CHAPTER 4_SECRETES IN THE SHADOWS
872 Words
Lina stood frozen in the hallway long after Adrian disappeared.
Students continued walking past her, laughing, talking, and rushing to their classes, completely unaware that the quiet university they attended might be hiding creatures that could turn into wolves.
Werewolves.
Lina shook her head slowly, trying to clear her thoughts.
“This is insane,” she whispered to herself.
But no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, she knew what she had seen. The way Adrian’s body had changed, the way the silver-eyed wolf had fought to protect her—it had all been real.
And now he was somewhere in the same school as her.
The thought made her heart race again.
“Lina!”
Maya suddenly appeared beside her, nearly making her jump.
“Why are you standing here like someone paused you?” Maya asked.
Lina forced a small laugh. “Nothing, I was just thinking.”
Maya glanced down the hallway curiously. “Thinking about what? Or who?”
“Nothing!” Lina said quickly.
Maya smirked. “Uh-huh. Sure.”
Before Lina could respond, the bell rang loudly through the building.
“Come on,” Maya said, grabbing her wrist. “Professor Daniels will literally lock the door if we’re late again.”
The rest of the morning passed slowly for Lina. She tried to focus on the lectures, but her mind kept drifting back to Adrian.
His silver eyes.
The warning in his voice.
You’ll be in far more danger than you were last night.
What did he mean by that?
Were there more of them?
The thought made Lina shiver.
After classes ended, Maya suggested they stop by the campus café.
“I need coffee,” Maya announced dramatically. “If I don’t get caffeine, I might actually collapse.”
Lina agreed quietly, still distracted.
The café was busy with students chatting and studying. Lina ordered a drink and sat at a small table by the window while Maya went to grab snacks.
As Lina stirred her coffee absentmindedly, a strange feeling crept over her again.
That same sensation.
Like someone was watching her.
Slowly, she looked up.
Across the café, Adrian sat at a corner table.
He wasn’t alone.
Three other students were sitting with him—two boys and a girl. They looked like ordinary college students, but there was something about them that made Lina uneasy.
The girl had sharp features and long dark hair. She leaned toward Adrian as she spoke, her expression serious.
One of the boys suddenly glanced toward Lina.
Their eyes met.
For a split second, his pupils flashed a strange golden color.
Lina’s breath caught.
More werewolves.
Adrian noticed where his friend was looking and followed his gaze.
When his silver eyes met Lina’s again, his expression immediately hardened.
The girl beside him frowned.
“Adrian?” she said.
But he was already standing.
Lina’s heart started beating faster as he walked toward her table.
When he reached her, he lowered his voice.
“You need to stop staring at us like that.”
Lina blinked in shock.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re drawing attention,” he continued calmly.
Lina crossed her arms.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I wasn’t allowed to look at the guy who turned into a wolf in front of me.”
Adrian sighed.
“You don’t understand how dangerous this is.”
“Then explain it to me,” Lina challenged.
For a moment, Adrian seemed to consider it.
But then he shook his head.
“Not here.”
Before Lina could protest, the girl from his table walked over.
Her eyes moved slowly over Lina, clearly studying her.
There was something cold about her gaze.
“Adrian,” she said sharply. “Why are you talking to her?”
Adrian didn’t answer immediately.
The girl looked at Lina again, her expression filled with clear dislike.
“Who is she?”
Lina opened her mouth to respond, but Adrian spoke first.
“She’s nobody.”
The words stung more than Lina expected.
The girl seemed satisfied with that answer.
“Good,” she said coldly. “Because humans shouldn’t be involved in our business.”
Lina’s eyes widened slightly.
Humans.
Adrian quickly stepped between them.
“That’s enough, Victoria,” he said firmly.
Victoria scoffed and turned away.
“Just remember the rules, Adrian.”
She walked back to the table without another glance.
An awkward silence hung between Lina and Adrian.
Finally, Lina spoke.
“So… I’m nobody?”
Adrian ran a hand through his hair.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
Adrian looked at her carefully.
His silver eyes softened slightly.
“I meant that if my pack thinks you’re important to me…”
He paused.
“They might see you as a weakness.”
A chill ran through Lina’s body.
“And in our world,” Adrian continued quietly, “weaknesses don’t survive.”
For the first time since arriving in Ravenwood, Lina realized something truly terrifying.
She hadn’t just discovered a secret.
She had stepped into a dangerous world she knew nothing about.
And somehow…
She was already part of it.
To be continued....
- Writer
