Chapter 9 : The Beast In The Dark
443 Words
Cade heard the gunshot before he saw the blood.
He ran.
His body moved on instinct, faster than any human should, his breath coming in short, sharp bursts. The scent of gunpowder mixed with something worse—coppery, thick, familiar.
Lena.
He burst through the trees just in time to see her go down.
The creature had her pinned, massive claws digging into her shoulder, forcing her against the cold pavement. Her rifle lay useless a few feet away, knocked from her grasp.
The beast lowered its head, hot breath washing over her face as it grinned.
Cade didn’t think.
He moved.
A snarl tore from his throat, raw and primal, as he slammed into the creature, tackling it off Lena with bone-breaking force.
They hit the ground hard, rolling through the dirt and dead leaves. Claws raked across Cade’s side, but he barely felt it. The pain was nothing compared to the fire in his blood.
The beast twisted, snarling. Its eyes locked onto his.
Recognition flickered in the red glow.
Then it laughed.
A deep, guttural sound that made Cade’s stomach turn.
“You’re still running, pup?” the creature rasped. “I told you—you are mine.”
Cade’s vision blurred at the edges. His muscles tensed, his skin burning, his veins turning molten.
Not now.
He gritted his teeth, forcing the shift back. Not in front of Lena.
The beast lunged.
Cade caught its throat, shoving it back with all his strength. “She’s not part of this.”
The thing grinned, teeth gleaming. “Oh, but she is. She always was.”
Cade’s grip tightened. His claws—God, his claws were showing now—dug into the creature’s flesh. “Get out of my town.”
The beast laughed again. “Your town? You think they’ll let you stay once they know what you are?”
Cade didn’t answer.
Instead, he sank his claws deeper—and ripped.
The creature howled, jerking away. It stumbled back, red eyes burning into Cade’s. Then, just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished into the trees.
Silence.
Cade turned.
Lena was staring at him.
Not at the blood on his face.
Not at the shredded wound in his side.
At his hands.
At the claws still extended from his fingertips.
Cade cursed under his breath and willed them away. The shift was slow this time, reluctant, like the wolf wasn’t ready to let go.
Lena pushed herself up, still breathing hard. “Cade…”
He met her eyes.
And in that moment, he knew.
She wasn’t just afraid of the thing in the woods.
She was afraid of him.
- Writer
