Kit spotted me first. He gave a small nod—subtle, like he knew I was on edge and didn’t want to push. Cal noticed next and waved me over with that big grin of his, like nothing weird had happened earlier.

  Like I hadn’t almost—

  I cut the thought off. Hard.

  Sam looked up last. Her eyes met mine, and something low in my chest coiled tight. She smiled—soft, open—but I saw it. The tiny flutter of her wings. A reflex. Subtle, but instinctive. A prey animal response.

  It made something hungry stir inside me.

  I swallowed it down.

  “Hey,” I said, sliding into the seat across from them. My voice was quieter than usual. Too even.

  Kit gave me a quick once-over. “You good?”

  I nodded quickly, like that’d be enough to convince him. Grabbed a tray. Stared at the food like it might somehow help me feel normal again.

  “I’m sorry for earlier, Sam,” I mumbled, avoiding her eyes. “I’ve been having… trouble. With these instincts.”

  “It’s okay, Leo,” she said, voice soft and forgiving. “I’ve been having trouble too. I keep wanting to take off every time someone moves too fast near me.”

  I forced out a weak smile. “No. I mean it. I almost—”

  I didn’t finish that sentence either. I couldn’t.

  “I know.”

  I tried to focus on the conversation. Kept my voice steady. Ate too fast, too mechanically. Anything to distract from the part of me that still wanted to bare teeth and chase and—

  No.

  Sam was laughing now, teasing Cal with some awful pun about feathers. Kit groaned and flicked a grain of rice at her. Cal made some dramatic comment about birdseed pizza. They were being themselves. Normal. Human.

  And I was sitting there thinking about her wings.

  The smooth curve where they met her shoulder blades.

  The soft feathers just visible beneath her shirt.

  God. What was wrong with me?

  I clenched my fists beneath the table.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  It’s fine. Just breathe. Be normal. Blend in. Pretend you're not—

  “What are you doing?” Sam’s voice cut through the haze.

  I blinked. Realized I’d leaned in too close. Way too close.

  I had been—

  Sniffing her hair.

  Her scent hit me all at once—warm and light, like sun and air and something wild—and my mouth actually watered.

  “S-sorry!” I jerked back. “I didn’t mean to—I was just…”

  What was I doing? Tracking? Hunting?

  “Hungry,” I said finally, the word sharp and bitter in my throat.

  Sam’s smile dropped. Her wings gave a quick, nervous twitch. Then she slowly leaned away from me, feathers puffing as her eyes widened—instinctual alarm.

  “No, no—don’t worry! I’m not—I’m not gonna hurt you.” My hands came up automatically, palms out like that would make a difference. “It’s okay. I’m okay. I’m fine.”

  But I wasn’t. Not really.

  And judging by the way she kept backing away, she could feel it too.

  I excused myself a few minutes later, muttering something about needing air, and slipped out of the cafeteria before I did something worse.

  The hallway was cool and still, dimmer than the blinding lights of the dining hall. My breathing came shallow and sharp, like my lungs didn’t quite fit right anymore.

  I pressed both hands against the wall, grounding myself.

  What the hell was happening to me?

  A soft chime pulsed in my right ear.

  “Great,” I muttered. “Exactly how I wanted to start the day.”

  I let my head fall forward against the wall.

  Optional.

  “ARIS,” I murmured. “I didn’t mean to scare her.”

  There was a long pause.

  My stomach twisted.

  “You’re not worried I’ll lose control?”

  The window began flickering before it disappeared completely.

  I froze.

  “What door?”

  I stood there for a long moment, jaw clenched, heart pounding.

  Something wasn’t right.

  And I wasn’t just talking about me.