The Humvee\u2019s diesel rumble turned heads in the lot the way it always did, black and heavy against the rows of tired sedans and hand-me-down SUVs. Gabriel climbed out with his guitar case, I followed, and already half the crowd was parting wide. Word had gotten around about earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s when I noticed him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shorter than us \u2014 maybe 5\u201911\u201d \u2014 with black hair that fell neatly across his forehead and a backpack slung too tight, straps still stiff from the store. His eyes kept darting everywhere like he was trying to memorize the entire school in one breath. New kid. He looked soft-spoken even before he said anything \u2014 the kind of person who didn\u2019t push into a room, just sort of stepped carefully into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And of course, the bullies smelled it first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, well,\u201d one of them drawled, swaggering across the asphalt. \u201cLook what wandered in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another cut him off on the other side. \u201cHey, newbie, got your lunch money ready? Or do we gotta shake it out of you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The kid froze mid-step, color draining from his face. His hands fumbled at the strap of his backpack like he couldn\u2019t decide whether to hold onto it or drop it and run. He tried to answer \u2014 his lips parted \u2014 but no sound came out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pack of hyenas closed in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s when Gabriel and I moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We didn\u2019t say a word at first, just stepped between them and the new kid, shoulder to shoulder. The laughter cut short like somebody had pulled the plug on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBack off,\u201d I said, voice flat, low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ringleader sneered, but it was thinner this time. \u201cWhat, you two running a babysitting service now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel didn\u2019t answer. He just leveled that stare of his \u2014 sharp, blue, ocean-before-a-storm \u2014 and the sneer cracked. I added the weight of mine, letting the wolf edge sharpen it just enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The silence dragged until even the dumbest of them felt it in their gut. They peeled away, muttering excuses, pretending they had somewhere better to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new kid exhaled hard, clutching his backpack strap like it was a lifeline. \u201cUm\u2026 thanks,\u201d he said, voice quiet but sincere. Kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo problem,\u201d Gabriel said, shifting his case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I studied him for a moment. Scared, polite, soft around the edges. No street sense at all \u2014 but something about him tugged at me anyway. Not recognition, not yet. But the wolf inside me stirred restlessly, pacing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMark,\u201d he offered finally, like it was the only thing he could think to say. \u201cMark Harcourt. My dad\u2019s the new pastor at First Lutheran, over in West Barnstable. We just moved into the parsonage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel gave a short nod. \u201cGabriel. That\u2019s Thane.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNice to meet you,\u201d Mark said, his smile tentative but warm \u2014 the kind of smile that didn\u2019t know how to fake anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We split after that. Gabriel and I climbed back into the Humvee, doors shutting heavy, the engine\u2019s growl covering the silence between us. Mark headed toward the office, probably waiting for his folks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But before I pulled out of the lot, I glanced back. He was standing there on the curb, shoulders hunched like he was trying to take up less space than he had. He didn\u2019t know it yet, but the wolf in me already did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He wasn\u2019t just another kid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we rolled out, Gabriel tilted his head at me. \u201cYou\u2019re thinking hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAbout him?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I kept my eyes on the road, the Humvee chewing through gears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something about him,\u201d I said quietly. \u201cHe\u2019s not just different. He\u2019s wolf.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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