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1057 Words
I jolted upright, clutching the blanket like it could somehow save me.
“Did you hear that?” I hissed.
Jade didn’t even look up from her phone. “Probably a raccoon. Or a coyote. We’re basically in the woods, Autumn. Chill.”
“That was not a raccoon growl,” I whispered.
She made a noncommittal noise. "Okay, listen, I found a WebMD article. Top five signs of acute stress-induced hallucinations..."
I threw a pillow at her. "I'm not hallucinating!"
Jade caught it one-handed, unimpressed. "Maybe not, but you definitely need a nap and a therapist."
I stood up again, pacing the living room like a caged animal. The shadows outside the window seemed to crawl. Every creak of the old house made my skin jump.
Lukas’s words haunted me.
You feel it too.
God, I hated how a tiny part of me did feel something. That invisible thread, pulling me toward him even when my brain screamed run.
"Explain the eyes then," I said, whirling on Jade. "Explain the growling. The speed."
She shrugged. "Weird contacts. Some stupid fraternity hazing dare. Drugs. Good genes."
"You didn't see him," I said desperately. "You didn’t feel it."
Jade tilted her head. "Okay, fine. Let's say, for one insane second, that he is what he says he is. A werewolf. Big scary alpha man. What then? What's he want with you?"
I faltered.
Because that...that was the part that scared me the most.
"He said..." I swallowed hard. "He said he won’t lose me."
Jade raised her eyebrows so high they almost disappeared into her hairline. "Okay, stalker."
"He wasn’t creepy about it!" I protested, then immediately winced. "I mean, he was creepy—but not, like, Ted Bundycreepy. More like...tragic hot guy in a doomed supernatural romance novel creepy."
"Tragic hot guys usually end up dragging the heroine into a murder cult," Jade said wisely. "You’re not special, Autumn. You're not Bella Swan."
I paced faster. "I don’t know what to do."
Jade sighed and patted the couch. "First, sit down before you wear a hole in the floor. Second, breathe. Third...maybe just avoid him until you figure out if he’s actually nuts or just woodsman intense."
I sat heavily, clutching a couch pillow to my chest.
"I saw something, Jade," I whispered. "Something wrong."
Jade softened a little, reaching out to squeeze my hand. "Hey. Hey. I believe you think you saw something. But Autumn, it’s late. You’re hyped up. Your brain’s in fight-or-flight mode. Things get distorted. Memories get weird."
I nodded, but the knot in my gut didn’t loosen.
Because deep down, I knew.
I hadn’t imagined the way Lukas had looked at me—like I was the only thing tethering him to the earth.
I hadn't imagined the flash of fur in his eyes.
The way the woods themselves seemed to lean closer when he growled.
A thump sounded outside.
Both Jade and I froze.
Slowly, she put her phone down. "Please tell me you locked the door."
I nodded frantically. "Yes. Yes. Of course. I'm not an idiot."
Another thump. Louder this time.
Something scraped against the porch, heavy and deliberate.
Jade grabbed the nearest thing she could find—a ceramic lamp—and held it like a weapon.
I clutched my pillow tighter.
"Maybe it’s a deer," Jade whispered.
"Since when do deer scratch at doors?!" I hissed back.
Another scrape.
Then—
A low, resonant growl, deep enough to vibrate through the floorboards.
We both screamed.
The porch light flickered and went out.
I think my soul briefly left my body.
Jade scrambled for her phone. "Calling the cops, calling the cops, calling the goddamn cops—"
Before she could finish dialing, something slammed against the door so hard the whole house shook.
I screamed again, heart hammering painfully against my ribs.
Jade backed up toward the kitchen, lamp raised over her head like she was about to throw hands with Satan himself.
I bolted after her, grabbing a steak knife from the counter.
Not that it would do any good against whatever was out there.
Another slam. The door creaked on its hinges.
Something—or someone—was trying to get inside.
Suddenly, a howl pierced the night. Not human. Not animal.
Something worse.
I clapped my hands over my ears. "This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening, this isn’t—"
And then—
Silence.
Like the world itself held its breath.
We stood there, frozen, knives and lamps in hand, waiting for the next crash.
But it didn’t come.
The night went deathly still.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry and raw. "Is it gone?"
"I’m not checking," Jade said immediately.
We stayed there for what felt like an hour, just...listening. Breathing. Waiting.
Finally, after forever, Jade lowered her lamp.
"I think it’s safe," she whispered.
I wasn't so sure.
I crept toward the window, heart hammering in my chest.
Peeking through the blinds, I scanned the porch—
Nothing.
Just empty night and swaying shadows.
But deep in the woods, barely visible between the trees...
A pair of glowing gold eyes stared back at me.
I stumbled back with a strangled scream, falling over the coffee table.
"What?!" Jade yelped, running to me.
I pointed wildly at the window. "Eyes! In the woods! Gold!"
Jade hesitated, then peeked.
Nothing.
Of course.
Of course she didn’t see it.
"Okay," she said, setting down the lamp and rubbing her temples. "We’re both going to bed before we have a mutual breakdown."
"I’m not sleeping!" I protested. "There’s something out there!"
"And it’s probably scared off now," she said. "Or high. Or both."
She shoved a pillow and blanket into my arms. "Couch. Now. Sleep."
I opened my mouth to argue, but the sheer exhaustion crashed down on me like a wave. My limbs felt too heavy to fight anymore.
Reluctantly, I curled up on the couch, still wrapped in the blanket like a burrito.
Jade flicked off the living room lights and headed for her bedroom.
Darkness swallowed the house.
I stared at the ceiling, every creak and groan of the old wood sounding like a monster creeping closer.
Outside, the night breathed.
And somewhere, far too close for comfort...
Something howled again.
Low. Wild. Mournful.
And horribly, heartbreakingly familiar.
- Writer
