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Mal stood in front of me, her arms crossed, her face pale and drawn. Her eyes, wide with fear and confusion, met mine briefly before she looked away. We were standing outside the school, but it felt like we were worlds apart.
“Stay away from me,” she said, her voice trembling.
“Mal-” I started, stepping toward her, but she backed away quickly, her eyes widening.
“No! What are you?” she demanded, her voice rising. “You’re not… you’re not normal, Audrey. That thing you turned into… I can’t even-” Her words faltered, but the fear in her voice was unmistakable.
I swallowed hard, my chest tightening. “I can explain. Just please, let me-”
“Explain?” she cut me off. “You turned into a wolf, Audrey! A wolf! How do you explain something like that?”
I quickly stepped forward, closing the distance between us. Before she could say anything else, I reached out and gently placed my hand over her mouth.
“Don’t say it out loud,” I whispered urgently. “Please.”
Mal’s eyes were wide with shock, but she didn’t move, her breath warm against my palm. After a few moments, I slowly pulled my hand away, hoping she understood.
“Not here,” I added quietly. “Not like this.
I glanced around quickly, making sure no one was watching. “Come with me,” I whispered.
Mal hesitated, still looking uncertain, but she didn’t pull away when I gently grabbed her arm and led her toward the side of the school, where it was quieter and out of sight.
We reached a small, hidden spot near the trees, and I stopped, turning to face her. “I know you’re scared. I get it. But you have to trust me.”
Mal’s arms were crossed, her eyes still filled with doubt. “Trust you? How am I supposed to do that after what I just saw?”
Mal’s voice was sharp, but beneath the anger, I could hear the hurt. “I’m your best friend, Audrey,” she said, her voice breaking slightly. “You refused to tell me. Not me, not even Tanya-nothing.”
I swallowed, guilt gnawing at me. “It wasn’t like that-”
“Then what was it like?” Mal interrupted, her eyes blazing. “We’ve been through everything together. You could’ve told me. You should’ve told me!”
I looked down, unable to meet her gaze. “I wanted to. So many times, I wanted to. But I couldn’t.”
Mal let out a bitter laugh. “Couldn’t? Or wouldn’t? Audrey, I’ve told you everything about me-every secret, every fear. But this? You kept this from me.”
“First of all,” I began, my voice firm but quiet, “if I had told you, would you have believed me?”
Mal stared at me, her anger still simmering, but she didn’t answer right away.
“Exactly,” I continued. “You wouldn’t have. I mean, who would believe something like that?” I let out a shaky breath. “I just found out too. Not that long ago-on my 18th birthday.”
Mal’s expression shifted slightly, the anger giving way to confusion. “What do you mean you just found out?”
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to find the right words. “It’s… it’s not something I’ve always known. I didn’t grow up knowing this part of me. It hit me out of nowhere when I turned eighteen. And honestly, I’ve been just as freaked out as you are.”
She stared at me, her arms still crossed, but the intensity in her eyes was softening, replaced by a mix of curiosity and disbelief. “You’re telling me you didn’t know you were-”
“A werewolf?” I finished for her, the word still feeling strange on my tongue. “Yeah. I didn’t know. I’m still figuring it all out.”
Mal blinked, her anger fading into confusion. “Oh,” she said quietly, as if the weight of it all was sinking in.
I nodded. “Yeah, it’s a lot.”
Mal’s brows furrowed as she processed what I just told her. “Does Warwick know?”
I hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah, he knows.”
Her eyes widened. “And what about Logan?”
“Yes, he knows too,” I replied.
Mal shook her head, still trying to wrap her mind around everything. “So they both knew before me?”
“Logan’s the alpha, Warwick knew by coincidence, just like you.”
Mal blinked again, still processing. “Oh.”
I nodded, feeling a mix of relief and anxiety. “I didn’t mean to keep it from you. I just… didn’t know how to tell you.”
Mal looked down, her arms still crossed. “I just wish you had trusted me enough to say something.”
“I’m sorry, Mal. I really am. I was scared. I didn’t want to put you in danger.”
“Danger?” she echoed, looking back up at me. “You think I can’t handle danger?”
“You were literally screaming for your life yesterday.”
Mal shot me a glare, but a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Okay, fair point. But that doesn’t mean I can’t handle things.”
“Look, I just wanted to protect you,” I said, my tone more serious. “I didn’t want to put you in a position where you’d have to deal with all of this.”
Mal sighed, her expression softening. “I get it.”
“Thanks for understanding Mal.”
Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind us. “Audrey!!”
We turned to see Warwick approaching, a mix of concern and annoyance on his face.
“How did you know I was here?” I asked, surprised.
“I saw you guys leaving the school,” he replied, glancing between Mal and me. “What’s going on?”
Mal tensed again, crossing her arms defensively. “Nothing. Just a private conversation.”
Warwick raised an eyebrow. “Private? It looked more like a confrontation.”
I stepped in, trying to keep things calm. “It was just a misunderstanding. Mal was freaked out about… everything.”
Warwick’s gaze shifted to Mal, studying her. “Everything? You mean about you being a werewolf?”
“Yeah.”
Okay, but you gotta come quick. There’s something you need to see.”
“What is it?”
“There isn’t time for explaining.”
Mal’s eyes darted between us, confusion written all over her face. “What’s going on?”
Warwick’s expression hardened. “We’ve got trouble.”