Unwritten Mates

urned my lungs. No, that was the grief - thick, suffocating,

against my trembling fingers as I stroked her hair. Tangled strands clung to her pal

touch, or maybe when I realized I couldn't fix this. Either way, I didn't fi

. He stood across from me, her blood splattered on his clothes, his expression hard and unreada

ver come here, none of this would've happened. Maybe I wouldn't have been thrown

wouldn't have

ul all at once. The love of my lif

couldn't think about him right now. Not here, not like this. Bu

s place, naive and hopeful. I hadn't k

. would I

lifeless face, her blood seep

ably

't give you do

I thought moving here was the start of something ne

s wr

wro

1 – The

e schools were worse. If you weren't in the right clique or didn't know the latest fashion trend, you were practically asking to be bu

ed talking, I was on my laptop, fingers flying over the keys as I Googled everything about the place. Small town? Check. Thirty-five thousand

out homework or nodded at in the hallways. No tearful goodbyes or heartfelt promises to stay in touch. Just a clean break. On my last day at school, I casually mentioned I was moving.

ale, and before I knew it, we were spending our last night in New York. I barely slept, buzzing with

cold before the plane even left the runway. The next thing I knew, my m

honey! W

a man in his early twenties stood holding a placard with our names on it. He ha

cheerfully. "I'm Ethan Diaz. It's

k at him, a strange sense of déjà vu crept over me. There was something oddl

w. Towering mountains loomed in the distance, their peaks dusted with snow. Dense forests stretched as

through my thoughts. He glanced at me through th

ably a little too enthusiastically.

of places you might like to check out while you're get

tried to sound cool, but my e

al year of school. Plenty of time to explore, unpack, and maybe even meet a few people. My eighteent

about all the adventures waiting fo

a

something echoed through the air. My stomach

ripping the steering wheel a

everything was a blur of chaos and panic. My mom let out a

e to a shuddering halt,

oice was strained, his knuckl

said, his voice sha

were fixed on something ahead

and felt the blood

at?" I whispered, my

tened. "A wolf.