Chapter 4— THE FOURTH DAY

Ella's POV

I wake up and something is different.

The heaviness is gone. The gray fog in my head, gone. The tears that wouldn't stop, gone.

In their place is something hot. Something sharp. Something that feels like fire in my veins.

Anger.

I'm so angry.

I get out of bed. My legs are weak and shaky from three days of lying down, but they hold me up. I walk to the bathroom and turn the shower on hot. Very hot. So hot it burns my skin and makes it turn pink.

I stand under the water and let it burn.

Damon's face floats in my mind. His stupid perfect smile. His stupid promises. His stupid letter full of excuses.

I hope his dad loses his job. I hope they lose everything. I hope Sera cheats on him with the entire hockey team.

No. That's not true. I don't hope any of that.

But I'm angry enough to pretend I do.

I wash my hair. Twice. I scrub my skin until it's raw. I stay in the shower until the hot water runs out and the cold shocks me back to reality.

When I get out, I look in the mirror.

Same girl. Same face. Same body. Same everything.

But the eyes are different. There's something in them that wasn't there before.

I dress in regular clothes. Jeans. A sweater. Nothing special. Nothing trying too hard. Just clothes that say I exist and I'm done hiding.

Downstairs, Mom's in the kitchen. She's holding a coffee mug but she's not drinking it. Just staring at the wall.

When she sees me, her eyes go wide.

"Baby..."

"I'm going to school."

She blinks. "Now? I mean, okay. Are you sure? You don't have to..."

"I'm sure."

"I'll drive you."

I want to say no. I want to show her I can walk in by myself. Face them by myself. Handle everything by myself. But the way she looks at me stops me. She looks hopeful. Completely hopeful. Like I just gave her something special, a gift.

I nod. "Okay."

The car ride is quiet. Not the heavy quiet from before. Just quiet. Mom keeps glancing at me like she's afraid I'll disappear.

We pull up to the school. Students are everywhere. Hanging by the doors. Sitting on the steps. Leaning against cars.

They see us pull up. They see me in the passenger seat. Whispers start immediately. I can't hear what they're saying but I don't need to. I know.

Mom squeezes my hand. "You're stronger than you know."

I'm not sure that's true. But I get out anyway.

The cold air hits me. November air. Feels good. Wakes me up.

I walk toward the doors.

The whispers get louder as I get closer.

"That's her. The one who thought Damon wanted her."

"Look at her. Was she serious?"

"I heard she threw herself at him and he picked Sera right in front of everyone."

"Did you see her face? I saw it on someone's phone. She looked so stupid."

"Fatty thought she had a chance."

I keep walking. Head up. Eyes forward. One foot in front of the other.

My heart is pounding. My hands are shaking. But I keep walking.

Almost there. Just a few more steps.

"Ella."

A voice I know. A voice I hate.

I stop.

Sera steps in front of me. Tessa beside her. Two other cheerleaders behind them. A wall of matching smiles and perfect hair.

"Well, well." Sera looks me up and down like I'm something stuck to her shoe. "The fat girl returns. We thought you dropped out from embarrassment. Honestly, that would've been smarter."

My jaw tightens. "Move."

She laughs. It's a pretty laugh. Fake as hell. "Or what? You'll sit on me?"

The cheerleaders giggle. Tessa snorts.

Sera steps closer. Her voice drops so only I can hear. "Here's some free advice. Stop reaching for things you can't have. Boys like Damon? They don't end up with girls like you. They end up with girls like me. It's called nature."

Something stirs in my chest.

It's weird. I've never felt it before. A rumble. A growl. Like something inside me wants to come out.

My wolf.

She's waking up.

But not now. Not here. Not in front of them.

I shove the feeling down. Push it deep. Step around Sera and keep walking.

Behind me, her voice rings out loud enough for everyone to hear: "Nice dress, by the way! Very... tent-like!"

Laughter explodes behind me. I hear Tessa howling. Hear other students joining in.

I don't turn around. I keep walking. Through the doors. Into the school.

The door closes behind me and the laughter cuts off.

I'm standing in the empty hallway. Alone. Hands shaking. Heart racing.

But I made it. I'm inside.

