He's an Alpha

The warning that struck

Chapter Four – The Warning That Stuck

Tuesday was chaotic. Her lateness to school was well noticed by Principal Madison, who cautioned her and promised to punish her severely next time for lateness.

That morning she woke up feeling dizzy and tired due to lack of sleep the previous night. She was busy studying and jotting down the distant noises from the woods, which was exactly the reason she was late for school that day.

“Some people just can't read clocks”

“She's on her own time today”

“We almost grew old waiting for her”

She would hear side comments calling her a latecomer. This school is indeed hell for her.

By the time the lunch bell rang, Lisa was already tired. Too many new faces, too many whispers she wasn’t supposed to hear but did anyway. Being the new girl was like carrying a spotlight on your back—you didn’t ask for it, but everyone turned their heads.

Margaret waved her over when she reached the cafeteria. “Come on. You can sit with me.”

Lisa was glad. Walking in there alone would’ve been hell. She balanced her tray carefully, following Margaret to a table by the windows. It wasn’t the loudest spot in the room, but it wasn’t hidden either. The kind of table where you could watch everything.

Margaret sat down neatly, like she’d been doing this for years. Lisa slid into the seat opposite, feeling awkward as ever. She picked up her fork and stabbed at the mashed potatoes.

“So,” Margaret said, peeling open her milk carton, “how’s Blackwood treating you so far?”

Lisa let out a short laugh. “Small. Quiet. And… I think too many people already know me, and I don’t know any of them.”

“That’s normal,” Margaret said simply. “This town notices everything. And everyone.”

Lisa nodded but her brain was still stuck on the one name she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about. Before she could stop herself, she asked, “Even James Blackwood?”

Margaret’s eyes flicked up fast, sharper than Lisa expected. Then came the smile—small, like she was amused. “You don’t waste time, do you?”

Lisa felt heat rise in her face. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just—people keep warning me about him. Even you.”

Margaret leaned closer across the table. “And you should listen.” Her voice was lower now, serious. “The Blackwoods aren’t like other families. James isn’t like other boys here.”

Lisa dropped her fork, curious to hear more from Margaret. At this point, she's no longer hungry.“That’s what everyone says, but nobody explains. What’s the big deal? What are they, some crime family or something?”

Margaret didn’t laugh at her joke. Her face stayed still. “No. Worse.”

That word made Lisa’s stomach twist. “Worse how?” she pushed.

Margaret didn’t answer. Instead, her eyes darted past Lisa’s shoulder. Her expression changed, like the air in the room had shifted.

Lisa turned her head slowly.

James had just walked in.

The cafeteria noise didn’t stop completely, but Lisa noticed it—how the buzz dipped a little, how people lowered their voices. Some students turned to watch him, others looked away quickly like they didn’t want to be caught staring.

James moved like none of it mattered, tray in his hands, expression unreadable. He didn’t even glance her way, but Lisa’s chest tightened anyway. She knew he’d seen her.

Margaret’s voice came soft but firm. “See what I mean? He’s like… a storm walking in. You feel it even if you don’t want to.”

Lisa looked down at her tray, trying to act normal, but her pulse was racing. She wanted to argue, say Margaret was exaggerating, but she couldn’t deny the shift in the room.

When she dared to glance up again, James was across the cafeteria, sitting with two other boys at the far corner table. They didn’t look exactly like him, but they had the same quiet, heavy presence. The kind of people others stayed away from without being told.

Lisa’s eyes stayed on him too long.

“Lisa,” Margaret said, and her tone snapped her back. “Don’t.”

Lisa blinked. “Don’t what?”

“Don’t get pulled in,” Margaret said firmly. “It never ends well.”

Lisa bit her lip, not answering. She shoved food into her mouth, even though she could barely taste anything.

They talked about other things after those classes, which teachers were strict, which ones weren’t, but Lisa only half-listened. Her head was still at that corner table, at the boy everyone told her to stay away from.

By the time the final bell rang, Lisa had made up her mind. She couldn’t take half-answers anymore.

Walking home, she kicked at a loose stone on the sidewalk, the sound sharp in the quiet afternoon. The woods were far from distant, dark and still, almost daring her to step inside.

“Stay away from James. Stay away from the Blackwoods. Stay away from the woods,” she muttered under her breath, repeating what everyone kept throwing at her.

Then she shook her head. “Yeah, right. Like that’s gonna stop me.”

Her aunt wouldn’t tell her. Margaret wouldn’t tell her. James himself had only given her half a warning.

So she’d figure it out herself.

And somehow, deep down, Lisa already knew—James Blackwood was the only one who could give her the truth. So yeah she's going to get the answers from the devil himself.