CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 33
Morning arrived with a gentle drizzle that misted the windows and painted the air with a gray calmness. I stood by my window, gazing at the street below, where life continued as if nothing were wrong—unaware of the tension brewing beneath their feet. Somewhere out there, wolves hid among them, pretending, blending in, and surviving.

And then there was me—pretending more than anyone.

I sighed and turned away from the glass. My phone buzzed with a message from Dolphus.

DOLPHUS: “The pack’s calm. Rory left early for the woods. Jules followed. Nothing suspicious.”

That eased my mind a little, but I read it twice, my chest still tight. Rory. Jules. Calm was never truly calm with those two.

I quickly typed back, “Good. Keep your eyes open. I’ll be back after classes. And don’t push yourself—you’re still recovering.”

His reply came instantly. “You worry too much, Alpha.”
I smiled faintly. “Because you give me reasons to,” I murmured under my breath.

Dolphus was dependable and consistent, but something in my gut told me there was an unusual shift within the pack — like a change in the air before a storm. Perhaps Rory’s silence was due to him scheming something more disruptive. I couldn’t afford to overlook it.

Grabbing my bag, I quietly made my way down the hallway. The house felt overwhelming — not with noise, but with watchful eyes. Edward, Lark, Zephyr, and Kellan — my supposed protective detail, assigned to keep an eye on me since Dolphus fell ill. They had good intentions, but I felt suffocated. It was as if I couldn’t breathe without four pairs of piercing eyes glued to me.

As soon as I heard Zephyr nearing the kitchen, I crouched down, slipped behind the couch, and rushed to the back door. I pulled on my hoodie, yanked it over my head, and burst into the fresh air.

Sweet liberation.

By the time Skai’s car arrived, I was already laughing, taking a moment to sweep my hair out of my face.

Skai leaned her head out of the window. “Why are you running like you’re on the run?”

“Because I am,” I huffed, diving into the passenger seat. “They’re locking me in this house like it’s a prison.”

“Your wolves?” she inquired, raising an eyebrow as she drove away.

“My guards,” I corrected. “Edward almost followed me into the bathroom yesterday.”

She chuckled. “You have to be kidding.”

“I wish I were.”
We both laughed, and for the first time in ages, it felt like normality — just two ordinary girls heading to school, instead of a half-blood Alpha sneaking out from under her pack’s supervision.

But as the city zipped by, my laughter faded. My mind wandered once more — to Dolphus, to Rory’s knowing grin from yesterday, to Elias’s quiet sorrow… and then, unexpectedly, to Tatum.

I found myself smiling at the thought of him — his soothing eyes, the gentle way his voice softened when he spoke, as if he understood more about suffering than he should. It alarmed me how frequently he crossed my mind these days. I shouldn’t be entertaining thoughts about a human. Especially not in this manner.

Skai picked up on my silence. “You’re lost in thought again.”

“Always,” I replied softly.

“Thinking about the pack or about the boy who drives you crazy?”

I stared at her in surprise. “What?”

She smirked. “You’ve got that expression — dreamy, distant, nearly foolish. That’s your boy-thought look.”

I rolled my eyes, trying to conceal my blush. “You’re absurd.”

“Uh-huh. Tatum?”

I gave her a sideways glance. “You’re annoyingly perceptive.”

“I’m your best friend, it’s my job,” she said, smiling. “And don’t even start with the 'he’s human speech.' I know. You’ve said it like a thousand times.”

“Because it’s dangerous,” I replied quietly. “You know what happens when a werewolf gets too close to a human — the bond becomes unpredictable. In most cases, like that of my mum—she lost her life. And if the elders find out…”

“They’ll throw a fit,” she finished for me. “But they don’t need to know.”

I frowned. “That’s not the point, Skai.”

She sighed, stealing a glance at me. “No, the point is that you’ve been carrying the world on your shoulders since you were twelve. Maybe, just maybe, you deserve to feel something good. Even if it’s dangerous. But then, this isn't so dangerous, Alaya.”

I chose not to reply. Because deep down, I recognized that she was correct.

By the time we arrived at school, my chest felt like a war zone — reason and feeling clashing with no victor in sight.
Students filled the courtyard, their conversations loud and effortless. I envied them — how uncomplicated their lives appeared.

Then I spotted him.

Tatum was leaning against the library steps, his hands in his jacket pockets, scanning the crowd until his eyes landed on me. And when they did, that soft smile of his emerged — the one that always made my heart stumble.

“Hey,” he greeted me as I walked over.

“Hey,” I replied quietly.

“I missed you yesterday.”

I chuckled lightly. “We literally saw each other two days ago.”

“Yeah, but that’s ages in Tatum time,” he replied with a shrug. “Come on, I saved a spot for you in the courtyard.”

Skai shot me a playful wink before heading off to class, leaving me with no option to escape. So, I trailed after him.

We settled under the old elm tree, the same spot where we first met months ago. The air still held the dampness from the morning rain, and a subtle aroma of wet soil hung in the air. He chatted — about school, his friends Dylan and Rob, his part-time gig at the bookstore — while I listened, feeling the tension in me loosen a bit with each passing word.

For someone seemingly ordinary, he made everything feel extraordinary.

When he finally gazed at me and asked, “You alright? You seem… preoccupied,” I couldn’t tell a lie.

“I’ve just been thinking a lot,” I replied softly.

“Want to share?”

I paused. “You wouldn’t get it.”

“Give it a shot.”

I smiled slightly. If only he knew — the wolves, the power, the ongoing threat surrounding me. But all I revealed was, “It’s… family issues.”

He nodded, considering. “Family can be complicated. Mine certainly was. After my parents passed, my brother raised me. He was more like a father than a sibling, until he passed too. I became so lost, then I found a family in Rob and Dylan. I suppose that’s why I care too much about those who seem… lost.”

“Lost?” I repeated.

“Yeah,” he said, focusing directly on me. “Like you.”

I was at a loss for words. The truth struck deeper than I anticipated. For a brief moment, I forgot who I was meant to be — Alpha, guardian, half-blood anomaly. I was just a girl sitting beneath a tree, wishing to be noticed for once.

The bell rang, pulling us both back to reality. He smiled. “I guess that’s our signal.”

As he escorted me to class, his fingers brushed lightly against mine — not gripping, just touching — and I swear my heart forgot how to function.

By the time school was over, I was deep in thought again. Tatum’s smile. His voice. The warmth that remained from that almost-touch.

Skai picked up on it right away. “You’ve been spacing out all day.”

“I’m fine,” I fibbed.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re in trouble, that’s for sure.”

“Trouble?” I questioned.

“Uh-huh. The kind with brown eyes and a soothing smile.”

I sighed. “Skai, please.”

She chuckled. “Oh, come on. You can’t deny it anymore. You like him.”

I halted in my tracks. “He’s human.”

“So?”

“So I’m not,” I snapped. “I’m the Alpha of Crescent’s most powerful pack. He’s… he’s delicate. One mistake, one transformation, and I could harm him.”

Skai’s expression softened. “Alaya, love isn’t about safety. It’s about honesty. And if he helps you forget the burden for even a moment, maybe that’s something you need.”

I turned away, silent. Her words resonated deeper than I wished.

When I finally arrived home, the house was peaceful. Dolphus was resting. The guards stood watch. But even surrounded by
my kind, I felt a world away — because my heart was elsewhere entirely.

With him.

And that frightened me more than any battle I’d ever face.