Chapter 74

Olivia's Point of View

By the time Liana and I slip into our next classroom, my brain feels like it is buzzing. I take my usual seat, set my notebook down, and try, like really try, to pull my attention towards the front of the room where our professor is already writing on the board.

But Kieran’s smile keeps bleeding into my thoughts.

Polite. Harmless. Normal.

Too normal.

I grip my pen a little tighter, forcing my gaze to stay on the board as the lesson starts. Something about tracking patterns and regional pack territories. It should interest me, it usually does, but every time I blink, I see the way he had leaned casually against the trophy case, like he had been waiting there on purpose.

Liana nudges my elbow. Her notes are a mess, scribbles, arrows, crossed out words. Her focus is worse than mine.

“Are you good?” she whispers.

I nod my head, but it is a lie.

The instructor continues, drawing tidy circles and lines that represent patrol routes. I try copying them into my notebook, but halfway through the first diagram, I realize my hand is shaking faintly.

I take a slow breath.

Why was Kieran asking Ripley so many questions?

Why did he just smile at us today?

Why pretend like nothing happened?

My thoughts spiral, and suddenly I am back at the lake a few nights ago, that prickling sense of being watched, the shimmer of movement in the trees, the way Ripley’s entire body went alert.

What if it was related?

What if someone is inside the school watching them?

Watching me?

I swallow and force myself to write down another sentence. The words barely make sense.

Liana leans closer, whispering again, “Liv, you are going to snap your pen in half.”

I glance down, she is right. My grip is white knuckled.

“Sorry,” I murmur, loosening my hand. “I am just… thinking.”

“About Kieran being sketchy?”

“About everything being sketchy,” I whisper back.

She gives a short nod of her head. “I get it. But hey.” She bumps my shoulder softly. “We will talk to everyone later. For now, we need to pretend we are normal students or the professor is going to call on us.”

I sigh. “Focusing is hard.”

“Try harder,” she deadpans, and something warm flickers in my chest at the teasing tone.

I make another attempt at paying attention. I straighten up, stare at the board, write down the patrol rotation schedule.

But the whole time, it feels like the air around me is too thin. Like the school is not the safe place it is supposed to be.

And most of all...

Like Kieran’s smile was not just friendliness.

It was a message.

And I have no idea what he is trying to say.

The training arena always smells faintly of rubber mats and pine resin, the air humming with energy from the dozens of students warming up. I roll my shoulders back, stretching my arms overhead as the others gather in our usual corner.

Ripley is the first to spot us. His eyes flick quickly from me to Liana, searching our expressions. Pacey and Ian are already stretching, and Kael joins a second later, tying his hair back.

“You two look like you are plotting something,” Pacey says, lowering into a lunge. “Or like something is bothering you.”

Liana raises both eyebrows at me. Her way of saying you start.

I sigh and drop to sit on the mat, reaching for my toes. “Okay, so… we ran into Kieran earlier.”

Ripley’s head snaps up. “Did he talk to you?”

“No,” I say immediately. “That is the weird part. He did not really say anything. He just… smiled. Like he knew something.” A shiver crawls up my spine at the memory. “He did not ask us any questions like he did with you. He did not even try.”

“He definitely saw us,” Liana adds, twisting her torso in a stretch. “He looked right at us. Just a smile, a light hearted 'Hello', and then he kept walking like we did not matter.”

Ian frowns. “That is strange. He seems plenty interested in you and Ripley.”

“Exactly,” I mutter. “Which makes him ignoring us today feel even more suspicious.”

Ripley sits beside me, his knee brushing mine. “Did you feel anything off? That same energy we felt the other night by the lake?”

“No,” I admit. “Not like that. Just… wrong. Like he was not acting like himself.”

“And he is asking all these questions about Stormfang?” Kael asks, shaking his head. “Why would he care so much about that?”

“That is what I cannot figure out,” Ripley says quietly. “When he talked to me, he was almost pushy about it.”

Liana snorts. “Then with us he is suddenly Mr. Friendly Smile and Pretend Nothing Happened? Yeah. No. Absolute red flag.”

The instructor blows a sharp whistle, signaling the start of class. All around us, students snap into attention or hurry to finish warm ups.

But our group stays close for one more breath.

Ripley leans slightly towards the circle, his voice low and steady. “We will keep an eye on him. Together.”

I nod my head, feeling that warm surge of security that always comes from being around them, especially him. “Yeah. Together.”

“Alright, everyone,” the instructor calls, clapping once. “Pair up or form groups. Today’s drills start with defensive rotations.”

I stand, giving my friends one last glance as we break into formation.

The unease about Kieran still lingers in the back of my mind, but surrounded by my friends, my people, it feels just a little more manageable.

For now.