Chapter 3 Don’t React
1070 Words
Adrien
Every instinct inside me screamed to move.
The second Damian Keller called me little wolf, the air in the hallway changed completely. Humans wouldn’t notice it. To them, it probably looked like three random students standing near an arena exit. But wolves noticed dominance immediately. Tension. Territory. Threats.
And Damian was throwing all three directly at me.
I stepped in front of Marinette before I could stop myself.
The movement happened automatically, driven entirely by instinct. My wolf reacted to danger faster than my brain ever could, especially when it involved her. The problem was that Marinette noticed immediately.
“Okay…” she said slowly behind me. “That was weirdly protective.”
I ignored her because my focus stayed locked on Damian.
River Pack.
Of all the packs to show up near Blackridge, it had to be River Pack.
Damian looked exactly the same as the last time I saw him two years ago at the winter gathering. Tall, dark hair, sharp smile that never reached his eyes. Most people probably thought he looked charming. Wolves knew better.
Damian enjoyed making people afraid.
The two wolves beside him stood silently while watching me carefully. I recognized one of them instantly too.
Jace Moreno.
Enforcer class.
Big enough to throw most hockey players through walls without trying.
This was bad. Very bad.
Luka stepped beside me casually, but I could feel tension rolling off him already. “Keller,” he greeted coldly. “Didn’t realize River Pack was desperate enough to stalk high school students now.”
Damian smirked slightly. “Relax. We’re just visiting.”
“Funny,” Luka replied. “You usually visit places after threatening people first.”
Marinette looked between all of us with growing confusion. “Do hockey players normally act like mafia members, or is this a special event?”
Damian’s eyes shifted toward her instantly.
The second he looked at her, my wolf snapped forward violently.
Mine.
The possessiveness hit hard enough to make my hands shake. I wanted Damian away from her immediately. Away from her scent. Away from her attention.
And Damian noticed. Of course he noticed.
His smile widened slowly while realization flashed across his face.
“Oh,” he said softly. “Now this is interesting.”
My stomach dropped.
Luka cursed quietly under his breath.
Marinette frowned. “Why do I suddenly feel like I missed several chapters of a story?”
“You should leave,” I said immediately.
She blinked at me. “Excuse me?”
“Go home.”
“Wow. You really suck at communication.”
“Marinette,” I said more firmly this time. “Leave.”
Instead of listening, she crossed her arms. “No. Somebody should explain why hockey players are acting like they’re in a crime documentary.”
Damian laughed quietly, and the sound instantly irritated me. “She’s brave.”
“She’s human,” I snapped.
The hallway went silent.
I realized my mistake immediately.
Marinette stared at me strangely. “What exactly is that supposed to mean?”
Think. Fix it. Now.
But before I could answer, Damian spoke again.
“You haven’t told her?” he asked casually. “That’s disappointing. I expected better from Blackridge’s future Alpha.”
Every muscle in my body locked.
No.
No, no, no.
Luka moved fast, stepping between Damian and Marinette immediately. “Watch your mouth.”
Damian shrugged. “What? Humans can’t hear the word Alpha now?”
Marinette looked completely lost. “Okay, now I’m definitely confused.”
I forced myself to breathe slowly because the wolf was dangerously close to the surface again. My control had already been unstable tonight before Damian arrived. Now my instincts were tearing through me hard enough to hurt.
Protect her.
Threat nearby.
Danger.
Mine.
I hated mating instincts.
Especially because they made me stupid.
Damian leaned casually against the wall like he had all the time in the world. “You know, your father’s been looking everywhere for you lately.”
A cold feeling settled in my chest.
“What do you want?” I asked flatly.
“To talk.”
“You came across state lines to talk?”
“Technically, yes.”
“That’s creepy,” Marinette muttered.
Damian looked amused by her immediately, which only made my irritation worse. Wolves didn’t normally pay attention to humans unless necessary. But Damian was studying Marinette carefully now.
That could become dangerous fast.
“You should really leave,” I told her again.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “You keep saying that like I’m about to get murdered.”
No response came out because honestly, that was becoming a real possibility.
Not from me.
From River Pack.
Damian pushed off the wall slowly. “Actually, I think she should stay.”
The hallway temperature seemed to drop instantly. It was completely empty.
Luka’s posture shifted beside me, subtle but dangerous. “Careful, Keller.”
Damian ignored him completely while keeping his attention on me. “You know the rules, Adrien. Humans aren’t supposed to know about us.”
Marinette frowned immediately. “About who?”
My heartbeat slammed hard against my ribs.
Stop talking. Please stop talking.
“But if a human becomes important enough,” Damian continued calmly, “then things get complicated.”
“Damian,” I warned.
He smiled wider. “Especially when mating instincts get involved.”
Marinette looked between us again, completely confused now. “What the hell is he talking about?”
I couldn’t think properly anymore.
The wolf was becoming harder to control by the second because Damian kept staring at Marinette like she was a weapon he’d discovered. Wolves understood weaknesses instantly, and mates were the biggest weakness an Alpha could have.
Especially an unmated Alpha still learning control.
“Adrien,” Marinette said slowly, “why do I suddenly feel like everyone here is insane except me?”
Before I could answer, Damian took one slow breath.
Then his expression changed.
His eyes flashed gold.
Not human.
Fully wolf.
Marinette saw it.
I knew she saw it because the camera slipped from her hands and smashed against the floor loudly.
Nobody moved. Nobody spoke.
Marinette stared at Damian with horror spreading across her face while the broken camera rolled slowly across the hallway tiles.
Then she whispered words that nearly stopped my heart completely.
“What are you people?”
- Writer
