Chapter 54 *

Chapter 54 Chapter 54
Angelina’s POV
I could feel the whispers starting. Like little ripples spreading across water.
"Wait, did she really awaken already?"
"No way. Aria has a wolf now?"
"She's gotta be lying, right?"
Then someone else, louder. "Holy shit, she actually awakened?"
The whole basement exploded. Chairs scraping. Voices overlapping. Everyone staring at me. Their eyes hungry. Not for me. For the gossip. For confirmation. For something to post about later.
I leaned back on the couch. Popped another Taki in my mouth. Let them wait.
"You guys wanna know?" I said finally. Half-smiling. Shrugged. Didn't say yes. Didn't say no.
They got the message. Backed off. Could tell I wasn't giving them what they wanted.
The conversation shifted. Back to normal high school stuff. Who's dating who. College plans. Summer internships. Someone was talking about going to UCLA. Another person was stressing about SATs.
Safe topics. Boring topics.
Under the table, Mia grabbed my hand. Her fingers were warm. Worried.
"You good?" she whispered. Just two words. But I heard everything she actually wanted to ask.
"I'm fine," I told her. And I meant it. Chelsea's little show? Jayden and his bat? That was nothing compared to what I'd dealt with before.
Relief washed over her face. She relaxed. Let go of my hand.
Novak slid back into his seat, announcing Chelsea and her crew had left.
Nobody cared. Party kept going like nothing happened.
I pulled back. Let the noise flow around me. Let them laugh and joke and talk about classes I'd never taken. Inside jokes I wasn't part of.
Mia knew everyone here. Laughing. Sharing memories. Talking about teachers I didn't recognize.
I didn't know these people. Couldn't pretend I remembered shit I never experienced.
I picked at my pizza. Watched the social dynamics like I was studying a different species.
Then this bubbly girl—Quinn—started gushing about me and Mia.
"You two are literally the definition of ride-or-die besties!"
Mia was beaming. "We're even gonna apply to the same college. We promised we'd stick together."
I was zoning out. Only half-listening.
My mind was somewhere else. The words just came out. "Did we?"
The second I said it, I regretted it.
Our end of the table went silent. Mia's smile froze.
Quinn laughed awkwardly. "Uh, I'm gonna grab another Sprite..." Then she practically ran.
After she left, Mia smacked my arm. "Dude, you totally just threw me under the bus."
She was joking. But I could see the hurt underneath.
I'd lived countless lives. Mastered politics. War. Strategy. But I never learned how to just... be normal with people.
"Sorry." The word felt foreign. In my past life, Alphas didn't apologize. "That's on me."
Mia pulled me into a hug. Something cracked open in my chest.
Her arms reminded me of someone. Long ago. When I was small. Hungry. Cold. Alone after my first pack kicked me out. There'd been a woman. Who'd held me like this. With warm hands.
I'd forgotten what this felt like. Being hugged.
Someone whistled. "Get a room, you two!"
Mia pulled back, laughing. "Oh my god, girls hug. It's literally normal."
This guy—Jacob—grinned. "Bet you won't do it like this." Then he dramatically hugged his friend.
The whole room lost it. Phones came out. Recording. Screaming. Laughing.
I didn't join in. Just watched. Felt the energy. That teenage chaos.
Novak hung up his phone. Turned to everyone.
"Yo, who's down for bowling? Thunder Lanes is pretty dead on weeknights."
"I got some friends waiting for us there too."
Everyone agreed. People started figuring out who was riding with who.
I didn't care about bowling. But Mia looked excited. So I didn't say no. Didn't kill the vibe.
In the car, Mia wouldn't shut up. Scrolling through Yelp reviews of Thunder Lanes on her phone.
Thunder Lanes was classic bowling alley vibes. Neon lights everywhere. Retro red and blue color scheme. Crashing sounds and cheering from every direction.
The air smelled like french fries and rental shoes. Weird combo. People were already at the counter getting shoes. Typing names into the scoring system.
I automatically scanned the new people. Old habit. Assessing threats.
Then I saw him. Kai Matthews.
Of course he was here. Out of all the high school kids I'd met, he was probably the one I hated most.
His stupid perfect hair. His stupid Alpha confidence. His stupid everything.
The kind of guy who thought the world owed him something just for existing.
I watched him laugh with his friends. Probably didn't even notice me walk in.
Good. I preferred it that way.
Mia grabbed my arm. "Come on, let's get shoes!"
I followed her to the counter. The guy working there looked bored out of his mind. Probably a college student working a weeknight shift.
"Size eight," I told him.
He handed me the ugliest bowling shoes I'd ever seen. Red and blue. Like someone's grandpa's shoes from the seventies.
"These are hideous," Mia said, holding hers up.
"They're supposed to be," I replied.
We walked to lane seven. Our group was spread across three lanes. Music was playing overhead. Some pop song I didn't know.
Novak was typing everyone's names into the screen. Making up stupid nicknames for people. Someone was "Pizza King." Another person was "The Gutter Master."
"What should I put for you?" he asked me.
"Aria's fine."
"Boring. I'm making you 'Finger Slayer.'"
A few people laughed. I didn't argue. Let him type whatever.
The bowling balls sat on the rack. Different colors. Different weights. I picked up a black one. Fourteen pounds. Felt right.
"Aria, you're up first!" Mia called out.
I walked to the lane. Ball in hand. Lined up my shot.
Released.
Strike.
The pins exploded. Perfect hit.
Behind me, someone whistled. "Damn, girl!"


Silas’s POV
"And THAT'S how it's done, ladies!" I shouted, throwing my arms up as another set of pins crashed down. Strike number six in a row. No cap.
The girls watching us erupted in cheers and giggles. I winked at a cute blonde who'd been eyeing me all night. Being Kai's future Beta had its perks—pack girls loved the whole powerful werewolf thing.
"Bro, you're on fire tonight," Kai said, giving me a fist bump. My best friend since elementary school, the future Alpha of our pack.
"That's 'cause I'm built different," I said, flexing for the crowd. "Y'all seeing this? Pure skill right here!"
God, I love being me.
I was about to grab another ball when I noticed two girls sitting in the corner booth, completely ignoring our game. They were just eating nachos and chatting like we weren't putting on the performance of a lifetime.
One of them caught my eye immediately. Long black hair, perfect posture, eating chips like she owned the place. Even from here, I could tell she was gorgeous. Like, stupid gorgeous.
"Yo Kai," I nudged him, pointing with my chin. "Isn't that the girl from the love letter thing?"
Kai's whole body went rigid. His smile disappeared faster than my mom's patience when I forget to do chores.
"Drop it, man," he said, his voice low and tense.
"What? Nah, come on." I studied her more carefully. This was Aria? The girl who wrote Kai that desperate love letter? The one everyone had been laughing about for weeks?
No fucking way.
The rumors made her sound like some ugly, desperate loser. But this girl? She looked like she could be on magazine covers. How did everyone get it so wrong?
"Dude, she's actually hot," I said, genuinely confused. "Like, really hot. Why'd you—"
"I said drop it," Kai snapped.
But I couldn't. My boy had majorly fucked up, and now he was too proud to admit it. That's where I came in—Silas the Smooth, the ultimate wingman.
"Nah, let me handle this," I said, already walking away. "I'll smooth things over for you."
"Silas, don't—"
Too late. I was already halfway there, spinning a bowling ball on one finger like a basketball. The move always impressed people.
"Hey Aria! Wanna see something cool?" I called out as I reached their booth.