I take a deep breath. Let it out slow.

Then I hear it.

Footsteps.

Heavy. Steady. Coming from the direction of the principal's office.

I look up.

And the world stops.

He's tall. So tall. Taller than Damon by at least a few inches. Broad shoulders. Dark hair falling over his forehead. Jaw that could cut glass.

He's walking with the principal, nodding at whatever Mr. Harrison is saying. A folder in his hand. New student file, probably.

As they get closer, his eyes drift from the principal to the hallway ahead.

To me.

Time stops.

I mean it actually stops. The air stops moving. My heart stops beating. Everything just... stops.

His eyes lock onto mine and I feel it.

A pull. A tug. Something deep in my chest yanking me toward him like a rope.

My knees go weak.

And then my wolf, the same wolf that stirred outside with Sera—explodes.

MATE.

The word screams through my head. Not quiet. Not gentle. A roar. A demand.

MATE. MATE. MATE.

I grab the wall. Literally grab it. Because my legs are gone. They're just gone.

The boy stops walking.

His eyes are on me and something shifts in his face. Confusion first. Then recognition. Then something darker. Something hungry.

"Mr. Thorne?" The principal looks back at him. "You coming?"

He doesn't answer. Doesn't move. Just stares at me like I'm the only thing in the world.

"Elara Blackwood," Mr. Harrison says, noticing me. "You're back. Feeling better?"

I can't speak. Can't form words. Can't do anything but stare at the boy who just turned my entire world upside down.

"This is Kael Thorne," Mr. Harrison continues, oblivious. "New student, transferring from Westbrook. Kael, this is Elara. One of our seniors."

Kael steps toward me.

One step. Two. He stops a foot away. Close enough that I can smell him. Pine. Ice. Something wild.

"Elara," he says.

His voice. God, his voice. Deep and rough and it does something to me. Something I can't explain.

"Ella," I whisper. "Everyone calls me Ella."

A small smile. Just a tiny one. But it changes everything.

"Ella," he repeats. Like he's tasting the word. Like he wants to keep it.

Behind him, Mr. Harrison clears his throat. "Mr. Thorne, we really should continue. Lots to cover before first period."

Kael doesn't move. Doesn't look away from me.

"One minute," he says.

The principal hesitates. Then sighs and walks ahead a few steps, giving us space.

Kael leans closer. His voice drops so low only I can hear.

"I don't know how this works for your kind. But for mine, when we find our mate, we claim them. And Ella?"

He pauses. His eyes search mine.

"You're mine."

My brain short-circuits.

Your kind. My kind. He knows. He knows what I am.

"You're a..." I can't even say it. Not here. Not in the hallway.

"A werewolf," he finishes for me. "And you're my fated mate."

Fated mate.

The words echo in my head. I've heard about fated mates my whole life. Mom told me stories. Every werewolf has one person destined for them. One person their wolf will choose.

I never believed it would happen to me.

"And you're just... okay with this?" I manage. "With me being..."

He cuts me off. "With you being my mate? I've been looking for you my whole life. I just didn't know it."

No one has ever looked at me like this. Like I'm precious. Like I matter. Like I'm exactly what they wanted.

"Kael!" Mr. Harrison calls from down the hall. "Now, please."

Kael's jaw tightens. He steps back.

"We'll talk later. I'll find you."

He starts to walk away. Then stops. Turns back.

"And Ella? Whoever made you feel small? They're about to learn a very painful lesson."

Then he walks away. Following the principal down the hall. Disappearing around the corner.

I'm left pressed against the wall, heart pounding, brain reeling.

I have a mate.

A fated mate.

A gorgeous, intense, hockey-playing mate who looks at me like I'm everything.

But in the distance, through the doors, I can still hear Sera's laughter. And somewhere in the school, Damon is probably holding her hand, telling her he loves her.

This changes everything.

But it also complicates everything.

Because Damon doesn't know I'm a werewolf. Sera doesn't know. No one knows.

And Kael just walked into a school where the boy who broke my heart and the girl who made my life hell are waiting.

I push off the wall. Straighten my sweater. Take a deep breath.

First period starts in ten minutes.

And for the first time in four days, I'm actually curious what happens next.