MasukI'd been waiting on the side staircase for twenty minutes.I knew her schedule. Knew she had a free period before lunch. Knew she'd take the side stairs because she'd been avoiding the main hallway since Julian arrived. I couldn't keep letting Julian's words sit between us.When she appeared at the top of the stairs, I stepped out."Emma. We need to talk."She stopped.Her hand tightened on the strap of her bag. She didn't look at me."I'm late for class.""You're not. I checked."Her eyes finally lifted to mine.For a moment, neither of us spoke.Then she sighed."You checked my schedule?""I needed to know when I could talk to you without half the school standing around us.""That's not creepy at all."Under different circumstances, I might have smiled.This wasn't one of them.She stood there for a long moment. Then she turned. Her eyes were tired. Guarded. The way they'd been since the parking lot. Since Julian."What do you want, Lucas?"I stepped closer. Then stopped myself. Th
I was at my locker when I felt someone watching me. I turned. Julian. Standing ten feet away, smiling. The smile was careful. The kind of smile that looked real if you didn't know better. I didn't smile back. She walked toward me, weaving through the students like they weren't there. She was wearing white—pristine and untouchable, like she'd stepped out of a magazine and expected the world to rearrange itself around her. Her eyes stayed on mine the entire time. "I heard you and Lucas had a disagreement." I closed my locker. "Did you hear that from Lucas?" "No." Her smile didn't waver. "Lucas doesn't talk about his feelings. I learned that two years ago." "Then how do you know?" "Because you're standing here, and he's not." She gestured vaguely toward the other end of the school. "He's on the other side of the building. Not looking at you. That's unusual for him, isn't it?" I didn't answer. I didn't have to. She already knew. Since the conversation with Lucas, I had noticed
I'd been at Rachel's for three hours. We'd watched one movie I didn't see and another I didn't register. Every time I tried to focus on the movie, I remembered Lucas standing in front of me at school. I didn't want an explanation anymore. At least, that was what I kept telling myself. But deep down, I knew I wanted answers. I wanted Lucas to tell me everything before someone else had the chance to do it again. Rachel finally paused the third movie and turned to face me. "Okay. We're not watching another minute until you tell me what's happening." I stared at the frozen screen. "Nothing's happening." "Emma." Her voice was flat. "You've been staring at the same spot on my wall for twenty minutes. You haven't touched your popcorn. You flinched when I touched your arm earlier." She crossed her arms. "Something's happening." "I’m just tired." "You're a terrible liar." "I’m not lying." "You are, but I’ll let you try again." I glanced at her. She raised her eyebrows. I looked awa
I'd been under the same car for three hours. Not fixing anything. Just letting my hands move. Turning bolts that didn't need turning. Checking lines that were fine. The mechanical rhythm kept my mind occupied, kept it from spiraling into places I didn't want to go. It wasn't working. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face. The way she'd looked at me in that parking lot. The way she'd held up her hand—not now—like she couldn't even stand to hear my voice. My wolf hadn't stopped pacing since. Restless. Agitated. Pushing against the walls I'd built inside my chest. I tightened another bolt, even though I knew it didn't need tightening. "You're going to strip that thing." I froze. I heard the back door open. Didn't look up. Olivia's footsteps crossed the shop floor. She didn't knock anymore. Hadn't for years. She knew the code, knew the layout, knew exactly where to find me. She stopped a few feet away. I felt her watching me. A full minute passed. "You look like someone w
Julian appeared beside me on the school steps like she'd been there the whole time.I turned to leave, but she fell into step beside me, matching my pace like this was normal.I didn't stop walking. "What do you want?""To talk." Her voice was light, easy. "Just talk.""We're not friends.""No. But we're not enemies either." She pulled out her phone, scrolling through something. "At least, I don't want to be."I kept walking. She kept pace.Students moved around us, heading toward their cars and waiting for rides. A few people glanced our way, probably wondering why Julian was walking beside me.I ignored them."I don't have anything to say to you," I told her."You don't have to say anything.""Then why are you here?""Because you should know something before you decide what you think about Lucas."That made me slow down.She noticed."That's what I thought."I frowned. "What exactly are you trying to say?"Julian stopped near the edge of the walkway and looked at me."I'm not trying
I knew where Emma was the second I stepped through the front doors.I always did. It was a thing the bond did—pulled my attention toward her like a compass needle finding north. Most days, I let it. Most days, I found excuses to walk past her locker, to sit where I could see her in the cafeteria, to time my exits so we'd end up in the same hallway.Today, I walked the other way.I took the long route to first period. Circled the science wing. Avoided the main staircase where I knew she'd be. I kept my eyes forward and my hands in my pockets and my mind carefully empty.It didn't work.The bond still pulled.Every time I turned a corner, I had a strange feeling that she was nearby. I could almost picture where she was without looking. It was annoying, distracting, and impossible to shut off.I tried anyway.I focused on class. On the teacher's voice. On the notes appearing on the board.None of it helped.My eyes kept drifting toward the door whenever someone walked past.By the time t
I stood at the edge of the park the next night, my heart pounding like a drum in my chest. The full moon hung low in the sky, casting a silver glow over everything. Lucas's words from yesterday echoed in my head—I’m not joking, Emma. You’ll see the truth soon enough. Part of me wanted to run home
I hid in the shadows of the trees, watching Emma stroll through the park near her house. The sun dipped low, casting long shadows over the grass. She looked lost in thought, her brown hair catching the light. That pull hit me hard—the bond tugging at my chest like a rope yanking me forward. I shou
I rushed down the sidewalk toward school, my backpack slapping against my side with every step. Tears stung my eyes from the fight with Marcus, but I blinked them away. His words echoed in my head—selfish, burden, helpless. The house felt like a cage, and school was my only escape today. I just wa
I sat at the kitchen table, my fingers nervously picking at the edges of a half-eaten sandwich. The bread was dry, the meal thrown together in a hurry before school. My mind raced back to last night. Dad's breakdown, the eviction notice looming like a dark cloud. The house already felt stifling. I







