Karros
Six a.m. always felt honest.
The air was sharp, cool enough to burn my lungs as Bron and I jogged along the track. Campus was quiet at this hour. No voices. No music. Just the sound of our feet hitting the ground and the steady rhythm of breathing.
We had already been running for a while when I finally spoke.
"She saw everything," I said. "The shift. The fight. There was a Feyl there that night Bron."
Bron turned his head sharply, surprise flashing across his face. He did stopped running immediately.
"A Feyl?" he repeated. "I thought those didn't exist anymore."
"So did I."
"And it came after Zuri?"
"Yes."
We continued to jog in silence, the weight of the information settling between us.
"This whole time, I thought keeping things quiet would protect her. I thought being discreet would mean something; thought that if I stayed controlled, no one would notice. I was wrong."
Bron frowned. "You think the matebond triggered it?"
"Honestly, I think it did. That monster ignored me until I attacked it. It locked onto her like she was a signal. Like she was glowing. It literally didn't care that I was right there. It definitely came for Zuri."
"That is not normal," Bron muttered. "I'm the only person that knows about the matebond you have with Zuri. How is she already a target ?"
"I know man, I'm so confused and worried."
We rounded the corner of the track. The grass beside us was damp with dew, the sky beginning to lighten at the edges.
"At this point," I said, "I am not even sure the Vesperians have a hand in it. I really don't know how to deconstruct this whole situation so I can make sense of it."
Bron glanced at me. "You think they might be?"
"I think it could be older than them. Or it could be them. Or something reacting on instinct. Either way, Zuri is exposed."
Bron exhaled slowly. "Then we need to get answers."
He picked up his pace again, forcing me to match him.
"We both need to go back home," he said. "Ask questions. If you fought a Feyl, only God knows what else is out there that could be coming for Zuri. The scales have tipped and we cannot protect Zuri if we do not understand why she was targeted."
I nodded, jaw tight.
"I hope you've been taking the Wolfsbane?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Consistently?"
"Yes."
"Good. You need your emotions under control. Especially now. I know the Wolfsbane makes you weak but it's just to keep your dad out of your head. He's the alpha, he can sense things the rest of us can't."
"I know."
We ran in silence for another stretch.
"How did she react?" Bron asked quietly.
I swallowed.
"She was terrified. Not of me hurting her but of what she saw. What it meant. But she listened. She asked questions. She didn't run."
Bron nodded slowly. "That is more than most would do."
"She is strong," I said. "Even if she doesn't yet realize it."
Bron hesitated. "Did you tell her there are others like you?"
"Yes."
"Good."
That mattered. Humans feared the unknown most when it felt singular. One monster lurking in the dark. Knowing there was structure, history, rules, made it survivable.
Bron jogged a few steps ahead of me, then slowed again.
"She is going to need more than you," he said. "Allies. People watching her. Layers of protection. You can't do it alone. We both can't do it alone. We need to get more people on out side. Trust worthy people."
"You're right, but when it comes to Zuri I don't think I can trust anyone. What if they don't get onboard and everything becomes exposed. The consequences will be expensive."
"Leave that to me Karros, I know exactly who we need on this team. If this is tied to the bond," he added, "it will not stop."
I already knew that too.
We finished the run without saying anything else.
Zuri
By the time I made it to class, my nerves felt stretched thin.
Zeta had left early, and the quiet of the room had pressed in on me until I could not stand it anymore. I walked across campus feeling like something might step out of the shadows at any moment, even in broad daylight.
The lecture hall was full when I arrived. I took my seat and opened my notebook, but my eyes kept drifting to the people around me.
Everyone looked normal.
Too normal.
I wondered how many of them were hiding things. Secrets. Lives that existed just beneath the surface. I had never thought like this before. It made me feel detached, like I was observing instead of belonging.
The lecturer walked in and the room settled.
She was new. She had a very striking appearance. She had perfect light skin with the most majestic Afro I had ever seen. Tall, slender and composed with the most pretty green eyes. She had on straight pants and a long sleeve shirt. A simple gold watch was the only accessory she had on but she was still so gorgeous. Her presence shifted the energy in the room. People straightened immediately. The hot lecturer had suddenly given everyone the motivation we needed to get through the class.
"Good morning," she said calmly. "I am Professor Rhia. I will be teaching Cultural Anthropology for the remainder of the semester."
Her eyes moved across the room.
Then they stopped on me.
My stomach tightened.
"You, what's your name?" she asked.
I stiffened. "My name is Zuri". I hadn't even made eye contact. Why was she adressing me? I thought tiredly.
"Can you tell us why folklore survives even when the cultures that created it are gone?"
I hesitated, then spoke. "Because stories preserve memory. Even when people stop believing, the fear and meaning stay."
Professor Rhia smiled faintly. "Exactly."
The class shifted. I felt eyes on me.
The lecture continued, but she kept doing it. Calling on me. Asking questions directly. Each time I answered, the words came easily, like they had already been waiting in me.
It unsettled me.
I had the strange feeling that she was not just testing me; she was observing me.
When class ended, students packed up quickly. I gathered my things, heart racing. As I stood, our eyes met again.
She held my gaze for a moment longer than necessary.
Something about it felt intimate. Not inappropriate, just familiar.
I turned away and walked out, my skin prickling.
The rest of the day passed in a blur. Every sound felt louder. Every glance felt loaded. I kept thinking about her eyes, about the way she said my name like it meant something.
By the time evening came, I was exhausted.
I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling, replaying everything in my head.
Karros. The Feyl. The bond. The lecturer.
It all felt connected, even if I did not understand how.
I was no longer invisible.