The day after Mom's pack lecture, I couldn't focus on anything—not breakfast, not Chloe singing off-key on the drive to school, not Ethan pretending he didn't want to sing along. My brain kept circling the same words.
Pack. Rogue. Alpha.
By the time I walked into school, I could feel eyes on me. Not human eyes. Ezra's group lingered near the lockers, the same way they always did, except now I knew what they were. Wolves. A pack.
My wolf stirred inside me, calm and steady. They see us now. They're watching.
I hugged my books tighter. Let them watch.
But Ezra didn't just watch. He moved.
The hallway seemed to split as he walked toward me. Students stepped aside without him asking. He carried that alpha gravity, the kind that made people give way before they even realized it.
"Evelyn," he said, voice low but carrying.
I stiffened. "That's White to you."
His mouth curved, like I'd just amused him. "Come with me."
"Bossy." I tilted my chin. "I've got class."
"You'll make time." His hand brushed my elbow—not rough, but firm enough to make me bristle.
Don't let him push you, my wolf murmured. But listen. Alphas don't waste words.
Reluctantly, I let him steer me into an empty classroom. He shut the door with a quiet click.
"This is creepy," I said, dropping into a chair. "Should I start writing a note in case you murder me?"
"You're not funny." He leaned against a desk, crossing his arms. His eyes were sharper than I'd ever seen them. "I asked you yesterday—whose pack are you with?"
"I told you—nobody's."
His jaw tightened. "Then you're a rogue."
The word landed like a slap. "Excuse me?"
"Unclaimed wolves without packs are rogues. They don't survive long. Packs protect. Rogues don't last."
My stomach twisted. "Wow, great pep talk."
"This isn't a joke, Evelyn." His tone cut sharper now. "You don't know what it means to walk around without protection. Other alphas can scent you, and they won't care that you're new. They'll see weakness."
I crossed my arms, mirroring him. "So what, you're offering me protection?"
"I'm not offering." His gaze pinned mine. "I'm telling you. You join my pack."
My laugh came out too loud, too sharp. "Wow, you really are full of yourself. Do you hand out invitations, or just kidnap people into your little wolf club?"
His eyes glinted. "This isn't optional. A lone wolf in my territory is my responsibility. That means you either stand under my protection—or you paint a target on your back."
He's not lying, my wolf whispered, calm but firm. Alphas enforce order. Rogues disrupt it. Packs fight over territory. Without one, you're prey.
I swallowed hard, refusing to show the chill racing down my spine. "So you're saying I'm stuck with you?"
Ezra's lips curved in a slow, infuriating grin. "You could do worse."
"I could also do better."
His grin faded. "You don't understand the risk you're taking. Alone, you're nothing but scent on the wind. With me, no one touches you. No one even tries."
I hated the way his words made my pulse trip. I hated that some stubborn, buried part of me recognized the weight behind them.
"I didn't ask for any of this," I muttered.
He crouched slightly, bringing himself level with my chair. His eyes locked on mine, close enough I could smell that pine-smoke heat rolling off him. It tugged at something deep inside me.
"No one asks for it," he said quietly. "But we don't get to ignore what we are."
For a heartbeat, silence stretched. My wolf stirred again, voice softer this time. He's dangerous. But he's not wrong.
I clenched my jaw. "I'll think about it."
His expression shifted—amused, irritated, maybe both. "You don't have the luxury of thinking, Evelyn. But fine. Think fast."
The bell rang, slicing the tension. He straightened, smooth and steady, already back in control. "See you in English."
The door shut behind him before I could decide whether to scream or throw a chair.
He's serious, my wolf said. Too serious to ignore.
I dropped my head into my hands. "And I thought algebra was going to be the hardest part of this week."
⸻
I found Chloe and Ethan at our usual lunch table, trays already piled with food. Chloe was in the middle of telling Ethan why fries dipped in milkshakes was "culinary genius" when I dropped into my seat like a sack of bricks.
They both froze.
"Uh," Chloe said slowly. "You look like you saw the Grim Reaper. Did Ezra finally hex you with his smolder?"
"Not funny," I snapped. My voice cracked enough to make them both lean closer.
Ethan frowned. "What happened?"
I lowered my voice. "Ezra cornered me. He knows."
"Knows what?" Chloe asked, already wide-eyed.
I glared. "What do you think? He knows I don't have a pack."
Ethan swore under his breath. "What did he say?"
"That I'm a rogue. That I need a pack. That I need his pack."
Chloe choked on her soda. "Wait—so, like, what, he just demanded you join his wolf frat?"
"It's not a frat," I muttered. "It's worse. He basically said it's that or die."
Ethan's jaw tightened. "That sounds like a threat."
"Everything with him sounds like a threat," I said, stabbing at my fries. "And the worst part is—my wolf says he's not wrong."
Chloe leaned in like I'd just confessed a crime. "So... what, you're gonna join his pack now?"
I groaned. "I don't know. I don't want to be anyone's anything."
"You might not have a choice," Ethan said grimly.
Chloe sat back, folding her arms. "Well, if you do join, at least make them buy you fries every day as payment. And maybe a glitter crown."
I cracked a laugh despite myself. "Yeah, that'll go over great. Hey, Alpha, I'll join your pack, but only if you worship me with fast food and sparkles."
"Honestly," Chloe said, shrugging, "I'd respect that negotiation."
My wolf hummed inside me, amused. I like her. Fierce little human.
I smirked. "She's a menace."
Ethan gave me a look. "You're talking to your wolf again, aren't you?"
"Maybe," I said, popping a fry into my mouth.
But my gaze drifted across the cafeteria anyway. To where Ezra sat with his pack, relaxed but watchful, eyes flicking up just once.
And that one look was enough to make my pulse skip.