Lucas’s POVThe door opened after my third knock, and I found myself staring at a woman who had Xane’s sharp cheekbones and the kind of exotic presence that made me stand up straighter without realizing it. Her hair was tied back, her blouse neat, but the disapproval in her eyes was crystal clear.“Good afternoon ma’am” I started, shifting on my feet. “I’m Lucas. I… uh, came to see Xane.”Her gaze narrowed like she was measuring me up, trying to decide whether I was worth her time. “So you’re Lucas. The friend.”Friend. That word felt like it carried ten tons of weight.“Yes, ma’am,” I said quickly. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to check on him. I know he got into some trouble today.”Her sigh was heavy, like she’d been holding it all day. “Yes he got into a fight and then got detention but the most frustrating thing is that my son won’t tell me why.” Her eyes pinned me. “Do you by any chance know what happened?”I froze as my tongue twisted in my mouth. My stupid wolf wanted to bl
Bennett’s POVThe moment I got back home from school, I slammed my bedroom door shut and leaned against it, my chest heaving from the impact of running home from school. The house was quiet except for the muffled clatter of dishes downstairs. My mom had called my name once in a soft and cautious tone but I ignored her. I couldn’t face her, not like this. Not when I hated the person staring back at me from the inside of my head.I dragged a hand down my face and tossed my phone on the bed. The damn thing wouldn’t stop buzzing. Notifications were piling up faster than I could swipe them away. Notifications from group chats, DMs, and even a few random numbers I didn’t recognize. Every message was the same.I dragged myself over and flipped it face-up.[wolfcrest Chat]:—“Bennett’s losing it.”—“He actually said that? To his face?”—“No way Lucas is forgiving him for this.”—“Guess it was bound to happen.”My throat tightened as I curled my fingers into fists. Even in the group I’d help
LUCAS'S POVMy brain was still processing. Bennett had ended things with Avery? Because of me? "Avery, I'm so sorry—""Don't." She held up a hand, cutting me off. "Don't apologize for something that was never in your control. The moon goddess made you two fated mates. It's nobody's fault."I ran a hand through my hair, feeling overwhelmed. "I had no idea he'd actually—""Tell me the truth?" Avery's laugh was bitter. "Yeah, well, apparently watching you with Xane was his wake-up call. Nothing like a little competition to make an Alpha realize what he wants."The guilt twisted in my stomach like a knife. "Avery—""It's fine." She waved me off, but I could see the hurt she was trying to hide. "Really. I mean, it sucks, but I'd rather know the truth than live a lie."We stood there in awkward silence for a moment. Students flowed around us in the hallway, heading to lockers and after-school activities, but it felt like we were in our own bubble of complicated emotions."Can I ask you some
LUCAS POVLUCAS POVI was still fuming out of anger and embarrassment at what the principal had said back then in the office as I made my way through the hallways, my backpack was slung over one shoulder and my jaw was clenched tight enough to crack teeth, at the way I kept gritting it. The memory of Bennet and Xane fighting and rolling around on the gym floor kept replaying in my head, like some kind of fucked up highlight reel tagged best incident of the day.What the hell had Bennett said to make Xane snap like that?I'd seen Xane angry before, although I had pretended not to notice, because he normally recovers fast when Ryder or Kael push him to the edge— it was the controlled kind of anger that made his eyes go cold and his voice drop to something dangerous, before he would turn and face me with a grin, and a tease to make my heart skip . But today? Today he'd been absolutely furious, the kind of rage that made people do stupid things. And Bennett had been the cause.My wolf st
BENNETT POVI lunged back, tackling Xane around the waist. We hit the floor hard, rolling as we threw wild punches against each other determined to cause the most injury before we were separated inevitably. He caught me in the ribs, right where Reid had hit me. I gasped out in pain, as I felt the old one start to hurt, not fully healed yet, then drove my elbow into his shoulder."Enough!" Coach Martinez was shouting, but it sounded distant and muffled as if I was under water but I ignored the order as well, frankly, he could go fuck himself at that point. "Break it up!"Hands grabbed at us, trying to pull us apart. Ryder's voice cut through the chaos: "Bennett, stop!"But Xane and I were beyond hearing as my wolf was finally using this opportunity to unleash all the anger and pain, that we had been holding since against Xane. He twisted, trying to pin me down. I bucked him off, scrambling to my feet just as he did the same. We circled each other like animals, both breathing hard."K
BENNETT POVThe gym smelled like sweat, paint and rubber, the usual familiar scent, that usually cleared my mind on shitty days like this, but today, it just made everything worse. I'd been dodging Lucas all morning, watching him stick to Xane's side like they were joined at the hip.Every laugh they shared felt like a knife twisting in my chest.My wolf paced restlessly, underneath me, talking about claiming what was ours and challenging Xane to a duel for the honor of Lucas. *He's yours. Take him back. Show them who's dominant, show them who deserves to be the one who makes him happy.*"Shut up," I muttered under my breath as I laced my sneakers tighter than necessary.Coach Martinez blew his whistle, the sound was loud enough to cut through the noise and chaos of twenty guys changing into gym clothes."Alright, listen up! We're doing team scrimmage today. Bennett, Xane, you're on the same team. Don't make me regret this."My head snapped up. "What?""You heard me. Basketball. Bot