He looked at me, and there was something in his eyes—worry, maybe. Or guilt. Or both.
"You're strong, Selene," he said quietly. "Stronger than they know."
I didn't respond.
I couldn't.
Because I wanted to believe that. I really did.
But sometimes, strength didn't matter.
Not without a wolf.
We went back inside, washed up quickly, and joined Lilian and Rhea at the table for dinner. Nothing fancy—vegetable stew with bread on the side—but it smelled amazing, and the warmth of it settled deep into my bones.
We talked softly over the meal. Rhea told us about a dream she had where she turned into a dragon and flew over the school. Lilian laughed. Dad chuckled. I listened and smiled.
It was nice.
Normal.
I didn't want it to end.
But in the back of my mind, I could feel the countdown ticking down.
Three days.
And everything would change.
Or it wouldn't.
And I wasn't sure which scared me more.
The next day came too fast.
I was already tired by the time the sun rose, and I still had to report for my morning shift at the pack house before school. My hands were sore from the night before, and my shoulders burned from scrubbing endless floors and wiping down walls that no one thanked me for cleaning.
Same routine. Different day.
I moved through the motions like a machine—bleach, rinse, sweep, polish. Eat nothing. Smile at no one. Leave unseen.
And still… I was late.
Again.
By the time I got to school, the first bell had already rung. The hallway was silent, classrooms full. I didn't bother running. There was no point. I wasn't running from anything or toward anything anymore. I was just trying to make it through.
I didn't run into Ava in the hallway, which was unusual—but I didn't question it. I was already exhausted and not in the mood for another performance of Mock the Omega before I'd even dropped my bag.
I stepped into the classroom as quietly as I could, pushing the door open just enough to slip inside.
Everyone was already seated. Of course.
Miss Amber was mid-lecture, writing something on the board. She paused when she saw me, her eyes lingering on mine like she wanted to say something—maybe ask why I was late, maybe make an example out of me in front of the entire class—but then… she didn't.
She looked at me for a moment longer, then shook her head and turned back to the board.
No welcome. No scolding. Just silence.
I took that as a win.
I made my way to my seat, trying to move quickly and quietly, pretending not to hear the stifled laughs that rippled across the room. I could feel the eyes on me. Could practically hear the smirks. A few students mimicked the way I walked in, hunched and hurried, whispering behind their hands.
I didn't cry. Not here. Not in front of them.
But my hands were shaking. My legs barely carried me to my chair.
And the worst part?
The worst part was knowing I was being mocked for being late to their school after spending the morning cleaning up after them. Scrubbing their spit off walls, wiping their greasy fingerprints off windows, picking up the trash they tossed like I was born for it.
And yet here I was—the joke.
I clenched my jaw and forced myself to breathe.
Focus, Selene. Just focus.
I pulled out my notebook and pen and tried to catch up on what was left of the lesson. Miss Amber didn't call me out again, but she did ask a few questions—and when she did, I answered them clearly.
That shut a few of them up.
At least for a while.
By the time the bell rang for lunch, I'd almost convinced myself I could make it through the day without incident.
But the moment Miss Amber left the room, the walls cracked open.
The laughter came in waves.
Like they'd been holding it back with both hands and now couldn't wait to let it rip.
One girl mimicked my walk from earlier, arms stiff, head ducked. Another added sound effects. They clapped like I'd just tripped on stage.
I kept my head down and tried to gather my things quickly. I just wanted out.
I was halfway to the door when I saw ava.
Of course.
She blocked my path like she owned the floor beneath our feet. Lean, tall, dressed in perfect black with her hair twisted into a braid that probably took an hour to do. She crossed her arms and tilted her head like I was some pest she'd found in her expensive shoes.
"Well, look who decided to show up," she said loudly enough for everyone to hear.