New Blood
868 Words
The hallways reeked of sweat, hormones, and regret. Half the school looked like they’d barely survived a war—not the kind with swords and bloodshed, but one waged with tequila, cheap beer, and moonlight secrets. Eyes were red, heads hung low, and more than a few still had glitter clinging to their necks like leftover magic.
I slipped past a trio of girls whispering too loudly about “who hooked up with who” and “who got caught.” My hood was up. I hadn’t bothered with makeup. My legs still ached from running through the desert, and worse—every time I blinked, I saw Boris.
Or heard him.
Or felt him.
“Look what we have here.”
Dorian’s voice cut through the hallway like a dull blade. “Didn’t think you’d show up today after last night’s…performance.”
I didn’t stop walking, but I looked at him. “Funny. I didn’t realize you were there. Or are you just mad you weren’t fast enough to catch me?”
That hit. His smirk twitched.
“I’d have caught you, sweetheart. And you wouldn’t have been walking straight today if I had.” His eyes dropped low, dragging over me like they had the right.
I stopped.
“What was that?” I said, turning fully to face him.
He stepped closer, cocky and smug. “You heard me. Don’t play shy now. The whole pack saw how eager you were to be—”
“She’s not yours to talk about.”
Boris’s voice was quiet, but deadly. He was beside me in an instant, shoulders tense, eyes locked on Dorian like he was prey.
Dorian froze. For half a second, he looked like he might challenge him—but then his girlfriend showed up. Her eyes narrowed on me first, then on Dorian, who immediately softened and muttered, “Let’s go.”
She grabbed his arm harder than she had to and dragged him down the hall. I exhaled slowly.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said to Boris, not looking at him.
“I know,” he said. “But I wanted to.”
History was next. Our usual seats were still open, so we slid into them wordlessly, the energy between us prickly, hot, unsaid. I didn’t know what to do with last night. Or this morning. Or him.
I was about to reach for my notebook when the door opened.
And everything shifted.
The new kid walked in like he already owned the room. Tall, broad-shouldered, sun-warmed skin, and a black hoodie that clung to his body in all the right places. His eyes swept across the class lazily—like none of this mattered—until they landed on me.
And stayed there.
Koda.
I felt the recognition before my brain caught up. The desert. The firelight. The way he watched me like I was a riddle only he knew the answer to.
Whispers erupted across the room. Girls were already twirling their hair and arching their backs. I heard someone sigh.
But he didn’t look at them.
He walked past empty seats, past curious stares, and stopped right beside me.
“Hey, wild girl,” he said, low enough that only I could hear. “Miss me?”
Boris went rigid beside me.
And I didn’t breathe.
I forced my eyes forward, jaw tight. Koda dropped into the seat behind me like he’d been sitting there for years. Like this was always his spot—and I was always his view.
The teacher launched into a lecture about the Treaty of Broken Fang, something about territory disputes between Northern and Southern packs before the Great Shift. Normally, I liked this class. History meant stories, and stories meant distraction.
But I couldn’t hear a damn thing over the static in my head.
Between Boris’s clenched jaw beside me and Koda’s quiet, cocky presence behind me, I felt like prey in the middle of a standoff.
A note flicked onto my desk.
Boris didn’t see it. But I knew exactly where it came from.
I glanced down.
“You run fast. But I’m better at chasing.”
My stomach dipped. Heat crawled up my neck, blooming into my cheeks.
I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t.
But I reached into my notebook, tore off a piece of paper, and scribbled:
“You’ll have to be.”
I passed it back.
Seconds later, I felt it. His laugh. Quiet. Rough. Right against my spine like a secret only we shared.
Boris shifted beside me again, his thigh brushing mine beneath the desk. A silent claim. A warning.
I looked up, and the teacher was calling on me. “Miss Wild? Since you seem so engaged, maybe you can explain why the Crescent Accord banned inter-pack hunts during mating season?”
My lips parted. “Because too many alphas were using it as an excuse to poach mates.”
A few chuckles rippled across the room. The teacher blinked like he hadn’t expected an answer.
Behind me, Koda muttered low enough for only me to hear, “Some things are still worth stealing.”
And this time—I smiled.
- Writer
