I’m not crazy, she thought, pacing in front of the black double doors. She was going to confront Aden, demand answers. If he showed up. And if he denied his ability, she’d…what? Her shoulders sagged. She didn’t know what she’d do. Telling her dad—or any adult—would earn her a referral to one of her dad’s coworkers and perhaps medication. She’d known it in the forest, the first time the wolf had spoken to her, and she knew it now. Her friends would laugh at her, perhaps ostracize her.

A dark blue sedan eased into the parking lot, and Mr. White, the principal, emerged, briefcase in hand. He frowned when he saw her, his steps clipped as he approached. He was an older man with thinning hair and wrinkled features. His glasses were thick, as was his silver mustache.

“You’re here early,” he said.

She smiled; the action felt brittle. She’d always liked him because he’d always been kind to her, but she couldn’t feign her usual upbeat mood. “Just wanted to get away from my house to study for today’s chem test,” she lied.

His dark eyes filled with pride. “Want to come in? You can wait in the office.”

“No, thanks.” She’d stand out here all day if she had to, but she wasn’t moving from this spot until Aden arrived. If he arrived, she couldn’t help but add again. Knots formed in her stomach, twisting painfully. “The air out here helps me think.” When had she become such a fraud?

“Well, you’re welcome to come inside if you change your mind. I’ll leave the door unlocked.”

Alone again, she renewed her pacing. Her gaze continually strayed to the line of trees, looking for the wolf. She stomped her foot. No. Not the wolf. Aden. Looking for Aden.

An eternity passed before teachers began arriving. Finally, the students showed up. All but Aden.

Penny’s Mustang swung into the lot, the tires squealing a little. Her friend had no concept of speed laws and why they were important, which was ironic since she was usually late. Several people had to jump out of the way as Penny parked.

Today Penny wore a sapphire dress that matched her eyes. Eyes that were rimmed with red, Mary Ann noticed. Her pale hair was anchored in a ponytail, as though arranging it into the usual neat style would have taken too much energy. Her skin was pallid, her freckles stark.

Mary Ann met her halfway. “What’s wrong?” she asked, concern for her friend momentarily obliterating her worries about the wolf and Aden.

The question earned a strained laugh. “What’s wrong with me? Nothing. Tucker called me last night and this morning, wanting to know if I knew what was wrong with you. Said you’d acted weird after school yesterday. Said he’d called you all evening, but you didn’t answer.”

Tucker was of no importance right now. Especially the new Tucker who hurt people’s feelings and threatened her friends. “Tucker’s just going to have to wait.” She looked past her friend, watching the trees for any sign of life.

Finally, she was rewarded. Shannon cut through, big and beautiful. The entire world seemed to slow down, her skin tightening over her bones. Aden might be close. And it wasn’t disappointment she was feeling, she assured herself. Seeing the wolf should be last on her list of priorities.

“I’ll call you later, okay?” Off she rushed, Penny’s sputtering ringing in her ears. Her backpack slapped against her, the books inside nearly crushing her spine. “Shannon!” she called.

He spotted her and his eyes widened, a startling green against the darkness of his skin. Once again, those eyes reminded her of the wolf’s. Her wolf. Oh my God. Could he be her wolf?

The closer she came, the more he tried to swoop around her. Which wasn’t like her wolf. Frowning, she jumped in front of him, blocking his path.

“Is Aden coming?”

His brows drew together. “W-why do you c-care?”

Her wolf hadn’t stuttered, either. But then, he also hadn’t been using his mouth. God, this was confusing. And weird! Picturing a human morphing into a wolf was not normal.

But was Shannon or wasn’t he?

“I just do,” she finally said. “Is he coming or not?”

“He’s b-behind me.”

He’d reappeared, then. That meant he was alive and well. Her relief was so great, her knees almost buckled. She was grinning as she said, “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Shannon didn’t respond, but he couldn’t hide the curiosity in his eyes as he finally maneuvered around her and headed into the school. Knowing Aden was out there made waiting that much harder, but she did it, stood there and waited until he came into view. When she saw him, her knees almost buckled again.

That same burning wind stabbed at her chest, there one moment, gone the next, and she would have sworn she’d been cut open, even though she knew otherwise. Before, that might have freaked her out and sent her racing away. Not this time. This time, she wanted answers. Aden was unlike anyone she’d ever met. His eyes changed color in the light, and he was able to disappear in a blink. How was any of that possible?

“Hello, Aden,” she said.

His step faltered when he noticed her. His expression became guarded, his gaze scanning the area behind her as if he expected someone to jump out and grab him. Someone like the wolf? Or an adult? She, too, glanced around. There was no other hint of life, the insects and birds strangely quiet.

“Mary Ann.” There was a bite to his tone he’d never used with her before. He stopped in front of her. “What are you doing here? With me, I mean.”

Whatever had happened to him, he hadn’t changed physically. He was just as tall, just as adorable with his black-dyed hair and swirling eyes. No cuts, no bruises.

“I want to know what happened yesterday,” she said.

He uttered a nervous laugh. “What do you mean? Someone’s dog escaped and scared you. I shooed it away and went home.”

Liar! “That’s not what happened, and you know it.”

“It is,” he insisted. “Your fear has just distorted your memory.”

No. No, no. He wasn’t going to convince her the entire thing had been a mind-trick brought on by the intensity of her emotions. She’d spent too much time replaying the scene through her head last night. Too much time wondering about that wolf.

“Tell me what happened, Aden. Please.”

For a moment, he didn’t speak. Then he sighed. “Just let it go, Mary Ann.”

“No! One thing you’ll learn about me, Aden. I’m stubborn to a fault. You’ll give me the answers I want or I’ll get them another way.” Not that she knew what that other way would be, but still.

“Fine.” His stare was penetrating as he gave her his full attention. “What do you think happened?”

Going to play that game, was he? Let her voice her version of events so he could tailor his own recounting to either fit or discredit hers. Her dad had used a similar technique on her many times, like the day he’d given her the sex talk. Tell me what you know, he’d said, and then blushed when she had.

“Look, I haven’t told anyone what I witnessed.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “And I won’t. It’s our secret, yours and mine. But you have to tell me what’s going on. I’m in the middle of something I’m completely clueless about, seeing things I once thought were impossible.” She was babbling, she knew she was, but couldn’t stop. “I don’t know what to do or how to protect myself. Actually, I don’t know what I need to protect myself from or if I even need to be worried.”

His gaze flicked pointedly to the school. “Maybe now isn’t the best time to discuss this. We’ll be late to first period.”

“Let’s ditch.” She’d never uttered those words before and had never thought to do so. In fact, in the past, when she’d even considered them, she’d gotten sick. Now, all she wanted to do was talk to Aden. Nothing else mattered. “We can go to my house, my dad’s at work. We’ll have privacy for the rest of the day.”