Fated to a Human

Chapter 20

Rory sat on the hard plastic bench just outside the principal’s office, her arms crossed and one leg bouncing with impatience. The overhead lights buzzed faintly, the only sound in the otherwise awkward silence.

Beside her, Skylar sat with an ice pack pressed against her swollen, bloodied nose. The front of her expensive white shirt was stained a deep red, and her eyes were puffy from crying—though Rory suspected most of the tears were more from humiliation than pain.

Skylar cast occasional death glares Rory’s way, but Rory didn’t flinch. She looked straight ahead, her expression unreadable. Bored, if anything. She’d dealt with worse.

The door to Principal Langston’s office finally creaked open. His gruff voice called, “Miss. Monroe.”

Skylar sniffled dramatically, then stood with a delicate whimper, clutching the ice pack like a war wound. She shot Rory one last dirty look before disappearing into the office.

The door clicked shut behind her.

Rory leaned her head back against the wall and sighed. The minutes dragged by.

Inside the office, Skylar laid it on thick. Her voice trembled, just the right amount of weak and fragile. “I—I was just trying to be nice to her, you know? I tried to be her friend and she just… attacked me out of nowhere. I don’t even know what I did wrong.”

Principal Langston didn’t say much. He just nodded slowly, fingers steepled together as he watched her with tired, knowing eyes.

He’d been in this job long enough to recognize bullshit when he heard it.

But he also knew Skylar’s father.

Daniel Monroe. Wealthy real estate mogul. One of the biggest donors to the district. Skylar’s record was spotless, not because she never caused trouble, but because most of it never made it to paper.

“I’ll take care of it,” Langston said, folding his hands and offering her a polite smile.

Skylar sniffled again, nodded, and rose with the grace of someone who thought she’d won. She opened the door, stepping out with fake dignity. But her eyes, still burning with rage, locked on Rory like lasers.

“You’re going to regret this,” she hissed under her breath as she passed.

Rory didn’t even blink.

Langston’s voice rang again. “Miss Rodriguez?”

Rory stood and walked in, shutting the door behind her. The principal sat at his desk, his office neat and symmetrical, like a picture in a catalog. He motioned for her to take a seat.

“Alright, Miss Rodriguez,” he said, folding his arms. “Your version of events.”

Rory sat up straight, calm and collected. “Skylar confronted me in the lunch line,” she said. “Told me to stay away from Nathan. She shoved me. Twice. I warned her to stop. Then she tried to slap me, and I defended myself. That’s it.”

Langston raised an eyebrow. “You hit her once?”

“Yes,” Rory replied evenly. “After she tried to slap me first.”

He studied her for a long moment. Her voice was steady, her eyes clear. There was no sign of deception. And honestly… she reminded him of his own daughter at that age. Blunt. Brave. Unapologetic.

Langston pressed his lips together. “Self-defense is a tricky line to walk in schools. And between you and me, I believe you. But Skylar’s father—”

“Let me guess,” Rory interrupted. “Donates half the funding for the school and buys her way out of everything?”

Langston’s jaw tightened. But he didn’t deny it.

He sighed, looking down at a blank pink detention slip.

“You’re right. But breaking someone’s nose on school property still comes with consequences. Even if you were provoked.”

Rory didn’t argue. She just sat silently, waiting for the verdict.

“Two days of after-school detention,” he finally said. “You’ll report to Room 114. Mr. Cleary supervises.”

Rory nodded once. “Got it.”

Langston nodded as well. “You can go.”

Rory stood, walking out of the office with her head held high. The hallway was empty now, the final bell just minutes away. She spotted Peter leaning against a locker a few doors down.

When he saw her, he grinned. “So? Did you get expelled? Are we doing homeschool now?”

Rory rolled her eyes. “Two days of after-detention.”

Peter pumped his fist. “That’s it? Legendary.”

Rory allowed herself a small smirk. “Guess Skylar’s nose wasn’t worth full suspension.”

Peter leaned closer, whispering, “You know Nathan was pissed when he heard what happened.”

Rory had a flash of pain cross her features—quickly masked by irritation. “What, is he mad at me for breaking Barbie’s fake nose?” she said with a sharp edge to her voice.

Peter scoffed, shaking his head. “No, he’s pissed at Skylar. For touching you. Like, really mad.”

Rory relaxed at that, her posture softening just slightly. Maybe Nathan really was done with Skylar. For good.

She shook her head, snapping herself out of it. Why did she care so much? Nathan was just a friend. That’s all. Even if, for the past week and a half, she’d had pretty intense s*x dreams about him. Even if she’d been subtly making little moves just to see how he’d react.

Peter hooked his arm around hers with a grin. “Come on, my little warrior princess. Time for psych class—let’s crush that exam.”

---

Nathan leaned back in his seat at the edge of the football field, his earbuds in but the music long forgotten. His mind wasn’t on practice. It wasn’t even on the practice game. It was on what Peter had told him less than an hour ago—about the fight.

Skylar had been taken down. By Rory.

He still couldn’t wrap his head around it. Skylar wasn’t some fragile porcelain doll like she pretended to be. She fought dirty. She scratched, clawed,pulled hair, bit if she had to. Nathan had seen her start fights before—always coming out on top, always smirking like she had something to prove.

But this time?

One hit.

Rory had broken her nose with one clean punch.

His wolf had stirred immediately when he heard. The moment Peter had rushed up, face lit with chaotic energy and blurted, “Dude, Rory just destroyed Skylar in the cafeteria,” Nathan’s vision had sharpened, his senses stretching out instinctively like he was hunting.

He didn’t know whether it was pride, awe, or some primal form of attraction flooding his system—but whatever it was, it was powerful. He felt it deep in his bones.

His wolf paced just beneath the surface now, restless and electric, letting out a low growl of approval in the back of Nathan’s mind.

She’s strong. Brave. Ours.

Nathan didn’t say it out loud, but he felt it too.

It wasn’t just the punch or the broken nose or the chaos that followed. It was the way Rory carried herself. She didn’t just fight—she warned Skylar first. Gave her a chance to back off. She only threw that punch when she had no choice. Calm, collected, calculating.

She wasn’t some wild hothead. She was a fighter who knew her power and wasn’t afraid to use it when she had to.

That’s what made her dangerous.

That’s what made her captivating.

Nathan leaned forward, elbows on his knees, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows on the field. His thoughts drifted—unbidden—back to her smile, the sharp edge in her voice when she was annoyed, the soft way she’d rested her head on his shoulder during the movie last night.

His wolf pushed at the walls of his mind again.

She’s a Luna.

Even though Rory wasn’t a werewolf, everything about her screamed Alpha energy. Confidence. Grit. Loyalty. Fire. She didn’t bend for anyone—not Skylar, not the social ladder at school, not even Nathan himself.

And somehow, that made her even more irresistible.

Nathan rubbed a hand down his face, feeling the burn of exhaustion from another sleepless night. Another night of dreams he couldn’t control. Dreams that left his sheets soaked and his jaw clenched with the force of his restraint.

The dreams were always about her. Always intense. Always raw. And always harder to shake the next morning.

He’d doubled the dose of his suppressant this morning. Three drops to six. And even now, he could still feel the bond simmering just beneath the surface, like heat off pavement. It scared him how fast it was growing. How much he wanted her.

Needed her.

Not yet, he told himself. She’s not ready. Hell, I’m not ready.

But if she kept looking at him the way she did… if she kept acting like that punch to Skylar’s face was no big deal… if she kept being her…

He didn’t know how much longer he could fight it.