The hallway was already loud when Mark stepped into it.
Lockers slamming.
Shoes squeaking.
Voices colliding.
And somehow, everything felt louder than it ever had.
Simon walked on his left. Iris on his right.
Too close.
"So—okay—when did it happen?" Simon asked, barely holding himself back.
"And how?" Iris cut in immediately.
"Did it hurt?"
"Were you born like that?"
"Do you turn every full moon?"
"Did you hunt on that island you mentioned yesterday?"
"As a wolf?" Simon added, eyes practically glowing.
Mark kept walking.
Eyes forward.
Hands in his pockets.
He acted like they weren't even there.
Simon frowned. "Wow. So this is how you treat your friends after revealing you're a mythical creature?"
"We are not friends," Mark muttered.
Iris tilted her head, studying him as she walked. "You're pretending you don't know us."
"I don't know you," Mark said flatly.
That didn't stop them.
They followed him straight into the classroom.
Mark dropped into his seat near the window, exhaling like he'd just survived a chase.
Bad idea.
Simon leaned over from behind.
Iris slid into the seat beside him.
They spoke at the same time.
"What else can you do?"
Mark snapped.
"Okay—stop."
A few heads turned.
He lowered his voice but not the edge in it. "One at a time. I'm not a freak show, alright?"
Silence.
Then he sighed, rubbing his face.
"I can see far. Like… really far. Clearly."
"I can hear really far. Clearly."
"And I can smell really far."
Simon blinked. "That's it?"
Mark glanced at them.
"And right now," he added calmly, "I can hear both your hearts beating faster."
Simon froze.
Iris as well.
Her heartbeat did spike.
She swallowed, eyes locked on Mark's face—not scared, not smiling.
Just… frozen.
"Because you're excited," Mark said, leaning back in his chair. "Not because you're afraid."
Simon raised both hands in surrender.
"Okay, okay. We get it," he said quickly. "Sorry. We got carried away."
Mark eyed him, not fully convinced.
Simon leaned closer, lowering his voice. "But you said something."
Mark sighed. "What."
"You said you can hear really far. Like… really far and clearly."
Mark narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. What's on your mind?"
Simon's lips curled into a slow, dangerous grin—the kind that meant trouble was already decided.
"Then come with me."
Mark didn't move.
Iris watched Simon carefully now. "Where?"
They stopped halfway down the hall.
Simon pointed subtly toward a group of girls near the windows.
"See her?" he whispered. "Brown jacket. Blue backpack."
Mark glanced once. "Yeah."
Simon swallowed. "I asked her out last month. She said no. I just want to know if—"
Mark cut him off. "I hear sounds, not thoughts. She's not thinking about you every second."
Iris spoke up, calm and matter-of-fact.
"Then remind her you exist."
Both boys looked at her in confusion.
She shrugged. "Walk past her. While Making eye contact. Smile at her. Then come back."
Simon stared at her. "That's terrifying."
"Exactly," Iris said. "Go."
Simon hesitated, then straightened his shoulders and walked.
Mark closed his eyes.
He listened.
Simon's heartbeat accelerated—hard, fast, uneven.
Footsteps slowed as he passed the girl.
A pause.
Then—
A voice, low and curious.
"Wait… wasn't that Simon Wade?"
Another voice laughed. "Yeah. Didn't he ask you out once?"
A second pause.
"…He looks different today."
Mark opened his eyes.
Simon returned, trying very hard to look casual.
"Well?"
"She noticed," Mark said.
Simon's face split into a grin. "yeah? What she said?"
As Mark was about to reply Simon's question he heard something, a heartbeat familer, the heartbeat matched One of the wolfs who questioned them.
He followed the sound.
Mark's body moved before his mind caught up.
his spine went rigid. His head tilted slightly—listening past the bell, past the chatter, past everything that didn't matter.
Footsteps. Two men.
Adults.
Controlled breathing.
Simon noticed first.
"Hey," he whispered. "What's wrong?"
Mark didn't answer.
He walked.
Not fast. It was like he was on some kind of a mission.
