Chapter 4: First day of school

Elena Cruz

Elena’s phone sat face-up on her desk, screen dark and silent.

She checked it for the fifth time in ten minutes. Still nothing.

The professor droned on about creation myths and early pack settlements, but Elena couldn’t focus. Her mom hadn’t returned any of her calls. Her dad hadn’t texted. Nobody was telling her anything about what happened or where they were or if they were even safe even though she couldn’t tell what the whole thing was about she just borrowed her Father’s words.

She opened a blank document on her laptop and pretended to take notes. Typed a few words, then stopped. Her eyes drifted back to her phone.

Then the memories flashed

His back. The water running the full length of his spine. The way those shoulders filled the space like the shower had been built around him.

She deleted the three words.

Stop it.

She’d seen men without shirts before. This was not that. This was her father’s oldest friend who was twenty-seven years older than her and married. She had no business replaying the exact moment he turned around. The chest. The stomach. The tattoo she’d grown up obsessing over now fully visible and running further down his ribs than she’d ever imagined.

Her pen clicked against the desk three times before she realized she was doing it. The girl in front of her turned around.

Elena mouthed sorry and put the pen down.

Her phone buzzed. Elena grabbed it immediately.

Email notification. Nothing important.

She set it down harder than she meant to.

She forced herself to look at the professor. Tried to absorb something about lunar cycles and territorial governance. Her fingers hovered over her phone again.

Just one more check. Just to make sure.

Still nothing.

The restlessness crawled under her skin, making it impossible to sit still. She bounced her leg under the desk. Clicked her pen. Checked her phone again even though she’d just checked it thirty seconds ago.

Where were they? Were Mateo and Sofia scared? Was her mom okay? Had they gotten far enough away from whatever had happened?

“Ms. Cruz.”

Elena’s head snapped up.

The professor was looking directly at her. So was everyone else in the room.

“Can you explain the significance of the lunar cycle in early pack governance?”

Elena’s mind went blank. She hadn’t been listening. Hadn’t retained a single word from the last fifteen minutes.

She glanced down at her laptop. Saw a half-sentence she’d typed about moon phases and territorial boundaries before her thoughts spiraled.

She pieced it together from context.

“The lunar cycle determined when pack councils could convene,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt. “Full moons were considered sacred times for major decisions because that’s when the connection to wolf instincts was strongest. It also served a practical purpose ensuring all pack members could attend in their most powerful form.”

The professor nodded, looking mildly impressed. “Correct. Well articulated.”

A few students turned around to look at her. The new girl who apparently knew her stuff even when she wasn’t paying attention.

Elena’s face went hot. She ducked her head and stared at her laptop screen.

The professor moved on. Elena forced herself to actually take notes for the rest of class, but her phone stayed in her peripheral vision the entire time, taunting her with its silence.

When class finally ended, everyone stood in clusters. Jokes flew across the room, inside references she wasn’t part of. Elena stayed seated for a moment, pretending to organize her things. Leaving too fast would look like she had nowhere to go. Staying too long would look worse.

She stood eventually and slung her bag over her shoulder. Before she made it to the door, two girls approached her.

One had auburn curls piled on her head with strands falling everywhere. The other wore glasses and had the calmest expression Elena had seen all day.

“I love your pants,” the curly-haired one said. “Where’d you get them?”

Elena blinked, caught off guard. “Uh… a thrift shop. Back home.”

“They fit you so well,” the one with glasses added. “I’m Harper, by the way. This is Lila.”

Lila grinned. “We haven’t seen you around. New?”

“Sort of. Transferred here. First actual day.”

“Then you’re stuck with us,” Lila said. “We adopt the lost ones.”

Elena laughed despite everything. “Lucky me.”

They talked as they walked out of the building. It was easy to fall into their rhythm. Lila was outrageous in a funny way, Harper balanced her out, and together they made Elena feel like she wasn’t just drifting through the day.

