(Part One: Tristian's Point of View)
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The forest in this town felt too still. No real energy pulsed in the soil—just the quiet hum of a world pretending to be safe.
Tristian stood with his hands tucked into the pockets of his black coat, his breath fogging faintly in the night air. Behind him, the Raven Blood heirs waited in disciplined silence, the moon casting silver light across their shoulders like a ceremonial crown.
They weren't here to fight.
Not yet.
They were here for talks.
A territorial diplomacy meeting—one of many—as packs across the continent continued falling to inner rebellion or hunters who'd learned to use their tech more precisely. Raven Blood was untouched by these threats. No one dared challenge them.
But still—appearances had to be maintained. Strength had to be shown. Alliances needed to be refreshed.
That was the official reason for their presence.
The real reason had struck Tristian like a lightning bolt the moment he stepped into the town's air.
The scent.
The tether.
The pull.
Koda.
He didn't even know the boy's name at first. But he felt him. The mate bond sang the moment he walked past the school gates, faint but certain, like a lost song echoing in his blood.
He followed it—to a boy with bruises hidden behind silence and pain tucked behind his smile.
Tristian had stared too long. He knew that. Nova had smirked at him the second he looked away. Kairo had given him a subtle nod of understanding.
He hadn't spoken to Koda since that day. But he'd moved quietly, deliberately.
If the boy was human, as he believed, then this had to be done carefully.
Too many things could go wrong. Too many instincts could wake too soon.
So he helped—invisible hands behind moments Koda wouldn't even remember or even see .
It started with small things, the door On Koda's third day back at school, the front entrance glitched. The heavy security-locked frame wouldn't open. Tristian was already across the lot, but it slid open for Koda just before he touched it. Koda didn't notice Tristian's clenched fist behind his back, holding the lock open with will and power. Then, the test. Koda had forgotten to bring his notes for a pop quiz in Biology. When he opened his backpack, the exact notes—highlighted, page-marked—were in his folder. A subtle scent clung to the paper, but Koda never noticed. The waterbottle incident .On a day when his stepfather hadn't let him eat, Koda sat dizzy in the back of the class. A cold, unopened bottle of water appeared on his desk during the break. He looked around, confused. Tristian was walking past but never looked his way. And most importantly the hallway incident.One of Koda's old bullies made the mistake of snarling at him in a stairwell. Seconds later, the boy slipped on something that hadn't been there moments ago twisted his ankle and fell hard. Koda had rushed away. But Tristian had already vanished around the corner.
"You're slipping," Nova muttered that night as they regrouped at the warded house. "You keep watching him like you're ready to bite."
"I'm not rushing anything," Tristian replied without looking at her.
"You're romantic," she said, smirking. "It's kind of cute. Gross. But cute."
"Focus," Kairo cut in. "He still doesn't know what he is. Or what you are. Which means we walk a very fine line."
"I know," Tristian said, softly this time. "But I also know what I felt. The bond is real."
"Then make him feel it too," Jace added from the shadows. "Before someone else makes him feel fear instead."
(Koda's Point of View)
Koda had stopped trying to make sense of his life.
His bullies had vanished. Teachers ignored him less. And the strange new kids—Tristian and his six friends—were always just around. Not close enough to confront. But never far.
It was like the universe had shifted. Slightly. Enough that it felt… eerie.
He should've felt safe. But instead, he felt exposed.
And the voice in his head—
It was changing again.
"He's watching."
Koda flinched, glancing around the empty hall.
"Who?" he whispered under his breath.
Silence.
Then, like smoke:
"You'll find out soon."
Koda pressed his palm against the cool metal of his locker, trying to anchor himself.
He hated this. The whispers. The uncertainty. The way he was starting to see things. Shadows in the trees. Golden eyes in reflections.
And worst of all, the way his heart raced when Tristian was near.
Tristian hadn't said a single word to him. Not one. But Koda could feel something heavy in the air whenever he passed—like gravity thickening.
One time, in the cafeteria, their eyes met. Just briefly.
And Koda forgot how to breathe.
Tristian hadn't looked away. Not for a long time. But he hadn't smiled either.
It wasn't flirtation. It wasn't bullying.
It was something… else.
Something ancient.
Koda rubbed his arms as the hairs stood on end.
That night, the dreams returned.
He stood in a mist-covered forest. Alone. Barefoot.
And a wolf—massive, black, glowing gold-eyed—stepped from the shadows.
It didn't speak. Not with words.
But Koda understood.
"You're waking up."
The wolf padded closer. Slowly. Carefully.
And when Koda reached out—
He saw his own hand shift. Fingers becoming claw.
And then—he woke up, gasping.