"What did this?" I ask, my voice reduced to a shaking whisper.
"Lily, please. Just go." "Not until you tell me the truth." I turn to face him, clutching the ruined shirt, my voice rising with each word. "And don’t lie to me." Before he can respond, a low rumble fills the room, a growl that doesn't sound human, coming from his chest. "What was that?" I ask, taking an involuntary step back. "Do you have a speaker hidden somewhere?" "No speaker." His voice sounds strained, almost pained. "It's me." I stare at him, heart racing. "That's not possible." He raises his head, and I gasp. His eyes are glowing now, the irises a burnished gold that illuminates the dimming room. "What the hell?" I stumble back, my hip hitting the dresser. "How are you doing that?" "I told you. You wouldn't believe me." The growl underlies his words now, making them vibrate with that inhuman quality. "What... what are you?" I repeat, fear and fascination warring inside me. Instead of answering, he holds up his hand. As I watch, his nails lengthen, thickening and curving into vicious points. I press a hand to my mouth, unable to process what I'm seeing. "This isn't real. This can't be real." "It's real." His voice drops lower, rougher. "I'm real." "What's happening to you?" He takes a deep breath, fighting for control. The claws recede slowly, his eyes dimming back to their normal color. "I'm not like other people, Lily. I'm... different." "What are you saying?" But I already know. Even as my rational mind rejects it, something deeper recognizes the truth. "I'm a werewolf." He says it simply, without drama. I blink. Then I burst into laughter. "Right. And I'm the tooth fairy." "I'm serious, Lily." "Come on, Luca. If you don't want to tell me…” "You just saw my eyes," he says quietly. "You just saw my claws. What more proof do you need?" "Those could be special effects. Contacts. Fake nails." Even as I say it, I know I'm grasping at straws. I saw those claws grow from his normal fingertips. I stare at him, trying to reconcile the boy I've known most of my life with this... this creature he claims to be. "Prove it," I challenge, crossing my arms. "If you're a werewolf, prove it. All of it " He hesitates. "It's not that simple. I can't just shift on command." "Convenient." "The full moon is in two days. I'll shift then whether I want to or not. But partial shifts..." He shakes his head. "They're hard to control. And dangerous too." "So you expect me to just take your word for it? That you are secretly a supernatural creature?" His jaw tightens. "I didn't tell you to make you believe me. I told you because you asked." "Show me something," I insist. "Anything. Claws, fangs, glowing eyes…something from those cheesy werewolf movies." "This isn't a movie, Lily. It's not pretty or controlled. When I shift, parts of me... change. I don't always remember what happens." "Then how do you know you hurt those guys?" "Because I tasted their blood. Because I remember the satisfaction of it." I take an involuntary step back, my spine pressing against the wall. He notices, pain flashing across his features. "See? This is why I didn't tell you." He turns away. "You should go." "No." The word surprises both of us. "Show me." "Lily—" "Show me," I repeat, firmer this time. "I want to see." He studies me, conflict evident in his expression. "If I do this," he says slowly, "you can't scream. You can't run. The wolf... it responds to fear." A tremor of uncertainty runs through me, but I nod. "I won't." He takes a deep breath, then closes his eyes. Nothing happens for several seconds, and I'm about to call his bluff when his body suddenly tenses, muscles cording beneath his skin. A low growl rumbles from his chest which is definitely not human, not an imitation, but something primal that raises the hair on my arms. His hands curl into fists, tendons standing out along his forearms. When his eyes open, they're not his eyes anymore. The amber has transformed to a burning gold that seems to glow from within, pupils contracted to pinpoints. "Luca?" My voice comes out smaller than I intended. He doesn't answer. His lips pull back in a snarl, revealing teeth that sharpen as I watch, his canines elongating into fangs that no human mouth should contain. I press myself against the wall, heart racing as his fingers extend, nails thickening and curving into the same vicious claws I'd seen before, but longer now. "Oh my god," I whisper, unable to look away. "It's real. You're really—" I don't finish the sentence because he moves, faster than should be possible, crossing the room in a flash until he's right in front of me, one clawed hand braced on the wall beside my head. He leans in, nose trailing along my jawline, inhaling deeply. The growl that vibrates from his chest is different now….lower, hungrier. His mouth opens against my neck, teeth scraping lightly over my pulse point. Terror and fear race through me, leaving me paralyzed. "Luca," I whisper, not daring to move. "Luca, stop." For a terrifying moment, I think he won't. His teeth press harder, the point of a fang dimpling my skin without breaking it. His free hand grips my waist, claws pricking through my shirt. I feel the sharp pinpoints against my skin and a whimper escapes me. The sound seems to wake something in him and he wrenches Then, with a sound like tearing fabric, he wrenches himself away, stumbling backwards until he hits the opposite wall. His chest heaves with labored breaths, eyes still that impossible gold, but awareness returning to them. "Get out," he snarls, voice distorted around his fangs. "Now. Before I—" He doesn't finish the sentence, instead sliding down the wall, hands gripping his head as if in pain. "GET OUT!" he roars, the sound so inhuman it jolts me into action. I don't wait. My heart is thundering in my ears as I stumble back, out of the room, slamming the door shut behind me. I lean against it, legs trembling, pulse racing. On the other side, I hear a thud, then another growl that fades into something like a whimper. I press a shaking hand to my neck where his teeth had been, half-expecting to find blood. There's nothing but the ghost of