Sumaya's breath came in short, uneven gasps as she darted through the crowded hallway, her heartbeat thundering in her ears. Every step burned, every glance over her shoulder sent fresh jolts of panic through her veins. She needed to find Olivia. Now.
Her sneakers screeched against the polished floor as she rounded the corner—so close, just a little further—but a violent yank on her backpack nearly sent her sprawling.
"Gotcha!"
Jenna's voice was triumphant, her grip like iron. Sumaya gritted her teeth and tried to yank free, determined to keep moving, but Bree was already in front of her, blocking her escape with a smug smirk.
"Stop running, you freak," Bree huffed, still breathless from the chase.
Then came the shove. It wasn't just a push—it was a deliberate, violent force that slammed her back into the lockers. The cold metal bit into her spine, rattling through her bones. She exhaled sharply, pain flaring up her back.
They had her cornered.
Jenna and Bree stood on either side of her, panting but satisfied. And then—like a queen making her grand entrance—Amanda arrived.
She took her time, adjusting the sleeves of her designer sweater as she sauntered toward them, blonde hair bouncing in perfect waves. She didn't even look winded. That smirk of hers—arrogant, venomous—was already in place as she stopped in front of Sumaya, arms crossed.
"There you are," she drawled, like Sumaya was some lost pet. Jenna and Bree tightened their hold, their fingers digging into her arms. "Why do you keep running from us?"
Sumaya clenched her fists, swallowing down the sharp retort that burned on her tongue.
Amanda sighed dramatically. "Seriously, you need to stop running from your fate." Her smirk widened. "And why the hell are you still alive?"
Jenna and Bree giggled, feeding off Amanda's cruelty.
"We were so sure you wouldn't make it out of that forest last night," Bree said, her voice dripping with amusement. "How'd you do it?"
"Maybe…" Jenna feigned deep thought, then leaned in, her voice dropping into an exaggerated whisper, "she resurrected." She gasped, turning to Bree with wide eyes, then broke into another fit of laughter.
Amanda chuckled. "Well, that's an interesting theory." She tapped a manicured nail against her lips, pretending to consider it, then nodded to Jenna and Bree. "We should definitely test that out."
She smirked at Sumaya. "Let's see if you can really come back from the dead."
Sumaya stiffened, as panic seized her chest. She struggled, but Jenna and Bree's hands clamped down tighter.
Amanda's palm struck her face before she could brace for it, the sting burned across Sumaya's cheek, her head snapping to the side. "Stop struggling," Amanda snapped.
"I think she's scared," Bree teased, her breath warm against Sumaya's ear.
"She should be." Amanda ran a finger along Sumaya's jaw before gripping it, forcing her to meet her gaze. Her smile was pure malice. "Because I have so many things I want to try out on her body."
Sumaya glared at her, rage simmering beneath the pain. Amanda only sneered, tightening her hold on Sumaya's jaw.
"Don't look at me like that," she warned. Leaning in, she whispered in her ear, "Blame yourself for being a freak. I bet that's why your parents abandoned you at that orphanage like a trash."
Sumaya's breath caught, the words sliced through her like a blade.
She had thought about it before, late at night when the loneliness crept in. Why did they abandon me? Had they been afraid of her? Had they left her because she was different?
That was the one wound that might never healed. Her questions she might never found an answer to.
Jenna and Bree giggled. "Oh, look at her face! She looks so sad." Jenna cooed mockingly. "She's about to cry."
Their laughter continued, Sumaya blurred their voice. Her pulse roared in her ears, drowning out the taunts, the cruel words—
They didn't notice the three pairs of eyes watching.
Marrok, Ulva and Raul stood at a distance, unmoving and observing the scene.
Raul's brows furrowed, as he glanced around. He had never seen something like this before.
Not like this. Not out in the open, in broad daylight, where students passed by like nothing was happening, like this was normal. His hands curled into fists. "Is this… normal?" he whispered to Marrok.
No response, he glanced at him. Marrok was tense, shoulders stiff, jaw clenched. But it wasn't just tension. Something else was going on.
Raul could see it—the way his fingers curled and uncurled, the flicker of something dark in his eyes. Marrok was fighting something.
Marrok was fighting a real battle within himself —with Zeev.
The wolf inside him was pacing, restless. No—restless wasn't the word. He was seething.
Help her, Zeev snapped. Now.
Marrok exhaled through his nose, trying to steady himself. We are not getting involved.
Are you blind? They're treating her like prey.
She is not our problem.
Zeev's growl rumbled through his mind. Go. Help. Her. Dammit.
Why? Marrok's fingers dug into his palms. Do you want Ulva and Daciana to misunderstand again?
Who gives a damn what that clown and her mutt think? Zeev snarled. That girl needs help.
Marrok swallowed down the snarl rising in his throat. He could feel it—Zeev wanted out. And that was dangerous.
You're getting attached to a girl we don't even know.
And you're doing nothing but stand there like a damn coward, Zeev spat.
Marrok's teeth ground together. He wasn't going to argue with his wolf in the middle of a hallway, not now, not when he was already struggling to keep him in check.
Then Raul spoke and took a step forward. "I'm going to help her."
"No."
The word came from two voices, Marrok and Ulva. Raul turned, frowning.
Ulva felt relief wash over her , she had been watching Marrok closely, waiting for him to move, to do something. The way he had been acting since they met this strange girl was… odd.
And she didn't like it.
But now, seeing him stop Raul—seeing that he had no intention of interfering—eased something inside her.
Good. That meant she didn't have to worry about this girl, she smiled slightly.
But what she didn't know was that, for a moment, Zeev had taken over, determined to be the one to save the girl—not Raul.
Marrok shoved him back with all his will.
Like hell I'm letting you out.
Raul brows furrowed even more. "Why?" he demanded. "She helped me yesterday, at least let me—"
A voice sliced through the tension.
"Amanda!" The sharp, commanding tone made heads turn. Amanda's lackeys stiffened.
And there, storming down the hallway like a hurricane was a girl wrapped in pink .
Dressed in a bubblegum pink cropped jacket over a white top, high-waisted jeans, and matching pink sneakers, Olivia stormed down the hallway like she owned it.
Her golden curls bounced wildly, her hazel eyes blazing in warning. Her manicured hands were already planted on her hips, and she looked seconds away from launching herself at Amanda.
"You and your brainless cronies better let go of my BFF this instant!"
Sumaya's lips twitched into a smirk. "Finally," she sighed in relief.
Her saving grace. Her best friend. Her knight in pink clothing is finally here, and what an entrance she made.