Lars was halfway through a lazy joke with his teammates when it hit him—iron and rot, old as graves.
Lucius.
The smile dropped from his face before he could stop it.
“Hold that thought,” he muttered, already stepping away. He didn’t wait for a reply. His body had already shifted into something more alert, more ancient—instinct humming under his skin.
He disliked that scent. Disliked what it meant. Disliked him.
But not liking him didn’t change the rules. There were only two of them left now—one wolf, one vampire. If one was exposed, the other wouldn’t last long after.
Lars moved through the hallway, following the trail like a bloodhound. He forced himself to slow down whenever someone passed—grinning at a girl who lingered too long, bumping fists with a teammate, playing human just well enough to avoid suspicion.
The scent pooled thick near the bathrooms.
He stopped in front of a supply closet. The door was shut, but it didn’t matter. He could hear it—faint, uneven breathing. One heartbeat fading.
Lars’ expression hardened. He shoved the door open.
The light snapped on.
Lucius stood there, pale as death itself, a girl slack in his arms. Blood smeared his mouth, dark against his skin. For a moment, everything stilled.
Lars let out a humorless laugh. “Pathetic.”
Not shock. Not fear. Just cold contempt.
“At a school?” he continued, stepping inside and kicking the door shut behind him. “You’re getting sloppy.”
His gaze dragged over the girl, then back up to Lucius—sharp, predatory, nothing human left in it now.
“You think you’re the only one they’d come for?” Lars’ voice dropped, quieter, more dangerous. “You get caught, they’ll tear this place apart until they find whatever else is hiding.”
A beat. His lip curled slightly.
“That means me.”
Silence stretched, heavy with something older than either of them cared to name.
“We’re the last ones,” Lars said finally, the words bitter. “And you’re still acting like extinction isn’t breathing down your neck.”
He took a step closer, eyes locked on Lucius.
“Control yourself. Or I will.”