The morning air was sharp, laced with the faint scent of pine and distant rain. Scarlet stepped out of her Jeep with Ana beside her, both wrapped in oversized sweatshirts and quiet anticipation. Silverthorne University rose before them, its ivy-draped buildings still slick with morning dew. The calm was deceiving-something beneath the surface buzzed, a restless energy that made Scarlet's skin prickle.
She stiffened, nose lifting slightly.
Ana gave her a sideways glance. "You smell something."
Scarlet nodded once. "Reenie."
They spotted her near the admin building, shoulders hunched, pacing like a caged animal. Her hoodie was pulled up, hiding most of her face, but the tension in her posture gave her away. She looked like she might shatter.
Scarlet broke from Ana and walked briskly toward her. "Reenie."
Reenie flinched at the sound of her name, eyes wide. The glow was back-amber bleeding into brown. "Scarlet, I-I didn't mean to-"
"You didn't," Scarlet said softly. "But you're slipping."
Reenie's breath hitched. "It's worse in crowds. The closer we get to the full moon... the harder it is."
Scarlet placed a calming hand on her arm, voice low. "You've got me now. You're not alone."
Reenie blinked, visibly calming. Her breathing slowed, her shoulders eased, even if just a little. "Thank you."
Scarlet offered a faint smile. "Find us later. We'll figure it out."
As she returned to Ana, the brunette tilted her head. "She looked like she was about to combust."
"She's hanging on by threads," Scarlet said, her voice tight. "We have to help her before someone else notices."
Ana nodded solemnly, tucking her hair behind one ear. "Whatever you need-I'm in."
-----
They slipped into Literature class just as the bell rang. Scarlet dropped into her usual seat, her eyes instantly locking with Alec's across the room.
He stood by the podium, that same fitted black shirt testing her willpower, crimson eyes unreadable but tracking her every move.
Ana nudged her. "He's in brooding mode again."
Scarlet smirked. "When is he not?"
But just as she turned to settle in, a new scent tugged at her senses-woodsmoke and confidence.
Brett Blackwood strolled in, casual as ever, a folded slip of paper in hand. "Transfer papers," he said, waving them like a hall pass. "Guess I'm joining the fun."
Alec didn't blink. "Take a seat."
Of course, the only open one was next to Scarlet.
"Lucky me," Brett whispered, settling beside her. "It's fate."
Scarlet rolled her eyes, though a smile tugged at her lips.
Alec's voice cut through the tension. "Today's lesson is on performance. Expression. Taking the written word and making it breathe." He dropped a stack of scripts on the front table. "I've selected scenes. Partners are listed. We'll go alphabetically."
He met Scarlet's gaze, eyes glinting.
"Everen and Blackwood. Scene three."
Scarlet's stomach dropped. She flipped to the page-of course. Lysandra and Caelum. The kiss scene.
She looked back at Alec, lips twitching. "Really?"
He didn't respond-just returned to his seat and waited.
Brett leaned closer. "You sure this guy doesn't have a thing for you?"
Scarlet arched a brow. "He's just a professor with questionable taste in assignments."
They stepped to the front of the room. Students leaned forward, some whispering. The room held its breath.
Scarlet scanned her lines, then Brett's face. To his credit, he wasn't smirking now. His expression was grounded, intent.
When he delivered the first few lines, his voice dipped low, unexpectedly steady. She answered in kind, stepping into Lysandra's skin, letting her voice carry the weight of hidden longing and veiled rage.
Then came the kiss.
Scarlet turned slightly-toward Alec.
His jaw was clenched. Crimson flickered behind his eyes.
She reached for Brett and closed the gap between them.
Their lips met.
The room fell silent.
Brett kissed her like he meant it. Gentle pressure, slow at first, then deepening just slightly-enough to draw a breathless flutter to her chest. But Scarlet barely noticed the warmth of his lips.
All she felt was Alec's gaze, searing through her like fire.
When the kiss ended, Brett grinned. "That was... intense."
Scarlet turned back to Alec. "Isn't art about realism, Professor?"
Alec didn't answer. But his knuckles were white on the edge of the desk.
