Bite of the Alpha

The silence they expected never came.

Mr. Arnold didn't mind the ruckus. He actually seemed to enjoy Douglas being mocked—it was one of the rare moments he appreciated the antics of Alex and Ray. No one else dared to stand up to the school bully, not even the teachers. Arnold let it drag on until the noise died naturally, then resumed his lecture, though nobody was really listening.

Alex leaned over and whispered, "Hey, Ray. Want to keep me company in detention later for laughing?"

Ray smirked and mimicked Douglas's red, furious face before the two burst into hushed laughter. Their amusement continued until something cold slid over Alex's spine. He turned.

A girl was watching them.

Not smiling. Just… watching. New student. Layla Hunt. Her expression was unreadable, but her gaze was fixed and sharp, like she was studying them. She didn't look away when Alex met her eyes.

The bell rang, snapping the moment. Layla grabbed her bag and hurried out of the class without a glance back.

"That was… weird," Alex muttered.

Ray cocked an eyebrow. "You mean her staring? Yeah. Gave me the creeps too."

They gathered their books and ignored the burning stares from Douglas's gang. As they headed to their lockers, Alex felt a growing weight in his chest. Something about that girl unsettled him, and it wasn't attraction.

It was recognition.

But from where?

A sudden arm hooked around both their necks, dragging them down.

"Did I hear someone's in love?" came a familiar voice.

"Daisy," Alex choked out as she released him and wrapped him in a tight hug.

"I've missed you, Alex."

"Missed you too, Mom—I mean, Daisy."

She punched his arm.

Ray received a hug too, though slightly more reserved. "You look… different," he said. "What happened to you over the summer?"

"Stuff," she shrugged. "Anyway, I needed to see your faces before this place rots my brain."

"Did you just cut your hair?" Alex asked, narrowing his eyes. "I can smell something. Floral."

Daisy blinked. "No. That's… not important."

Her answer felt off. Alex didn't press.

"So when'd you get back?" he asked, closing his locker.

"This morning. Dad dropped me off."

"Detective Chief Inspector Quinn?" Ray asked.

"Yeah. He got called in on some weird case in the woods. Decided I'd be safer if he personally dropped me off. Something about claw marks and missing hikers."

Alex and Ray exchanged a glance. They had been in those woods last night.

Daisy shrugged. "Anyway. I skipped math. Couldn't stomach Arnold's 'Commando 2.0' impersonation."

They laughed, but Alex couldn't shake the chill that settled in his gut.

---

English Class – Later

Ms. Claire was teaching, but Alex wasn't listening.

Neither was Ray—he was buried in some online horror novel. Alex, however, was sketching. Not notes. Not doodles.

The thing that bit him.

He outlined the red eye. The sharp teeth. The blur of motion. The rest… was black. His memory ended after the bite.

His hand trembled. He dropped the pen.

"Still thinking about last night?" Ray whispered.

Alex didn't answer.

---

The hall was unusually quiet—until a faint, distant voice slipped into Alexander's ears.

He froze mid-step.

"...that forest's not safe anymore. Last night's fire nearly spread to the trail. Another body, too. That makes three this month…"

Alexander stopped walking. The words weren't loud. In fact, they were barely whispers from what must've been a hundred feet away, behind closed doors.

But he heard them. Clear as day.

Raymond, a few steps ahead, turned back. "Yo, Alex? You good?"

Alexander blinked, a flicker of confusion on his face.

"I—I heard something," he said. "Voices. They're talking about the forest. Something happened last night."

"Where?"

Alex pointed toward the admin wing. "That way. But it was too far for normal ears. It's happening again…"

Raymond raised a brow. "You mean your batman-hearing stuff?"

Alex nodded. "I don't know how to explain it. But we need to check it out."

"Are you sure about this?" Ray whispered.

"You said you wanted to know what's going on," Alex whispered back. "So we eavesdrop. It's tradition."

"Says who?"

"Says every movie ever."

They reached the door just as Principal Laurel's voice carried through — low, serious.

Inside, a tall man stood across from her desk. His badge gleamed against his forest ranger uniform, face drawn tight with worry.

"I don't think you're grasping the scale of this," Daisy's dad said. "We've had three... disappearances. And last night, there was a fire in the forest—huge. Took four hours to put out."

"Was anyone hurt?" Laurel asked, voice calm but tense.

"No... but something's out there. We're finding tracks we can't identify. Burn patterns that don't make sense. We need to keep the students away from the woods, especially the southern trail. And you need to keep your eyes open."

