Heart Bound

Kyrie's POV I slouched a little further down in my seat, wishing I could shrink into invisibility. Another day at "Carmichael Academy"—a school with an old name and an even older attitude about who mattered and who didn’t. And me? I was on the very bottom rung. I could hear Hannah Creed and her friends whispering behind me, their laughter soft but sharp, like knives aimed at my back. I glanced around the room, taking in the faces of the wolves who were scattered through the class. It didn’t matter if they were athletes, artists, or the so-called rebels—they were all looked up to because they had something I didn’t. And that wasn’t even what bothered me most. It was just...I was plain. Boring. Average. No special lineage, no supernatural blood, nothing. My face was just… well, "normal"—average features, long, straight hair that wasn’t shiny enough to be interesting, eyes that were a mix between green and brown, like they couldn’t decide on a color. There was nothing remarkable about me, and trust me, I reminded myself of it daily. But what really got me was "Cal Lockwood". He was sitting a few rows up, tall and relaxed, like he owned the world. And in a way, he did. He was a Lockwood, after all. Part of one of the most respected wolf families in town, one of those rare packs with roots that reached back to the founding of our city. Alpha of his pack, with a lineage that practically sparkled in the eyes of everyone around him. And he was up there, giving his oral presentation with that easy confidence that made my stomach twist into knots. Cal’s voice was rich, steady, holding everyone’s attention. “My family has always valued our connection to the land and to the pack,” he was saying. “Lockwoods have been here for generations, and each Alpha has tried to protect that legacy. Our ancestor, Johnathan Lockwood, founded one of the first packs here, which became the foundation of the Creed Moon and Silver Howl alliances.” His eyes scanned the class, and for the briefest second, I swore he looked at me. My cheeks heated instantly. I felt like a child with a silly crush, but I couldn’t help it. Of course, everyone hung on his every word. Even the teacher looked mesmerized. Cal wasn’t just handsome, though he was, in that striking way that seemed to light up the room. He was… well, more than that. He had an aura about him, a presence that couldn’t be ignored. And that was what drew me in, even though I knew he would never look twice at a human girl like me. His circle, his world, was a universe away from mine. He finished his presentation, and as he sat back down, his eyes flickered toward me again. I swallowed hard, feeling a tug, a strange connection that I couldn’t explain but always felt around him, like some invisible line was strung between us, vibrating just under the surface. But I shoved it down. A connection? That was just my overactive imagination. Someone like Cal didn’t think about someone like me. “Kyrie, you’re up,” the teacher’s voice broke through my thoughts, and my heart sank as every eye in the room turned to me. I fumbled to gather my notes, willing my legs not to shake as I got up and started to walk to the front of the class. I’d barely taken two steps when I heard it—a snarky, mocking whisper from the back. “Oh, here she goes. The human trying to be interesting,” Hannah Creed drawled, her voice dripping with disdain. Her friends snickered, and my face burned. Hannah was part of the Creed Moon Pack, and basically the queen bee of Carmichael Academy. It didn’t matter that I’d never done anything to her—she took pleasure in putting me down every chance she got, reminding me that I was just a boring, powerless human in her world. I tried to ignore her, but I couldn’t stop my gaze from darting over to Cal as I passed. He looked at me with those intense, unreadable eyes of his, and for a second, the world seemed to fade. The snickers, the whispers—all of it disappeared. There was just Cal, his expression softer than usual, almost as if he understood how humiliating this was. It was ridiculous to hope, but maybe he even felt a little bit of sympathy. But the second passed, and I forced myself to look away, feeling a mix of embarrassment and longing that twisted painfully in my chest. I knew Cal didn’t date humans. Everyone knew that. His last girlfriend had been Beta-ranked, a girl who could shift at will and who everyone whispered was practically his fated mate. I didn’t stand a chance. But still, that tiny spark I felt whenever I caught his eye kept me wishing. Kept me hoping. I reached the front of the room, feeling the weight of all those judgmental eyes, and cleared my throat, trying to calm the nerves fluttering wildly in my stomach. I glanced at my notes, suddenly feeling exposed, like every single person in the room was waiting for me to mess up. I took a deep breath, trying to remind myself that it didn’t matter what they thought. This was just a presentation. I can get through this. Forcing myself to meet their gaze, I began. “My family tree isn’t quite as... historic as Cal’s or as influential as some of yours,” I started, my voice shaky but growing steadier. “But it’s special to me. My ancestors were farmers, teachers, people who loved their communities and took pride in what they did. My mom always says that even