CHAPTER 3_THE MORNING AFTER
957 Words
Lina woke up slowly, her head pounding like someone had been hitting a drum inside it all night.
For a few seconds, she didn’t move. Her eyes remained closed as she tried to remember why her entire body felt so heavy.
Then the memories rushed back.
The forest.
The glowing eyes.
The giant wolves fighting.
The boy with the silver eyes transforming right in front of her.
Lina’s eyes flew open.
She sat up so quickly that the room spun around her. It took a moment for her to realize she was lying on her bed in her hostel room.
Sunlight streamed through the window, filling the room with warmth.
For a brief moment, Lina wondered if everything had been a nightmare.
But the pounding in her head reminded her that it felt far too real.
“You’re finally awake!”
Lina turned her head sharply.
Her roommate Maya sat cross-legged on the other bed, staring at her with curiosity and relief.
“You scared me last night,” Maya continued. “Do you know what time it was when you came back?”
Lina blinked in confusion.
“I… came back?”
Maya raised an eyebrow.
“Yes. Around midnight. You looked like you’d seen a ghost.”
Lina’s heart skipped a beat.
“What happened?” she asked slowly.
Maya shrugged.
“You tell me. You walked into the room looking completely pale and then collapsed onto your bed without saying anything. I tried asking you what was wrong but you were already asleep.”
Lina stared at her hands.
So she had actually come back.
That meant last night wasn’t a dream.
The wolves had been real.
Her stomach twisted.
“What’s wrong?” Maya asked, studying her face carefully.
Lina hesitated.
Should she tell her?
No.
Even saying it out loud sounded crazy.
“I just… got scared,” Lina said quietly. “I thought I saw a wolf near the forest.”
Maya burst out laughing.
“A wolf? Lina, this isn’t some horror movie.”
Lina forced a small smile, but inside her chest, anxiety twisted like a knot.
If only Maya knew the truth.
It wasn’t just a wolf.
It was something far worse.
Lina climbed out of bed slowly and walked toward the window. Outside, students moved around campus normally, chatting and laughing as if nothing strange had happened the night before.
Everything looked normal.
But Lina knew better.
Somewhere in this town, creatures that weren’t human were walking among them.
And one of them had silver eyes.
Her heart beat faster at the memory.
The way he had stood in front of her.
The way he had told her to run.
The way he had protected her.
“Hello? Earth to Lina!”
Lina turned back toward Maya.
“You’ve been staring outside like a statue for two minutes,” Maya said. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” Lina replied quickly.
Maya narrowed her eyes suspiciously but didn’t push further.
“Alright then. Get dressed. We’re already late for class.”
Lina nodded and grabbed her clothes, but her mind was far away.
She couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Who was he?
How did he know her name?
And most importantly…
Was he a student at the university?
A few hours later, Lina walked through the crowded hallway of Ravenwood University, still lost in her thoughts.
Students brushed past her, their voices echoing loudly in the building.
Everything felt normal again.
Maybe too normal.
She was about to enter her classroom when she suddenly felt something strange.
A sensation.
Like someone was watching her.
Slowly, Lina turned around.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Standing at the end of the hallway was the boy from the forest.
The silver-eyed stranger.
He leaned casually against a locker, his arms crossed as he watched her.
In the bright daylight, he looked completely normal. No fur. No claws. No glowing silver wolf standing in front of her.
Just a tall, handsome boy.
But Lina knew the truth.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then he pushed himself off the locker and began walking toward her.
Each step made Lina’s heart beat faster.
When he finally stopped in front of her, he looked down at her with an unreadable expression.
“You shouldn’t have been near the forest last night,” he said quietly.
Lina crossed her arms.
“You turned into a wolf last night.”
The boy sighed.
“So you remember.”
“Of course I remember!” Lina whispered angrily. “You’re a werewolf!”
A few students walked past them, but thankfully none of them seemed to hear.
The boy glanced around the hallway cautiously before leaning slightly closer to her.
“Lower your voice,” he warned.
Lina stared at him.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t tell everyone what I saw.”
For a moment, the boy was silent.
Then he said something that made Lina’s heart nearly stop.
“Because if the wrong people find out that you saw us…”
His silver eyes darkened slightly.
“You’ll be in far more danger than you were last night.”
A chill ran down Lina’s spine.
Before she could respond, the boy turned and began walking away.
“Wait!” Lina called.
He stopped but didn’t turn around.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
There was a short pause.
Then he glanced over his shoulder.
“Adrian.”
And with that, he disappeared down the hallway—leaving Lina with more questions than answers.
And the terrifying realization that her life in Ravenwood had just become far more dangerous.
To be continued....
- Writer
