Hay Creek

Chapter 10.

**Avery**

We were in art class, and Mister Otto had assigned us to create a drawing that represented how we felt in the moment. He emphasized that it didn't matter how we expressed it, as long as it looked like art. This was fine by me, considering I wasn't particularly good at drawing. Still, I didn't dislike the class.

"I feel sorry for you."

I turned my head sharply to the right, startled. It was Mila, Roman's female alpha. I wondered why she was talking to me and why she felt sorry for me. I shifted in my seat to face her fully. She smiled as she began to walk away. "Why exactly?" I called after her. She smirked, flipping her honey-colored hair over her shoulder.

Something felt off. Both packs had been acting strangely lately. I knew they didn't get along, but this was different—there was an undeniable tension in the air that I couldn't quite place. I glanced over at Kai, who was glaring at Roman, who wore an infuriatingly smug smile.

I grabbed a pencil from the box, sharpened it, and returned to my seat beside Kai. "Kai!" I poked him in the arm. He sighed and turned to me. "Are you going to tell me what's going on or let me guess?"

"He just started a war." Just then, the bell rang. Kai stood up and left the classroom without another word. I turned to Marley, frowning. She shrugged and offered me a weak smile, which did little to reassure me. It didn't seem like good news.

I gathered my things and exited the classroom, trudging down the hallway. Nothing about this day felt enjoyable. As I descended the stairs to the main floor, I spotted Isaac at his locker. Suddenly, I remembered we still needed to talk to him. Why not try to get him to open up now?

I approached him, greeting him with a tentative smile. "Hey, Isaac."

"Hey, Avery," he replied, looking up.

"Do you have time to talk?" I asked.

He frowned, "About what?"

I shrugged. I couldn't just blurt out, "About you not being human"—that would be too blunt. "A bit of everything," I said, regretting my vague choice of words.

"I have class," he replied.

"Yeah, I do too," I countered, meeting his gaze directly. Yes, I was asking him to skip with me. This was more important than Drama class, and the tension in the air wasn't going to resolve itself anytime soon. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "I guess we can talk in the courtyard." I couldn't help but smile.

Once we entered the courtyard, he asked, "What do you want to talk about? And please, don't say a bit of everything."

"I want to talk about you," I said, my voice steady.

"About me?" He stopped walking and raised an eyebrow. "What about me?"

"I know about you, Isaac. I know what you are," I said slowly.

He scrutinized me, clearly on guard. "Come on, let's sit down," I suggested, trying to ease the tension.

"I can't believe he told you! I asked him not to say anything, and I thought he understood," Isaac said as he followed me to a nearby table.

"You can't ask him to keep a secret like that—especially not from me," I replied, frustration creeping into my voice.

"And why not? You have no idea what you're talking about," he shot back, crossing his arms defensively.

"I'm a shapeshifter too," I said, hoping to reassure him. His eyes widened in surprise.

"What?"

"I'm just like you—just like Kai and the others—a shapeshifter. Just hear me out," I said, hoping to earn his trust. Slowly, he uncrossed his arms and sat down.