Cris gripped my shoulder and whispered, "She's going to be fine."
I looked up and saw Mrs. Leonardo smiling warmly at us. "You remind me of the bond I had with my siblings," she said, eyes glistening with tears that never quite fell.
"She really is my sister," I said, taking her hand. I smiled, remembering how we'd held each other through every storm.
She let out a soft giggle, brushing away emotion. "But I'm still the better dancer." She rolled her eyes with playful defiance.
"Of course you are," I laughed. "But we should get going." I glanced at the clock.
"Always hold on to each other," Mrs. Leonardo said, placing a hand on each of our shoulders. "What you have is rare. Cherish it."
Cris and I left her office, laughing and nudging each other all the way back to our rooms.
Later, after saying goodbye to Cris, I slipped into the hall where Liam and I met every evening. He wasn't there. Just a letter, resting on the steps where we'd sit side by side every day.
*I'm sorry, Zinnia. I should be by your side, but my mother is sick and she...*
I crushed the letter in my hand, "She needs you, just be safe," muttering under my breath. There was no time to feel it now—I had to head to training with Maddie.
I was nervous. Maddie had a reputation. Her fighting style was completely different from Don, Liam, or any other trainer. I'd watched her in the backyard—quick, precise, brutal. She trained with either a sword or her bare hands, mixing forms in ways that made it hard to keep up.
Cris once swore she saw Maddie break a pillar with her fists. I believed her. Cris was my bestie, but even this sounded almost mythic.
The way Maddie kept her brows raised gave her a fierce edge. You'd expect someone like that to be cold or unkind, but today she had her hair in two braids. I admired her not just for her strength but for how she carried herself. I wanted to fight like her, move like her, *be* like her.
I thought I was doing well in combat. Until I stood across from her. She knocked me flat in the first move.
I braced for a cruel remark—*I have no place for losers.*
Instead, she offered her hand. "On your feet."
I blinked up at her in shock as she helped me stand.
"Never underestimate your enemies," she shouted. "Always expect them to be ready!"
There were a few girls in the corner, fewer boys. She turned to me again. "Go sit on the bench."
Then she called a boy forward.
While they sparred, a girl entered the training space with another student.
"We're in the middle of training!" Maddie said, not hiding her annoyance.
"I'm Lucy," the girl said with a polite smile. "Sent by Mrs. Leonardo to take everyone's measurements."
She had red hair twisted into two buns, wore glasses, and I recognized her—she was a designer.
She worked quickly, while her assistant jotted notes in a small but thick notepad.
Once they were gone, training resumed. I practiced with Maddie in the evenings, and Don trained me during our free slots. It worked out.
That night, I sat on the balcony beside my room.
The upper floor had two rooms on the left—Shawn's first, then a sitting area with couches and pillars. Three arches, but only the middle one led to the balcony. My room came right after.
I sat beside one of the pillars, letting the wind toss my hair. The breeze was cold, but calming.
Then I sensed someone approaching.
It was Don.
My heart jumped. I stood up, nervously clasping my hands over the railing.
"The moon looks beautiful, doesn't it?" He stood beside me, not looking directly, but somehow he knew I was watching him.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, smiling.
I turned away quickly, burning with embarrassment. The words slipped out before I could stop them.
"I like you!"
I froze. Curse me. "I mean—I like your skills." I bit my lip, wishing the ground would swallow me.
*Why can't you keep your mouth shut, Zinnia?*
He burst out laughing. "I like your skills too."
I gave a forced laugh, knowing full well he was teasing me.
"No, really," he said, calming down. "I like how you commit to something and give it your all. That kind of passion is rare."
His voice had a way of disarming me. I watched the stars, gripping the fence like a lifeline.
"You know what I love most about nature?" he asked. He looked at me as I looked away. "It makes everything so perfect… then adds a flaw to make it unique. Like the moon. Without its marks, it'd just be a lightbulb in the sky. But those flaws—they make it beautiful."
He paused. "Just like you."
I blinked. "Me?"
He took my hands.
"You're caring. Honest. Your eyes, your smile—you're beautiful. The most beautiful I've ever seen."
His expression softened. "But your flaw? You're a terrible liar. Which makes you pure. And that makes you... unique."
He brushed my cheek gently with the back of his fingers.
"I know you weren't talking about my skills," he whispered.
We were so close now—barely an inch apart. His nose brushed mine.
My heart raced, every beat loud in my chest. His fingers laced through mine, and I felt like a fireball in his grip. My feet barely touched the ground.
Then—something hit my head.
"Ow!" I rubbed the spot, looking around.
"What happened? Did I hurt you?" Don looked alarmed.
"No. Something hit me," I said, turning back to him—only to be hit again, this time on the shoulder.
He raised an eyebrow, suspicious, until his gaze landed on two rocks lying nearby.
We leaned over the railing and spotted someone in a hood sprinting away.
"Who's there?" Don yelled.
"I'm taking this jerk to the principal!" He bolted toward the door.
"Don!" I called after him, but it was too late. He was gone.
The moment was ruined. My mood sank. Whoever threw those rocks, I silently cursed them.
Somehow, I made it through the night.
The next morning, I woke to seven missed calls—one from Head Office and the rest from an unknown number. I tried calling back, but the line was off.
I went to class, but during the lecture, the receptionist appeared at the door. "Mrs. Leonardo wants to see Ms. James," she said.
I asked for permission and left right away.
"Mr. Smith has been trying to reach you," Mrs. Leonardo said as soon as I entered.
"I was asleep," I said. "Didn't know it was his number."
Her face was grim. "It's your aunt. She's missing."
My heart dropped.
"I've already assigned Mr. Smith to find her," she continued. "And there's something else. He cleared your record. No one remembers your name anymore."
She smiled, trying to reassure me. "Don't worry. We'll find her."
"She's the closest family I've got," I said quietly. I trusted Mrs. Leonardo. If anyone could find her, it was her.
But before she could say more, a loud alarm blared.
"High alert," she said, staring out the window.
Storm clouds were rolling in fast. Thunder rumbled so violently that we felt it in our bones.
Ryan burst through the door. "Alpha Odon is here."
Mrs. Leonardo stepped onto the balcony. Below, an army of towering men stood at the gates. No women. Four of them carried a throne on their shoulders, mouths sewn shut.
And on the throne sat a man with wild black hair, blood-red eyes, a thick beard and mustache, and a sneer that chilled the soul.
His eyes swept the school. Then they stopped—on me.
I froze, a chill crawling up my spine. My fists clenched.
"We agreed never to cross paths again, Odon," Mrs. Leonardo said.
"That was an old deal," he growled. "Made by old *wolves*. Before you broke it—and stole from us."
His smile was full of rot and menace.
"Arm the students. Prepare the guards," Mrs. Leonardo whispered to Ryan, just loud enough for him to hear.
He slipped out.
"What do you want?" she called.
"You know." His eyes locked onto mine.
"Get back," she whispered to me.
I stepped away, still able to see the army through the balcony rails.
Rain began to pour.
"You know what sets a coyote apart from a wolf?" Odon cracked his neck. "A wolf can be reasoned with. Give it something and it'll go away. But a coyote? It hunts. And it eats everything. The prey. The obstacle. Everything until there's nothing left."
His voice deepened, turning monstrous.
Pain surged through my head like something was drilling into my skull.
"Stay back, Zinnia. Tell Ryan to prepare for attack!"
I heard her voice in my mind. I turned my head slightly and saw her eyes—her pupils had shifted, narrowing into something not quite human.
She was speaking to me telepathically.
I obeyed her direction. As sneakily as I could, but Odon suspected.