his touch and the warmth of his breath. Werewolf. Luca Archer is a werewolf. And he almost bit me. And the most disturbing part of all? For one wild, insane moment before fear took over—I almost wanted him to.I slipped through the back door while Lily was still running down the street, probably crying her eyes out. Good. That’s what needed to happen.I took the stairs two at a time, trying not to think about the times I’d climbed them to sneak into her room. The nights I’d listened for her parents’ footsteps before creeping down the hall to slip under her covers and hold her until she fell asleep.That was over now. Had to be over.My room looked the same as always, but it felt different knowing I was about to strip it bare. I pulled my duffel bag from the closet and started throwing things in without much thought. Clothes, toiletries, the few books I actually cared about. I took the volleyball trophies on the shelf and the photos pinned to my bulletin board. Let Mr. and Mrs. Graves wonder what happened to their perfect foster son. Let them think I was just another ungrateful kid who ran off without explanation.My phone buzzed on the dresser, and I already knew who it was before I looked
I’d thrown myself onto my bed and cried until I couldn’t anymore, until my throat felt like I’d swallowed glass and my eyes were so swollen I could barely see. The pillow was soaked and my face felt puffy and hot, but the tears had finally stopped coming. Now I just felt hollow.I kept replaying his voice saying those words. “You weren’t supposed to hear that, but since you did, I guess it saves me the trouble of figuring out how to bring it up later.”“The bet was Tyler’s idea.”I grabbed my pillow and screamed into it again, but no sound came out. My voice was completely gone.My phone buzzed on my nightstand. I reached for it without thinking, hoping maybe it was him calling to tell me this was all some sick joke, that he hadn’t meant any of it. But it was just Naomi.“Girl where are you?? Your coworker said you left work early and you’re not answering”I stared at the text until the letters blurred together, then turned my phone off.I rolled over and buried my face in the comfort
I stepped out from behind the shed, and they both turned to look at me. Maya’s expression shifted to something that looked almost pleased, like she’d been hoping I would overhear. Luca’s face went completely blank, all the warmth and affection I was used to seeing there just… gone.“What are you doing here?” he asked, and his tone was so casual, so unconcerned, that it made everything worse.“Are you for real? Is that seriously what you’re going to say right now?” I was shaking all over, fury and heartbreak warring in my chest. “That’s what’s important here? I brought you lunch, you bastard”I looked at him, waiting for him to deny it. To tell me this was all some misunderstanding.Luca looked at Maya, then back at me.“You weren’t supposed to hear that,” he said simply. “But since you did, I guess it saves me the trouble of figuring out how to bring it up later.”“Bring what up? Luca, what is going on? We were fine this morning. You held my hand under the fucking table during breakfa
I woke up the next morning in a good mood with that fizzy feeling you get when everything in your life seems to be falling into place. Luca had his scholarship, we had our plans, and for the first time I felt like we were actually going to make this work.I was eating a leftover pizza around noon, when an idea hit me from nowhere and scrolling through my phone. Luca would be finishing up with his afternoon group of kids soon, and he’d mentioned being too busy to pack lunch. Perfect excuse to show up with sandwiches and maybe steal a few minutes together before I had to get ready for my evening shift at the pool.I bought two turkey clubs with extra pickles the way he preferred them and walked the few blocks to the community center, already imagining how his face would light up when he saw me. Maybe we could sit on the bleachers during his break and watch the little kids attempt volleyball serves.But when I got to the outdoor courts, I stopped walking so abruptly that I nearly tripped
My phone buzzed with a text from Naomi asking how the parents-are-back situation was going, and I was in the middle of typing back a summary of this morning’s mortifying kitchen conversation when Luca reappeared.He was grinning like he’d just won the lottery.“Well?” I asked as he slid back into the driver’s seat.“It’s official.” He held up a packet of papers with official-looking seals and signatures. “Full ride to Washington State University. They’re even covering books and meal plans.”I threw my arms around his neck, genuinely thrilled for him. This was everything he’d worked for, everything he’d dreamed about since he started playing volleyball seriously.“Luca, oh my God! This is incredible! I’m so proud of you.”“It feels weird,” he said, hugging me back. “Like, this is actually happening.”“You deserve this so much. All those hours of practice and training and putting up with Coach Martinez yelling at you—it was all worth it.”He hugged me back, burying his face in my neck f
I woke up feeling like I’d been wrung out and hung up to dry, which was probably what happened when you spent half the night alternating between guilt about fighting with your boyfriend and relief that you’d made up. The whole thing felt like emotional whiplash, but at least we were okay now.And now I was lying in bed trying to figure out how to face my parents after the mortifying conversation Mom and I were apparently going to have.The smell of pancakes was drifting up from the kitchen, which meant Dad was in a good mood. He only broke out the blueberry pancake recipe when he was feeling accomplished about something, probably still riding the high from successfully navigating Great-Aunt Millicent’s legal mess without anyone getting disinherited or arrested.I dragged myself downstairs in shorts and a tank top, hoping I could grab food and disappear before Mom ambushed me for round two of the most awkward mother-daughter talk in history.Luca was sitting at the kitchen table, scrol