The school was back to its usual loud self. After the Lady Wifi disaster, everyone seemed to have a new theory about who was behind the mask. I sat at my desk, trying to focus on the history of France, but my brain was busy sorting through the noise. My Apex Instinct was finally settling down, but it still made the world feel like it was turned up to maximum volume.
"I'm very pleased with how you all did on your last assignment," Miss Bustier said. She looked around the room. "Is Marinette still in the girl's room?"
"Uh, I don't know, miss," Alya said. She was busy with a cutout of Ladybug, trying to fit it over Juleka's face.
I looked at the empty seat next to Alya. My nose picked up the faint scent of flour and sugar from the bakery. Marinette had been here, but the call of duty had pulled her away again. The bell rang, and it felt like a physical thump against my eardrums. I took a deep breath and focused on the sound of my own heartbeat to stay grounded.
"Tonight I want you all to read chapter three of 'The Breathtaking France, the First Thousand Years,'" Miss Bustier called out. She handed two papers to Alya. "See to it that Marinette receives her homework."
I followed the group out into the hall. Alya was already on her phone, trying to reach Marinette. I could hear the tiny "beep" from the voicemail through the walls. Axel shifted in my pocket, his tiny paws scratching against the fabric.
"She's hunting again," Axel whispered. "The girl with the phone. She thinks the blonde one is the hero."
"She's wrong," I muttered. My senses told me that Chloe smelled like expensive perfume and frustration. There was no magic on her. No spark.
I watched as Alya dragged Nino into the locker room. I stayed by the door, my ears twitching. I heard them whispering about Chloe's locker. I knew they were looking for proof, but they were looking in the wrong place. I decided to head home and rest my head before the sensory overload became too much to handle.
The next day, things got a lot worse. I walked into school and immediately felt a change in the air. The pressure was dropping. The air felt heavy and cold. It was the exact feeling I got right before a storm, or right before an Akuma appeared.
"Nino, wait!" Alya yelled as she ran down the stairs. She looked furious.
"She's been suspended," Nino told me when I found him. "Chloe accused her of breaking into her locker. The Principal didn't even listen to her side."
I felt the spike of anger coming from the courtyard. Alya was sitting on a bench, her face buried in her phone. My Apex Instinct began to scream. It was a jagged, electric feeling that made my hair stand on end.
"Hawk Moth found his target," I said quietly.
I ducked into an empty classroom. "Axel, we have a job to do. Axel, Let's Hunt!"
The silver light covered me, and for a moment, the headache vanished. The suit worked like a filter. It took all the chaotic noise of the city and turned it into clear information. I could "see" the wifi signals jumping from tower to tower. I could "hear" the digital voice of Lady Wifi as she took over the school's screens.
I jumped out the window and ran across the rooftops toward the Grand Paris Hotel. I knew she would go after Chloe. I landed on the balcony just as Ladybug and Cat Noir arrived.
"Make it a pack," I said, landing beside them.
"White Fang!" Cat Noir grinned. "Glad you could join the party. We've got a lady with a serious signal problem inside."
"She's in the basement," I said. My ears flicked toward the elevator shaft. "I can hear the data humming. But she's moving fast. She gets her power from the wifi signal."
We chased her through the hotel. It was a game of cat and mouse, but with pink icons. She pinned Ladybug to the wall in the kitchen using digital locks. She was broadcasting everything to the city, trying to unmask her.
"Why doesn't it come off?" Lady Wifi shouted, pulling at Ladybug's mask.
"Because it's magic?" Ladybug said.
I lunged for the phone, but Lady Wifi vanished. She was teleporting through the hotel's network. Cat Noir ran for the roof to destroy the antenna. I stayed with Ladybug to help her break free. My Immortal Pulse helped me shake off a "pause" icon that hit my shoulder. It felt like my blood was turning to ice, but my healing power burned it away in seconds.
"Go help Cat Noir!" Ladybug yelled. She was grabbing a microwave for her Lucky Charm. "I have a plan to jam the signal!"
I sprinted up the stairs. My wolf speed made me a blur. I reached the roof just as Cat Noir was dodging pink symbols.
"I'll mess with her frequency!" I yelled. I let out a low, focused growl. It was a frequency meant to jam electronics. Lady Wifi's phone flickered. She stumbled.
"Now!" I screamed.
Cat Noir slammed his hand into the antenna. "Cataclysm!"
The metal turned to dust. The pink light died. The signals were gone. Below us, Ladybug broke the phone and caught the Akuma.
The next morning at school, Alya was back. She had a new phone and a new theory. She was showing Marinette photos of Adrien, trying to prove he was Cat Noir. I sat behind them, listening to the chaos.
"Are you out of your mind? He's much more legit than Cat Noir!" Marinette cried. She was blushing bright red.
I leaned forward and rested my chin on my hand. "I don't know, Marinette," I said with a small smile. "I think the Cat has his charms. But the Wolf? He's the one you really have to watch out for."
Marinette turned even redder and stopped talking. Alya laughed and elbowed her. I went back to my book. I was starting to enjoy this new life. It was loud and a bit crazy, but it was exactly where I belonged.