Chapter 7

• Ayla
• pressed my hand against his side, trying to steady him. His body was trembling, muscles twitching like he was fighting something in his sleep. “Wake up,” I whispered, low and urgent. He had to be dreaming about the beast from earlier. That thing wasn’t like us. We were wolves, students, part of something familiar. That was a monster, born of nightmares. If the Reyes twins hadn’t stepped in, I wouldn’t be standing here at all.
• I shook him again, worry twisting inside me, when his eyes flew open. For a heartbeat, he stared at our hands tangled together. His gaze shifted back to my face, darkening, sharp enough to cut.
• “What the hell?” His voice cracked through the silence like thunder. He yanked his hand away, anger spilling into the room.
• Heads turned. Beds shifted. And of course, Brooke Leclair sat up, eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
• My chest locked. A hiccup burst out, ridiculous and loud, and laughter rippled through the air. Heat rushed up my neck. Why now? Why in front of everyone?
• “What’s going on?” Lyric’s sleepy voice came from the far side, soft with concern. I couldn’t answer. Words stuck in my throat, strangled by humiliation.
• Cold wetness suddenly seeped through my uniform, sliding down my skin. The sweet, artificial taste hit my lips before I could even register it.
• Soda.
• “What… no,” I stammered, hiccupping again, the sound making me sound pathetic.
• Laughter sharpened, cruel and cutting. Tears stung my eyes as realization struck. Brooke’s smirk. The bottle in Jace Reyes’s hand. My stomach twisted as he tilted it casually, like drenching me was nothing but a game.
• “That’s what happens when you touch me,” he muttered, handing the bottle back to Brooke like it was part of their private joke.
• The betrayal burned deeper than the sticky liquid soaking through my clothes. My good intentions had turned into fuel for their cruelty. I shoved away Lyric’s reaching hand and bolted for the door, ignoring the voices calling after me.
• No more good deeds. Never again.
• The hallways pressed in around me, dim lights flickering overhead. My soaked shirt clung to my body as I wrung it out, soda dripping onto the floor in sticky trails. Perfect. I’d have to beg the principal for another uniform.
• I rounded the corner toward the bathrooms, only to freeze. A low growl echoed through the corridor, rumbling in my chest like a warning.
• I didn’t dare look back. My skin prickled with the weight of unseen eyes, the suffocating certainty that the monster from earlier had followed me here.
• Whimpering, I fumbled at the bathroom door. The handle wouldn’t budge. My knuckles hammered against the wood, frantic. The growl came again, closer this time, hot breath brushing the back of my neck.
• The door swung open, and I stumbled inside, colliding with a solid chest. Strong arms steadied me.
• “Zane,” I gasped, my voice cracking as I clung to him. I slammed the door shut before the thing outside could follow. My soaked uniform clung to me, transparent under the harsh light. Tears clung to my lashes, my chest rising and falling too fast. I knew exactly how I looked. Vulnerable. Exposed.
• His gaze dragged over me, pausing on my face. His usual sharpness faltered, replaced by something heavier. “Why are you crying?” His voice was low, rough, and for once, it wasn’t cruel. The concern in his eyes unsettled me more than his anger ever had. My heart hammered, betraying me. I knew he could hear it.
• “What are you doing here?” I forced the words out, even as my back pressed against the wall to put space between us. I had wanted to be alone. To cry, to clean up, to disappear until morning. But instead, I was trapped in the bathroom with one of the Reyes twins.
• He smirked, slow and dangerous, stepping forward as I edged back. “That’s my question for you.”
• My shoulders hit the wall. He loomed close, his height and heat overwhelming. My pulse raced at the nearness, at the way his presence stole all the air from the room.
• “Nowhere,” I whispered, though my throat was dry.
• His eyes lowered, trailing over the outline of my damp clothes. I instinctively crossed my arms over my chest, but he clicked his tongue, irritated. “Don’t hide from me.”
• I tightened my grip, only for him to catch my wrists and gently pry them away. His thumb brushed the corner of my eye, wiping away a tear. “You look too breakable like this,” he murmured, voice husky, “and it makes me want things I shouldn’t.”
• My breath caught as his thumb traced the line of my jaw, then brushed against my lips. Heat coiled in my stomach, shame mixing with something darker.
• Before I could say anything, he stepped back. His expression shuttered, turning sharp again. “Leave.”
• I blinked at him, stunned. “What? No. I’m not going back out there.” My voice shook, though I tried to sound firm. The halls were empty, and the monster’s presence still clung to me like frost.
• “You’ll go when I say you can,” he snapped, his voice echoing through the tiled room. The tenderness from seconds ago had vanished, replaced by ice. My chest ached at the whiplash. Was it only ever lust?
• I bit my lip, refusing to move, but the truth was already sinking in. That was all it had been.