What happens when the rules of life and death are bent?
When you die once… and live again?
A teenage boy staggered down the empty corridor, his steps uneven and dazed. Something was wrong....terribly wrong. His clothes hung in rotted shreds, decayed and clinging to his thin frame like the remnants of another life. Mud clung to his skin and tangled hair, and a faint, sickly scent of damp earth followed him like a ghost.
Every footstep left a faint smear of dirt across the polished marble floor, marring the perfection of the school's pristine hallway.
His heart pounded as every detail sharpened..... it seemed too loud, too bright. A ticking sound echoed around him. Was it a clock?.
His wide eyes darted from wall to wall, unable to process the surreal grandeur or the crushing weight of his own confusion. His senses were alive and overwhelming. Every whisper of air sounded like a roar. Every flicker of shadow felt like a threat.
And then.....
The bell rang.
A sharp, metallic chime tore through the silence, echoing like a scream in a crypt. The boy collapsed, shrieking in pain, clutching his ears as he writhed on the cold, unforgiving floor.
The hallway, moments before buzzing with chatter and movement, froze. Students stared, wide-eyed and rooted in place.
"Somebody help him!" a voice shouted from the crowd, cracking through the silence.
Before anyone could move, Danny pushed forward, his senses already alert. He didn't need to see the boy's face. He'd already caught it, underneath the rot and the mud, was something primal and familiar. His heart clenched.
"No, not here."
"Clear out, everyone! Give us space!" Danny's voice rang out, the kind that made people listen before they thought.
Students shuffled back, uncertain but obedient. Danny dropped to one knee beside the boy, shielding him with his body. His glowing wolf eyes threatened to surface, but he held them back.
"Hey," he said softly, gripping the boy's shoulders. "You're okay. But you have to breathe. You can't shift here. Not now. Not in front of them."
The boy trembled violently, his limbs twitching, barely able to hold back the beast trying to claw its way free.
"Focus on my voice," Danny murmured, steady and low. "You're stronger than this."
The crowd around them began to grow again, curious whispers and phones raised. But then security arrived, cutting through the students with urgency.
"All right! Show's over! School's dismissed, move it!" the guard barked.
The students groaned and muttered, but one by one, they dispersed, leaving only Danny and the boy behind.
The guard looked them over, frowning deeply. "Is he a friend of yours?"
"Family," Danny replied smoothly, never taking his eyes off the boy.
The guard's gaze narrowed, lingering on the boy's disheveled form. "Why does he look like he crawled out of a grave?"
Danny gave a tight, unreadable smile. "I'll ask him once I get him cleaned up."
The guard grunted. "Just don't let him touch the walls, we just painted those."
"Got it," Danny replied.
The guard walked off, muttering under his breath.
The boy's breathing had begun to even out. His shaking stopped, though his eyes remained wide, clinging to Danny like a lifeline. There was something ancient in his gaze...too much for someone so young.
"Let's get you cleaned up," Danny said quietly, rising and guiding the boy gently by the arm. Mud smeared the floor in their wake, but neither of them looked back.
Danny's mind raced. Who was this boy? Why had he shown up like a corpse that just crawled out of mud?
Leaning against the wall outside the bathroom, Danny crossed his arms, his foot tapping against the cold tiles. What's taking so long? It had been nearly thirty minutes. He'd expected the kid to clean up and walk out, but instead, the silence dragged on.
Inside, chaos reigned.
The boy stood drenched in the center of the ruined bathroom, blinking at the broken showerhead that now spewed water like a burst pipe. Steam rose into the air as water gushed over the cracked tiles and splattered across the walls. He fumbled with the knobs, turning them every which way, utterly confused. Nothing about the room made sense: the metal fixtures, the constant pressure of water, the strange blue soap in its plastic bottle. This was not the world he remembered. Not that he remembers anything at all.
When he finally emerged, clothed in clean sportswear that Danny had handed him, the transformation was startling.
His golden-blonde hair was damp, framing a face too beautiful to be ordinary. Striking blue eyes glinted under the fluorescent lights, their clarity unsettling. A sharp jawline, flawless skin, and an effortless poise gave him the kind of presence that drew attention like gravity.
Danny blinked. If he walked into school like this, every head would turn.
"Thank you, sir..." He said, his voice steadier now.
"Daniel," Danny corrected automatically.
"Well then, Sir Daniel," with a small bow. "I, Alexander of Woodensville, will not forget your kindness. I am forever in your debt."
Danny raised an eyebrow. The name was odd, yes, but it was the way he spoke that gave him pause. Like a knight pulled from a storybook. Formal, archaic. Every word felt plucked from another century.
"Alright, Alexander," Danny said slowly, arms folding tighter. "What happened? Why are you here? And who turned you?"
Alexander turned, pacing a few steps before facing him again. His back was straight, one hand tucked behind him, the other stroking his chin in deep thought.
"I cannot recall the details of how I came to be here," he admitted, frustration lacing his voice. "But I remember a tree. A dead, gnarled thing… rooted deep in the woods. I awoke beneath it, clawing my way free from the earth. Since then, I've felt… a pull. A force that guided me here. To this… castle, if I must say."
Danny's lips twitched. "It's a school."
Alexander blinked, looking around as if seeing the walls and lights for the first time. "Interesting."
Danny studied him carefully. The confusion, the detachment, it didn't feel like an act. But it also didn't fit the typical profile. Newborn werewolves were wild, angry, and chaotic. Not… lost in time. And most certainly not crazy.
"Listen," Danny said, his tone sharpening. "You don't have control over your powers. What happened today was reckless. You almost exposed yourself in front of everyone. God knows what would've happened if I hadn't been there. My advice? Find your pack....or your village, or whatever, and learn to control it. Then maybe you can think about blending in."
Alexander frowned. "Sir Daniel, I do not fully grasp your meaning. I have no village. No memory of one. Only this pulls inside me, drawing me somewhere… calling me." He straightened again, eyes calm and posture noble. "I am grateful for your hospitality. Until we meet again."
He turned to leave.
But before he could take a step, Danny moved, faster than lightning. One second, Alexander was walking; the next, Danny was in front of him, grabbing him by the throat.
"Can't let you do that," Danny said, low and lethal.
He squeezed, aiming to knock the boy unconscious in a swift move. But something unexpected happened.
Alexander's hand shot up, gripping Danny's wrist with surprising calm. Not desperate. Not panicked. Just… strong.
With slow, controlled force, he pried Danny's fingers away from his neck.
Danny's heart dropped.
No…
Alexander's eyes glowed. His natural blue eyes lit up. Alpha eyes. An alpha without a pack. A glow that no ordinary werewolf possessed.
"What the hell…" Danny whispered, stunned.
Before he could recover, Alexander struck.
A sharp headbutt slammed into Danny's forehead, sending him crashing back into the wall with enough force to rattle the pipes and crack the plaster. Danny slid down, dazed.
"Stand down," Alexander said, his voice cold and commanding.
It wasn't just words, no...it was an Alpha's command. And Danny's beast, so often rebellious, snarling for control, whimpered in submission. For the first time in years, Danny felt powerless.
Alexander stepped closer, his expression firm but not cruel. The blue in his eyes shimmered with strange authority, something ancient and unyielding.
"Consider my debt paid," he said quietly.
And just like that, he turned and walked away, leaving Danny slumped on the ground, breathless, rattled, and more confused than ever.