The moment Lily stepped out of the records room, she knew something had changed.
The hallway felt heavier. Not louder, not busier, just tenser, like the air itself was holding its breath. Her skin prickled, instincts screaming even though she couldn't explain why.
Derek noticed immediately.
"You felt it too," he said under his breath as they walked.
Lily nodded. Her head still throbbed from the vision, flashes of fear echoing in her chest. "Someone's watching."
"Good," Derek replied. "That means your instincts are waking up."
"That's not comforting."
"It should be."
She shot him a look. "You have a strange idea of comfort."
They rounded the corner toward the main stairwell. Students crowded the space, laughter bouncing off stone walls, lockers slamming. On the surface, everything looked normal.
Underneath, it wasn't.
Lily felt it, threads of attention tugging at her from every direction. Wolves scenting weakness. Curiosity curdling into hunger.
Her steps faltered.
Derek shifted closer, his shoulder nearly brushing hers. Not touching. Never touching. But close enough that the pressure eased just a fraction.
"Don't shrink," he murmured. "They'll smell it."
"I'm not shrinking."
"You are."
She straightened her spine out of pure stubbornness. "Then stop walking like you're escorting a prisoner."
Derek's mouth twitched. "Can't. You are."
She opened her mouth to argue and froze.
A pulse rolled through the hall.
Sharp. Dominant.
Alpha-level.
Every wolf reacted instinctively. Heads dipped. Conversations died. Even the humans sensed something was wrong, though they couldn't name it.
Lily's knees went weak.
An older student stood at the top of the stairs, broad-shouldered, dark-haired, eyes glowing faintly amber. His presence pressed down like a weight.
"Derek Stone," the boy called out, voice smooth and dangerous. "Didn't expect to see you babysitting."
Derek stopped.
So did everyone else.
Lily felt his irritation spike, controlled, but real.
"Evan Cross," Derek replied evenly. "I didn't expect to see you back this term."
Evan smiled slowly. "Funny how expectations change."
His gaze slid to Lily.
She felt it like a hand closing around her throat.
Omega.
The word wasn't spoken, but it burned all the same.
"New blood," Evan said. "She's small."
Derek moved half a step forward.
"Back away," he said quietly.
The hall went dead silent.
Evan laughed softly. "Relax. I'm just curious." He tilted his head. "She doesn't feel registered."
Lily's heart slammed against her ribs.
Derek didn't deny it.
"That's none of your concern."
"Oh, I think it is." Evan descended the stairs slowly, deliberately. "Unregistered wolves are pack business."
"Not anymore," Derek snapped. "She's under my protection."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
Claimed.
The implication was unmistakable.
Lily stared at Derek, shock crashing through her. You didn't tell me you were going to do that.
Evan stopped a few feet away, eyes narrowing. "Careful, Stone. Even you can't make that call alone."
"I just did."
For a heartbeat, Lily thought Evan might challenge him right there. The tension crackled, thick and electric.
Then Evan smiled again.
"Interesting," he said. "Very interesting." His gaze locked onto Lily one last time. "Be careful, little omega. Packs don't like what they can't control."
He turned and walked away.
The noise in the hallway slowly returned, but it felt forced. Fragile.
Lily's hands were shaking.
"What did you just do?" she whispered.
Derek didn't look at her. "Bought us time."
"By putting a target on my back?"
"You already had one."
They started moving again, but Lily couldn't shake the feeling that something fundamental had shifted.
Evan Cross knew.
And if he knew, others would soon follow.
They reached the doors leading outside for last period. The forest loomed just beyond the school grounds, dark and watchful.
Derek stopped her.
"You don't go anywhere alone," he said firmly. "Not to class. Not home. Not the bathroom."
"I'm not helpless."
"You're valuable," he corrected. "That's worse."
Lily clenched her fists. "You don't get to decide what I am."
Derek finally met her eyes.
"No," he said quietly. "But the pack will. Unless we stay ahead of them."
The bell rang, sharp and final.
Lily swallowed hard.
Whatever life she'd known before today was gone.
And this, this dangerous, watchful existence under Derek Stone's shadow, was only the beginning.
The last bell rang like a warning shot.
Students poured out of the building toward buses and trucks, laughter too loud, movements too fast, predatory energy disguised as teenage normalcy. Lily stayed close to Derek as he guided her down the steps and across the courtyard.
She could feel it now.
Not just eyes.
Intent.
"Why is everyone suddenly acting weird?" she whispered.
"They aren't suddenly," Derek replied. "You're just finally noticing."
"That's not reassuring."
"It shouldn't be."
They reached Derek's truck, but before he could unlock it, Lily froze.
The air shifted.
Cold crawled up her spine, and Luna's presence flared sharp and frantic in her mind, like a warning howl trapped behind her ribs.
Danger.
"Derek," she breathed.
"I know."
A group of wolves stood near the treeline at the edge of the school grounds, older students, broad and confident, their postures relaxed in a way that screamed practiced violence. Evan Cross stepped forward from among them.
He smiled.
"Heading home already?" Evan asked lightly. "Thought we might talk."
Derek didn't move. "We're busy."
"So I see." Evan's gaze slid to Lily again, lingering longer this time. "She's reacting."
Lily's heart hammered.
Derek unlocked the truck with a sharp click. "Get in. Now."
Before she could move, Evan took one step closer.
Lily gasped.
The world tilted.
Fear, not hers, flooded her senses. A teenage girl screaming. Cold iron restraints. The smell of blood and wet earth.
Lily cried out and staggered forward.
Derek caught her around the waist, hauling her back against his chest.
"Don't touch her," Evan warned lazily. "You'll trigger it."
"Get away from us," Derek snarled.
Evan raised his hands. "Relax. I'm not here to fight." His eyes gleamed. "I just wanted to confirm something."
"Confirm what?" Lily whispered, trembling.
"That the rumors are true," Evan said. "That Silver Creek is sitting on something rare."
Derek growled, low and dangerous.
Evan stepped back, satisfied. "Careful, Stone. Rogues aren't the only ones who collect omegas."
Then he turned and disappeared into the trees with his pack.
Silence fell.
Derek shoved Lily gently into the truck and slammed the door shut before rounding to the driver's side. He started the engine and peeled away from the school grounds, gravel spraying behind them.
Lily clutched the seatbelt with white knuckles.
"What just happened?" she whispered.
"You touched the edge of your power," Derek said tightly. "Without training."
"I saw her," Lily choked. "The omega from the file. She's being held underground. Somewhere cold."
Derek swore under his breath.
"She's alive," Lily insisted. "And she's close. Not days away, hours."
Derek glanced at her, shock cracking his composure. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Tears blurred her vision. "She's terrified."
The truck roared through the mountain road toward home. Pine trees blurred past, shadows stretching long across the asphalt.
"We don't tell my father yet," Derek said suddenly.
Lily stared at him. "What? Why not?"
"Because the council will lock you away the moment they realize what you are," he replied grimly. "And Evan will move faster if he knows."
"So what do we do?"
Derek tightened his grip on the wheel.
"We act first."
The cabin came into view just as the sun dipped behind the mountains, the sky bleeding red and gold.
As Derek pulled into the driveway, Lily felt it again, stronger this time.
A presence.
Watching.
She stepped out of the truck and looked toward the forest.
Between the trees, something moved.
Not pack.
Not human.
Luna snarled inside her mind.
Derek followed her gaze, his expression darkening.
"We're not alone," he said.
And deep in the forest, unseen eyes locked onto the omega they had finally found.