When they stepped outside, a crowd had gathered around the fountain area. Students lingered between classes, energy buzzing in pockets of conversation.

Elena checked the time. Dr. Alex wouldn’t be here for another hour. She stayed with her new friends.

Then she noticed him.

A guy walking out from the gym with a soccer bag slung over his shoulder, his shirt clinging to his chest like he’d just finished training. He laughed at something one of his teammates said, and the sound carried across the courtyard.

Elena didn’t know why she kept looking. Maybe it was the way everyone else seemed to be looking too. Or how he moved like he wasn’t trying to be noticed but somehow still commanded attention. He brushed a hand through his hair, and the gesture was annoyingly attractive.

“Oh you’re staring too?” Lila murmured beside her. “Please don’t make me say his name first. It’ll inflate his ego somewhere across campus.”

Elena turned. “Who is he?”

“Ethan Cross,” Lila said, eyes sparkling. “Golden boy of the school. Soccer star. Obnoxiously charismatic.”

Harper rolled her eyes. “And the heir to one of the strongest Alpha bloodlines on this coast.”

Elena’s attention sharpened. “Alpha family?”

They exchanged a look like they’d accidentally revealed something they shouldn’t have.

Lila recovered first. “You… uh… know what that means?”

“I’m from Crescent Ridge,” Elena said. “I know everything pack-related. I just didn’t realize there were wolves here.”

“This city is mostly human,” Harper explained. “But it’s neutral territory. Packs send their kids here all the time. Some wolves settle here to avoid politics.”

Lila leaned closer with a grin. “We’re Omegas. Don’t worry, we’re not about to shift in the parking lot.”

The joke eased the tension. Elena laughed.

They stood there chatting about cafeteria food and terrible professors. For a few minutes, everything felt normal.

Then Harper’s eyes snapped past Elena’s shoulder.

“Oh no,” she whispered, grabbing Lila’s arm. “He’s coming this way.”

Lila’s excitement spiked. “Shut up, maybe he’s coming to talk to us.”

Elena didn’t turn around at first. Eventually curiosity won and she looked over her shoulder.

Ethan walked in their direction. Not fast, not slow. Just confident in a way that made people step aside. His eyes scanned the courtyard, then stopped on her.

Lila bounced once. “Elena, if he asks you out, I swear…”

“Relax,” Elena muttered, even though her pulse kicked up. She wasn’t used to guys like him noticing girls like her. Back in Crescent Ridge, dormant meant invisible.

But Ethan didn’t hesitate.

He stopped right in front of her.

“You’re new,” he said.

“Yeah. Transferred. I’m Elena.”

“Ethan.” He smiled like he already assumed she knew his name. “Hope I see you around.”

He extended his hand. Elena shook it because refusing would be weird. His grip lingered just a heartbeat longer than necessary.

Lila practically melted beside her. Harper crossed her arms but didn’t hide her interest.

“I hope you like it here,” Ethan said. “Let me know if you need someone to show you around.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

His eyes didn’t leave hers right away. He gave a small nod, stepped back, and rejoined his friends without looking confused or embarrassed. Just certain of himself, like he got exactly what he came for.

Lila let out a breath. “Oh my god, he never talks to girls.”

Harper nudged her. “Don’t overwhelm her.”

“It’s a compliment,” Lila insisted. “Ethan Cross just acknowledged her existence. That’s basically a knighthood on this campus.”

“It was just a handshake,” Elena said.

Harper smiled. “Still rare. He usually avoids people.”

Elena shrugged, more confused than flattered. “Maybe he was being polite.”

“Or stunned by your face,” Lila added. “Don’t pretend you didn’t notice.”

Elena pushed her lightly, laughing. Maybe it was possible. People acted stupid over appearances all the time. But something about his stare felt weird, like he was searching for something inside her he couldn’t name.

A car horn sounded from the curb catching her attention. She knew who it was.

Dr. Hale