Mia's POV
I backed away as Aria and her friends advanced, their claws already extended. My back hit something solid - a tree or wall, I wasn't sure. Nowhere left to run.
"Did you forget your duties, little omega?"
I backed away until my spine hit rough brick. Her pack circled me, their faces twisted with cruel anticipation.
"I had to carry my own books today," one of them sneered, grabbing a fistful of my hair. "Do you know how heavy they are?"
"And my coffee run?" another added, deliberately pouring her water bottle over my uniform. "I had to get it myself, like some common wolf."
The cold water soaked through my shirt as I tried to make myself smaller. "I'm sorry, I-"
"Sorry?" Aria's hand shot out, gripping my chin painfully. "You think sorry makes up for forgetting your place?" Her claws pricked my skin. "Maybe we need to remind you what happens to disobedient omegas."
"Please," I whispered, tears streaming down my face. "I didn't mean to-"
"Shut up!" She pulled back her fist, and I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact.
But it never came.
"What the..." Aria's grip suddenly loosened. When I opened my eyes, her face had gone pale, her hand frozen mid-swing.
"Something wrong?" One of her friends asked, then gasped. One by one, they all stepped back, their eyes fixed on something behind me.
I didn't understand. They were looking past me, but when I turned around, there was nothing there. Just empty space and the school building behind me.
"Let's go," Aria muttered, her voice shaking slightly. Her friends practically tripped over themselves following her retreat.
What just happened?
I stood there trembling for several minutes, waiting for them to return. But they didn't. For the first time since I could remember, they just... left.
The bell rang, startling me out of my confused daze. I hurried to class, my mind racing. Something had scared them. Something they could sense but I couldn't.
All through Math and English, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. For Aria or her friends to corner me, to make me pay for whatever had happened in the parking lot.
But they stayed away.
Oh, they still glared. Still whispered cruel words when I passed. But none of them came close. None of them touched me.
It was like an invisible barrier had formed around me - one that terrified them but that I couldn't see or feel.
Was it Tristan? Had he done something? But he'd already left when it happened...
"Freak," someone hissed as I walked to my next class. "Think you're special now?"
I flinched at the words but kept walking. Better whispered insults than physical pain.
For the first time in years, I made it through a full day of classes without being shoved, hit, or dragged somewhere against my will.
It felt too good to be true. And in my experience, things that felt too good to be true usually were.
But for now, I would take whatever protection I could get - even if I didn't understand where it came from or why.
I just hoped it would last.
The final bell rang, but instead of heading home, I found myself walking toward the library. The thought of facing my stepbrothers - my mates - made my stomach churn. Better to hide among the books than endure more of their torment.
"They probably don't want to see me anyway," I whispered to myself, finding a quiet corner table. I pulled out my sketchbook, hoping art might distract me from the gnawing hunger that had become my constant companion.
My pencil moved across the paper, drawing wolves running free under a full moon - everything I wasn't, everything I couldn't be. The hunger made my hand shake slightly, smudging the lines.
A wrapped sandwich suddenly appeared in front of me, making me jump.
"You look like you could use this," Tristan's warm voice said. I looked up to find him smiling down at me, more food in his hands.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, too surprised to hide my shock.
"Saw you come in." He set down drinks and snacks. "Thought you might want company. But I can go if you prefer to be alone. The food's yours either way."
"No!" The word came out too quickly. "I mean... you can stay. If you want."
My stomach chose that moment to growl loudly.
"Eat," he encouraged, pushing the food closer. "Before your stomach decides to join the library's audio book collection."
A laugh bubbled up before I could stop it. When was the last time I'd actually laughed?
I unwrapped the sandwich, trying not to seem too eager despite my hunger. But after one bite, I couldn't help devouring it.
"You're adorable when you eat," he chuckled. "Like a hungry little wolf pup."
I should have been embarrassed, but something about his teasing felt different from my stepbrothers' cruel mockery. It was... warm. Genuine.
"Tell me about yourself," he said, resting his chin on his hand. "What makes Mia happy?"
The question caught me off guard. When was the last time anyone had asked about my happiness?
"I... I like reading," I admitted softly. "And drawing, sometimes. When I can."
He slid into the chair across from me, his eyes falling on my sketchbook. "These are incredible." His fingers traced the edge of the paper, careful not to touch the actual drawings. "You have real talent."
Heat flooded my cheeks. "They're just doodles..."
"Just doodles?" He raised an eyebrow. "The detail in these wolves... the way you've captured their movement... that's pure art."
The praise made me feel warm inside, even as part of me waited for the other shoe to drop. But his admiration seemed genuine, his smile reaching his eyes in a way I wasn't used to seeing.
"Thank you," I whispered, not just for the compliment but for everything - the food, the kindness, the way he made me feel almost normal.
"For what?" His hand brushed mine as he returned the sketchbook. "It's not my fault that you are cute."
We talked for hours, my hunger forgotten in the warmth of his attention. He was charming in an effortless way, making me laugh with stories about his own artistic disasters. His smile made something flutter in my chest - something I definitely shouldn't be feeling with four mates already tormenting me.
But I couldn't help noticing how his eyes crinkled when he laughed, or how the setting sun through the library windows turned his hair to gold. He was beautiful in a dangerous way - his handsomeness wrapped in gentle smiles.
For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt... safe. Happy, even.