Whispers and Warnings
596 Words
Seraphina's POV
The rest of the school day felt like a fever dream. After my confrontation with Vanessa, the whispers followed me everywhere. Crestwood students loved drama, and I had unknowingly handed them a front seat row to a new one.
I could their eyes on me as I walked into my next class. Some of them looked impressed, others wary, and a few, like Vanessa loyal minions, downright minions. Ignoring them, I slid into my seat at the back, trying to shrink into the shadows. But that wasn't happening, not when the most feared guy had set eyes on me.
Maximilian.
Even his name felt like a warning.
He had barely spoken to me, yet I could feel the weight of his gaze, burning into the memory like a brand.
"You must be new here", a soft voice said beside me.
I turned to see a girl with caramel coloured eyes and kind brown eyes. She offered a hesitant smile. I'm Layla."
I saw what you did earlier," She whispered. "That was......brave".
"Or stupid," I muttered, glancing at the front where Vanessa sat stiffly, seething. " I just couldn't stand there
and do nothing.
"Well, watch your back. Vanessa doesn't let things go easily. And Max..." Layla hesitated, lowering her face further. He's not just some bad boy. There's are things about him you don't know.
I knew enough. He was my mate.
My stomach twisted at the thought.
I didn't have time for Mates, for fated
bonds and messy emotions.Not when my Mother needed me, not when I had spent my whole life running. But the moon goddess had a cruel sense of humor.
The rest of the day was spent in a blur, with that single, suffocating truth hovering in my head.
By the time the final bell rang, I was exhausted. I walked out of the school, clutching my bag tight, ready to disappear into the evening air. But little did I know.....
Max was waiting.
leaning against a sleek black motorcycle, arms crossed, eyes on me like a predator sizing up prey.
My pulse spike up. "What do you want?"
He smirked. "You".
The word sent a shiver down my spine, not just from his voice, but from the certainty in it. Like it was inevitable. Like I was his already.
I shook my head. "You don't even know me".
His smirk faded. "Maybe not. But I you're different." His gaze darkened. "And that's a problem."
Before I could respond, he straightened and got closer, his heat radiating to me." Stay out of my way, Seraphina. You don't want to be my enemy."
It sounded like not just like a challenge but a warning.
But he didn't realize.I had been fighting battles long before he ever knew my name.
I met his stare. Chin high. " who said I wanted to be your anything?"
Max jaw twitched, his eyes flashing with something unreadable. Then without another word, he swung onto his bike and roared away, leaving behind nothing but the scent of something I wasn't ready to face.
I took a deep breath, shaking off the encounter as I headed home.My house was small, tucked away at the edge of town, barely noticable, just the way I wanted it.
Stepping inside, I dropped the bag and went straight to my Mother's room. She was asleep, her breathing light and shallow, her face pale. The sight made my chest quake.
I sat beside her, taking her frail hand in mine, I'll fix this mom I promised. I'll fix everything.
And Maximilian Blackwood.
- Writer
