CHAPTER FOUR — AVOIDANCE IS IMPOSSIBLE
986 Words
Levi avoided the west courtyard the next morning.
And the south wing.
And the library.
And the path that curved past the administration office.
Every route he normally took, he changed.
Every routine, he shifted.
It didn’t matter.
Her presence was a quiet gravity, pulling him off-course in ways he didn’t understand.
His first class of the day, Rune Theory, should have been simple. He slipped into a seat near the back, away from windows and away from distractions. Students filtered in, dropping books and exchanging greetings.
Levi sat still, eyes forward, posture perfect.
He felt calm.
Until the door opened.
A heartbeat he now recognized — too soft, too human — fluttered into the room.
Levi’s shoulders locked.
His wolf lifted its head instantly.
Luna paused in the doorway, scanning the classroom with an awkward uncertainty, as if she knew she didn’t belong but was trying anyway. Several wolves stiffened when they noticed her. One whispered something to his friend, earning a sharp elbow in return.
She walked down the aisle, clutching her books in both hands.
She didn’t come anywhere near Levi.
Didn’t look at him.
Didn’t even sense him.
But his wolf sensed her.
Every step she took pushed against his ribs like pressure from the inside, urging him to move, to look, to go to her.
Levi gripped the edges of his desk until the wood creaked.
This was a mistake.
A human had no place here.
The Headmaster should have sent her away immediately.
When class ended, Levi waited until the room emptied before he stood. He didn’t want to brush past her. Didn’t want another accidental collision. Didn’t want—
Wanted nothing.
He repeated that in his mind, as if repetition could make it true.
But when he stepped into the hallway, she was there anyway.
Not near him.
Not even looking his way.
Just… existing.
Her laughter drifted down the corridor as she tried to reassure a witch who was too nervous to even hand her a textbook without dropping it. Luna knelt, picking up the papers with gentle hands, smiling softly as though she had no idea the girl feared her.
Levi’s wolf stilled, as if watching.
As if… approving.
Levi turned sharply and walked the opposite direction.
He made it to the training grounds without another encounter, but Akira was waiting for him, arms crossed, golden eyes fixed on him with too much precision.
“You’re off today,” she said.
Levi didn’t stop walking. “I’m fine.”
“You’re lying.”
He kept moving, but Akira followed, steps sharp and sure.
“You barely slept,” she continued. “You didn’t eat at breakfast. You’re avoiding half the academy like something’s hunting you.”
“Nothing is hunting me.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
Levi stopped.
Not because he wanted to.
Because his wolf demanded he stand still before his agitation became visible.
Akira moved in front of him, studying his face. “This is about the girl, isn’t it?”
The words struck like a slap.
Levi’s jaw tightened. “No.”
“You’re reacting to her.”
“No.”
“She’s human, Levi. Humans don’t belong here.”
“I know.”
“Then why do you look like you’re unraveling every time she walks into a room?”
His wolf bristled at Akira’s tone — sharp, prying, too close.
Levi exhaled slowly. “It’s nothing.”
She stared at him, unconvinced. “It had better be nothing. Humans in Pennysilvia are a threat. Everyone is watching her.”
And watching him.
He felt that too.
Akira stepped closer. “Your father will demand a report the moment he hears.”
Levi’s stomach knotted. “There’s nothing to report.”
“For your sake,” Akira said quietly, “I hope that stays true.”
She left him on the field, her words hanging like frost in the air.
Later, as Levi cut through a courtyard to reach his dorm, a soft voice drifted from around the corner.
“—sorry, I didn’t know the greenhouse was off-limits.”
Levi froze.
His wolf surged again, that same ready instinct that made absolutely no sense.
He didn’t want to hear her voice.
He didn’t want to seek her out.
So naturally, he stepped around the corner.
Luna stood a few feet away, talking to a senior witch who looked torn between scolding her and running away. Luna’s shoulders were drawn in apology, her schedule clutched in one hand, hair falling loosely around her face.
The witch cleared her throat and hurried away.
Luna turned — straight into Levi’s line of sight.
Her breath caught.
He didn’t know why.
He didn’t know what she saw when she looked at him.
But she smiled, small and nervous, as if she was afraid to be rude.
“Hi,” she said quietly.
Levi didn’t move.
His wolf did — straining toward her like the air itself was pulling.
“Avoiding the restricted areas?” he asked, voice steady only because he forced it to be.
“Trying,” she admitted with a sheepish nod. “Still getting lost, though.”
She glanced at the intersecting hallways with a puzzled expression, completely unaware she stood at a crossroads most magical beings avoided for their own safety.
“Pennysilvia isn’t like other schools,” Levi said.
“That’s… becoming obvious.”
A faint smile shaped her lips. Levi’s chest tightened painfully — instinct, instinct, instinct, too strong and too soon.
He stepped back.
“You should get to class,” he said. “This courtyard isn’t safe alone.”
Her brows lifted. “Unsafe how?”
He didn’t answer. Couldn’t.
He turned away before his wolf could force another word from him.
Her heartbeat followed him until he disappeared around the corner.
Avoiding her was impossible.
And Levi was starting to fear that he knew exactly why.
- Writer
