**(Elliot's Perspective)**

I saw her puffy, red eyes and the way she tried to hide her disheveled state. Kayden Black and his mindless girlfriend posse. Picking on a quiet girl? Real fucking brave.

I found Kayden in the parking lot, chatting with his buddies. "Black," I said, my voice cold. "Real manly, hassling a girl. Stay away from her, or I promise you, your next season will be very… eventful."

He looked startled for a second, then anger took over. A future Alpha can't be challenged like this. "Windsor, who the fuck do you think you are? Mind your own business!"

We shoved each other a couple of times, posturing like two roosters, but neither of us threw a real punch. The pure hostility in his eyes was intense, as if I'd stolen something that belonged to him.

**(Kayden's Perspective)**

Elliot Windsor threatened me over Leah? What gives him the right? Wait… does that mean he… **Fuck!** He's already set his sights on her? She's **my** Fated Mate!

I told my Beta, Mike, about this unbelievable situation. His eyes went wide. "A Fated Mate? Dude, are you sure? She's human!"

"I'm fucking sure!" I growled. "That feeling… you can't fake it." By tradition, I had to find her, confirm this.

But I searched the whole school, and she'd vanished into thin air. Skipped class? Damn it!

**(Leah's Perspective)**

The next morning, the breakfast chaos was the same as ever. Mom packed my lunch while complaining, "Leah, don't forget your lunch again! It's wasteful!"

I took it from her silently.

Back to walking. I sighed, watching other kids ride by on their bikes. Just then, a sleek road bike glided to a smooth stop beside me.

"Need a ride, m'lady?" Elliot asked, one foot on the ground, smiling at me. The morning sun caught in his dark brown hair, highlighting it with a soft glow.

I was stunned for a moment, then nodded. I climbed onto the back, holding onto his waist as the wind rushed past my ears. We picked up our Shakespeare discussion from yesterday, and I found myself laughing, feeling some of yesterday's gloom lift.

But neither of us noticed the Jeep parked at the corner. Kayden was leaning against it, his gaze fixed intently on us. His fists were clenched, his eyes burning with a fire that could melt steel.

**Elliot… So it's you.**

In literature class, Elliot and I were huddled close, our heads almost touching as we debated the *Macbeth* script. Kayden was sitting diagonally in front of us. He was with Mike now; his previous partner, Samantha, was gone—rumor had it they broke up this morning. He barely looked at his own book. He sat like a volcano ready to erupt, constantly twisting in his seat to glare back at us.

I didn't notice, but Elliot did. He met Kayden's furious stare and gave a barely perceptible,provocative lift of his eyebrow, the ghost of a smirk playing on his lips.

That tiny gesture was the final straw for Kayden.

He shot up from his chair so violently it scraped across the floor with a jarring shriek. The whole class fell silent, all eyes on him. His chest heaved. He was about to yell something at Elliot—probably something like "She's mine!"

"Kayden?" Mrs. Johnson pushed her glasses up her nose. "Do you have a question to share? Or perhaps you've already developed a unique insight into 'the legitimacy of Scottish kingship'?"

Mike tugged hard on his arm, trying to pull him back down.

But Kayden remained standing, his glare still locked on Elliot. I finally felt the heat of his anger, a palpable force in the room. Remembering Elliot's kindness and help yesterday, a strange surge of courage bubbled up inside me.

I lifted my head and looked directly at Kayden. My voice was quiet, but clear and firm enough to cut through the tense silence. "Kayden, sit down. Stop staring at him."

His head snapped towards me, his blue eyes wide with shock, fury, and a flicker of… hurt? He looked like a young lion chastised by its trainer. Finally, with visible, seething reluctance, he slammed himself back down into his chair.

The air in the classroom, which had been frozen solid, finally began to thaw and move again.

The war that seemed to have just begun was, for now, abruptly called to a halt.