-(Markus)-
The morning was chaotic as usual. Calvin and I were running late. The alarm clock had been ignored, and now we were half-jogging to the truck, both of us trying to eat toast and avoid tripping over our untied shoelaces.
"Seriously, Markus," Calvin groaned, shoving the last bite of toast into his mouth. "You're supposed to be the responsible one."
"You're the one who can't get up without five alarms," I shot back.
"Oh fuck! Where is Noah?!" I turn around and run to Noah's room and find him soundly asleep.
I grab a shirt and pants from his dresser and then I toss Noah over my shoulder and grab his bag and I'm out of the house in a minute.
"The hell Mark I was sleeping" Noah says as I toss him in the back seat.
"No, you were oversleeping" I replied
"I'm a growing boy, I need all the sleep I can get… and food," he shoots back at me.
"Maybe wake up on time tomorrow and you'll have something to eat" Calvin responds. He reaches into the glove box and grabs a disposal toothbrush and tosses it to Noah and a small water bottle.
"You just have those in there?" I ask
"You never know when you'll need to kiss someone. You wouldn't want bad breath would you now?" He says in a very punchable voice.
The school building was finally in sight when Calvin put the car into park.
"Hey, do you see that?" he asks
I followed his gaze to the stone wall just outside the front gate. A girl was sitting there, swinging her legs casually as she talked on her phone.
"She looks hot" I slapped the back of his head.
"Ouch, was that necessary" he whines.
"It was deserved" I said. There was something about her like she didn't care about anything, but in a way that made you notice her.
As we walked closer, her voice caught my ear. She sounded frustrated but calm, her words quick and precise.
"Love you mom, bye" she said, pausing to listen.
She ended the call abruptly, letting out a breath like she was trying to release whatever tension had built up. Then she looked up and saw us.
For a moment, we all just stared at each other.
"Morning, I'm Allison " she said.
"Morning, I'm Calvin, the grumpy one is Markus and the shrimp is Noah." Calvin said first, always the friendlier of the three of us. Noah elbowed Calvin with zero effect. I on the other hand had a great effect causing him to double over.
She tilted her head slightly, studying us. "You guys go here?"
"No, we're just here for the shits and giggles" I answered sarcastically. "I didn't see you the first day I would've noticed." Ignoring Calvin as he tried to use me to get back up.
She smirked, hopping off the wall and slipping her phone into her jacket pocket. "Well you know how to make a girl feel special."
"So, you transfer or something?" Calvin asked as he finally stood up after acting his injury, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Waiting for the principal for the walk through" she said simply.
"Right," I said, nudging Calvin toward the school gates. "Well, we're late, so…"
"Don't let me stop you," she said
We walked past her, but I couldn't help glancing back over my shoulder. She was still there, leaning against the wall now, her gaze fixed on something far off in the distance.
"Do like her?" Calvin whispered.
"No, I was just being honest, I didn't see her on the first day," I muttered. "And I'm not in a good head space to even approach a relationship."
I made it to my first class just before the bell rang. The teacher barely glanced up as I slid into the nearest empty seat. I was still shaking off the grogginess of the morning rush when I noticed her.
Allison was sitting two rows in front of me, leaning slightly over her desk and rummaging through her bag. A faint huff of frustration escaped her lips as she kept searching, her fingers darting through notebooks and random scraps of paper. Allison straightened and glanced around the room, her expression a mix of mild embarrassment. I realized she was looking for something.
"Here, you can borrow mine," a voice said.
I turned my head and saw Scott McCall, sitting diagonally across from her. He was leaning over, holding out a pen with a wide, awkward smile.
Allison smiled back, soft and polite, as she took it. "Thanks."
That's when I noticed it.
Scott smelled different. Or, more accurately, wrong.
The scent wasn't overpowering, but it clung to him—like wet earth after a storm, tinged with the sharp bite of adrenaline. It was the scent of a wolf.
