"What the fuck were you thinking, man?"
Nathan's voice cut through the quiet, sharp enough to pierce even the fog in my head.
I didn't look at him. I sat astride one of the thicker branches of the old oak tree, my back pressed into the rough bark, legs stretched out, the height meant nothing to me. From up here, the town looked deceptively calm rooftops glowing as the dying sunlight ,
streets winding lazily between buildings like veins beneath skin.
This was why I came here.
To clear my head.
To quiet the voices.
To pretend, for a moment, that the pain could be outrun.
This had been her place. Olivia loved it here, especially at sunset. She used to say the world looked softer when it was dying for the day.
"This isn't funny," Nathan went on, pacing the branch across from me.
"Simon wouldn't like this.
You weren't meant to get close to the girl."
I sighed, lifting the cigarette to my lips and inhaling slowly. Smoke filled my lungs, bitter but oddly soothing.
Humans had so many ways of coping with stress nicotine, alcohol, pills. All temporary relief.
None of it ever lasted.
Pain always returned.
Worse than before.
"I needed space," I muttered, eyes fixed on the sky as it bled orange into crimson.
"And I took it."
Lucas let out a short laugh from where he lounged against another branch, hands laced behind his head, one leg dangling freely. Nothing ever seemed to disturb him. He always looked too relaxed for someone who had lived through as much bloodshed as we had.
"You call that space? You nearly lost it in front of a whole class."
I hummed, neither agreeing nor denying it.
Nathan stopped pacing and stared at me.
"You think this ends well? You think Simon's just going to ignore this?"
"I didn't do anything wrong," I said flatly. "I went too far and I tried to even things out."
"Even things out?" Nathan repeated,
incredulous.
"Xavier, you were feral. I could smell you from down the hall. Your scent was everywhere, barely masked."
That made my jaw tighten.
"You cannot let yourself get to that point," he continued, voice serious which isn't a usual occurrence for Nathan.
"Not now. Not when we're still exposed."
Lucas shifted, finally sitting upright.
" Michael's pack has strong allies we all know this. If not for Simon, we would've been destroyed the last time. And we still haven't fully recovered."
Nathan nodded. "The stronger your scent, the more attention it draws. The more attention, the higher the chance of a confrontation. You want humans watching supernatural beings tear each other apart in the open?"
I crushed the cigarette against the bark, ash scattering into the wind below.
"I know I fucked up," I said quietly. "You don't have to explain it to me. I'll sort it out myself."
The words felt hollow. I had already done enough to push Simon to the edge. This, this would only add weight to the blade hanging over my neck.
Lucas tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing. "Becky's here."
I followed his gaze.
Rebecca emerged from the tree line below, her dark hair pulled back, eyes gleaming with anticipation. Behind her stumbled three dazed humans young, unfocused, smiling like fools.
They didn't realize what they were walking into.
"Snack time," Nathan said brightly.
He jumped down from the branch, landing soundlessly in front of them.
The screams never came
Later, I sat on the ground with my back against the oak, blood warm on my hands as the sky deepened into indigo.
Hunger roared through me, a clear warning of how close the full moon is. I tore a chunk of flesh from the girl's thigh, the metallic taste flooding my senses, grounding me in something ugly and necessary.
"Mmm," Nathan groaned nearby, teeth buried in a man's arm. "This is good meat. I don't think I could go another day without biting one of them."
I didn't respond. His eyes now glowed bright red as he sank his canines into the man.
"It got so bad," he went on between mouthfuls, "I swear I could smell the blood in their veins every time they walked past."
"Careful," Rebecca warned sharply, licking blood from her fingers. "You want bites that heal fast. No marks. The more marks you leave, the easier it is for them to remember."
She pressed her mouth to the own wounds she had made, saliva sealing flesh back together, skin knitting slowly beneath her touch.
"Have you heard anything from Tisha?" she asked casually, though her eyes stayed fixed on the unconscious body beneath her.
My shoulders stiffened.
"No," I said coldly. "Nothing. Though I'm sure she's already reported back to Simon. You should ask him."
Rebecca's lips thinned.
"You're avoiding it," she snapped. "There's something off about that girl."
I looked up sharply. "Enough."
She ignored me. "I can see through her innocent act. One day she'll show all of you what I've been saying—just like that bitch did."
Something in me snapped.
"Don't," I warned, my voice low and dangerous.
She smiled, clearly pleased. "Did I hit a nerve?"
Nathan chuckled, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Now, Becky, don't blame the poor girl for Tisha's wandering feelings. It's not Serena's fault Tisha can't love you fully."
Rebecca spun toward him. "Fuck you, Nathan!"
She stormed away, leaves crunching beneath her boots.
Silence settled over us.
Then Nathan spoke again, quiet this time.
"She has the mark."
My heart slammed violently against my ribs.
"Behind her ear," he continued. "I saw it when I leaned in. The butterfly."
He pulled up his shirt, revealing the dark butterfly etched into his chest, his fingers tracing the faint threadlike lines.
"The exact same one."
Suddenly feeling to exposed,I bent my head letting my hair fall to my face.
"She'd need the crescent moon too," I said slowly. "Both marks. That's what the prophecy says."
Lucas wiped blood from his hands, gaze distant. "Full moon's tomorrow night. Simon's already locked himself in the dungeons. Doesn't want to risk losing control. He has already began to act feral, can't even keep his eyes from changing color."
I swallowed hard.
"We'll be allowed to hunt," Lucas continued.
"Keep the instincts from boiling over. Whatever happens tomorrow… it'll reveal the truth."
He looked at me then, not mocking in any way. Almost sympathetic.
"For her sake," he said softly, "I hope she's the one."
I turned my face toward the darkening sky, Serena's tear-streaked face burning behind my eyes.
I had seen her die once already.
I wouldn't survive watching it happen again.
Not this time.