Chapter 07: The beast
1209 Words
Mia felt rooted to the spot, even as something primal inside her screamed for her to run. Her heart suddenly kicked into overdrive, and it was like the air had been sucked from her lungs. She finished turning slowly, as if refusing to look at him could somehow make the moment not real—but it didn’t matter. He was there. And the second their eyes locked, she knew this wasn’t just the Tomas she remembered. Something was off. The light in his eyes—too sharp, too intense. His irises, completely red.
“Mia.” The voice was low, almost guttural.
She stepped back, her entire body tense, mind racing through every worst-case scenario.
“Stay away from me.”
Tomas didn’t move. Didn’t even blink. And his eyes... they weren’t just red like a wolf’s when he shifted. They were empty, like a deep well. Ancient. As if something else—something older—was staring out from behind his skin. The curse. Not just the one that came when he shifted. This was something darker. The cursed part of Tomas, the ancestral spirit—or whatever it was—that lived in the beast inside him.
Mia’s mouth went dry as she stared at the creature, too stunned to speak. She’d never imagined this. Hell, she hadn’t even known it was possible for the beast to rise like this.
“Tomas… are you… are you okay?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
She clenched her fists at her sides. She wouldn’t show fear. Wouldn’t give in to panic. She’d heard the stories—the terrible ones—about the beasts cursed wolves carried inside them, but she wouldn’t let that paralyze her now.
“Tomas, what happened to you?” This time, her voice came out steadier—almost how she’d meant it to.
The creature tilted its head, curious. Like a predator.
Mia forced herself to stay still. If Tomas was the predator now, she couldn’t act like prey. And running? That was exactly what prey would do.
“You should’ve gone back to the party,” she said, trying to fill the silence between them—that thick, oppressive stillness that made her skin crawl.
She watched as he inhaled deeply, his chest rising and falling slow, like he was scenting the air. Scenting her. God, why was this happening? Tomas always kept himself in check. After all these years with the curse, he had control. So why now?
“You’re so close, Mia.” The guttural voice cracked the silence, making her flinch. “I can feel you.”
And then it clicked. The beast had taken over tonight because of the potion.
Mia stepped back again, almost without realizing it—and froze when she saw the slow smile spreading across Tomas’s lips. He ran his tongue over them, eyes never leaving hers.
“The truth. It’s screaming inside me. Why are you hiding it?” The voice, now deeper still, rumbled between them like a warning.
Mia froze. Her breath hitched. The world seemed to hold its breath. He could feel the bond. Not Tomas, the man—but the thing inside him. The cursed part. The beast.
It had sensed the connection between them.
The fear that crashed into Mia hit so violently it made her stumble. Everything was ruined. All those years spent protecting herself, protecting both of them... and now the Akello had destroyed it all. Always the damn Akello.
She clenched her fists so tightly her nails bit into her palms. She couldn’t let this happen. She couldn’t let Tomas find out—at least not like this.
And she sure as hell wasn’t going to let that beast, watching her with a mix of amusement and curiosity, take control of the moment.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her voice held steady, even with her heart pounding like a war drum in her chest. Still, she straightened and lifted her chin like she wasn’t absolutely terrified. “You should be at the party.”
“And you should be telling him the truth.” The beast countered, tilting his head slightly, studying her like a puzzle he meant to solve.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she repeated, firmer now.
“I’m older than anything you know, little one.” He stepped forward, his movements fluid and deadly—like a panther stalking its prey. “You really think that bracelet can stop me from feeling you?”
“Why do you think I wear the bracelet?”
That made him pause.
The beast studied her more closely now, so long and intently that Mia had to fight the urge to scream.
“Because you love him.” His voice came out more serious this time, laced with something ancient—something that felt like truth.
And then, before she could even react, he lunged.
“No!” she shouted, just before he reached her.
The beast froze, one foot suspended mid-step between them.
“You belong to us,” he said, eyes sweeping over her.
“I don’t belong to you.”
There were barely twelve inches between them now. From that distance, she could feel the heat rolling off him... and the power that made her skin prickle.
He planted his feet and smiled. “So you admit you belong to him?”
“I don’t belong to anyone but myself.” The resolve in her voice—the sheer effort to sound sure of herself—only made his smile widen.
“I think you’re wrong, little one. And I think you know it.”
He raised a hand, tracing the air along her cheek without touching her—but Mia still felt it. The heat, the spark, the ghost of that touch lingering on her skin.
“Don’t worry. Tomas will never know about our little encounter.” The beast locked eyes with her, pulling her in like a current too strong to resist. “I’m not going to tell him anything.”
“No?” She wanted to look away, to ignore the phantom of that touch still burning across her cheek, but it was like her body refused to move.
“No. It’ll be much better when you’re the one who tells him.” He lowered his hand and added, “Until next time, little one.”
Mia stayed frozen, watching him walk away with slow, confident strides.
God… what had just happened? What did it even mean?
“Mia?”
She jolted at the sound of Daniel’s voice. Spun around, startled by how close he was.
When had he gotten there? How had he gotten so near without her noticing?
“You’re pale. What happened?” Her brother’s gaze scanned her from head to toe.
She shook her head, trying to shove the image of Tomas out of her mind—those red, ancient eyes. That beast.
“I’m fine,” she said with a smile, slipping on another one of her masks. Another shield to hide how she really felt—from the world, and from herself.
“I’m guessing you want to know how Amelia’s doing.”
- Writer
