Five

For two weeks, Elsa perfected the art of being unseen. She kept her head down, her steps quiet, her presence small enough to slip through the cracks of the school without drawing attention. What unsettled her most was that her sister never brought up that night, not once. Which could only mean one thing: she didn’t know. Elsa clung to that relief, even as guilt and unease curled tight in her chest.

Still, one memory refused to let her rest. Or rather, the absence of it.

Blue-grey eyes.

They haunted her in flashes, too vivid to be imagined, too incomplete to be real. Every time she reached for the memory, it slipped away, leaving nothing but a blur and a pounding headache. There was no way she could have met him face-to-face that night. So it had to be a dream. It had to be.

“Hey! Move along!”

The sharp yell snapped her out of her thoughts. Elsa jolted, quickly stepping aside as someone brushed past her. Her heart raced for a moment before she exhaled, steadying herself, and continued down the hallway.

Today was going to be just as perfect, ordinary and calm like every other day. Monday mornings were always the same. Mathematics class followed by English class. A place where she could disappear without effort. Lonely, yes, but peaceful. And Elsa had learned that peace was a privilege.

But the moment she stepped into her classroom, she knew something was wrong.

The noise hit her first followed by loud voices, laughter, and chaos. She froze by the door, blinking in confusion. This class was known for its calm, almost sacred silence. She had been lucky to get assigned here. So why did it feel like she had walked into an entirely different room?

Unease crawled up her spine as she made her way to her seat, only to stop short.

Someone else was sitting there. Her pulse stuttered.

“H…hi,” Elsa said softly, her voice barely strong enough to carry.

The girl looked up, clearly annoyed. “Yeah? How can I help you?”

Elsa’s legs threatened to give way. For a second, she considered backing off entirely. It would be easier to let it go. But where would she sit then?

“Th…this is my seat,” she said, forcing the words out.

“Oh.” The girl scoffed. “You are the one who used to sit here? Your seat’s been moved.” She pointed lazily toward the wall. “Over there. Fourth chair.”

Elsa followed her finger, her chest tightening.

“Well?” The girl added impatiently, waving her hand. “What are you waiting for? A ride?”

Elsa nodded quickly, humiliation burning her cheeks, and walked to the seat by the wall. It didn’t matter. It never did. A seat was a seat, as long as she could sit and not be seen.

“Alright, class. Settle down.”

The teacher entered, striking his stick against the long table at the front. The sharp sound cut through the noise, and students reluctantly returned to their seats.

“I am sure you all saw the message on your class groups,” he began. “The principal wants to ensure no student is being bullied and that all ranked werewolves are integrating properly. So, this class is now a mix of Class 2B and Class 3B.”

“Oh,” Elsa murmured under her breath. That explained everything. No wonder everyone seemed calm about the changes, she was the only one without a phone. 

“Why Class 3B?” The class representative snapped, irritation written all over his face. “They are chaotic. What exactly are they contributing to a peaceful environment?”

Elsa silently agreed, shrinking further into her seat.

“You should be grateful we even agreed to mix with you useless omegas,” another student sneered. “How dare you complain?”

The room erupted instantly, shouting, insults, rank thrown like weapons.

“Shut your bloody mouths!” The teacher roared. “Alpha or Omega, I don’t care. You will coexist. And if I hear a single complaint about this class, I promise you, I won’t be gentle.”

Silence fell, thick and tense.

“The X boys!”

The scream came from nowhere, and suddenly every head snapped toward the door.

Four boys walked in, all dressed in black shirts and pants. Their presence alone shifted the air in the room, each of them carrying a different, overwhelming aura. Elsa’s breath caught as she instinctively raised her gaze, heat flooding her face.

They were… unreal. Sharp features. Distinct styles. Power woven into every step they took.

And without understanding why, Elsa’s heart began to pound as if something buried deep inside her had just been stirred awake.

Elsa’s gaze drifted, unintentionally, helplessly, to the one standing in the middle.

And then her world tilted. Her eyes widened as goosebumps rippled across her skin. It’s him. The realization hit her so hard it stole the air from her lungs. Those blue-grey eyes, sharp, knowing lifted and met hers.

For one terrifying second, time froze.

Elsa tore her gaze away, her heart slamming violently against her ribs. ‘Please don’t recognize me.’ She hoped inwardly.

There was no way he could remember the girl he saw that night, right? And yet, of all the classes to be mixed with, why did it have to be his?

“I can’t believe I am sharing a classroom with the X boys,” someone whispered loudly.

Almost instantly, the girls erupted into excited murmurs, swooning and giggling like the room hadn’t just shifted on its axis.

“Come, sit here.”

“Take my seat!”

As the X boys moved further into the classroom, chairs scraped against the floor and hands shot up, students eagerly offering them better places. Three of the boys accepted, settling in easily.

All except one.

Jake.

“Hi. You can take mine,” a girl said breathlessly, stepping closer.

Jake paused between her and Elsa, his gaze briefly flicking to the girl as she gestured to her seat. For a moment, everyone thought he would take it.

Then he moved.

He stepped past her, turned, and walked straight to the chair behind Elsa, pulling it out and sitting down.

The room erupted.

“What?”

“Why is he sitting there?”

Murmurs spread like wildfire as dozens of eyes snapped toward Elsa.

Heat flooded her face. She could feel their stares pressing into her back, sharp and accusing. Her hands trembled in her lap. Why? Why would he choose that seat when so many people had offered him something better?

She wished, desperately, that the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

“Alright, now that everyone’s here, let’s begin,” the teacher said, restoring order.

For the rest of the class, Elsa might as well not have existed. Everyone’s attention stayed glued to the X boys, whispering, staring, stealing glances. Elsa kept her head down, counting minutes, counting breaths.

The bell finally rang.

She packed her bag immediately and slipped out of the classroom, her only goal to make it back to her dorm without being noticed.

A foot suddenly hooked in front of hers.

Elsa tripped, her books scattering across the floor.

“Oops,” a voice sneered. “Look who it is…the girl who thinks she stands a chance with Jake Blake.”

Laughter rippled around them as students slowed to watch.

Elsa scrambled to gather her books, her hands shaking. She stood, ready to leave but was yanked back by her ponytail. A cry tore from her throat as she hit the ground hard.

“How dare you ignore us?!” The girl yelled.

Elsa slowly lifted her gaze. Standing over her was a black-haired girl. Beautiful, curvy, and furious. Two other girls flanked her, their expressions twisted with disgust.

“I…I am sorry,” Elsa whispered, looking away.

“If you were truly sorry,” the girl snapped, “you would have refused to sit in front of Jake Blake. How dare an omega like you even look at him?” Her lips curled. “I expected more, but you are nothing. Just an insect…easy to crush.”

She turned sharply. “Pour it on her.”

Elsa’s breath hitched as she saw the bucket in one of the girls’ hands. There was no doubt the bucket was filled with water. How had she gone from invisible to being targeted by the most dangerous kind of attention?

She clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself.

“No one will lay a hand on her.”

The voice was calm. Cold. Commanding.

Elsa’s eyes flew open.

Jake Blake stood there.

Gasps echoed around them as everyone turned, shock written across their faces.

Jake walked toward Elsa, then bent and lifted her effortlessly into his arms.

The world went silent.

“She is my woman.”