Chapter 2
1234 Words
Lena's POV
I hated the cafeteria.
Not just at Blackridge, but everywhere. Big open space, everyone packed together, voices bouncing off the walls. It always felt like a thousand eyes were staring at me, even when they weren’t.
But today was worse.
I sat in the corner with my tray, untouched. My sketchbook was open beside me, though my hand shook so badly I could barely hold the pencil.
The whispers were louder than yesterday.
“That’s her.”
“Thorne’s girl.”
“She doesn’t even talk.”
I clenched my fists and forced myself to breathe. In through my nose, out through my mouth. Mom always said it worked.
It didn’t.
My chest felt like it was shrinking, ribs closing in, my heart hammering against bone. My palms went clammy. The room tilted, colors blurring together.
Not now. Please, not now.
I pushed back from the table, knocking my chair over. Heads turned. My legs barely held as I stumbled toward the hallway. My lungs burned, begging for air that wouldn’t come.
I pressed myself against the lockers, nails digging into the metal.
“Breathe, Lena. Breathe,” I whispered to myself.
“Are you okay?”
The voice froze me. Low and rough.
Jax.
I looked up. He stood there in his hockey jacket, books under one arm, his eyes fixed on me like I was a problem he had to solve.
“Don’t.....” I started, but my throat tightened, words catching like barbed wire.
His jaw tightened. He set his books down, stepped closer. “You’re shaking.”
“No, I’m fine....”
“Liar,” he muttered. His hand brushed my arm before I could pull away. “Come on.”
He didn’t wait for me to agree. He just steered me down the hallway, his grip firm but not rough, guiding me out the side doors and into the cold.
The blast of icy air hit me like a shock. My chest loosened, lungs finally pulling in oxygen. I gasped, knees weak, but Jax caught me before I could fall.
“Sit,” he ordered, lowering me onto the stone steps outside.
I buried my face in my hands. My breath came fast, uneven, but at least it was there.
We sat in silence for a minute, only the crunch of snowflakes breaking the stillness. Finally, I lowered my hands.
Jax was watching me, arms crossed, like he wasn’t sure if I was fragile glass or a ticking bomb.
“You get panic attacks,” he said flatly.
It wasn’t a question.
Heat crept into my cheeks. “It’s… not a big deal.”
“Looked like a big deal.”
“Thanks for the commentary.”
His mouth twitched, almost like he wanted to smirk but stopped himself. “You should tell someone, a counselor, someone.”
“I don’t need to tell anyone.”
“You could’ve passed out in there.”
“I didn’t.”
He let out a sharp breath, shaking his head. “You’re stubborn.”
“Says the guy who won’t even look at me half the time.”
His gaze snapped to mine then, intense and unreadable. For a moment, I forgot about the cold, the snow, even the air in my lungs. His eyes weren’t just gray, they were storm-colored and alive.
“Maybe I don’t want you here,” he said quietly.
The words stung, but I forced myself not to flinch. “Yeah, you’ve made that pretty clear.”
We sat in tense silence. Finally, Jax ran a hand through his hair and muttered, “Go home early if you need to. Don’t push yourself.”
The weird thing? He sounded almost… concerned.
By the time Mom picked me up that afternoon, I’d convinced myself I was fine.
But Jax’s words followed me all the way back to the estate.
Maybe I don’t want you here.
At dinner, Damien asked how my second day was. Mom beamed at me, waiting for me to say something good.
“It was… okay,” I lied.
“That’s good,” Damien said smoothly, though his gaze lingered too long, sharp as ever.
Across the table, Jax didn’t look at me once.
That night, the anxiety returned.
It started with a tightness in my chest as I brushed my teeth. Then the shaking. By the time I crawled into bed, my body felt like it was buzzing from the inside out.
I pulled the covers over my head, clutching my pillow, trying to force sleep.
But it didn’t come.
Instead, I dreamed a forest burning and freezing all at once, smoke turning to snow in the same breath. A wolf stood in the flames, fur black as midnight, eyes glowing gold.
It growled, deep, guttural, shaking the earthand then it lunged.
I woke up screaming.
My door flew open.
Jax.
He stood in the doorway, hair mussed, hoodie thrown on carelessly, eyes burning with something I couldn’t name.
“You okay?” His voice was sharp, urgent.
My throat tightened. “I...yeah. Just a bad dream.”
He didn’t move. He just watched me, chest rising and falling like he’d run the whole way down the hall.
“You were screaming,” he said finally.
“Sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize for that.”
I looked away, embarrassed, heat burning behind my eyes. “I didn’t mean to wake anyone.”
He stepped farther inside, voice lower now. “That wasn’t just a bad dream.”
I frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” His jaw tightened. He glanced toward the window. “Just… lock your door tonight.”
“Why?”
“Just do it.”
And then he turned and walked out, leaving me with my heart racing and my body shaking in ways I didn’t understand.
***************************
The next morning at school, Cassian slid into the seat beside me again.
“You look like hell,” he said casually, tossing his bag down.
“Wow. Thanks.”
“Didn’t sleep?”
“Something like that.”
He leaned in, grin sharp as ever. “Told you not to wander at night.”
“I didn’t.”
“Still looks like something found you.”
His words made me shiver. I didn’t answer.
Cassian chuckled and leaned back. “Don’t worry. If Jax’s keeping an eye on you, you’re probably safe.”
I blinked. “What do you mean, keeping an eye on me?”
Cassian’s smile widened like he’d said too much. “Nothing. Forget it.”
“Cassian....”
But he was already up, strolling toward the other side of the cafeteria.
My chest tightened again. Anxiety? Or something else?
I didn’t know.
That night, as I was sitting by the window, I heRd footsteps in the hallway.
Slow. Heavy.
I waited for a knock, for Jax’s voice.
But none came.
The footsteps stopped right outside my door and stayed there.
I held my breath, every muscle tense.
Seconds dragged like hours.
Finally, a low growl vibrated through the wood, not human.
The handle rattled once, hard and then silence.
I backed against the headboard, shaking, eyes locked on the door.
When it finally swung open, I nearly screamed.
Jax stood there, pale, his jaw clenched.
His voice was low and urgent
“Lena. Did you hear it too?”
- Writer
