Chapter 2

Something cold and sharp twisted in my chest. Of course, he remembered. Kyle Williams, who'd spent years pretending I didn't exist, remembered the one thing I wanted everyone to forget.

"Thanks," I replied flatly. "Is that all?"

He shifted the wood in his arms, looking uncomfortable. Good.

"Your grandmother mentioned you might need help with something later. After the bonfire."

My blood turned to ice. "She what?"

"Said you might need... assistance. With your first shift." He looked almost as uncomfortable as I felt. "I volunteered to..."

"No," I cut him off, my voice harder than I intended. "Absolutely not."

Kyle's expression tightened. "Look, the first shift is dangerous to do alone. You know that."

“Like hell I want you or your brothers near me ever, just leave me alone. My luck, I don’t even have one, just go away.” I spat.

The words hung in the air between us like a challenge, and I watched Kyle's jaw tighten. Part of me expected him to laugh, to make some cutting remark about how I was probably right, that I'd be the first Lancaster in generations to have no wolf at all.

Instead, he set the firewood down on the ground with deliberate care.

"You really think I'm here to mess with you?" His voice was quieter now, stripped of the casual confidence I remembered from school.

"Aren't you?" The question slipped out before I could stop it, carrying years of accumulated hurt I thought I'd buried.

Something flickered across his face, surprise, maybe, or hurt. It was gone too quickly for me to be sure. "No, Imogen. I'm not."

I wanted to believe him. That was the most pathetic part of all of this, after everything, some stupid part of me still wanted to trust Kyle Williams. The same boy who'd held up my journal in front of half our grade and read aloud my embarrassing crush confession about Marcus Chen, complete with dramatic inflection.

"Right," I said, gripping the doorknob so hard it bit into my palm. "Because you've always been so concerned about my well-being."

Kyle ran a hand through his dark hair, leaving it more dishevelled than before. "That was six years ago."

"Some things stick." I turned back toward the door, but his next words stopped me cold.

"I know what it's like to not want an audience for something that personal."

I looked back at him despite myself. He was staring at the ground now, hands shoved deep in his pockets.

"My first shift..." He glanced up, meeting my eyes. "Let's just say having my brothers there wasn't exactly ideal."

I could imagine. The Williams triplets were notorious for their rivalry, always trying to one-up each other. Having your siblings witness your most vulnerable moment, judge your performance, and compare it to their own...

"That's different," I said, though my voice had lost some of its edge.

"Is it?"

“Yeah, sure, right, Kyle, you're an asshole if I have no wolf. You think you wouldn’t be the first to laugh? Just go to hell.” I said, trying to leave.

Kyle flinched as I slapped him. For a moment, something raw and unguarded crossed his face, something that made me almost regret my words. Almost.

"You really think that's who I am?" he asked, his voice quiet but strained.

I gripped the doorknob tighter, fighting the urge to run inside. "I think I don't know who you are anymore. And honestly, I don't care to find out."

"Imogen"

“Fuck off, Kyle. You lost all right to speak to me the night you read my letter to my late parents in front of the pack on my birthday six years ago. It was the first birthday I had had without them, and thanks to you and your brothers, I’m an outcast. Just go away.”

Kyle's face darkened, his amber eyes flashing with something dangerous. For a moment, I thought he might argue or defend himself. Instead, he just stared at me, his expression hardening into something unreadable.

"You think I don't remember what I did?" he finally said, his voice low. "You think I don't regret it every single day?"

I laughed, the sound brittle even to my own ears. "Save it. I'm not interested in your redemption arc."

But Kyle didn't move. "Your grandmother asked me specifically to help tonight. She's worried about you."

"My grandmother worries too much," I said, turning the doorknob at last. "And you can tell Alpha Williams his community service project failed. I don't need a babysitter."

"This isn't about..."

"Goodbye, Kyle." I slipped inside and shut the door firmly behind me, leaning against it until I heard his footsteps retreat down the porch steps.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I made my way to my bedroom, tossing my backpack onto the bed. Six hours. Just six more hours of pretending everything was normal, and then I could escape.

I pulled out the small duffel bag I'd hidden under my bed, checking its contents for the fifth time that week: clean clothes, water bottle, first aid kit, protein bars, and a small silver pendant that had belonged to my mother. I wasn't superstitious, but I wanted something of hers with me tonight.

A soft knock at my door made me shove the bag back under the bed.

"Imogen?" Grandmother's voice called. "May I come in?"

I straightened up, brushing dust from my knees. "Yeah."

She entered, her eyes taking in my flushed face with that knowing look she'd perfected over decades. "I see you've met Kyle."

"You had no right," I said, the words coming out sharper than I intended. "Telling him about tonight. About my shift."

Grandmother sighed, settling onto the edge of my bed. "Imogen, I know you think you want to do this alone..."

"I don't think. I know."

"...but the first shift is dangerous. Painful. Disorienting. Having someone there who's been through it..."

"Someone who's humiliated me? Who's made me a joke to the entire pack?" I crossed my arms. "Great choice, Grandmother. Really stellar judgment there."