THE ALPHA'S SUCCUBUS

002

Outside, the air feels wrong, like something’s watching from the tree line. Something’s waiting.

Kaia climbed onto the back of my bike, arms wrapping around my waist. The engine coughed to life beneath us, low and grumbling. I revved the throttle, and we pulled out of the driveway, tires crunching on the gravel. The road ahead twisted through trees and sleepy hills. Mist clung to the edges of the pavement, veiling the world in silver. I didn’t look back at the house. I didn’t look up at the sky, even though the memory of the red clouds burned behind my eyes like the dream had left a mark. I just kept driving. Because today felt like it was going to be hella long.

Kaia rested her chin lightly on my shoulder. “You’re tense,” she said over the wind. “Like, ten seconds from snapping the handlebars.”

I didn’t answer cause I really didn’t know how to explain the way the air felt too thick, like the world was breathing wrong.

We hit the main road and merged into the flow of early morning traffic, pickup trucks, old sedans, and the occasional diesel-huffing school bus. Our small town yawned itself awake: porch lights flicked off, sprinklers spun lazily across cracked lawns, and the diner sign buzzed to life with a sleepy glow.

Kaia doesn’t let the silence stretch before breaking it. “So… are we pretending it’s a normal day? Or should I start writing your symptoms down in case you morph into a vampire?”

I snorted. “Pretty sure you’d be my first kill.”

Kaia gave me a gentle squeeze. “Ooh girl, don’t threaten me with a hot death, I just might take it.”

“You’re crazy, Kai.”

“Seriously, though. I’ve got your back. Even if you start levitating or twisting into a demon.”

“No, shut up” I say, turning into the school’s parking lot.

As soon as I killed the engine, a sharp bite of cold hit the air. Not the usual kind, but something colder. Unnatural, like the world had shifted.

Birds launched from the tree behind the school as if something had startled them. I could feel my skin crawl. It was almost like a new kind of heat had surged through me.

Then the stares begin before I can even process how I feel inside.

Not casual glances. Not even curiosity. Eyes tracked us as we walked or maybe me?

Boys I barely knew. Teachers. Even a cleaner I had never noticed before. Their gazes lingered too long, glazed over with something like fascination. Come off it, guys, it’s just a hoodie and jeans.

Kaia caught on immediately. “Okay… what the hell?” she whispered, leaning close. “Why is every dude suddenly acting like you’re dipped in glitter and sin?”

I swallowed hard. “I don’t know.” I wasn’t hallucinating then.

“Well, if this is what turning eighteen is like, then I’m on you, baby,” Kaia said, trying to lighten the mood or whatever she’s doing right now.

I walked like my bones were hollow, every step too light. Like I hadn’t fully come down from whatever the hell that wild dream was. Was he a s*x demon or something? The hallway buzzed with early morning chaos, sneakers squeaking, lockers slamming, someone yelling across the quad about prom themes even though it was months away.

Kaia walks beside me, a bag slung casually over one shoulder, expertly dodging a first-grade student with a saxophone case. “I swear the energy in here is cursed,” Kaia muttered, sniffing, "Like rotting lunch meat and teen hormones. It's an actual disaster.”

I smirked. “You say that every Monday.”

“Yeah, but this Monday feels extra diseased.” Kaia nudged me with an elbow. “Hey, are you going to tell me what you want for your birthday, or am I improvising again?”

I blinked. “That’s in, like, three days.” I totally forgot.

Kaia gasped like she’d been personally offended. “Three days, and you still haven’t given me a list? What kind of friend are you?”

“The kind who doesn’t want a tower of what candles and sage bundles again.”

“You loved those candles.”

“They melted onto my bookshelf.”

“Aesthetic chaos,” Kaia said, winking.

I stopped at my locker, twirling the dial out of habit even though my fingers still felt shaky. “I don’t know. It doesn’t feel like a birthday this year. Just… off.”

Kaia leaned on the locker beside mine which was hers, watching her. “Off how? Like just-off, or don't wanna celebrate-off?”

I glanced at her, considering. “Both?”

Kaia’s lips pressed into a thoughtful line. “Well, when I turn eighteen in a month, I expect a parade. And a legally binding contract that says I’m allowed to hex my exes.”

I snorted, pulling her locker open. “You’d curse them all with mental illness.”

“And they’d deserve it. I would've said STIs, but that could come back on me,” we both giggled.

There was a pause, comfortable but heavy.

Kaia tugged at the strap of her bag. “You sure you’re okay?”

I nodded, though it was the kind of nod that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m just tired. I’ll survive.”

Kaia didn’t push. She just bumped my shoulder gently. “Alright. But if some buffy-ass s**t starts happening, text me first.”

“Noted.”

The bell shrieked overhead like it had a vendetta.

Kaia sighed. “Ugh, bio. Time to learn how frog guts work.”

I grinned. “Enjoy that. I’ve got Harrow.”

Kaia pulled a face. “That crypt keeper? He probably drinks formaldehyde with his coffee.”

We split at the junction in the hallway, Kaia throwing me a backward wave. “Meet you at lunch?”

“Always,” I called, then turned down the hall to English, the buzz in her veins louder than ever.

Walking to class had never felt creepier. I could taste their eyes in my throat.

Hear me out, I know that sounds weird, but I swear it wasn’t just the usual people-staring stuff. I wasn’t even looking at them, yet I could feel it, more than feel it. It was like I could sense why they were staring.

There was this strange awareness, like their thoughts had weight, and all of them were aimed at me.

I gripped the sleeves of my hoodie tighter and finally slipped into class. Thank goodness I was early.

I made my way to my usual seat at the far end, by the window. Normally, the chair beside me stays empty. Not today.

There was a boy sitting there.

I’d never seen him before. Who was he? I ignored him.

Class started, and it turns out he was a transfer student. Great.

But here’s the kicker: He spent almost the entire period staring at me. I caught his eyes more than once. And if I said it didn’t freak me out, I’d be lying.

The moment the bell rang, I bolted. But somehow, he was in my next class. And the one after that.

When I saw him walk in during Art class, I dipped. I don’t even skip classes like that yet, something about him just… irked me out.

I couldn’t shake the feeling. I just wanted to get to lunch. I just wanted to see Kaia

I somehow make it through my classes, each one worse than the last. By lunch, I was out of hiding in a jiffy.

The cafeteria was a humid mess of mystery meat, spilled soda, and desperation.

I slumped into the seat across from Kaia at our usual spot near the far window prime people-watching real estate, just far enough from the chaos to be ignored. Or at least, that used to be the case.

Kaia raised a brow before I even opened my mouth.

“Let me guess… they were unbearable?”

I groaned, dropping my tray with a clatter.

“I swear to every petty god in existence, something is wrong. It’s like I walked into class, and suddenly I’m everyone’s unfinished fantasy.”

“Just like this morning?” Kaia picked at her fries. “What happened?”

“First period, English, this boy shows up. He’s new. And somehow he’s in every class with me. He sits beside me, staring like I paid his tuition in blood. And I’m ninety percent sure Philip from Chem sniffed my neck when we partnered up.”

Kaia blinked. “Philly? Our Philly?”

“The same one who called me a ‘moody skank’ last semester? Yeah. Him.”

I jabbed at her fries like they’d personally betrayed me.

“Even in Art, he was there too. Acting weird. He smiled at me, Kaia. Smiled. Like his face moved.”

Kaia leaned in. “Okay. That’s sinister.”

My head dropped onto the table with a dramatic thud.

“I hate it. I want to go back to being invisible.”

“Too late, Barbie,” Kaia said, patting my hand. “You’re becoming a womannnn.”