Simon and Iris exchanged a look, then followed.
The hallway thinned near the administrative wing. Fewer students. Cleaner walls. Quieter air.
Mark stopped suddenly.
He pulled them behind a corner, pressed flat against the wall.
"What—" Simon started.
Mark covered his mouth.
Listen.
The voice didn't stop—but one word sliced through the noise of the hallway and hit him dead center.
"Mark Swinton. Male. Seventeen. Adopted."
His breath caught.
Simon's grin vanished instantly.
Iris's shoulders stiffened beside him.
Mark leaned forward just enough to see.
One of the men stood with his back to them.
Bruised jaw. Bandaged hand.
The same man Mark had disarmed last night.
The bruised man spoke again, nervous now.
"No criminal record. No medical anomalies on file. But his survival history is… irregular."
The taller man—calm, composed—answered without hesitation.
"That's because you're looking in human records."
He said the name clearly. Casually.
"Mark Swinton was reported dead four years ago."
Silence.
Iris recognized the voice of the tall man, it was her driver -John Lannister
Iris whispered "I think I know one them... its my driver uncle John"
Mark barely breathed.
The voices were clearer now.
"—he doesn't fight like us."
The bruised man's voice trembled, half fear, half disbelief.
"He fights like a hunter."
Mark's fingers curled instinctively.
Simon stiffened beside him.
Iris's eyes narrowed.
John—calm, composed—didn't interrupt.
"Explain," he said.
The bruised man swallowed.
"He dislocated his joints. Uses chairs, Chains, walls, as leverage." "He doesn't brawl." "whatever he touched became its weapon."
A pause.
"That's hunter training."
John exhaled slowly.
"And you're certain he's a wolf?"
"No doubt," the bruised man said immediately. "The scent. The transformation." "But the way he moves?" "That's not beast or any animal instinct."
Mark leaned back sharply.
Simon whispered, barely audible, "What did you do out there…"
John man spoke again.
"Name?"
"Mark Swinton."
The name hit like a punch.
"Age sixteen. Adopted. No known bloodline records."
Iris's pulse spiked.
Mark felt it.
"Adopted?" John repeated. "Interesting."
The bruised man nodded quickly.
"Sir… word's already spreading."
Silence.
"Spreading how?"
The bruised man hesitated.
"They're calling him something."
John's eyes hardened.
"What."
"The Hunter Wolf."
Iris sucked in a sharp breath.
Mark's chest tightened.
"A wolf who fights like a hunter," the man continued. "Some think he was trained. Others think he is defected." "A few think he's a bait from the hunters."
John turned away.
"Rumors travel fast when fear leads them."
Then, colder—
"I have to report it to the Alpha."
Footsteps approached.
Mark pulled back instantly, motioning Simon and Iris away.
They didn't stop until they were deep in the stairwell, the door slamming shut behind them.
Silence.
Then Simon exploded.
"What the hell did you do last night?!"
Mark leaned against the wall, breathing hard.
"…I defended myself."
"That's not an answer."
"I broke a vow," Mark said quietly.
Iris folded her arms. "What vow."
"Wolves don't roam freely. Not even on a full moon." He hesitated, then added, "It's a promise made to the hunters. To keep peace."
Simon stared. "So you fought… wolves?"
Mark nodded.
"They thought my parents were wolves too." His jaw tightened. "They were going to hurt them."
Iris's voice dropped. "And that's when you fought back."
Mark didn't deny it.
"I didn't know I was adopted until they said it," he continued. "They kept asking which family I belonged to." "a werewolf can only be born through bloodline there is no bite, no ritual to turn, nothing."
Simon ran a hand through his hair. "So now they think you're…"
"A traitor," Mark said. "Or a weapon."
Iris's face went pale.
"My driver," she said slowly, "just reported you."
Mark looked up.
"To someone called the Alpha."
The stairwell felt colder.
Mark straightened.
"…If rumors are spreading," he said, voice steady, "then hiding won't work anymore."
Simon swallowed. "So what now?"