My grip on the desk tightened, claws threatening to emerge. I forced them back, taking a steadying breath.
Whelp.
It was the only word that came to mind. He looked and smelled like someone who had just been turned. Fresh. Untrained. Weak.
Something inside me wanted me to show him who was the boss.
Scott caught me staring, and his smile faltered slightly.
I quickly looked away, pretending to be focused on the teacher's rambling about class rules. My mind, however, was racing.
Who turned him? Why?
The scent wasn't there yesterday. Which meant it had happened recently. Very recently.
Scott McCall wasn't a classmate anymore. He was someone I needed to keep an eye on.
The bell rang, signaling the end of class. I gathered my things, my mind still spinning over Scott. The scent of a fresh werewolf stuck to him like a neon sign, impossible to ignore.
By the time lunch rolled around, I couldn't hold it in any longer. I found Calvin and Noah at our usual table in the corner of the cafeteria, out of the way from the rest of the crowd. They were already eating when I dropped my tray and slid into the seat across from them.
"Everything alright with you?," Noah said, raising an eyebrow.
"Smelled a newborn werewolf " I leaned in, lowering my voice.
Calvin frowned. "Who"
"That scrawny kid that bumped into be yesterday"
Both of them froze, their forks hovering midair. Noah was the first to break the silence, a small frown tugging at his lips. "You sure? He doesn't exactly scream wolf."
"I'm sure," I snapped. "The scent is unmistakable. It's fresh. Someone turned him, and recently like last night."
Calvin set his fork down, his expression unreadable. "Does he know what he is?"
"I don't think so," I admitted. "He smells like he hasn't been through a full shift. He's clueless, and that makes him dangerous to himself and everyone else and maybe he'll expose us."
Noah looked between us, his frown deepening. "So what do we do?"
"Nothing," Calvin said firmly, cutting in before I could answer.
"Nothing?" I repeated, incredulous.
Calvin leaned forward, his gaze steady. "He's not part of our pack, Markus. He's not our responsibility. Whoever turned him should be the one dealing with him."
For a moment, I hesitated. I'd been so keyed up, trying to figure out what to do, but now that Calvin said it, the relief was immediate. He was right. This wasn't our mess to clean up.
"You're right," I said, exhaling deeply. "It's not our problem."
"Good," Calvin said, picking up his fork again. "Stay out of it, Markus. We don't need more attention on us. Dad said that there is news of the Argents moving into this town."
Noah relaxed, nodding along. "Yeah, the last thing we need is drama with some newbie wolf."
As I leaned back in my chair, I felt something I hadn't expected relief. I didn't have to get involved. I didn't have to clean up Scott's mess or risk exposing myself to whoever had turned him.
Scott wasn't our problem. And that was fine by me.
I continued on with my day putting that issue behind me and moving on with my life. When swim class came around, I was calm and looking forward to stretching my body out to get rid of the bit of tension that I had.
Alan was next to my locker and I saw that he had a bruise on his back and on his forearm. He saw that I was looking at him and quickly blurted out.
"I fell down the stairs"
He was lying. I could hear his heartbeat a little faster. I didn't push any further and gave him a shrug. I would keep an eye on him and if there were more bruises. I would… I would tell someone about it. I don't know who but the teacher would do something about it right?
The rest of the day passed without much incident. I focused on my classes, keeping my head down, letting the routine settle me. It was easier to push thoughts of Scott aside when I wasn't actively thinking about him.
By the time school let out, I was ready to go home and get some actual rest. The idea of sinking into my bed and not thinking for a few hours sounded like the best plan. But fate, as always, had other ideas.
I was heading down the stairwell when I caught the scent again. Scott.
Before I could react, he stepped in front of me. My body tensed immediately "Hey, I need to ask you something," Scott said, his voice low.
I narrowed my eyes. "And you decided to ambush me in a stairwell."
Scott hesitated, clearly realizing his mistake. He took a step back, raising his hands slightly in what I guessed was meant to be a placating gesture. "Sorry. I just… I need to know something."
