The bell rang for recess, and Asya was at my side in an instant. Curiosity flickered in her eyes, shadowed by unease.
"Well? Tell me. What happened to you?"
I drew a deep breath and let the story spill out—every piece of it. The fight with Özde. My escape into the forest. The black wolf. Its bite. The strange mark where the wound had closed.
As I spoke, the color drained from Asya's face. Not figuratively—truly. Her skin grew paler, almost paper-thin.
"Karmen…" she whispered. "Do you know what it means… to be bitten by a wolf?"
I shrugged. "No. The wound's gone. But there's a mark left behind."
She pulled out a scrap of paper and slid it across to me. "Draw it."
My hand moved steadily, without hesitation. I drew the symbol as though I had memorized it long ago.
Asya studied it. Her eyes narrowed; her lips parted.
"You… you've become a wolf girl. An alpha."
My eyes widened. "You're joking."
She shook her head. "I wish I were."
"Then why are you so certain?" I demanded.
Her gaze locked onto mine, unblinking. Then she leaned closer and breathed,
"Because I'm a vampire, Karmen."
Her words hung in the air like smoke.
My throat tightened. No words would come. I just stared at her. She turned away.
"I'm trying to stay calm," I said slowly. "But… don't you think it's a little ridiculous to call yourself a vampire just because you're pale?"
A bitter smile tugged at her lips.
"Ah, you wolves… denial is always your first step."
Her eyes gleamed—tired, yet razor sharp.
"You run from home to school in ten minutes flat, your wound heals overnight, and a seal appears on your skin… Do you really think that's normal?"
Anger flared in me. "Then explain it! Tell me what it means!"
Asya sighed, heavy and resigned.
"You were bitten by an alpha, Karmen. If it had only clawed you, you'd be an omega. But it bit you. And that mark… it isn't just a seal. It's a brand. The alpha's claim."
I swallowed hard. The words stuck in my throat.
"Fine. Let's say I am a wolf girl. How do you know you're a vampire?"
She didn't answer. Her eyes scanned the classroom instead. Then, quietly, she leaned close. Her lips parted—revealing two sharp, gleaming fangs.
My breath caught.
She pulled back, grabbed her bag, and crossed the room to sit beside Kübra.
Kübra.
The pale girl I had always felt uneasy around.
She glanced at me from the corner of her eye, her expression cold as stone.
I rose from my seat, anger and hurt propelling me forward. When I reached them, Kübra's lips curled.
"Get lost, wolf."
Her voice was sharp, cutting, loud enough for the class to hear.
Heads turned. Every eye on me.
I swallowed but refused to back down.
"What's the deal between vampires and wolves?" I hissed.
Asya looked away, refusing to meet my eyes. Her voice was low, almost weary.
"Ask your own kind."
"I don't know any!" I snapped, my voice cracking, nearly breaking into a scream.
Silence followed. Silence heavier than shouting. Their refusal to answer hurt more than any insult.
Back at my desk, I felt that familiar hollow ache—the one I'd known since my mother's death. My father had left, Özde had failed to fill the void, and now Asya… my best friend of eight years… had turned her back overnight.
But I would not cry. Not anymore.
I had to learn to hold myself together.
To control myself.
Not like a werewolf—but like a human.
And maybe… I needed someone to guide me. Someone like me.
Lost in that storm of thought, I hardly noticed when someone stopped at my desk.
Berke—my classmate. Dark skin, an easy smile, eyes free of judgment.
"Mind if I sit here?" he asked.
I lifted my head. He was smiling.
"Of course," I said.
And in that moment…
I realized maybe I wasn't alone after all.