Chapter 7

Elena Cruz

Elena couldn’t focus in class.

Professor Chen was talking about territorial disputes in early pack history, but Elena kept zoning out. She’d check her phone, pretend to take notes, check her phone again. Her mind kept circling back to this morning. To interaction with Vivian. To the way Dr. Alex’s entire body had tensed when he saw her.

To the way Vivian had looked at Elena like she was something that didn’t belong.

“Elena?”

She looked up. Lila was staring at her from across the table in the library where they’d agreed to meet after class.

“You okay?” Lila asked. “You’ve been weird all day.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine. You’ve barely said two words since this morning.” Lila leaned closer, lowering her voice. “Did something happen?”

Elena hesitated. She didn’t know how to explain it without sounding ridiculous. Dr. Alex’s wife came home and now I feel like I’m intruding even though I have nowhere else to go?

“Just a rough morning,” Elena said finally.

Harper looked up from her laptop. “Rough how?”

“Dr. Hale’s wife came back. I didn’t know she’d be there and it was just… awkward.”

“Oh.” Lila’s eyes went wide. “Wait, he’s married? I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah. She travels a lot for work apparently.”

“That explains why no one ever sees her.” Lila tilted her head, studying Elena’s face. “But why would that make things awkward for you?”

“I don’t know. I just felt like I was in the way.”

Lila opened her mouth to respond, then stopped. Her expression changed. She leaned in closer, almost sniffing.

“What?” Elena asked.

“You smell different.”

Elena pulled back. “What?”

“No, I’m serious. You smell different than you did yesterday.” Lila looked at Harper. “Do you smell it?”

Harper leaned in slightly, then nodded. “Yeah. It’s faint but it’s there. Your scent is stronger.”

Elena’s stomach dropped. “What do you mean stronger maybe it’s just my perfume “

“No, Like… more distinct,” Lila said carefully. “Most dormant wolves don’t really have a scent. Or it’s so faint you can barely pick it up. But yours is actually noticeable now.”

“That doesn’t make sense. My wolf has been dormant since I was born.”

“Maybe it’s not as dormant as you thought,” Harper said quietly.

Elena stared at them. “What does that mean?”

“It means maybe you might not be dormant for so long.”

The words sat heavy between them. Elena’s phone buzzed. A text from Dr. Alex: “I’m here. Front entrance.”

“I have to go,” Elena said, shoving her things into her bag.

“Elena, wait…” Lila started.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” She didn’t wait for a response. Just grabbed her bag and headed for the exit.

-----

Dr. Alex’s car was parked in the pickup zone. Elena saw it from across the courtyard and started walking faster.

Then she saw the passenger seat wasn’t empty.

Vivian sat there, sunglasses on, scrolling through her phone.

Elena’s steps slowed.

She thought about texting Dr. Alex that she’d find her own ride. Thought about turning around and calling a car. But he’d already seen her. He was watching her through the windshield.

She walked to the car and opened the back door.

“Hi,” she said, climbing in.

“Elena.” Vivian turned slightly in her seat, sunglasses still on. “How was school?”

“It was fine.”

“Good.” Vivian turned back around.

Dr. Alex pulled out of the parking lot without saying anything.

The silence in the car felt suffocating. Elena stared out the window, hyperaware of every sound. Vivian’s perfectly manicured nails tapping against her phone screen. The low hum of the engine. Her own breathing.

Then she smelled it.

Something distinct. Not cologne or aftershave or anything artificial. Something else. Something that made her chest tighten and her pulse kick up without warning.

It was coming from Dr. Alex.

Elena’s hands gripped her bag tighter. She didn’t understand what she was smelling or why it was affecting her like this. It wasn’t perfume. It was just… him. And whatever it was made something inside her feel like it had just woken up and was paying attention in a way it never had before.

She pressed herself against the car door, trying to put more distance between them even though he was in the front seat and she was in the back.

What the hell was wrong with her?

“Alexander, are you listening to me?”

Vivian’s voice cut through Elena’s thoughts.

“Sorry, what?” Dr. Alex said.

“I said we should have dinner at Marcello’s tonight. I’ve been craving their risotto for weeks.”

“I have a surgery scheduled until seven. Maybe tomorrow.”

Vivian’s jaw tightened. “Of course you do.”

The rest of the drive passed in tense silence. When they finally pulled into the driveway, Elena was out of the car before it fully stopped.

“Thanks for the ride,” she said quickly, already heading for the door.

She didn’t wait to see if either of them responded.

Inside, Elena went straight to her room and closed the door. She sat on the edge of her bed and pressed her hands against her face.

Lila’s words kept replaying in her head. “Your scent is stronger. Your wolf might be waking up.” But that didn’t make sense. Her wolf had been dormant for twenty years. Wolves didn’t just suddenly wake up. That wasn’t how it worked.

And the smell thing. What was that?

Elena pulled out her phone and stared at it. She wanted to call her mom. Wanted to ask if this had ever happened to anyone in their family. Wanted someone to tell her she wasn’t losing her mind.

But her mom hadn’t answered her calls again since the last time they spoke. Elena set the phone down and lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

Something was changing. She could feel it. In her body, in the way she noticed things now, in the way her senses felt sharper than they used to be.

And she had no idea what it meant. Or why it was happening now. Or why being near Dr. Alex made whatever was waking up inside her feel like it was trying to claw its way​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ out