CHAPTER 5_THE RULE OF THE PACK
769 Words
Lina couldn’t stop thinking about what Adrian said.
Weaknesses don’t survive.
The words echoed in her mind long after she and Maya left the café.
Maya had been chatting excitedly about an upcoming campus party, but Lina barely heard anything she said.
Her mind was somewhere else.
Somewhere darker.
Somewhere in the world Adrian had hinted at.
By evening, Lina sat alone on her bed in the hostel room while Maya was in the bathroom getting ready to go out.
The room was quiet except for the soft hum of the ceiling fan.
Lina stared at the ceiling, replaying the day over and over again.
Adrian.
His friends.
The girl—Victoria.
The way she had looked at Lina like she was something small and unimportant.
A human.
“Ugh,” Lina groaned, sitting up.
She hated feeling confused and left out.
If werewolves existed—and Adrian clearly was one—then she deserved to know what was going on.
After all, she had nearly been attacked because of them.
Just then, her phone buzzed.
Lina frowned.
She picked it up and looked at the screen.
Unknown Number.
Her heart skipped slightly.
She hesitated before opening the message.
Unknown.
stop asking questions.
Lina’s eyes widened.
Her fingers quickly typed a reply.
Lina:
"Who's this "
The reply came almost immediately.
Unknown:
You already know.
Lina’s stomach dropped.
Adrian.
Lina:
"How did you get my number?"
There was a short pause before the next message appeared.
Adrian:
That’s not important.
Lina rolled her eyes.
Lina:
It is to me.
Another pause.
Then:
Adrian:
Listen carefully, Lina. The less you know about us, the safer you are.
Her fingers hovered over the screen.
Lina:
I Lina’s eyes widened by one of you last night.
This time, Adrian didn’t reply for almost a minute.
When he finally did, the message was longer.
Adrian:
That wolf wasn’t part of my pack. It belongs to a rogue group that hunts outside the rules.
Lina frowned.
Lina:
Rules?
Three dots appeared on the screen as Adrian typed.
Adrian:
Every werewolf belongs to a pack. Packs have laws. One of the biggest rules is protecting humans.
Lina read the message twice.
Lina:
So the wolf that attacked me broke the rules?
Adrian:
Yes.
Lina felt a strange mix of fear and curiosity growing inside her.
Lina:
Then why did Victoria say humans shouldn’t be involved?
The typing dots appeared again… then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Finally, Adrian replied.
Adrian:
Because humans complicate things.
Lina stared at the message.
Her curiosity only grew stronger.
Lina:
And what exactly is your role in this pack?
This time the response came almost instantly.
Adrian:
That’s something you definitely shouldn’t know.
Lina smirked slightly.
That sounded suspicious.
Lina:
Let me guess… you’re important.
No reply came for a full minute.
Then her phone buzzed again.
Adrian:
Stay away from the forest tonight.
Lina frowned.
Lina:
Why?
No response.
She waited.
Still nothing.
“Seriously?” Lina muttered.
She tossed her phone onto the bed.
At that moment, Maya walked out of the bathroom wearing a glittery top.
“Okay,” Maya said, spinning around dramatically. “Be honest. Do I look amazing or extremely amazing?”
Lina laughed softly.
“You look great.”
“Of course I do,” Maya said confidently.
Then she noticed Lina’s serious expression.
“Alright, what’s going on?” Maya asked, sitting beside her. “You’ve been acting weird all day.”
Lina hesitated.
She couldn’t tell Maya about werewolves.
But she also hated lying.
“Just school stress,” Lina said finally.
Maya narrowed her eyes but didn’t argue.
“Well, stress or not, you’re coming to the party tonight.”
Lina shook her head.
“I think I’ll stay in.”
Maya gasped dramatically.
“Lina Carter voluntarily skipping a party? This must be serious.”
Lina forced a smile.
“Go have fun.”
After Maya left, the room became quiet again.
Lina picked up her phone once more.
Adrian’s final message still glowed on the screen.
Stay away from the forest tonight.
Her curiosity burned stronger than ever.
Why tonight?
What was going to happen?
Lina walked toward the window and looked outside.
The moon had already risen high in the sky.
Bright.
Full.
Something about it made her uneasy.
Suddenly, a distant howl echoed from the forest.
Lina’s heart raced.
Then another howl answered it.
And another.
Her stomach tightened as she realized something terrifying.
Tonight wasn’t going to be normal.
Not for the werewolves.
And definitely not for her.
To be continued...
- Writer
