Unbound

Every cell in his body froze as Khalil hovered behind him. Klein almost didn't want to breathe. His eyes flicked to the hand pressed against the door.

Black veins popped over Khalil's swelling knuckles, pumping dark blood to his broken nail plates. Steam sizzled out like a burning meat, before the wound healed at a rapid speed just as fast as it transfigured.

It was no longer the same delicate hand that loved to play volleyball. It's a hand covered with coarser hair and pointed claws that could punch a hole in his body if he moved the wrong way.

Klein gulped as he turned around slowly, taking a deep breath through his nose. He tried to calm himself down and glanced up to see the man staring down at him with those glowing amber eyes behind black-framed eyeglasses.

It relieved him to find Khalil's face still looked human, saved from his eyes and canines that had elongated slightly, a residual blood coating them. They weren't as sharp as he expected, but they could still shred meat if Khalil wanted.

"I tried to keep this from you because I know you'd react this way," Khalil said, one hand curling around Klein's waist, pulling him closer. "But now that it had come into this, I don't see the point of hiding anymore."

"You realize we're still on the school grounds, right?" Klein breathed out. "Even if you kill me here, people will find out who you are and what you are."

"Not if I eat you until nothing was left but your bones."

Klein's blood ran cold. The grip on his stomach tightened, his heart thrashing like a caged prey wanting to break free. But it couldn't. Just like how he couldn't free himself from Khalil's grasp, no matter how much he tried to push him away.

Like an immovable wall, Khalil didn't budge an inch. He only watched Klein struggle, grinning when he punched him in the jaw, only to end up hurting himself instead.

Klein glared up and thumped his fists against Khalil's chest. He wanted to shout for help, but at this hour, students would have already gone home. If there were still a few left, they were either in a different building or at the school library.

And what can they do if he did? How would he even explain it to them? Telling anyone that a werewolf was trying to eat him was only asking for a ticket to the nearest mental hospital.

Calix. Only Calix could help. If only he could call out to him.

Klein stopped his struggles and rested both hands on Khalil's chest.

"Are you done?" Khalil asked as Klein nursed his bruised knuckles. He leaned down to his neck. "If you're done, then I can start now, right? I've given you enough chance to break away."

His skin crawled at the lips that pressed against his neck, but Klein didn't protest. He needed to stay calm.

Khalil panted, his canines pressing to the juncture of Klein's neck and shoulder. But just as he's about to take a fatal bite, he started laughing and pulled away. "I'm just kidding. Why would I eat you? I don't need human meat to survive."

"What do you want from me then?" Klein asked, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"I think I have made my intensions clear more than a year ago, Klein." Khalil raised one transformed hand and ran the back of his fingers to Klein's cheek. "I want you to be mine. To be precise, I want you to be my mate."

"And if I say no?"

"You can't," Khalil said, cupping his face. "Since the day I first saw you, I've been drawn, even if you're just a human. That's why I'm certain you're my fated mate. We are bound by fate, Klein. So you can't reject me. Not without grave consequences."

"Bound by fate, huh?" Klein looked up, his silvery eyes glowing a little, surprising Khalil. With a sudden surge of courage, he slapped the hand away. "I am not bound to anyone. Know your place, werewolf."

"W-What?"

Almost in a daze, Klein turned away from Khalil and went for the locked door. It was only when he reached for the doorknob that he realized he was bleeding. Whatever spell he had fallen into, the sight of three deep gashes at the back of his hand pulled Klein back to reality.

"Shit! Klein, you're bleeding!" Khalil rushed beside him and grabbed his arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Let's get you to the nurse's clinic. Come on."

"No..." Klein wrenched his arm from Khalil's grasp, his eyes growing wide in fear as he remembered Calix's words. He could be turned into a werewolf through bite, deep scratch, sex, or blood transfusion.

Khalil's claws had just grazed him. And it was all his doing.

Klein let out a gut-wrenching scream that froze Khalil before bolting out of the men's comfort room. He ran through the empty corridor with tears running down his cheeks.

'I can't turn into a werewolf! I don't want to!'

After rounding a corner, Klein slammed into another person, and he screamed again. The other person screamed too, and they both screamed together, until one of them stopped to address the other.

"Klein? What is wrong with you? You scared me!" Mr. Villanueva glared, but his expression softened and morphed into deep concern when he saw the blood in his hand. "What happened?"

Klein hiccupped and pointed behind his shoulder. "T-There's a monster... in the men's room."

Mr. Villanueva scratched his head and sighed. "You child, did all that studying finally cracked your head? I've been worried about you since this morning. Come here. Let's go to the infirmary so we can treat your wounds."

Klein knew he sounded like crazy, so he didn't insist on his claims and just followed his teacher. He looked behind him, and thankfully, he didn't find any trace of Khalil.

After a lengthy interrogation while cleaning and wrapping up his hand, Mr. Villanueva finally let him leave the infirmary and accompanied him to the school gate. "Do you want me to call your mom so she can pick you up?"

"I can manage. It's just a minor accident, so please don't mention this to her anymore. I don't want to worry her."

Mr. Villanueva sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll make an exception this one time. But Klein, if you needed someone to talk to, you can always come to my desk, okay?"

Klein nodded, eyeing the stain of blood on his teacher's clothes. "Sorry about your shirt, sir."

"Don't worry about it. This can still be washed off. Are you sure you'll be fine? If you want, I can drop you off. I just need to grab my things in the faculty room."

Klein gripped the strap of his bag with his good hand and fell in a contemplative silence. Honestly, he already felt tired. And he didn't want to run into Khalil again today. "If it's not much trouble."

"Wait for me here, then." Mr. Villanueva smiled, patting his back before returning inside.

Resting his back against the gate's concrete pillar, Klein stared at his bandaged hand. He took a shuddering breath, taking in the lingering scent of Calix's perfume. He almost wanted to laugh at himself for even considering his advice. None of them worked to protect him.

'What a joke.'