The Hunter and the Hunted

Calista had expected suspicion. She had expected watchful eyes, calculated silence, and hidden doubt. But what she hadn’t expected? Was for Max and his entire group to walk straight up to her table. She sensed them before she saw them. A shift in energy. A presence that felt too deliberate, too coordinated.

Then a shadow loomed over her. She calmly set her fork down, lifting her gaze unbothered, unreadable. Max stood directly across from her, arms crossed, red eyes sharp with challenge. His entire group was with him. Calista let her gaze travel slowly from one face to the next, taking her time, unhurried. She picked up her fork again.

“Mind if we sit?” Max asked.

It wasn’t a question. Calista gave a polite, practiced smile. “It’s a free country, isn’t it?”

Jason smirked. “She’s got a mouth on her.”

Keira sat first, then the others followed, surrounding her like predators circling prey. Calista remained unshaken. She had played this game before. This wasn’t the first time someone had tried to test her, challenge her, corner her. So if they wanted to confront her? She welcomed it.

Max leaned forward slightly. “You said something interesting in class today.”

Calista tilted her head, playing curious but not concerned. “Did I?”

Max didn’t blink. “You said Mates are a beautiful idea—but that love should be a choice.”

She held his gaze. Steady. Calm. Controlled. “Yes,” she said smoothly. “That is what I said.”

Josh exhaled. “So you don’t believe in fate?”

She knew where they were going with this. She could feel the weight of Max’s unspoken suspicion. They thought she was hiding something. And they weren’t wrong. But she wasn’t about to hand them answers.

“I believe love is powerful,” she said, her voice even. “But it is not something that can be forced. You can be drawn to someone, feel connected to them, but in the end love is a decision. It must be nurtured. It must be chosen.”

Jason scoffed. “That’s not how it works for Lycans.”

Keira nodded. “Mates aren’t a choice for us. They’re fate.”

Calista smiled slightly. “Then tell me if someone rejects their Mate, does that bond simply disappear?”

Silence. Because they knew the answer. It didn’t. Lycans could reject their Mate. But the bond would always be there. Lingering. Unbreakable. Max’s jaw tightened. She had turned the challenge back on them.

“You talk about love like it’s a science,” Max said, his voice unreadable.

Calista lifted a brow. “And you talk about it like it’s a cage.”

A flicker of something dangerous crossed his expression. “You sound like you’ve studied it a lot,” he said, watching her carefully.

Calista’s smile didn’t falter. “That’s because I have.”

Jason snorted. “Let me guess you’ve read a ton of romance novels, and now you think you’re an expert?”

“No,” she said smoothly, meeting their gazes evenly. “Love isn’t just a feeling—it shapes everything. It influences the way people lead, the choices they make, and the way they see the world.”

She let the words settle before continuing, her voice steady but sincere.

“I’ve seen love bring out the best in people, make them stronger, push them to fight for what matters. But I’ve also seen what happens when it’s taken for granted—how it can break even the most powerful, turn victories into losses, and reshape lives forever.”

She exhaled softly, tilting her head slightly.

“So no, I don’t think love is just instinct. And I don’t think it’s something that just happens. It’s something people build something they choose, every single day.”

Her voice remained steady, unwavering. “And if you truly believe that love is just instinct if you think it’s just something that happens without effort, without choice then I would argue that you do not understand it at all.”

The table went silent. Because Calista didn’t just believe in love. She was raised by it. She understood it better than any of them ever could.

“Now if you will excuse me,” Calista said, rising from her seat. She collected her tray, disposed of it, gathered her things, and left. Nobody moved right away. Their eyes drifted to the empty space where her tray had been.

“Did you see that?” Keira said.

“See what,” Jason said. “Her little speech?”

“Her food.” Keira looked at him. “She didn’t touch it.”

Emma was still staring at the empty seat. “Not even once.”

“Big deal,” Tyler said, smirking. “So she skipped lunch.”

Josh shook his head. “It’s not about today.” He was still looking at the empty seat. “Has anyone actually seen her eat? Ever?”

Keira shook her head slowly. “No.”

Max looked at the empty seat. He wanted to dismiss it Tyler was right, people skipped lunch all the time, it meant nothing. But he kept returning to the tray. She had carried it over herself. She had set it down, picked up her fork. But hadn’t taken a single bite. He had watched her do it. He pulled at a loose thread on his sleeve. And there was something about the way she had smiled through the whole conversation, like she was somewhere else entirely.

After lunch, they went looking for Brianna again even though Max didn’t want to he was tired. He had not slept. The recording of Brianna’s song had played on a loop in his head all night. That voice. That melody. That language.

His wolf still bristled at the memory, unsettled. It was too familiar, too old, too powerful. And yet, no matter how much they searched the language didn’t exist. Which meant she was probably using magic to alter her voice, making it untraceable. And that didn’t sit well with him. He exhaled sharply, trying to focus on the task at hand. It wasn’t working. Because today was the day they would finally corner her. As soon as the bell rang, Max met up with his friends near the back of the school.

Jason cracked his knuckles. “Alright, let’s go over this again. We’re not playing around today.”

Josh gave him a pointed look. “We’re also not attacking her.”

Jason smirked. “Yet.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “We’re going to talk to her, not interrogate her like she’s some war criminal.”

Keira crossed her arms. “But we are pushing her. She keeps avoiding us, and if she’s hiding something, she’ll slip up.”

Tyler leaned against the wall. “So, where do we do this? She’s been really good at disappearing every time we try to get close.”

Max was silent for a moment. “The library.”

Keira raised a brow. “Why there?”

“She goes there a lot,” Max said simply. “She won’t expect us to confront her somewhere she feels comfortable.”

Josh nodded. “Good call. If she tries to run, we have the exits covered.”

Jason smirked. “And if she does run, I get to chase her, right?”

Emma shot him a look. “We are not chasing her through the school.”

Jason shrugged. “Speak for yourself.”

Max exhaled, rubbing his temple. “Just follow the plan.” Because today? They were going to get answers. One way or another.

They settled into the library and waited. Like hunters waiting for their prey. Max leaned against the bookshelves, watching her from a distance. Brianna sat alone at a corner table, her usual calm, unreadable mask firmly in place. But Max knew better now.

The speech corrections. The untouched tray. The way she had vanished when she had turned the corner and simply ceased to be there. And the song that language that didn’t exist. He watched her turn a page without reading it.

Jason moved first, casually strolling over and sitting down across from her. “Hey.”

Brianna didn’t look up from her book. “Hello.”

Her tone was polite. Even. Controlled. But her fingers tightened around the pages just slightly. She knew. Max approached next, followed by Keira, Josh, Emma, and Tyler. Brianna’s eyes flicked up. And for the first time Max saw it. A flicker of wariness. Not fear. Just calculated awareness. Like she was already looking for an escape.

Max pulled out a chair, sitting across from her. “We need to talk.”

Brianna’s lips pressed together. “About what?”

Max held her gaze, unwavering. “About you.”

A small pause. Then, Brianna closed her book, resting her hands on the cover. And then she smiled. Not the forced kind. Not fake. A real, amused, slightly challenging smile.

“Alright,” she said softly. “Talk.”