Raymond leaned in closer. "Southern trail? That's near the—"

Creak. The door groaned slightly under Raymond's shifting weight.

Alexander's eyes widened. "Don't—move."

"Why is it always me getting us caught?" Raymond hissed.

"Because you're built like a couch with legs," Alex muttered.

Then—

SLAM.

The door burst open as both boys tumbled forward in a heap, landing flat on the office floor.

Silence.

Daisy's dad blinked down at them. Principal Laurel stood up slowly.

Raymond groaned. "Ugh… this carpet smells like old coffee and disappointment."

Alexander muttered from under Raymond's leg, "Get your elbow out of my spine."

Laurel crossed her arms. "Eavesdropping now, are we?"

"Eavesdropping?" Raymond sat up, brushing imaginary dust off himself. "Nah. We were just, uh… checking the hinges. Structural safety. You can never be too careful, what with... doors."

"Mm-hmm," she said, unimpressed.

Alexander winced and gave a small wave from the floor. "Hi, Aunt Laurel."

Daisy's dad raised a brow. "You two always like this?"

Laurel sighed. "Unfortunately, yes."

The Chief crossed his arms, staring down at the boys still tangled on the floor.

"You two... out" he asked.

Raymond shot up first, brushing dust from his pants. "We overheard a bit, did something happen in the woods?"

Alexander facepalmed.

Laurel gave them her signature not amused glare. "Unless you want permanent cleaning duty, I suggest you leave."

Alexander stood, murmuring, "Yes, ma'am…"

As they turned to go, Chief added, "And stay out of the woods!"

His tone was stern, final.

Raymond gave him a nervous smile. "Noted. Total forest avoidance. We hate trees."

"Raymond," Alex hissed, grabbing his friend's arm.

Laurel narrowed her eyes. "Go."

The boys turned and bolted down the hall, sprinting like they were escaping a military base.

"Smooth," Alex muttered between breaths.

"You're the one who made us crouch there like spy pigeons!" Raymond huffed.

They rounded a corner, nearly knocking over a janitor with a mop.

"Sorry!" they yelled in unison.

Finally, they reached the stairwell. Safe—ish.

Alexander paused, catching his breath. "Something did happen in the woods… right?"

Raymond nodded. "Definitely. And did you hear him? Fires, bodies, stuff in the woods…"

Alex's face darkened. "Yeah. And I think… I was meant to hear it."

Raymond gave him a side glance. "Dude, your creepy super-hearing is starting to freak me out."

Alexander didn't answer.

There was more to this forest than anyone was saying.

And something told him they were already involved—whether they wanted to be or not.

As the door clicked shut behind the boys, Laurel remained silent for a moment. Chief Hunt continued talking, distracted, but her mind drifted.

They were in the forest last night…

She remembered now — Alexander and Raymond had come in late. Mud on their shoes. Clothes slightly torn. Their stories didn't match.

Her gaze lingered briefly on the closed door.

I should say something...

But she didn't.

They were fine. No wounds. No signs of real danger. And more importantly, she didn't want the Chief officer pressing them — not yet. Not when the forest was already swarming with questions.

Laurel folded her arms and looked back at Hunt.

"Let's focus on keeping the rest of the students out of there," she said aloud, brushing her concern aside.

For now.

---

Cafeteria.

They sat at their usual table. Daisy had gone to the office for documents, leaving the boys alone.

Ray nudged Alex's injured arm.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Just wanted to see how bad it is."

Alex sighed and rolled up his sleeve. The bite was swollen, the skin darkening around it.

"Dude… that's bad," Ray whispered. "You should've gotten that checked out already."

"I didn't want to freak out my aunt."

"I'll call my mom. Get you a hospital slot. Seriously."

Alex nodded. "Thanks."

As they ate in silence, Alex's thoughts spiraled. Daisy's dad had been called to investigate an attack in the same woods they were in. He looked at his burger, but it tasted like nothing now.

Ray was staring off too.

"Hey," Alex said, "do you think… last night—"

"We weren't supposed to be there," Ray cut in. "Whatever bit you… maybe it wasn't just an animal."

Alex looked up. His eyes landed on Layla, sitting alone across the cafeteria.

Ray followed his gaze. "She's watching us again."

"Yeah," Alex said quietly.

"She's not just some transfer student, is she?"

Alex didn't answer, he felt there was something really going on with Layla. She didn't seem like an average teenager