Chapter 16: Almost Something

Kathy's POV

The next day I met Zayden at the cafe again.

He was already waiting at our usual table under the striped umbrella, two iced drinks in front of him.

When he saw me walking up, that sweet smile broke across his face, dimple sinking into his left cheek. It was the kind of smile that made the knot in my chest loosen just a little.

He was cute, just so effortlessly cute.

“Hey,” he said, standing up and pulling out the chair for me like always. “I got you the honey latte. Figured you might need it after yesterday. You looked like your mind was somewhere else in class.”

I sat down, smiling back even though my thoughts were still a little tangled. “Thanks. You’re spoiling me already. The latte smells amazing.”

Zayden shrugged, settling into his own seat with that easy, controlled grace of his. “Least I can do. So… how’s your day going so far? Still thinking about the lecture?”

I took a sip of the drink, letting the sweet honey and cool milk settle on my tongue. For a second I hesitated, fingers tracing the condensation on the glass. But something about Zayden made it feel safe to talk. He never pushed, never made me feel like I was broken for not having a wolf yet.

“Actually… yeah. It’s about my mom mostly. Everyone here keeps bringing her up, and it just reminded me of my eighteenth birthday.” I let out a small, shaky breath. “We’d been waiting for it forever. The whole family had. Being the daughter of Malia Mooncrest and Alpha Aiden, you know? Everyone expected this big, beautiful awakening. I even practiced shifting poses in the mirror the night before like some kind of fool. I was so excited I could barely sleep.”

Zayden listened quietly, his ice-blue eyes soft and focused only on me. “What happened that morning?”

“Nothing,” I said with a sad little laugh that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “We had this huge family gathering. Relatives from both sides flew in, there was cake, balloons, music, the whole celebration package. Mom kept squeezing my hand and whispering that it was going to be beautiful, that I was going to feel it any second. Dad was trying to act all calm and alpha-like but I could see the nervous energy in his shoulders. Then the moment came… and there was nothing. No shift. No change in my eyes. No inner wolf whispering or pulling at me. Just me, standing there in front of everyone feeling completely empty while they all stared.”

I paused, swallowing the lump that rose in my throat. “Mom looked so worried. She kept saying maybe I was like her when she was younger, maybe I was a hybrid or something. But I’m not. Hybrids still have some faint wolf senses, faint instincts, at least a whisper of the wolf. I felt… human. Completely, painfully human with two of the most powerful wolves as parents. It was humiliating. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me.”

Zayden reached across the table and gave my hand a gentle squeeze, his thumb brushing lightly over my knuckles. “That must have been really tough, Kathy. I can’t even imagine standing there with everyone watching and expecting something that didn’t come.”

“Yeah,” I continued, my voice dropping softer. “Later that night I couldn’t sleep, so I eavesdropped on my parents talking in the kitchen. Dad sounded disappointed. Not angry, just… tired. He said the only place that might actually help me awaken my wolf, the same way it helped Mom, was here, Mooncrest College. I was supposed to go to a normal human college, blend in, maybe pretend the whole wolf thing didn’t matter. But they changed everything and pushed me here instead. I felt like such a failure.”

Zayden nodded slowly, his expression full of quiet understanding. “I get it. I actually read your mom’s book a couple of years ago. Her struggles were intense — feeling invisible, fighting to prove herself, dealing with all that pressure. Coming here as her daughter… maybe this place will do for you what it did for her. Sometimes the grounds themselves hold enough old magic to wake things up that have been sleeping.”

I gave him a small, grateful smile. “Maybe. It’s just hard not to feel like I’m already failing before I even really start. Like I’m letting them down.”

We kept talking for a while after that. The conversation flowed easily between the heavy stuff and lighter moments. Zayden shared a funny story about his own first shift going wrong and ending up stuck halfway between forms in front of his entire pack. I laughed until my sides hurt, and for a little while the weight on my chest felt lighter.

But then an awkward silence settled between us.

Our eyes met across the table and held.

I could feel that pull surging again, warm and steady this time, like gentle gravity drawing me toward him. My heart picked up speed, a soft flutter in my ribs.

Slowly, I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His gaze followed the movement, and when his fingers accidentally brushed my cheek while helping tuck it, a soft icy spark shot through me, making my breath catch.

Zayden leaned in a little closer, his eyes dropping to my lips for a fraction of a second.

I knew he was going to kiss me.

My heart hammered fast against my ribs, anticipation mixing with nerves and that warm, welcoming feeling I always got around him.

Then my phone chimed loudly on the table.

We both jerked back at the same time. Zayden bit his lip, looking embarrassed, a faint blush creeping up his neck.

I glanced at the screen. A missed call. I’d forgotten I put my phone on silent during class today. It was from my mother.

Zayden cleared his throat and adjusted in his seat, trying to play it cool. “What was that?”

I shoved the phone quickly into my bag, my cheeks still warm. “No one. Just… nothing important.”