Hay Creek

Chapter 16.

Avery

It was Wednesday, and I hadn't seen Quinn in three days. If I was right, she was finally coming to school today. Kai had mentioned that she had made a lot of progress and that she was now mated to Lachlan. I was genuinely happy for them; I just hoped Lachlan did most of the explaining, which would spare me some of the heavy lifting. On the flip side, I still needed to come up with a reasonable excuse for Daphne about Quinn's absence. Convincing Daphne was easy, but explaining to Quinn's mom felt like I was outright lying to her.

As I entered the English classroom, I paused at the front, scanning the room until my eyes landed on Quinn sitting by the window. Lachlan leaned against the glass, talking to her. I made my way over and wrapped her in a tight hug.

"I missed you so much!" she laughed. "Someone really missed me, huh?"

"Of course! School is no fun without you. Welcome back!" I tightened my embrace even more.

"I'll leave you two to catch up," Lachlan said, stepping away from the window. I shot him a grateful smile. "Hey, thanks for being here for her." He returned the smile before walking off.

"So, what did I miss? Where's Daphne? I bet she missed me too!" Quinn exclaimed.

I chuckled. "We all missed you. How are you feeling?"

"If you're asking whether I feel different, then no. I still can't believe I'm... you know..." I nodded, understanding. "That feeling will fade soon. Have you talked to your mom?"

"Yeah, I saw her this morning. She was mostly worried, which isn't surprising. She thought I was up to something rebellious. I had to hold back a laugh, but I just went along with it. She put me on two weeks of house arrest, though."

"Well, at least it's only two weeks and not a month." I shrugged, flashing her a sideways smile.

As the last few students filtered into the classroom, Miss Jackson began the lesson. Just as she was about to explain today's assignment, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," she called.

The door swung open, and Isaac stepped inside. "Mr. Lindwood, why are you late?"

"I'm sorry, Miss. I overslept. Can I still join your class?" he asked, his voice apologetic.

I shot a glance at Kai, who was frowning and squinting at Isaac. He wasn't the only one; the other students, including Roman and his pack, were all watching him closely.

"Okay, I'll let it slide this time. Take a seat," Miss Jackson said, turning her attention back to the class.

"Thank you, Miss." He headed to his seat next to Evan. I tried to concentrate on what Evan would say to him. I remembered how I once didn't want to hear conversations from a distance, fearing it would trigger my wolf, but I couldn't hide forever. I definitely didn't want to be seen as the weird wolf. I attempted to eavesdrop on their conversation, but frustration set in when it didn't work. I realized that simply focusing on the person wasn't enough. I needed to ask Kai for help; maybe he could teach me like he had when I learned how to heal him.

When the bell rang, we all filed out of the classroom. I spotted Isaac walking ahead of us, flanked by Evan, Liam, and Mason.

"Go talk to him when he's alone," Kai suggested.

"And say what, exactly?" Greyson replied, rolling his eyes.

"How about, 'How are you?' or ask if he wants to join today's hunt?" Kai shrugged.

"Today's hunt? Are you serious?" Stella interjected.

"Dead serious. It'll be fun. Plus, all lone wolves want to run with a pack," Kai replied.