--- Episode 3: The Storm Warning

The storm hit Silverpine at 3:47pm.

One minute the sky was gray and heavy. The next, white-out conditions slammed down from the Rockies, cutting visibility to five meters and dropping the temperature another ten degrees.

Lena’s bus was cancelled. Again.

“Your mom said she can’t pick you up until her shift ends at 11pm,” the front office secretary told her, handing over a paper cup of instant coffee. “You can wait in the gym. It’s heated.”

Lena nodded and wrapped her scarf tighter. She didn’t mind waiting. What she minded was the way her skin felt like it was crawling. Like there was static in the air. Like something was _watching_ her from beyond the frosted windows.

She chose the library instead. Quieter. Fewer people. Fewer questions.

She was the only one there besides the librarian when the doors slammed open thirty minutes later.

Kael.

His hoodie was soaked through with snow, hair stuck to his forehead, and his face was carved from stone as usual. But there was something different this time. Tension in his jaw. A sharpness in his eyes that wasn’t there before.

He didn’t notice her at first. He stalked straight to the window and stared out at the blizzard, phone pressed to his ear.

“They’re getting closer to town,” he said, voice low and clipped. “I don’t care what the council says. If a rogue pack crosses into our territory during a full moon, we don’t wait for permission.”

Lena froze. _Rogue pack? Full moon?_

Kael finally turned and saw her. His expression went from alert to guarded in half a second.

“What are you still doing here?” he said.

“The bus got cancelled,” Lena answered, standing up slowly. “What’s a rogue pack?”

Kael’s eyes flashed. “Not your concern.”

“It kind of is if they’re ‘getting closer to town’.” Lena crossed her arms. “Are they dangerous?”

For a second, Kael just stared at her. Like he was deciding whether to lie or to tell her the truth and get her out of here.

Then the lights flickered.

The librarian’s voice crackled over the PA. “Due to severe weather, all students are to remain in the building until further notice. Parents have been notified.”

Kael’s jaw clenched. The full moon was in two days. If the rogues attacked during the shift, there’d be chaos. And if Lena was still in town when that happened…

“Listen,” he said, stepping closer. Too close. Lena could see the faint scar along his collarbone, could smell the cedar and snow on him again. It made her head feel light. “Whatever you think you sensed from me in the hallway — forget it. It was nothing.”

Lena tilted her head. “You keep saying that. But you don’t look like it’s nothing.”

Kael’s hands curled into fists. “That’s because I have control.”

“Control of what?”

The question hung in the air between them.

Kael didn’t answer. Instead he glanced at the window again, then back at her. His voice dropped.

“Stay inside tonight. Lock the doors. Don’t answer if someone knocks.”

Lena frowned. “That sounds dramatic even for a blizzard.”

“It’s not the blizzard I’m worried about.”

Before Lena could ask what he meant, the fire alarm blared through the school. Students started shouting in the hallway.

Kael swore under his breath and grabbed her arm. His touch was ice cold, but his grip was steady.

“Come with me. Now.”

Lena should’ve pulled away. Should’ve asked questions. But the look in his eyes stopped her — it wasn’t cold anymore. It was fear.