Chapter 5

There were a hundred things Nate thought kieran might say.

“You’re having cancer .”

 “You’ve been possed by a demon.”

“You’ve been cursed by a pissed-off witch.”

All terrible. All possible.

But “You’re a wolf”?

Yeah, that one didn’t even make the list.

And yet here he was, pinned against a tree in the middle of the woods, with Kieran freaking Drew bloodied, naked, and looking way too amused, spelling it out like it was obvious.

“You are out of your mind. Let go of me,” Nate panted.

Kieran’s hand wasn’t cutting off his air, but it felt hot and heavy against his throat, anchoring him in place.

“You’re not a fool, Nate,” Kieran murmured, voice low and dangerous. “You’ve noticed the changes. The sounds. The smells.”

His hand drifted lower, tracing down Nate’s abdomen. Nate’s skin erupted in goosebumps where he touched, heat flooding his body in ways he didn’t want to acknowledge.

“The anger,” Kieran went on, eyes burning into his. “That fire in your blood—you can feel it, can’t you?”

Nate shook his head frantically. No. No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. Yet the memories came unbidden the golden eyes, the bite, the way his wounds healed, the strength that had torn his door off its hinges. He couldn’t deny it.

“You don’t even know what happened to you,” Kieran said, almost amused. “A new wolf without a pack? That’s trouble for me. Which means…” He leaned in, his breath ghosting against Nate’s ear. “…I’ll have to keep an eye on you.”

Then, just as suddenly, he released him and stepped back, dragging in a deep breath like he was reining himself in.

“Seb,” Kieran called into the trees. “You can come out now.”

Nate’s stomach dropped.

From the shadows, another figure emerged Sebastian, Kieran’s closest friend. His sharp grin gleamed in the moonlight, but there was nothing friendly about it.

“Gotta say,” Seb drawled, eyes raking over Nate, “ you really know how to stirr up trouble .”

He tilted his head toward the trees. “Coming out to the woods at night? That’s basically How to Die 101.”

Seb tossed a folded bundle at Kieran jeans and a hoodie. Kieran caught it easily, pulling the clothes on with deliberate, unhurried movements. Nate cleared his throat and snapped his gaze away, ears burning.

Seb, of course, noticed. He smirked.

“Oh, don’t be modest now. A minute ago, you were staring at him like you wanted him to bend you over.”

Nate’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “I—what? I definitely was not. Kieran is not my type. I’m straight.”

Kieran said nothing, just smirked as if Nate had told the funniest joke in the world.

Desperate to change the subject, Nate jerked his chin toward the corpse on the ground. “What the hell was that thing, anyway? It didn’t look like a normal wolf.”

Seb crouched by the body, his expression hardening. “That’s what we’d like to know.”

“Carry it back to the hall,” Kieran ordered, tugging the hoodie over his head. “Ask Asher to examine whatever that is.”

Seb gave a low whistle already reaching for the carcass. “You got it, boss.”

Nate stared between them. “Wait—you’re just… you’re just dragging that thing around like it’s normal? Like any of this is normal?”

Kieran’s gaze cut back to him, sharp and unsettling. “Normal doesn’t exist anymore for you, Nate.”

“I don’t—” Nate’s voice cracked, panic rising in his chest. “I don’t want any part of this. Whatever you are, whatever that thing was I just want my life back.”

Kieran sneered “That’s the one thing you don’t get.”

Something in his tone, certain snapped Nate’s last bit of control.

He stumbled back, shaking his head. “No. No, screw this.”

So nate did what he did best whenever he was faced with a difficult situation

 Before Kieran or Seb could react, Nate spun and bolted, tearing through the trees toward campus, he rushed into the rrom locking the door even though he knew that wouldn’t help if they decided to come in.

Only then did he realize his whole body was shaking. His chest rose and fell in ragged gasps, sweat slicking his palms.

This wasn’t a nightmare. It was real.

And Nate Carter was in deep, deep shit.

*

*

“Are you sure you’re alright, Nate? You’ve been acting… different lately,” Liam asked as they walked across campus to their last class of the day.

Nate glanced at his best friend. Liam had always been there for him. When Nate first came to Blackbridge, he hadn’t known a soul—definitely didn’t fit in with the privileged kids who treated the place like their personal playground. But Liam hadn’t cared. He’d been his friend from day one, and since then, they’d been inseparable.

It hurt, lying to him now.

“It’s nothing, Liam,” Nate said, forcing a sigh. “School’s just stressing me out. Too many assignments piling up.”

That wasn’t a total lie. His desk really was buried under unfinished essays and lab reports. But it wasn’t what kept him up at night.

It had been a week since that night and since Kieran Drew had all but ripped his world apart with a single word. Wolf.

In that week, Nate had done what any rational, panicking human being would do: he’d gone digging for answers.

