Howl in the Dark

Chapter Three: The Dead Man’s Name

The second Celeste said his name, I let go of her wrist like I’d been burned.

Elias.

The name sat between us like a ticking bomb, one that had already detonated.

I knew that name.

Everyone in this city knew that name.

Elias wasn’t just anyone—he was the kind of man whose mere presence changed the air in a room, turning it thick with unspoken threats and quiet, deadly respect. The kind of man who didn’t raise his voice because he never needed to. He had others to do his dirty work, and by the time you heard his name whispered in the right—or wrong—circles, it was already too late.

And Celeste had run from him.

I exhaled, running a hand down my face, my fingers dragging over the stubble on my jaw. “Elias is after you?”

Celeste’s shoulders curled inward like she was trying to make herself smaller. Her claws, which had extended in reflex, slowly retracted as she hugged herself. Her silver eyes darted to the door, then back to me. She looked fragile like this—something breakable, something hunted.

But that wasn’t what unnerved me.

It was the fact that she’d survived long enough to be here, in my apartment, whispering his name.

I crouched in front of her, making sure we were eye level. “Tell me the truth, Celeste. What the hell does Elias want with you?”

She swallowed hard.

Her gaze flickered again, not to the door this time but to the half-broken blinds covering my window. Like she expected him to be out there, watching.

My jaw tightened. I reached out, fingers tilting her chin up so she had no choice but to look at me. “Not happening, sweetheart. You don’t get to drop a name like that and shut down.”

For a moment, I thought she might shatter. Might break apart right in front of me. But then something changed.

Her breath hitched. Her pupils sharpened.

Then, without warning—she hissed.

It wasn’t a normal sound.

It was low, guttural, primal.

Her upper lip curled back, and for the briefest second, I saw them—fangs.

Not just slightly sharper canines. Actual, goddamn fangs.

Then, just as fast as it had happened, the moment passed.

Celeste sucked in a shaky breath, shoving my hand away. “I ran from him,” she whispered.

A cold weight settled in my gut. “Why?”

Her throat worked like she was swallowing back the truth, her hands curling in the blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

“Because I wasn’t supposed to leave.”

The way she said it sent warning bells screaming in my head.

Not I ran because he’ll kill me.

Not I saw something I shouldn’t have.

I wasn’t supposed to leave.

I pushed away from her, pacing to the other side of the room. My fingers twitched toward the pack of cigarettes on the table, rolling one between my fingers before setting it down again. I didn’t smoke. I just had bad habits.

And right now, Celeste was looking like my worst one yet.

A girl covered in blood. A body in the alley. And now Elias in the mix?

I was f****d.

I glanced back at her. She was still curled up on my cot, her shoulders trembling slightly, though she was trying to hide it.

My voice came out low, controlled. “Did he do that to you?” I nodded toward the bruises on her arms. The ones she hadn’t even tried to cover.

Her fingers dug into the blanket.

She didn’t answer.

Didn’t need to.

My teeth clenched, a familiar anger burning under my skin. I’d seen men like Elias before. The type who took what they wanted. Who owned people. Who carved out their little kingdoms in blood and power, making sure no one ever dared to take what was theirs.

I hated men like that.

Celeste’s voice was barely audible. “If he finds me, he won’t let me go again.”

Something dark twisted inside me.

“He’s not going to find you,” I said.

She flinched, her silver eyes snapping to mine. “You don’t understand—”

“I understand enough.” I took a step toward her. “You’re running. He’s chasing. And now I’m in the middle of it.”

She shook her head, panic flickering in her eyes. “You don’t know what he’s capable of. If he finds out you helped me—”

“I don’t scare easy, sweetheart.”

That wasn’t arrogance. It was just the truth.

I’d stared down the barrel of a gun more times than I cared to count. I’d seen people gutted, shot, beaten until they weren’t even recognizable. The world was ugly, and I’d stopped expecting anything different a long time ago.

But Celeste—she was something else.

Something fragile and dangerous all at once.

And I wasn’t about to hand her over to a man who built his empire out of fear.

“You don’t get it,” she whispered. “You can’t protect me from him.”

I didn’t blink. “I don’t need to.”

She frowned. “What?”

I smirked, but there was no humor in it. “Because he’s going to wish he never f*****g looked for you.”

The words hung between us, thick with promise.

Celeste searched my face like she was trying to figure out if I was bluffing.

I wasn’t.

Because if Elias wanted her—if he’d hurt her—that made this my fight, too.

And I didn’t lose fights.