Chapter 2 Moving with the wolf

Jake never wanted to be one of them. The wolves. The ones who ruled the school with sharp smirks and iron fists. He wasn't like them. At least, that's what he used to tell himself.

It started small. A push in the hallway. A trip on the stairs. Books knocked out of his hands, laughter echoing behind him. He could handle that. He had been handling worse at home. But then it got serious. They stopped waiting for him to cross their path and started hunting him down instead.

The first time Logan Pierce and his crew cornered him after school, he fought back. He didn't care that there were three of them. He swung, landed a punch on Troy's nose, and felt the sick satisfaction of watching blood spurt. But three against one was never a fair fight. Logan got him to the ground, a knee pressing into his chest, fists slamming into his ribs until his body went numb.

"You've got guts, Evans," Logan had said, panting, his lip split from one of Jake's punches. "I like that. So, here's the deal. You can be with us, or you can be our entertainment. What's it gonna be?"

Jake spat blood onto the pavement. He wanted to tell Logan to go to hell. But he wasn't stupid. He knew what would happen if he refused.

So, the next day, when Logan slung an arm around his shoulders in the cafeteria and announced, "Evans is one of us now," Jake just sat there, staring at his untouched food, feeling something inside him break.

Being with them didn't mean he was safe. It just meant the bruises healed slower. Because now, instead of being the one taking the punches, he was expected to throw them.

It was always Logan's orders. "Shove that kid into the locker." "Trip that loser in the hallway." "Take his money." Jake hesitated, at first. But hesitation was weakness, and weakness meant Logan would turn on him. So, he did it. One small thing at a time. Until it wasn't small anymore.

The first time Logan told him to hit someone, he froze. It was a scrawny kid, maybe a freshman, trembling against the lockers, eyes darting around for a teacher who would never come.

"Go on, Evans," Logan had said, nudging him forward. "Show him what happens when you don't respect us."

Jake clenched his fists.

"You want us to beat your ass instead?" Troy whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

So, Jake swung.

The first punch was the hardest.

After that, it got easier.

Days blurred into weeks. The more he fought, the more numb he became. He stopped thinking. Stopped questioning. Stopped feeling. The guilt was there, gnawing at him, but he shoved it down, buried it under every smirk, every sarcastic remark, every hit he delivered.

Then, one night, Logan decided to push things further. "We're gonna have some fun, boys," he had said, a wicked grin stretching across his face. "Meet me at school after dark."

Jake should have said no. But the word didn't exist for him anymore.

So, he showed up, hands shoved in his jacket pockets, heart hammering against his ribs. The janitor's closet. That's where Logan led them.

"It's just a joke," Logan said, pulling out a can of lighter fluid.

Jake's stomach twisted.

"No one even goes in here," Troy added. "Just a little fire, a little smoke-scare some people, that's all."

Jake wanted to turn around and leave. But Logan was watching him. So were the others. He couldn't walk away now.

So, he stood there as Logan poured the liquid onto the old wooden floor, as Troy struck a match and let it drop.

Flames crawled up the walls faster than anyone expected. Smoke thickened. The heat became unbearable within seconds.

"Shit," Logan muttered, stepping back. "We should-"

The fire alarm blared.

Everything turned to chaos.

By the time the fire department arrived, the damage was already done. Teachers were yelling. Students were coughing in the parking lot, covering their mouths with their sleeves.

Logan? He just laughed, slipping away before anyone could catch him.

Jake wasn't so lucky.

The next morning, he was called to the principal's office.

"We have security footage, Jake," the principal said, voice laced with disappointment. "You're done here."

He barely reacted as the words expelled echoed around him.

Logan and his crew were waiting for him outside the office.

"Tough break, Evans," Logan said, smirking.

Jake didn't reply. He just walked past them, feeling the weight of his choices crush him from the inside out.

For the first time in a long time, he wasn't a wolf.

He was just lost.

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