I exhaled sharply, already annoyed. "Then spit it out, Scott. Some of us have places to be."
Scott hesitated again, like he wasn't sure how to phrase what he wanted to say. Finally, he settled on, "Why do you and your brother smell different?"
I went still.
Scott swallowed but didn't back down. "I don't know how to explain it. It's just… everyone else smells the same. Normal. But you and your brother? You don't."
I started to walk away and ignored him.
Scott reached out, placing a hand on my shoulder to keep me from leaving. Either way, it was a mistake.
The moment his hand touched me, something inside me snapped.
I spun around, my fist colliding with his jaw before I even registered what I was doing. The impact sent him stumbling back against the wall. But I didn't stop.
I lunged, grabbing him by the front of his hoodie and slamming him into the brick. My vision was all red now, heart pounding like war drums in my ears. He smelled like a wolf, a weak one but still a wolf.
I hit him again. And again.
Scott barely had time to react, his hands coming up to shield his face as I unleash the rage that was always with me, every strike fueled by memories I couldn't escape. The feeling of claws tearing into me, the sound of my own screams, the helplessness—
Strong arms wrapped around my torso, yanking me back before I could do any more damage.
"Markus! That's enough!" Calvin's voice cut through the haze like a blade, sharp and commanding.
I struggled against him for half a second before reality slammed back into me. My breaths were ragged, my hands shaking. Scott was slumped against the wall, clutching his ribs, eyes wide with shock.
Shit.
Calvin pulled me back another step, keeping a firm grip on me. "Go home. Now."
I hesitated, my chest still heaving, but I knew better than to argue. Without another word, I turned and stormed out of the building, my body still humming with the aftermath of my outburst.
By the time I got home, the anger had mostly faded, leaving behind only exhaustion and guilt.
Michael was in the kitchen when I walked in. He barely looked up from the stack of papers he was reading. "How was school?" he asked.
I didn't answer.
Instead, I set my bag down, took a deep breath, and said, "Make the appointment with the therapist."
Michael finally looked up, studying me carefully. He didn't ask why. He just nodded. "Alright."
I didn't wait for anything else. I turned and headed straight for my room, locking the door behind me.
I didn't want to think. I didn't want to talk.
I just wanted everything to stop.
-(Calvin)-
Dad was waiting for me when I got home.
He didn't say anything at first, just gave me a look that told me he already knew something had happened. I sighed, dropping my bag onto the floor.
"He lost it," I said simply.
Dad frowned. "Explain."
I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. "Scott, a new werewolf, ambushed him in the stairwell. Asked him why we smelled different."
Dad's expression darkened. "And Markus reacted."
"Yeah." I exhaled. "He beat the crap out of him. I had to drag him off before he did real damage."
Dad pinched the bridge of his nose. "Damn it."
That made Dad pause. His frustration melted into something more thoughtful. "He asked me to create an appointment with a therapist.That's… good it at least means he realizes he needs help."
"I guess," I muttered. "But what do we do about the new wolf?"
Dad shook his head. "Nothing. We stay out of it. They're not our pack, so far we don't know his alpha."
I nodded. That was the plan from the beginning. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't the last time Scott was going to be a problem.
-(Markus)-
A knock at my door pulled me from my thoughts.
"Go away," I muttered.
The door didn't open, but Noah's voice came through the wood. "You good?"
I hesitated. Then, finally, I sighed. "No."
There was a pause. Then, "Want me to leave you alone?"
I thought about it. About how easy it would be to just wallow in my own head. But instead, I forced myself to say, "No."
A moment later, Noah sat down on the floor outside my door. He didn't push me to talk. He didn't try to fix anything.
He was just there.
[N/A Tells of my demise weren't overly exaggerated. I'm dealing with minor health problems that took me out of the game mentally and physically for a minute. I'm getting better and I will be working on making chapters at a VERY SLOW PACE and not as long as they used to be]