Chapter Five
1150 Words
Lilith POV
“You got it?” Ari asked as we each grabbed one end of the wooden table, carrying it toward the kitchen.
“Yeah… I think so. Let’s put it down before I drop it,” I grunted as the table slipped slightly in my hands.
The moment we set it down, I collapsed face-first onto the tabletop, completely out of breath.
“How the hell are you so much stronger than me?” I groaned. “You’ve been like this ever since we were kids.”
Ari shrugged as she started putting food into the cabinets.
“I don’t know… good genes?”
She flashed me a kissy face.
I rolled my eyes, flipped her off, and stuck out my tongue.
She simply laughed before going back to unpacking.
“What do you want to do this week?” she asked. “School doesn’t start until the end of the month.”
“I don’t know.” I twirled one of my dark curls around my finger. “Maybe we could go out to eat somewhere. I don’t really know this part of town yet, so it’d be nice to explore.”
“Yeah, I can definitely show you around.”
She grabbed a box containing our blinds.
“Hey, Lilith? Can you hang these while I finish unpacking?”
“Don’t mind if I do.” I said as I took the blinds from her and walked toward the living room window.
As I pulled one out of the package, something caught my eye.
Movement.
I looked outside.
A pack of wolves stood just beyond the tree line.
My breath caught, they were… Beautiful. I’d never seen wolves this close before.
My eyes drifted from one wolf to another before stopping on the largest. A massive dark chocolate-brown wolf. He stood taller than the others.
He seemed stronger. More commanding. He had to be the Alpha. For some reason… I couldn’t look away. His amber eyes met mine.
There was something about them. They looked almost… Sad.
My chest tightened, a strange urge washed over me. I wanted to comfort him. To somehow tell him everything would be okay.
Why do I feel like this?
“Ari!” I called, never taking my eyes off the wolves. “Come quick! There’s a whole pack of wolves outside!”
“What?” she yelled from down the hallway. “I can’t hear you! I’m in my room!”
“Hurry!”
“Give me a minute!” She yelled back
“You hoe,” I muttered with a laugh.
When I looked back outside…
The chocolate wolf was still staring directly at me. Neither of us moved. For a brief moment… It felt like the world had disappeared for a moment.
Then suddenly all the wolves turned and disappeared into the forest.
“Damn…”
“What was I supposed to see?” Ari asked as she stepped beside me. Looking out the window
“You just missed them!”
I pointed toward the woods.
“There was a whole pack of wolves standing right there.”
“A pack?”
“They were gorgeous.” I said not realizing smiled brightly.
“But there was this huge chocolate-brown one… He was absolutely beautiful.”
Ari’s smile faltered. As she subtly sniffed the air.
Her eyes widened for the briefest second before she quickly forced a smile.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Huh?” She blinked. “Oh… yeah. I’m fine.”
“You sure?” I said squinting my eyes at her
“Yeah.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “ I’ve just… never really liked wolves, they kinda freak me out”
She avoided my eyes.
“I’m gonna get back to unpacking.”
I watched her disappear down the hallway.
“What’s going on with her, she’s never told me she was scared of wolves?” I whispered.
⸻
The rest of the evening felt… Different.
Ari barely spoke.
Whenever I asked her something, she’d either zone out or answer with a distracted hum.
She almost looked nervous.
By the time I’d finally finished unpacking my room, I glanced over at my alarm clock.
11:39 P.M.
My eyes widened.
“When did it get so late?”
Stretching, I went to grab some of my pajamas still packed in a box
I should probably get some sleep.
Opening my bedroom door, I found Ari curled up on the couch, watching one of her reality TV shows with a bag of potato chips balanced on her lap.
“Hey, girl.”
I smiled.
“I’m heading to bed.”
She looked over to me and returned a small smile. “Okay, love. Get some rest.”
She glanced around the apartment. “We’ve still got a lot of unpacking to do tomorrow.”
“You mean you still have unpacking to do.” I said as I raise an eyebrow to her
“Whatever.” She said with a laugh
Rolling my eyes, as I headed back into my room.
I went to my bathroom and began to shower doing my face routine.
When I was done I wrapped a towel around myself and walked back to my room pulling my damp hair into a messy bun.
As I pulled my shirt over my head when I heard the television go silent
Then… hearing front door opened and closed.
I paused for a moment before walking over to my bedroom door, I cracked it open just enough to peek outside.
The apartment was empty.
“What the hell…?”
I hurriedly pulled on some underwear and pajamas pants before pulling on my combat boots, threw a long-sleeved shirt over my tank top, and slipped out the front door.
Just ahead of me…
I caught a glimpse of Ari disappearing down the same trail I’d watched that mysterious girl run toward earlier with the help of the lights around the apartment.
Without thinking, I took off after her.
How is she so fast? I thought she was scared of wolves why is she running to them?
“Ari where are you going?” I yelled out
She was already disappearing into the darkness of the forest. The farther I ran, the quieter everything became.
Then… I froze.
A massive wolf stood directly in front of me.
Its eyes locked onto mine.
My heart pounded against my ribs.
“Nice… wolf,” I whispered, slowly backing away.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” My hands trembled at my sides.
I took another careful step backward.
Then another. Then Suddenly… I walked backwards into a solid chest.
Before I could scream, a strong arm wrapped around me, and a hand gently covered my mouth.
“Shh…”
A deep male voice whispered beside my ear.
“Don’t make a sound.”
- Writer
