Oh Snap
808 Words
The training arena sat in a sunken pit just beyond the eastern ridge of campus, carved into the red earth like a scar. Dust blew in swirling circles across the floor, and the scent of blood and sweat was baked into the stones.
Combat class was never my favorite. Not because I couldn’t fight—but because the moment I laid a hand on someone, they remembered I had no wolf. And they never held back.
“Wild. Solace,” barked Professor Vann, cracking his neck like he was bored just watching us. “You’re up.”
My stomach dropped. I glanced at Boris.
He looked like his jaw was made of stone.
Dorian stepped into the circle slowly, stretching his neck, rolling his shoulders, and smirking like he already knew how this would end.
“I’ll go easy,” he said, voice low. “Wouldn’t want to accidentally break something important.”
I tightened my gloves. “You always talk this much before getting hit?”
He grinned. “Oh, sweetheart. You can try.”
The moment Vann gave the signal, he lunged—not with anger, not with focus. With flirtation. His hands skimmed too close. His body pressed forward with unnecessary closeness, like this was some kind of dance.
“Focus,” he whispered mockingly. “You’re a little distracted.”
I saw red.
I ducked under his swing and drove my fist straight into his jaw.
The crack echoed. His head snapped sideways. I saw surprise flicker in his eyes.
But then—like it never happened—he laughed. Laughed.
“Cute,” he growled.
He moved faster the second time. No pretense. No play.
Just rage.
I felt the hit before I saw it. My wrist twisted the wrong way with a sickening snap, and the world went blurry with pain.
Then everything went black.
⸻
When I woke up, the lights were too bright.
“Welcome back, sunshine,” Nurse Vesper said without looking at me, already scribbling something onto a clipboard. “Try not to get yourself flattened before the full moon next time, hmm?”
She wasn’t being cruel. This was just… how they were. I was used to it.
“Millie,” a soft voice breathed beside me.
Tally.
Her pale pink curls were twisted into little buns today, and her huge eyes were round with worry. Next to her sat Benji, legs folded under him like he might spring into action at any second. And closest, his arms crossed, expression unreadable, was Boris.
“You were out cold for six minutes,” Tally said, gripping my hand. “You have to stop letting Dorian fight you.”
“I didn’t let him—”
“You know what I mean.”
Benji leaned forward. “We told Vann it was too much. That it wasn’t a fair pairing. But no one listens when it’s you.”
“It’s because I don’t have a damn wolf,” I muttered.
“No, it’s because you scare them,” Boris said quietly. “They don’t know what you are.”
The words settled like ash in my chest.
“I’m still going to the ceremony tonight,” I said, shifting upright and wincing.
“You’re not serious,” Benji blinked. “You can’t even shift. You’ve got one working wrist. People are gonna be loaded on lunar energy and cheap moonshine.”
“Good,” I said. “Then maybe they’ll be too drunk to bother me.”
Tally sighed dramatically. “We’ll stay close. But please don’t do anything reckless.”
I gave her a tired smile. “No promises.”
“Oh!” she perked up, suddenly remembering. “There was something you said before you passed out—some weird word?”
“Yee Naaldlooshii,” I said.
Benji raised an eyebrow. “What the hell does that mean?”
“I don’t know yet,” I replied. “It was in the history book. Professor Aldora didn’t explain it.”
Tally tapped her fingers against her chin. “I’ll look into it. Dad’s got access to the private records in the elder archives. If it’s something… not in circulation, I can probably find it.”
“Thanks, Tal,” I said softly.
She squeezed my hand.
“Dorian’s an ass,” Benji muttered.
“A dangerous one,” Boris added. “You need to lay low, Millie.”
I looked between them all—my tiny, fierce circle of misfits—and said what I meant.
“I won’t be bullied. Not by Dorian. Not by anyone. I’d rather break every bone in my body than let him think he owns me.”
Boris gave me the smallest nod, but I saw it—the fire in his eyes. The same one that burned in mine.
- Writer
