Chapter 2 The Rumors Bite Back

I stayed glued to the locker for, like, three whole minutes. Maybe more. Maybe I blacked out, I don't even know. My heart was still punching me from the inside like it was trying to escape my chest cavity.

Did his eyes actually glow?

No. That's stupid. That's-

They did glow.

Nope. I'm overtired. I had, what, four hours of sleep? Plus burnt toast doesn't count as brain fuel. Clearly I'm hallucinating.

That's what I told myself as I fled into the locker room and slammed the door behind me.

It didn't help.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, mascara smudged under one eye, hair frizzed like I'd been electrocuted. "You're fine," I told Mirror Me. "Totally fine. Just saw the school's number-one delinquent flash some fancy contacts or... laser pointers... or something. Normal. Completely normal."

"Who are you talking to?"

I jumped so hard I nearly cracked my skull on the sink. Riley was standing there, holding a juice box, sipping it like she was watching live TV.

"Were you spying on me?!" I shrieked.

"Spying? No. Lurking? Maybe." She slurped her juice obnoxiously. "You're pale as death. What happened? Don't say nothing, because I saw you and Leather Jacket Boy doing the whole locker standoff thing."

I flailed my hands. "It wasn't a standoff. It was-uh-he was... blocking my oxygen supply."

Riley raised an eyebrow. "You mean he cornered you?"

"Cornered is such a strong word," I babbled. "He was just... you know... being tall. Very tall. Menacingly tall. But that's fine. Totally fine. Not terrifying at all."

Riley gave me the world's slowest blink. "Girl. Are you sure you didn't just drool on his shirt and then black out from embarrassment?"

"Riley!"

"What?" She shrugged. "I'm just saying, I've seen you trip over flat floors. Wouldn't shock me if you managed to invent a new way to humiliate yourself."

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. If I told her what I really saw, she'd laugh so hard she'd choke on that juice box. Or worse-believe me.

And somehow, I wasn't ready for either option.

By the time lunch rolled around, I was starving, stressed, and already dreading the fact that Riley wasn't going to let this go.

The cafeteria smelled like pizza and feet. Everyone was crammed into their usual spots, shouting, laughing, and pretending the food didn't taste like cardboard with extra salt. Riley and I squeezed into our table, and before I could even unwrap my sandwich, she leaned across the tray like a spy.

"Okay, listen," she whispered. "Rumor is, he broke some senior's arm last night."

I choked on my water. "What?"

"Yeah. Tyler's cousin's friend's boyfriend saw the whole thing." She nodded solemnly, like that ridiculous source was ironclad. "Said it happened behind the gas station. Apparently the guy didn't stand a chance."

I snorted. "Or maybe Tyler's cousin's friend's boyfriend is an idiot."

But Riley wasn't done. "Another rumor says he's in a gang."

"Riley-"

"A wolf gang."

I dropped my sandwich. "I'm sorry, what?"

She grinned. "Okay, not an actual wolf gang. But like... a pack of guys. They hang out in the woods. People swear they've heard howling out there."

My stomach did a weird flip. Woods. Howling. Glowing eyes.

Nope. Not connecting the dots. Not today, Satan.

"That's stupid," I muttered, shoving food in my mouth. "Howling in the woods? Maybe someone's dog ran away."

"Uh-huh." Riley raised her brows, smirking. "So you're saying he's definitely not secretly a dangerous animal-man hybrid?"

The piece of sandwich stuck in my throat disagreed violently. I coughed until my face went red while Riley patted my back like she was helping.

Across the cafeteria, a chair screeched. My head snapped up on instinct. And of course-there he was. Bad Boy Alpha himself, striding through the room like he owned it, ignoring everyone's whispers.

The noise level dipped. Eyes followed him. Girls giggled behind their hands. A couple guys scowled.

He didn't look at me. Not once.

And somehow, that made my chest feel even tighter.

The rest of lunch, I tried to act normal. Normal meaning: don't stare, don't think about glowing eyes, don't imagine him tearing someone's arm off behind a gas station.

Spoiler: I failed.

By the time the bell rang, my brain was fried. I stumbled into the hallway with an armful of books I didn't even need for class, because apparently I hate myself. Kids shoved past me in every direction, the air thick with deodorant and bad cologne.

And then-slam.

I collided with a wall. No, not a wall. A person. A very solid person.

My books exploded everywhere.

"Watch it," a low voice muttered.

I froze. Looked up. And of course-it was him.

Motorbike Bad Boy. Leather jacket back on, dark eyes burning holes straight through me.

"Oh, great," I blurted. "It's you."

His eyebrow lifted. "You sound thrilled."

I crouched to grab my books, mostly so he wouldn't see the fact my face had turned tomato-red. "I'm ecstatic," I muttered. "Running into you is literally the highlight of my academic career."

He crouched too, scooping up a notebook before I could reach it. His fingers brushed the cover, and for a second I noticed how big his hands were. Strong. Veiny. The kind of detail my brain absolutely did not need to log for future daydreams.

He didn't hand me the notebook right away. Just held it. Looked at me.

"You talk too much," he said finally, voice low.

I blinked. "Wow. Thanks for the feedback, Mr. Personality. I'll take that into consideration."

His jaw ticked. He leaned in, close enough that the hallway noise seemed to fade. "I told you to keep your mouth shut."

My laugh came out shaky. "Relax. I didn't tell anyone you've got... you know... special effects eyes."

His stare sharpened. Dangerous. "I'm not joking."

I swallowed, suddenly way too aware that everyone else in the hall had already moved on. It was just us. Him, me, and the fact my heart was beating like a broken drum set.

"Fine," I whispered, snatching the notebook out of his hand. "Your secret's safe. Cross my heart, hope to-"

"Don't finish that sentence," he cut in, voice almost a growl.

And just like that, he stood. Loomed over me. And walked off, leaving me on the floor with my books and about fifty new reasons to panic.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Teachers talked. Notes got scribbled. At one point I think someone asked me a question, but my brain was still stuck on don't finish that sentence and the way his eyes had burned through me like I'd just signed a death contract.

By the final bell, I bolted. Backpack half-zipped, sneakers pounding the cracked sidewalk, I just needed to get home, crawl into bed, and pretend none of this ever happened.

Halfway down Maple Street, though, I slowed.

The woods stretched along the edge of the road, branches tangled, shadows stretching longer than they should've in the fading light. My neighborhood wasn't creepy. It wasn't. But that evening it sure felt like it.

I told myself not to look. Don't. Just keep walking.

Of course I looked.

Something moved between the trees.

Not a person. Too low. Too fast. A shape - big, dark, quick as a shadow slipping through leaves.

I froze. My hands went clammy on my backpack straps.

It stepped out of the trees.

Not a dog. Way too big. Its shoulders rippled as it stalked forward, paws silent on the grass. Black fur, thick and shining under the streetlight glow. Ears pricked forward.

And its eyes.

Gold. The same gold I'd seen in the gym.

I sucked in a breath so sharp it hurt. The wolf - and it was definitely a wolf, no matter how many times my brain screamed impossible - didn't move closer. It just stood there. Watching me.

For a heartbeat, we were locked. Me, human mess. It, giant nightmare dog.

Then a car passed behind me. Headlights flared. And when I looked back-

Gone.

The trees shivered. Empty.

I didn't wait to find out more. I sprinted home so fast I nearly lost a shoe.

And the whole way, one thought chased me harder than my own heartbeat:

What the hell did I just see?