Secrets In The Shadows
1495 Words
Ivy reels from what she just saw—Devon’s glowing eyes—and the growl in the woods. He drags her away before she can process anything, forcing her to hide while something stalks nearby. Ivy panics, Devon tries (badly) to calm her, and the tension between them explodes.
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The world had tilted.
One second I was jogging home, telling myself the crunching behind me was a squirrel. The next, I was pinned against Devon’s chest, his hand over my mouth, his eyes lit up like headlights in the dark.
I couldn’t even scream.
My pulse was hammering so fast it felt like my ribs might crack open.
He didn’t let me go. Instead, he shoved me down into the ditch at the edge of the road, his body blocking mine, one hand pressed to the dirt like he was bracing for an earthquake.
“Stay still,” he hissed.
My brain screamed at me to run, to fight, to do something, but my body? Useless. Completely frozen.
Another growl came from the woods—closer this time, low and wet and wrong. The hair on the back of my neck stood up.
Devon’s muscles tensed. For the first time, I realized he wasn’t looking at me like prey—he was looking past me, into the trees, like a predator sizing up another predator.
“What is that?” I whispered, barely able to get the words out.
“Not your problem.” His eyes flicked down to me, still glowing faintly. “Keep quiet if you want to live.”
Excuse me?
“I don’t—”
He clapped his hand gently back over my mouth before I could finish, shooting me a glare so sharp it cut off every protest.
Then he tilted his head, listening.
The growling stopped. The woods went dead silent.
Every second stretched unbearably long, until finally he released me and stood, pulling me up with him.
“Go home. Now.” His voice was tight, controlled, but under it—something else. Something like fear.
I opened my mouth, questions ready to fire out, but he cut me off with a look that said don’t push it.
And then he was gone, melting into the trees without another word.
I was left on the side of the road, trembling, breath ragged, one thought banging around in my skull:
What the hell is Devon?
I didn’t sleep.
At all.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw golden ones burning in the dark, the way Devon looked at me like… like he wasn’t human.
So by the time I dragged myself into school, I was a zombie. A grumpy, sleep-deprived zombie who just wanted to keep her head down and not talk about glowing eyes or growls or bad-boy alphas who apparently doubled as forest monsters.
Riley, of course, had other plans.
She slammed her tray down across from me at breakfast, leaned in like a detective, and narrowed her eyes. “Spill.”
I blinked at her. “Spill what?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Ivy.” She pointed her spoon like it was a weapon. “You look like you wrestled with a demon last night. Did Devon bite you? Is that why you’re pale? Show me your neck.”
My head dropped into my hands. “Please stop existing.”
“Oh my god.” She gasped, grabbing my wrist. “You’re totally hiding a bite mark!”
“I am not hiding a bite mark!”
“Then prove it.”
“No!”
Her eyes lit up. “So there is one.”
I groaned so hard it rattled the table. “Riley, listen carefully: nothing happened. There are no bite marks, no vampire bites, no—”
“Werewolf scratches?” she cut in gleefully.
I froze.
And Riley, being Riley, noticed instantly. She leaned forward, her grin stretching wider than should be humanly possible. “Oh. My. God. I was right.”
“You were not right!” I snapped, way too defensive.
“Yes, I was.” She jabbed the spoon at me again. “You hesitated. That’s practically a confession.”
I wanted to throw myself into the nearest trash can.
“Riley, listen, you need to stop.” I lowered my voice, glancing around nervously. “If Devon hears you—”
“What? He’ll sprout fur and howl at the moon in the cafeteria?” she whispered dramatically.
I kicked her under the table.
But the worst part?
When I looked up, Devon was walking into the cafeteria—and his gaze locked right on me.
“Don’t look now,” Riley whispered, eyes darting toward the cafeteria doors, “but Mr. Wolfy Bad Boy himself is staring at you like you’re his next meal.”
I groaned. “Please never say that sentence again.”
But she wasn’t wrong. Devon’s gaze was locked on me, dark and sharp like he could hear every word Riley said.
Which… knowing my luck, he probably could.
“I think he heard us,” Riley hissed.
“Of course he heard us, you were basically screaming werewolf across the room!”
I didn’t even get to finish yelling at her before a shadow loomed over the table.
“Get up.”
Devon’s voice was low, dangerous, and way too close.
My stomach dropped straight to the floor. “What?”
“I said get up.” His eyes flicked to Riley, who instantly clammed up, spoon halfway to her mouth. Then back to me. “Now.”
Riley mouthed ohmygod about three times while I reluctantly shoved my chair back. Devon didn’t wait—he just grabbed my arm and hauled me out of the cafeteria, past a dozen gawking faces.
I stumbled to keep up, glaring at him. “What the hell is your problem?”
He didn’t answer until we were outside, the cold air biting at my skin. Then he spun on me, his grip tightening just enough to make me freeze.
“My problem,” he hissed, “is that you don’t know how to shut up.”
My pulse spiked. “Excuse me?”
“You think this is a joke? You think you can sit in there with your little friend and play ‘guess the monster’ like it won’t get you killed?” His voice was sharp, deadly serious.
Something hot flared in my chest. Fear, sure—but also anger. “Maybe if you stopped being so mysterious and creepy, people wouldn’t have to guess!”
His jaw clenched. His eyes flickered, just for a second, like the gold was trying to break through again.
I swallowed hard, but forced my voice steady. “If you don’t want me talking, then tell me the truth. What are you?”
For a long moment, he just stared at me, like he was actually considering it.
Then he leaned in, close enough that his breath brushed my ear, and said, “You don’t want to know.”
“I don’t want to know?” I repeated, my voice pitching higher. “Are you actually kidding me right now? You dragged me out here like some mafia boss, growled at me in front of the entire cafeteria, and now you’re—”
“Shut up,” Devon snapped, suddenly alert.
I froze.
It wasn’t the words—it was the way his head tilted, like he heard something I couldn’t. His body went rigid, every muscle coiled tight, eyes locked on the trees bordering the school yard.
“Devon?” My voice dropped.
He didn’t answer.
Then I heard it too—a low, guttural growl drifting from the woods. Not the same as last night, but close enough to make my stomach twist.
Panic rose in my chest. “Tell me that was a dog.”
Devon turned his head slowly, his eyes catching the light. Only this time they weren’t gold—they were glowing brighter, an almost inhuman fire.
And then it happened. His hand, still gripping my arm, tightened—claws, actual claws, digging lightly into my sleeve where his nails should’ve been.
I gasped, yanking back. “Oh my god.”
He swore under his breath, jerking his hand away, curling it into a fist like he could hide what I just saw.
“Ivy.” His voice was sharp, urgent. “Go back inside. Now.”
I stumbled backward, heart pounding, my brain screaming at me to run but my eyes locked on him—on the boy with glowing eyes and claws who wasn’t supposed to exist.
Another growl rippled from the trees, closer. Devon’s lip curled, a flash of teeth too sharp, too white.
“Go!” he barked, louder this time.
And finally, my legs listened. I turned and bolted toward the school, one thought crashing louder than the rest:
Riley was right.
- Writer
