I’m barely five feet from Mr. Lyons’s door when a hand clamps around my wrist, and I instinctively twist away, dropping into a defensive stance.

“Relax! It’s just me!” Kylie whispers, dodging as my fist nearly grazes her face.

I exhale slowly, letting my muscles relax. “You’re getting really good at that,” I mutter.

She rolls her eyes. “I told the guys you’d come to school. They didn’t believe me, of course. Right now, they’re all still camped outside your house, trying to figure out how to reason with you. I convinced them to give you some space, but I knew you’d show up here.”

I open my mouth to explain myself, but she cuts me off, pressing a finger to my lips. “Nope, not interested. I’m not here to fight with you or to play messenger. I am not your enemy, and, as clueless as they can be, neither are they. That’s all I’m going to say about it today.”

I sigh, grateful but unsure how to express it. Kylie lets her hand fall, exhaling as if she’s been holding it in as well. “We have about eight minutes until the bell rings for second period,” she continues. “So, here’s the deal: I already went to the pack house and grabbed your stuff. I’ve got all your class materials, and I even talked to the counselor. They put me in all of your classes for the rest of the semester. No more hiding.”

She thrusts my overloaded backpack into my arms and turns on her heel before I can argue. “Kylie, wait,” I say, rushing after her. “I don’t want to come between you and the guys. You don’t deserve to be caught up in this mess.”

Kylie stops, turning back with fierce determination. “Too bad. This is happening. And anyway, I saw your bloodied face and bruised body being carried out of that basement like a lifeless doll. I can’t help if you won’t let me. It’s clear now that staying here is life or death for you, isn’t it?”

The look in her eyes makes my throat ache, and I know I can’t deny it, so I don’t try. Instead, I pull her into a tight hug, grateful to have someone who cares enough to see past the mess I’ve been trying to hide.

The day is quiet and mostly uneventful, with Kylie and I gliding through our classes as if on a separate orbit from the rest of the pack. The guys are notably absent, which gives me a chance to focus on something other than the tension gnawing at the back of my mind. Kylie even helped me concoct a reasonable excuse for missing first period: an “injury from training,” mostly true and verifiable with Doc T.

We sneak food into my room at the end of the day, and Kylie stays long enough to make sure I’m not planning another escape. Eventually, though, she leaves after Devin’s texts and calls become too insistent to ignore. “I’m not going to make you choose between them and me, Kylie,” I tell her. “I’ll be okay. Just tell them…whatever feels right.”

She narrows her eyes, almost smiling. “You’re not an easy person to walk away from, you know that?” With a final squeeze of my shoulder, she slips out my window and down the familiar trellis, her silhouette disappearing into the evening shadows.

The next morning, I wake up early, feeling a dull ache in my chest at the thought of more time without the guys. Still, I stick to my plan. After grabbing the clothes I’ll need for a full day, I slip out the window and make my way to the diner. Kylie’s waiting for me outside, and we pick a table in the far corner, hoping it’ll keep the guys at bay if they decide to drop in.

Martha, the diner’s owner, saunters over with a knowing smile. “Luna Ava gave me a heads-up,” she says, packing our breakfast in takeout containers. “You’ve got about three minutes to clear out before they show up.”

She grins conspiratorially as we scramble to pay, but Martha just waves her hand. “For free, sweetheart. Watching you girls knock those boys off their high horses is payment enough.”

Kylie and I burst into laughter as we make a quick exit, ducking out the back door and heading to the training grounds. We’re stopped in our tracks by a note on the outside gate announcing that training has been postponed for a warrior strategy meeting. So, instead of going through drills, we find a quiet spot near the forest to eat and chat, waiting for school to start.

When the guys finally catch up with us in the hallways, they’re a storm of barely contained frustration. Their silent glares follow us to each class, a pressure building that none of us acknowledge but can all feel. They’re angrier than ever when they realize that Kylie is no longer with them in class if I’m not. They keep close to us but remain infuriatingly silent, as if their very presence will force me into submission.

Finally, Kylie and I reach English, one of the few classes the guys don’t share with us. She drops into her seat with a groan. “I hate you, just so you know,” she mutters. “How do you make sense of that teacher? English is not supposed to be this hard.”

I laugh at her, but the lightness doesn’t last long. The moment we walk into the lunchroom, Devin is already heading toward us. He stops in front of me, eyes fixed somewhere over my shoulder.

“We all need to report to Dad after school,” he mutters. “All warriors fifteen and older are required to start patrol duty. You can ride with us if you want or go on your own, but either way, we’re all meeting in his office afterward.” Without waiting for a reply, he heads off, the rest of the guys trailing after him, their gazes focused anywhere but on me.

Kylie sighs, watching them go. “This silence thing is exhausting, you know.”

“You should go sit with them. I’ll be fine.” I give her a reassuring smile, but my heart aches as I watch her hesitate. When she finally makes her way toward them, I slip to a quiet table in the corner, relieved for the solitude.

For the rest of the period, I bury myself in a book, only glancing up once in a while to check on Kylie and the guys. My heart beats painfully, the silence between us all feeling more like a wall with every passing second. I try to focus on the reading assignment instead, letting the words blur together in front of me.

By the time Health rolls around, the tension between the guys and me is practically tangible. Kylie, Ethan, Ryan, Aaron, Devin, and Leo file in, filling the seats around me like silent guardians. None of us speak beyond the bare minimum required for class, and I find myself wishing I could vanish.

Finally, the bell rings, and as we file out of the classroom, Ryan pulls me aside, determination etched into every line of his face.

“Selene, you need to understand that we just want to protect you. Going off to train, putting yourself in unknown hands—it scares us, all of us.” His voice trembles slightly, but his eyes are resolute.

I close my eyes, drawing a deep breath to quell the anger simmering inside. “I’ll accept that position, Ryan,” I say quietly, “when you all accept mine. I don’t need protecting. I have been surviving just fine without it.”

His brows furrow, the weight of his concern pressing down on me. “It’s not fair, and you know it. If you had just said something sooner—”

The words set something off inside me. My heart races, and the anger I’ve been holding back bubbles over. “Are you serious?” I demand. “If I had said something? Are you saying this is my fault?”

Ryan recoils, his face twisting in surprise, but I forge on. “You didn’t care until now. I’ve always been here, but none of you took notice. So, don’t act like you’re the heroes in my story. I’m not some fragile little thing that needs saving. You’re all just scared because I don’t need you the way you think I should.”

I stand up, slinging my backpack over my shoulder and giving him one last look. “When you’re ready to accept that I can handle myself, maybe we’ll have something to talk about.”

I walk away, keeping my back straight, but every step feels like a struggle, my chest heavy with the weight of unspoken words and unhealed wounds. If they can’t handle my decisions, then maybe they never really understood me to begin with. And if I have to keep moving forward alone, then so be it.