The morning air was thick with fog, the sky a blanket of muted gray, promising rain before the day was done. The town of Forks had already begun its quiet routine cars rolling lazily down wet roads, people pulling jackets tighter against the lingering chill.
Kane stood outside his home, adjusting the sleeves of his crimson button-down, feeling the cool morning settle against his skin.
He didn't feel cold, though.
If anything, his body ran hot, an internal furnace burning beneath his skin another side effect of the god's gift.
Not unbearable, just… different.
He rolled his shoulders, instinctively testing his range of movement. His body felt too good, too powerful, but never heavy. Every muscle, every fiber of his being, carried that underlying force waiting, poised, ready.
His fingers twitched at his side.
Kane had never been the strongest person in the room before not in his past life, not before all this.
Now?
Now he could crush a car like it was paper.
He exhaled slowly, shaking his head. No need to get ahead of himself.
"It's just high school," he muttered. "Play it cool. Blend in. At least for a little while."
With that, he grabbed his bag functional, basic, something the god had conveniently left in his home and stepped onto the sidewalk.
---
The walk to Forks High School wasn't long, but Kane could already feel attention shifting toward him.
People noticed him.
Not in the casual, passing glance sort of wayno, this was different.
The moment someone's gaze landed on him, it lingered.
Some instinct deep in their subconscious told them that this man wasn't normal.
That he was too strong, too confident, too aware.
He caught snippets of hushed whispers as he passed.
"Who is that?"
"New kid?"
"Did you see the way he walks? Like he owns the place."
Kane smirked internally.
He hadn't done anything.
Just existing was enough to make people react.
Students turned their heads as he moved past, some staring too long before quickly looking away. A girl near her locker nudged her friend, eyes flicking toward him as if trying to confirm that they were both seeing the same thing.
A few guys in varsity jackets glanced his way, expressions flickering between curiosity and uncertainty.
Kane wasn't surprised.
He was taller. Broader. His presence carried an effortless dominance and unlike most new kids, there was no hesitation in his stride. No awkwardness. No attempt to blend in.
He wasn't here to fit in.
He was here to disrupt everything.
And then he felt them.
A presence unlike the others.
Stronger. Sharper. More aware.
His eyes flicked toward the silver Volvo parked in the lot and there, standing near the car, were the Cullens.
Rosalie. Alice. Edith. Jasmine. Emily.
All of them.
Their golden eyes locked onto him.
Kane rolled his neck, taking them in one by one.
Rosalie stood the most rigid, arms crossed, her gaze sharp and untrusting, like a wolf scenting danger.
Alice tilted her head slightly, as if seeing something before it happened her foresight flickering through possibilities, but unable to pin down a solid answer.
Edith's brow furrowed, lips pressed together calculating, analyzing, trying to understand what Kane was.
Jasmine was still, unreadable, her posture perfect but carrying an edge a fighter's stance even in stillness.
Emily, the most physically imposing of them, narrowed her eyes just slightly, her muscles tense, as if she was expecting Kane to do something.
Kane chuckled under his breath.
"They already know I'm not normal."
Even without speaking, without moving toward them, without doing anything, they could feel something different about him.
He wasn't prey.
He wasn't afraid.
And they didn't know why.
Kane adjusted his cuffs and strode forward.
He had a class to get to.
But this was just the beginning.