Chapter 6 – The Human Scent

The whispers started before I reached the classroom. I didn't need heightened hearing to catch them. They weren't trying very hard to keep their voices down.

"She's the human."

"I know."

"Then why is she still here?"

"Principal Luca admitted her."

"That doesn't mean she belongs."

I tightened my grip on the strap of my bag and kept walking. Pretending not to hear had become surprisingly easy. Pretending it didn't hurt... That was impossible. Sometimes, I wished I could disappear behind a pair of headphones, turn the volume all the way up, and drown out every whisper that followed me through the academy. That was another story. As I stepped into the lecture hall, conversations softened for a moment. Not because anyone wanted to speak to me. Because they wanted to smell me. It happened every time. A quiet inhale. A confused look. Then silence. I took my usual seat and opened my notebook. No one sat beside me. No surprise there. The seat remained empty until the last minute. Then someone placed a notebook on the desk.

I looked up. Rafael. He wore a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms, revealing strong, lean muscles beneath lightly tanned skin. The first two buttons at his collar were undone, giving him an effortless elegance that looked completely unplanned. His dark brown hair was slightly messy, as though he'd run his fingers through it on the way to class instead of bothering with a mirror.

Then there were his eyes.

Golden.

Not bright enough to look unnatural, yet impossible to mistake for any ordinary color. Every time they met mine, they seemed warmer than I remembered. He stopped beside the empty chair.

"May I?"

For some reason, he always asked. Even when he didn't have to. I nodded.

"Of course."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He sat beside me as naturally as if he'd been doing it for years.

"Good morning."

His voice was as calm as ever.

"Morning."

For a second, neither of us spoke.

And strangely...

The silence wasn't awkward. Around us, several students exchanged surprised glances. One of them leaned toward another.

"I don't get it."

"What?"

"Why is Valerian sitting next to her?"

"I have no idea."

Neither did I. Professor Aldren entered before anyone could say more. The lecture passed quietly. Every now and then, Rafael leaned toward my sketches, pointing out a detail or asking why I had chosen a certain design. He listened. Really listened. It was... nice. Almost normal. When the class ended, students poured into the corridor. Rafael was called away by Nik before we reached the stairs.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

"I'll be there."

For the first time since arriving at Wolf Academy, I smiled without forcing it. Maybe things were finally changing. I was wrong. The whispers returned the moment Rafael disappeared around the corner.

"So..."

A tall boy stepped into my path. He wasn't smiling. He looked genuinely curious.

"Can I ask you something?"

"I guess."

"What do you smell?"

I blinked.

"What?"

He frowned.

"I mean..."

He leaned slightly closer before stopping himself.

"You smell human."

"I am human."

"I know."

His confusion deepened.

"But that's all."

"I'm not sure what you expected."

"Everyone has something."

"Packs."

"Magic."

"Power."

"You..."

He shook his head.

"...you smell like nothing except human."

Another student joined him.

"I've never smelled anyone like that."

"So why are you here?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"If I knew," I said, trying to stay patient, "I'd probably stop asking myself the same question every morning."

A few students laughed. Not cruelly. Awkwardly. One girl folded her arms.

"Maybe the admission office made a mistake."

"It wasn't the admission office."

Everyone turned. Rafael. I hadn't even heard him return. He stood a few feet away, one hand resting casually in his pocket. His expression remained calm.

"It was Principal Luca."

The girl frowned.

"She's still human."

"And she's still a student."

"But—"

"If the principal admitted her," Rafael interrupted quietly, "then that's enough."

No raised voice. No anger. Just certainty. Silence settled over the corridor. A few students looked away. Others shifted uncomfortably. Matteo, who had been leaning against the opposite wall with his arms crossed, let out a quiet laugh. Every head turned toward him.

"What?" he asked.

"You think this is funny?" one student asked.

"I think it's interesting."

His black eyes drifted from Rafael to me.

"I've never seen Valerian defend someone before."

"I wasn't defending her."

Rafael's tone remained steady.

"I was correcting a mistake."

Matteo smiled.

"Keep telling yourself that."

Their eyes met. For the first time... I felt something I couldn't explain. The air between them seemed heavier. Not hostile. Not yet. But tense. As if neither of them intended to step back first. Nik appeared beside Rafael.

"We're going to be late."

Rafael didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked at me.

"Are you alright?"

The question caught me off guard. I nodded.

"I'm fine."

His gaze lingered for just a second longer, as though making sure I meant it. Then he gave a small nod.

"Good."

Without another word, he walked away with Nik. Matteo watched him disappear down the corridor. Then he looked back at me. A slow smile spread across his face.

"This is going to be more entertaining than I expected."

Before I could ask what he meant, he turned and left. I stood alone in the hallway once again. Except this time... I wasn't sure I wanted to be invisible anymore. Far above the courtyard, hidden behind the tall windows of the west tower, Principal Luca stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Beside him, Isara Vaelis quietly closed the book she had been reading.

"They're beginning to notice her," she said.

Luca didn't take his eyes off the courtyard.

"I know."

Isara studied his expression.

"Should we tell her?"

A long silence followed. Finally, Luca shook his head.

"Not yet."

Outside, completely unaware, I crossed the courtyard beneath the afternoon sun and neither of us noticed that the first pieces of fate had already begun to move.