Rick's POV
We were still locked in each other's eyes, mesmerized, as if the world outside had vanished. Neither of us seemed ready to look away.
"We should probably get off the floor," he said at last, his voice breaking the silence. Only then did I realize we were still tangled on the hallway tiles.
"Yeah… we should." I let out a short laugh as we both stood and brushed ourselves off.
"So, what's your name?" he asked.
"Rick," I replied. "And yours?"
"Kaiden."
The name hit me harder than I expected. Smooth. Powerful. Perfect. I wondered how it would sound spilling from my lips when I whispered it or moaned it. I shoved the thought away fast. I couldn't afford to get carried away.
"Now that I think about it," Kaiden said, narrowing his eyes slightly, "I haven't seen you around here before. You new?"
"Yeah. My cl—" I stopped myself just in time. "My family just moved here."
His brow arched, but after a beat he just nodded. "That's great."
Close call. If he caught the slip, he didn't let on.
We drifted into silence again, the kind that felt both awkward and electric. His gaze finally broke from mine, darting around the hallway as though searching for anything else to look at. Then his expression shifted.
"Shit," he muttered. "We're supposed to be in class right now."
The corners of my lips twitched. So my soulmate was a nerd. Great.
Not that I minded. Truth be told, I'd found some human books fascinating, hours slipping by as I devoured them. But their schools? Their dull routines? Not my thing.
"I'll grab some stuff from my locker," he said, already turning to leave, "then we can walk to class together."
Panic sparked. I didn't want him gone—not yet. Almost without thinking, I caught his wrist.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his gaze softening, his voice gentle enough to melt stone.
My eyes dropped to his lips. Before I knew it, I closed the space between us and pressed my mouth to his. The kiss landed clumsy, hungry, but when he melted into it, pulling me against him, everything shifted.
His lips were softer than I imagined, the kiss slower, sweeter than my instincts demanded. I wanted to devour him, to drown in the warmth sparking through me, but I held back. For once, I just wanted to savor.
Kaiden, though, didn't. With sudden force, he shoved me against the lockers, crushing his mouth back onto mine. His tongue slid past my lips, demanding control, his kiss rough and desperate.
We fought for dominance—him with raw, practiced confidence, me with a century of experience no teenager could match. In the end, I won. Barely.
When he finally pulled back, breathless, I was just as wrecked. My chest heaved. My lips tingled. My entire body hummed.
And then—
"What the hell is going on here?"
The voice, sharp and furious, sliced down the hallway. We both jerked apart as if burned. Standing a few yards away was Vice Principal Gia, her eyes blazing.
"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" she snapped, though her glare was directed squarely at Kaiden.
"Sorry," he said coolly. "We got… caught up in something. But to be honest, it's not really your business."
Her jaw tightened. For a moment, I thought she'd explode but then she faltered. Her eyes flicked down, her tone softening into something almost… submissive.
"Of course, S—Kaiden." She corrected herself mid-word, forcing a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Didn't mean to interrupt. Have a nice day."
And just like that, she was gone.
My pulse spiked. She'd almost called him Sire, probably was pack language. Which meant Kaiden wasn't just any wolf. He was someone important.
"What the hell was that?" I demanded once she was out of earshot.
"It's nothing. Forget it." He shrugged, but his smile didn't hide the tension behind his eyes.
I wanted to press, but another worry clawed through me. Hayley. I hadn't seen her since this morning. What if something had gone wrong?
"I should really go," I muttered, guilt gnawing at me.
Kaiden's smirk returned. "We just made out, and now you want to run away? Not happening."
"It's not that," I admitted. "I just… haven't seen my sister all day. I'm getting anxious."
His expression softened. He didn't like it, but he understood.
"I could walk you," he offered.
"Actually…" A plan sparked. "Do you know where the juniors have biology? That's the class she was supposed to be having."
His smile returned. "Yeah, I do. Come on."
We fell into step, weaving through the halls and up the stairs. To break the silence, I asked, "So, tell me about yourself."
"My name's Kaiden," he said easily. "I'm a triplet, eighteen, love music, and—according to my brothers—I'm a huge nerd."
I chuckled. "Interesting."
He tilted his head. "What about you?"
"I'm Rick. I've got a younger sister who's far too clever for her own good. I love reading. And… I'm definitely way older than you."
"How old? Twenty-five?" he teased.
"Let's go with that," I said, smirking. In truth, one hundred and sixty-five years weighed on me—but looking at him, none of it mattered.
I was about to say more when a loud crash shattered the air, followed by low, guttural growls. My body froze.
Blood. Wolf. And Hayley.
"Fuck."
I bolted up the stairs, Kaiden close behind. My senses screamed. The stench of blood was sharp, metallic. The sound of bodies slamming against walls echoed through the corridor.
We reached the classroom and chaos was all we saw. Desks splintered. Chairs overturned. Cracks veined the walls. In the middle of it all, Hayley and a wolf tore into each other, their clothes smeared with drying blood, their wounds healing as fast as they opened.
No one else was around. No witnesses. Thank God.
Neither of them noticed us. They were too locked in the frenzy of battle.
Then Kaiden stepped forward, his voice thunderous.
"Kylian!"
The name cracked through the room like a whip. His claws slid out. His fangs dropped. His blue eyes bled into golden gold.
Hayley's opponent froze just long enough for me to see his face clearly. So this was the third triplet. Kaylan, Kaiden… and Kylian.
But that wasn't the worst of it.
The worst was the realization dawning heavy in my chest: everything we had worked for: moving here, hiding what we were, blending in with humans and avoiding the pack—was unraveling right before my eyes.
And when Kaiden eventually sees me for what I truly am, I know the risk.
He might never want me.
Us. Our clan. Our family.
All of us doomed.