though we’re just ordinary humans, our family has its own kind of strength, a quiet resilience.” Hannah rolled her eyes dramatically, but I pressed on, refusing to let her break my focus. I glanced at Cal again, half-expecting him to be smirking like everyone else, but his expression was… different. Serious. He was watching me with an intensity that made my pulse race. And for just a moment, I let myself believe that maybe, somehow, he saw me as more than just the “human girl.” I finished my presentation, my voice barely above a whisper by the end. The class was silent, a mixture of boredom and mild disdain from most of them. As I took my seat, my heart was still pounding from the presentation. The humiliation from Hannah's comments hung over me. Cal Lockwood was seventeen, a month older than me, but he had a presence that seemed far older. He carried himself with a confidence and intensity that made everyone sit up a little straighter whenever he entered a room. His dark hair was a striking contrast against his sharp, sculpted jawline, his eyes an intense shade of brown that almost looked black. They were the kind of eyes that seemed to look right through you, like he could see things hidden beneath the surface. And his build... Cal was all muscle, the product of years of training as the Alpha-to-be. His broad shoulders and strong arms showed his strength and discipline, but it was more than just physical. There was something brooding about him, something dark and mysterious that made everyone, especially the girls, look twice. I can understand why. There was a depth to Cal, an air of quiet power that seemed to pull you in, even if you knew better. And then there was Hannah Creed, the queen bee of Carmichael Academy and, at seventeen, the epitome of everything I wasn’t. She was tall and graceful, her movements always purposeful, as if she knew every eye was on her. Her long blonde hair seemed to glimmer, cascading down her back in soft waves that looked effortlessly perfect. She had ice-blue eyes that seemed to glint with a calculating edge, especially when she looked at people like me. Hannah’s beauty was striking and intimidating, her features delicate but with a certain fierceness, as if she knew exactly where she stood in the world and would stop at nothing to keep her place. She exuded power, confidence, and a sense of entitlement that most people wouldn’t dare challenge. As the daughter of the Alpha of the Creed Moon Pack, she was practically royalty here. Hannah, like Cal, came from a long line of werewolves, and her pack was one of the oldest, rivaling Cal’s own. Together, they were Carmichael Academy’s golden duo. It was unspoken, but everyone assumed they’d end up together—two Alphas, two powerful families. And while I hated to admit it, they looked the part. Hannah was as much a symbol of werewolf nobility as Cal was, the kind of girl who didn’t have to try to make people bow down to her. It just happened. And then there was me. Kyrie Hart, seventeen, chestnut-brown hair that wasn’t anything special, a shade that hung in loose waves down my back. My eyes were a hazel that couldn’t seem to decide if they wanted to be green or brown, and my features were… well, average. Nothing striking or beautiful, just… normal. I wasn’t tall, I wasn’t graceful, and I definitely didn’t exude the kind of confidence that Hannah did. Instead, I did my best to blend in, to avoid the harsh stares of the popular girls and the dismissive looks of the wolves. I couldn’t remember a time when werewolves weren’t admired. Stories of the packs, their legacies, and their history were woven into our lives from a young age. We learned about the packs in history class, about the founding Alphas who’d shaped the city and the alliances between families that kept the peace. The Creed Moon, Silver Howl, and Lockwood packs were among the oldest, each one with roots that went back centuries. They controlled the territories around the city, protecting it from threats, both human and otherwise. Their ancestors were revered like legends, their bloodlines considered sacred. Cal’s family, the Lockwoods, were at the heart of that history. They were known for their loyalty, their strength, and their iron-willed leadership. And Cal, as the next Alpha, was expected to live up to that legacy. It was a burden I couldn’t imagine carrying, but he wore it with a grace that seemed to come naturally to him. As much as I tried to ignore it, I couldn’t help but admire him from afar, even if I knew he’d never see me as anything more than an ordinary human girl. Hannah, on the other hand, was born into this world and thrived in it. The Creed Moon Pack was as wealthy as they were powerful, and they flaunted it. Hannah had always been the one to remind people like me of our place, quick with a snide remark or a cutting look that left no doubt about how she felt about humans. She was Cal’s equal in every way, or at least that’s how everyone saw it. But that tiny spark of connection I felt whenever I looked at Cal was like a splinter in my mind, a quiet, secret rebellion against everything I knew. It was ridiculous, pointless. Cal didn’t date humans, and he never would. And yet, when his eyes met mine, even for a split second, it was like I could almost believe that maybe, somehow, he saw me too.