Chapter Eight: Whispers
1064 Words
Sophia Pov
The ride back to Ethan's estate was painfully quiet. I sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window while darkness rushed past us.
My hands remained clenched in my lap.
I was waiting. Waiting for Ethan to say something. Waiting for him to ask what I had been thinking. Waiting for him to tell me how reckless I had been. Waiting for him to get angry. Any normal person would have.
I had climbed out of a second-story window. Run away in the middle of the night. Almost gotten myself captured by Damien.
If Ethan was upset, he had every right to be. Yet he didn't say a single word.
Neither did I. The silence stretched the entire drive home.
When we finally reached the estate, my stomach twisted. I expected another lecture. Another confrontation. Instead, Ethan simply got out of the vehicle and walked inside. Confused, I followed. The house was quiet.
Most of the lights had already been turned off. The servants had long since gone to bed.
Ethan stopped outside my room. "This is still yours."
I blinked. That was it? No accusations. No questions. Nothing. He opened the door and stepped aside.
"You should get some rest."
I stared at him. "You're not angry?"
For the first time all night, he looked directly at me. Something flashed across his face. Exhaustion. Concern. Relief. But not anger.
"I was worried."
His voice was calm. Dangerously calm. The kind of calm that somehow felt worse.
"I thought something happened to you."
Guilt hit me unexpectedly. Ethan rubbed the back of his neck.
"Get some sleep, Sophia."
Then he turned and started walking away.
I frowned. "Where are you going?"
He paused. "My room."
I looked down the hallway. "Your room?"
"Yes."
A strange emotion moved through me.
Relief. Because Damien would never have done that.
If Damien had claimed someone as his mate, he would have expected them to stay beside him. Expected obedience. Expected access. Expected control.
Ethan expected none of those things.
Without another word, he disappeared down the hallway.
A few seconds later, I heard a door close. I entered my room slowly. The silence felt strange. Peaceful. Yet unfamiliar.
After changing into clean clothes, I climbed onto the bed. The mattress was softer than anything I had slept on in years. But sleep refused to come. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Damien. His smile. His threats.
The look in his eyes before Ethan arrived.
The war has just begun. Those words replayed endlessly inside my head.
Eventually, I got out of bed and walked toward the window.
The moon hung high above the estate.
Silver light illuminated the grounds. Everything looked calm. Safe. Normal.
Then I saw them. Eyes. Glowing eyes staring from the darkness beyond the tree line. My entire body froze. Fear shot through me instantly. A wolf.
The massive animal stood partially hidden among the trees. Watching. My heart hammered against my ribs. For several terrifying seconds, neither of us moved. Then the wolf slowly turned and disappeared into the darkness.
I immediately stepped away from the window. My breathing became uneven.
Even here, I couldn't escape them. Wolves. Everywhere. Always watching. Always waiting.
I climbed back into bed and pulled the blankets around myself. Eventually exhaustion won. But even then, I never truly slept. Every little sound woke me.
Every creak of the house made me tense.
Every dream became a nightmare.
When morning finally arrived, I felt more exhausted than rested. A knock sounded at my door.
I sat upright immediately. "Come in."
The older woman from yesterday entered carrying a tray. Her warm smile appeared instantly.
"Good morning, dear."
I managed a small nod. She placed the tray on a nearby table.
"Mr. Blackwood asked me to let you know breakfast is ready whenever you're comfortable."
Comfortable. The word felt foreign.
Still, I thanked her. An hour later, I finally made my way downstairs.
The dining room looked enormous. Ethan was already seated at the table. He looked up when I entered.
"Morning."
"Morning." I hesitated before sitting across from him.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then Ethan pushed a plate toward me.
"You need to eat."
The simple gesture caught me off guard.
Not because it was extraordinary. Because it felt normal. For a few minutes, we ate quietly.
Finally, Ethan broke the silence. "I have classes today."
I looked up. Classes?
For some reason, I had forgotten he was still a student.
"So do I," he continued.
The reminder made my stomach sink.
School. I hadn't thought about school in weeks. Maybe months.
Ethan studied my expression. "You don't have to go."
I considered it. Part of me wanted to hide in my room forever. But another part refused.
Damien had already stolen two years of my life.
I wasn't letting him steal more. "I'll go."
A small smile appeared on Ethan's face. "Okay."
The drive to campus was much shorter than I expected. Unfortunately, the moment we arrived, I knew I had made a mistake. People noticed me immediately.
Students stopped walking. Conversations died. Heads turned. Whispers followed.
My stomach dropped. They recognized me. Of course they did.
Damien wasn't just feared within his pack.
He was feared everywhere.
Including here.
The moment I stepped out of Ethan's SUV, the murmuring began.
"Isn't that her?"
"That's Damien's girlfriend."
"I thought she disappeared."
"What is she doing with Ethan?"
"Oh my God."
"I heard she lives with Damien."
"Why is she here?"
Every word felt like a knife. I lowered my head immediately. My pulse quickened. The attention made my skin crawl. I hated being watched. Hated being discussed. Hated being judged.
Yet everywhere I looked, people were staring. Some looked curious. Others looked nervous.
A few looked afraid. Not of me. Of Damien.
Ethan stepped beside me.
The whispers only increased. I could feel dozens of eyes following us across campus. My chest tightened. I wanted to leave.
Immediately. Instead, I kept walking. Faster. And faster. Trying to escape the attention. Trying to avoid eye contact. Trying to ignore the whispers that followed me down every path.
But one thing became painfully c
lear.
Everyone knew who I was. And everyone knew exactly who Damien was. Which meant whatever war was coming next...
The entire school was about to witness it.
- Writer
