Daze
1015 Words
The loud, metallic ring of the fifth-period bell echoed across the open track, cutting through the quiet shelter we had built on the top row.
"Physical Ed time," Felicity groaned, dusting off a few stray muffin crumbs from her skirt as she reluctantly stood up. She swung her backpack over one shoulder and reached down to help me up. "Come on, Lia. Let's get it over with."
I nodded, offering her a faint smile as I uncurled my legs from my chest. But the moment my feet planted against the cold aluminum floorboard, the world tilted.
A sudden, violent wave of black spots swarmed my vision. The crisp autumn air froze in my throat, and my ears began to ring with a high, deafening whine. The heavy-dose suppression pills, the weeks of isolation, and the morning's suffocating anxiety finally combined into a single, crushing weight. My knees didn't just tremble—they completely gave out.
"Lia!" Felicity’s panicked voice sounded like it was underwater.
I braced myself for the hard, agonizing impact of the metal stairs, my hands reaching out blindly into the empty air. But the impact never came.
Instead of cold aluminum, I collided with something solid, unyielding, and blindingly warm. A pair of powerful, steady arms wrapped securely around my waist and upper back, catching me a mere inch before my knees could slam into the steps.
Instantly, the sharp, electric sting of winter pine, frost, and dominant ozone flooded my senses, so potent it completely obliterated the bitter, chemical taste of the pills in the back of my throat. The invisible wire in my chest didn't just tug—it roared, a deep, resonant vibration that sent a violent jolt of electricity straight to my heart.
My vision cleared in a sudden, sharp snap.
I was pressed flush against a broad chest covered in dark, casual fabric. I looked up, my breath catching in my throat. Piercing, brilliant silver-blue eyes were staring down at me, mere inches away. Up close, his aristocratic features were completely devoid of their usual mask of indifference; his jaw was tightly locked, and his silver eyes were wide with a fierce, burning intensity that felt entirely too intimate.
He had moved too fast. He had been across the entire track field a second ago. A human—even a standard warrior shifter—could never have crossed that distance in the blink of an eye.
"I've got you," Kaelen murmured. His voice wasn't a whisper this time; it was a low, gravelly rumble that vibrated directly against my ribs, sending a strange, warm shiver pooling into my gut. His voice- soft with some ancient accent I had never heard before yet sounded so familiar. I could drown in it.
"Hands off, Authorn!"
The lethal, razor-sharp sound of a blade leaving its sheath cut through the air. Summer had dropped her bag, her green eyes flashing a dangerous, predatory gold as her warrior instincts took over. She stepped down the bleachers, her posture low and lethal, ready to tear Kaelen apart despite the terrifying aura he possessed. Beside her, Felicity had gone entirely pale, her hands trembling as she reached for my arm, torn between absolute terror of Kaelen and her desperate need to pull me away.
Kaelen didn't even look at them. He kept his silver-blue gaze locked entirely on my face, his strong fingers tightening just a fraction against my waist, anchoring me against him until he was certain my legs could support my weight.
"Can you stand, Cerelia?" he whispered to me, his voice so low and private it felt like a secret meant only for us. His eyes drifted down to the shadow of my hood, a dark, protective warmth passing over his features.
My heart hammered against his chest like a trapped bird. How does he know my name?
He patiently allowed me to gather my thoughts as the haze receded, his eyes tolerant and expectant. Of what, exactly, I didn't know. Instinctively, I just nodded, completely unable to vocalize anything through the absolute shock that gripped me.
Recognizing my nod, Kaelen slowly, deliberately loosened his grip, ensuring my feet were firmly planted on the step before he stepped back. The sudden loss of his warmth felt like a physical chill cutting through my clothes.
He finally cut his eyes toward Summer, the icy wrath in his silver gaze shifting into a flicker of genuine amusement. He dropped his crushing Alpha aura entirely, but the sheer, silent authority in his posture was still enough to make Summer’s golden eyes flicker, her wolf instinctually recognizing a dominant force it couldn't defeat.
Slowly, Kaelen raised his hands in a mocking gesture of surrender.
Without a single word to either of my friends, he turned on his heel and walked down the remaining steps of the bleachers, his dark jacket catching the autumn wind as he disappeared toward the side entrance of the school.
The silence he left behind was deafening.
Felicity practically tackled me, her hands gripping my shoulders as she searched my face. "Cerelia! Oh my god, are you okay? What was that? How did he get up here so fast?!"
Summer slowly lowered her guard, sheathing her blade, her gaze deeply thoughtful as it remained fixed on the door Kaelen had just walked through. The gold in her eyes receded, replaced by a deep, terrifying calculation.
"He didn't just catch you, Lia," Summer said, her voice dropping to a strained whisper as she turned to look at me.
Her green eyes scanned me with intense calculation before widening slightly in sudden realization. A sharp conclusion had clearly formed in her mind. Her eyes trailed down my body in contemplation before a wicked, knowing smirk slowly curled her dark-coated lips.
She let out a low, amused hum. "This is interesting." She sighed heavily, shaking her head like an exhausted parent looking at a troublesome child. "You're more trouble than you're worth."
"Hey!" the ever-softhearted Felicity immediately came to my rescue, snapping her head toward Summer. "She just almost fainted, Summer! Don't say that!"
- Writer