The problem? Every book, article, and sketchy forum post told him the same things he already knew. Werewolves were fast. Strong. Had heightened senses. Could heal from almost anything. And, of course, the classics full moons, silver bullets… which was bullshit, by the way, because Nate was pretty sure he’d touched silver plenty of times without bursting into flames.

But nothing—nothing—told him how to turn back to normal.

So Nate did the second thing he was good at: avoidance. He ducked Kieran and his terrifying crew like they were the plague. And, strangely, they hadn’t come looking for him.

Which should’ve been a relief. Should’ve been.

But everyone knew Kieran’s group practically controlled the entire school. If they wanted to find him, they could have done it in seconds.

And the fact that they hadn’t? That made Nate even more nervous.

“Tell me about it,” Liam groaned. “My assignments are a nightmare too. Want to come over later? We can knock them out together.”

Nate managed a small smile as they walked across campus

Nate was only partially listening to Liam's complaints about his chem lab partner as they made their way to Liam's locker when he unintentionally bumped into a guy approaching from the opposite direction.

The guy glared and spun on his heel, snapping, "Watch it, dumbass."

Erwin Hale was immediately recognizable to Nate. One of those conceited jerks that walked the campus as if he owned it. His family, to be honest, essentially did. Erwin never stopped talking about his parents' legal practice, which was one of the largest in the city. He was telling everyone that he had never had to work for anything in his life, if he wasn't boasting about his father's victories in court.

Nate murmured, "My bad," already attempting to put the incident behind him.

Erwin, however, wasn't going to let it go. He gave Nate a shoulder shove so forceful that he staggered back half a step. "Sorry won't cut it.Do you really believe you can enter this location as if it were your own?”

Nate scowled. "Dude, I just stated that it was an accident."

Erwin grinned, mockingly and cruelly. “Yes, perhaps instead of stumbling over your own feet, keep your eyes open. Or does your mother typically stroll with you holding your hand?”

Some of the adjacent pupils laughed.

Nate's jaw tensed, but he turned, prepared to simply leave.

Erwin yelled after him, loud enough to be heard along the corridor. “You see, he's fleeing. Numbers. I suppose the freak is incapable of defending himself.”

Liam took a step forward, his voice harsh. "Enough of that, Erwin. He said he was sorry. Back off.

Erwin's grin grew nastier as his gaze shifted to Liam and back to Nate. "Oh, I see. You look after him. adorable. Are you two holding hands after class, or Is he bending over for you behind the bleachers?

Nate's blood ran hot at the statement. His pulse was thumping in his ears, and his chest was constricted.

Something inside him snapped.

Nate slammed Erwin back into the lockers while holding him by the collar before he even recognized it. The laughter abruptly ceased, and was replaced by gasps.

"Repeat that," Nate snarled. He couldn’t recognize his own voice ,he sounded feral.

Erwin tried to sneer, but his eyes betrayed him. “What’s the matter, freak? Did I hit a nerve?”

Nate slammed him again, harder. Blood spilled from Erwin’s nose. He clawed at Nate’s hands, but it was useless. Nate’s grip was iron, his anger consuming him.

“Nate!” Liam’s voice cracked with panic. “Stop! You’re gonna kill him!”

But Nate barely heard him. All he could focus on was Erwin’s terrified heartbeat, thundering beneath his skin. His fist drew back, ready to finish it—

“Enough.”

The word cut through the haze. Kieran’s voice—low, cold, commanding. Nate froze, his fist trembling in the air. Slowly, he turned his head.

Kieran Drew stood just a few feet away, hands shoved casually in his pockets, as if he hadn’t just walked in on Nate about to cave Erwin’s skull in. Those glacial blue eyes locked on him, unreadable.

“Let. Him. Go.”

Nate’s chest heaved, rage boiling under his skin. “Don’t tell me what to do,” he spat, his voice rough, not even sounding like himself. His blood roared in his ears. Erwin whimpered beneath his grip, but Nate barely registered it.

Kieran took a single step closer. “If you don’t stop, pup, you won’t like what happens next.”

Nate snapped ,the anger inhim boiling over. He shoved Erwin away and lunged at Kieran, fury spilling out of him like wildfire. His fist swung hard, aiming straight for that infuriatingly calm face……..

—but it never landed. A hand caught his wrist midair, fingers like iron bands.

Felix.

He grinned down at Nate, eyes glinting with something dark and unhinged. “Oh, this is cute. The little wolf wants to bite.”

“Let me go!” Nate snarled, twisting against his hold, throwing his other fist. Felix caught that one too, his laughter bubbling out, sharp and manic.

“You’ve got fire. I like it.” He leaned closer, his smile all teeth. “But you’re out of your league.”

And before Nate could even blink, Felix slammed his forehead into Nate’s. Pain exploded behind his eyes, the world spinning. He barely registered Felix’s whisper soft—

“Sleep, pup.”

Then darkness swallowed him whole.