Two other groups went up after them-scenes full of missed lines and nervous laughter-but Scarlet barely heard them. Alec's gaze followed her the rest of the class, burning and unreadable.
------
After class, Ana practically pounced. "What the hell was that?"
Scarlet brushed past her, barely hiding her flush. "A lesson."
"In what, exactly? Making your professor combust in front of a crowd?"
Scarlet sighed, slowing her steps. "I don't know what I'm doing, Ana. I just... I needed to feel something real."
"And Brett?"
Scarlet didn't answer.
Walking into lunch, word of the kiss was spreading like wildfire.
Scarlet entered the cafeteria with Ana, trying to ignore the way heads turned. Murmurs followed her through the food line, some teasing, some admiring, some full of bite.
"Did you hear? She kissed Brett Blackwood in front of Professor Anders."
"In class?!"
"Straight up-like, full mouth, no hesitation. Poor professor looked like he swallowed a lemon."
Scarlet forced a casual smile, but inside, she churned.
It had been just an assignment.
But then why had her heart raced? Why had she been so aware of Alec the entire time?
Ana handed her a tray, her voice low. "You okay?"
Scarlet shrugged. "Not sure."
As they sat, Brett approached with his tray and a lazy grin. "Mind if I join?"
He sat beside her without waiting for permission.
Across the room, Scarlet caught a glimpse of Alec, standing alone by the faculty table, his gaze unreadable.
The storm, she realized, wasn't coming.
It was already here.
------
The afternoon dragged. Scarlet barely made it through her last class before gym. Her thoughts spun, her body tense. She couldn't get the scene-or Alec's reaction-out of her mind.
By the time she reached the field, the late sun stretched gold across the track. She spotted Brett laughing with a girl from the cheer team, who had her hand on his arm and was leaning a little too close.
Scarlet rolled her eyes.
Of course.
She tightened her ponytail and stalked toward the bleachers to tie her shoes, pretending she didn't care. But her chest burned.
And Brett noticed.
As she darted toward the track, he jogged after her.
"Hey! Wait up!"
She didn't stop until she reached the far end of the field, hidden from the rest of the class.
"You flirting with her now?" she snapped.
Brett blinked. "Excuse me?"
"The girl. With the fake laugh and grabby hands."
"You jealous?" he asked, a slow grin curling his lips.
"No," she lied.
"Because I sure as hell was-back in class. Watching you flirt with danger and kiss me while looking at someone else."
Scarlet's mouth parted, but the words never came.
"You felt it too," Brett said, stepping closer. "Don't pretend it was just acting."
She stared at him, eyes fierce. "I'm not looking for anything serious."
"I didn't ask for forever," he murmured. "I just want to know what this is."
She looked away.
And that's when he kissed her.
Hard. Desperate. Real.
Her fingers curled into his shirt, grounding herself. The kiss deepened, and for a moment, the rest of the world vanished.
When they broke apart, both of them breathless, Brett whispered, "I don't care how messy this is. I felt something. And I think you did too."
Scarlet stepped back, confused, heart pounding. "We should get back."
"We should," he said softly. "But I don't regret it."
Neither did she.
But that was the problem.
------
As Scarlet and Brett stepped into the hallway, the murmur of students faded behind them. The door clicked shut, but the weight of Alec's stare clung to her like a second skin.
She didn't speak, not right away.
Her fingers still tingled where Brett had touched them. Her lips still buzzed from that second kiss-the real one. The one that hadn't been scripted.
But it wasn't Brett's kiss that haunted her.
It was the fire in Alec's eyes.
The storm in his silence.
She kept walking, but her thoughts refused to settle. Why did he look at her like that? Why had he assigned that scene? Was it just to punish her, to push her away-or was he trying to remember something too?
Scarlet didn't know which unsettled her more: the kiss that felt too real with someone she barely understood... or the silence from someone who might've once known her soul.
And as her boots echoed down the hallway floor, one truth rose above the noise.
She couldn't pretend anymore.
Not about what she was feeling.
Not about what she was becoming.
And certainly not about the fire-burning, dangerous, undeniable-that still lingered on her skin.
The fire Alec had started.
And the one Brett might just fan to life.