elena said, even though her stomach was tightening.

“Elena, I’m serious. Something’s weird. Your scent was getting stronger for a while and now it’s almost gone again. That’s not normal.”

“Maybe I’m just stressed.”

“Stress doesn’t make your scent disappear.” Lila’s expression had gone from teasing to genuinely concerned. “Have you been feeling okay? Any weird symptoms?”

Elena thought about the nightmares. The way her hands had healed too fast. The voices she’d heard in people’s heads.

“I’m fine,” she lied.

Lila didn’t look convinced but she let it drop. “Okay. But if anything feels off, you should see someone. A pack doctor or something.”

“I will. I need to use the restroom before class.”

“Want us to wait?”

“No, go ahead. I’ll catch up.”

Elena split off from them and headed down the hallway toward the bathrooms. She just needed a minute alone. A minute to breathe and not have people asking questions she didn’t know how to answer or understand why everyone was so interested in her life.

“Everybody is driving me crazy” she murmured

She pushed open the bathroom door and stopped. A girl was pressed against the wall near the sinks, a guy looming over her with his hand on her arm. The girl looked young, maybe a freshman, her eyes wide and scared.

“I said no,” the girl was saying, her voice shaking.

“Come on, don’t be like that,” the guy said. He was bigger, older, his tone hovering between joking and threatening. “I just want your number. That’s not a big deal.”

“I don’t want to give you my number.”

“Why not? You got a boyfriend or something?”

“That’s none of your business. Let go of me.”

The guy’s grip tightened. “I’m just trying to be nice and you’re being a bitch about it.”

Something hot flared in Elena’s chest.

“Hey,” she said, her voice coming out harder than she intended. “She said no. Back off.”

The guy turned, irritation flashing across his face. “This doesn’t concern you.”

“Yeah, it does. Let her go.”

“Or what?”

Elena stepped closer. The heat in her chest was spreading now, burning through her veins. “Or I’ll make you let her go.”

The guy laughed. “You’re like five foot nothing. What are you gonna do?”

He didn’t let go of the girl’s arm. The anger surged. Elena felt it rising through her like a wave, hot and unstoppable. Her vision sharpened. Her hands clenched into fists.

“I said let her go.”

Elena moved without thinking. Her hand shot out and connected with his chest, shoving him backward.

He flew. Not stumbled. Not stepped back. Flew. His body hit the wall on the opposite side of the bathroom with a thud that echoed off the tiles. He crumpled to the floor, gasping, eyes wide with shock.

Elena stared at her hand. At him. At her hand again. She hadn’t pushed him that hard. She couldn’t have. She wasn’t strong enough to send a guy his size flying across a room.

But she had.

The guy scrambled to his feet, eyes wild. “What the fuck…”

“Leave,” Elena said. Her voice didn’t sound like hers. It sounded deeper. “Now.”

He didn’t argue. He grabbed his bag and ran out of the bathroom, the door slamming behind him. Elena stood there, chest heaving, staring at the spot where he’d been.

What the hell just happened?

“Thank you.”

Elena turned. The girl was still pressed against the wall but she looked less scared now. More relieved.

“Are you okay?” Elena asked, forcing her voice back to normal.

“Yeah. I’m okay. That was…thank you. I didn’t know what to do.”

“Do you need me to walk you somewhere? Report him?”

“No. I just want to forget it happened.” The girl straightened her shirt and picked up her bag. “But seriously, thank you. You probably saved me from something bad.”

She left quickly, like she couldn’t get out fast enough.

Elena was alone. She walked to the sink and gripped the edge, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her hands were shaking. Her face was flushed. But it was her eyes that made her stop.

For just a second, she could’ve sworn they looked different. Brighter. Almost gold. She blinked and they were normal again. Brown. Ordinary.

But she knew what she’d seen. Something was wrong with her. Deeply, fundamentally wrong. The healing. The voices. The strength she shouldn’t have. The anger that burned hotter than it should.

None of it was normal.

And the pills Dr. Alex kept giving her weren’t fixing it. Elena splashed cold water on her face and forced herself to breathe.

She couldn’t think about this now. Couldn’t fall apart in a campus bathroom. She had class. She had friends waiting for her. She had to act normal. Even if nothing about her was normal anymore.