The Gift
957 Words
Selena’s POV
The knock never came again.
I stood frozen, ears straining into the silence. My skin felt too tight, stretched thin over racing nerves. Nothing. Just the heavy, unnatural quiet that pressed in from all sides.
“Selena,” Isadora whispered behind me. “Go check who it is.”
I swallowed hard.
My feet dragged like they were weighted with stone as I approached the door. I paused with my hand hovering over the handle, heart hammering. Then I pulled it open.
No one.
The path outside was empty, shadows stretching long and still under the moonlight. I scanned left, then right. Nothing but the faint chirp of crickets and the restless whisper of wind.
A chill slid down my spine.
“Who is it?” Isadora called.
“No one,” I answered, my voice barely carrying.
I was about to step back inside when something caught my eye.
There, tucked against the side of the door, sat a plain brown carton.
My heart stuttered. It definitely hadn’t been there before.
I crouched slowly, studying it like it might bite. After a careful glance around the compound, I called out into the darkness.
“Hello?”
Only silence answered.
The night watched. Waiting.
A whisper of fear told me to leave it. But then another thought slipped in, warm and hopeful.
*What if it’s from him?*
Alpha Kael.
The idea chased away some of the dread. Maybe it was a gift.
A small smile tugged at my lips. I picked up the carton and carried it inside, shutting the door quickly behind me.
When I turned, Isadora was already staring, eyes bright with curiosity.
“So?” she asked. “Who was it?”
“No one.” I tried to sound casual. “But they left this.”
Her gaze dropped to the box, and a slow, mischievous smile spread across her face.
“Ohhh,” she drew out. “Alpha Kael visits at night *and* sends gifts? Look at you.”
I rolled my eyes, but I didn’t deny it.
“You’re not telling me everything,” she added, narrowing her eyes playfully.
Instead of answering, I carried the carton to the table. “I’ll open it.”
“Hurry up,” she said, hovering close. “You’re killing me with suspense.”
I lifted the lid carefully.
At first, it looked innocent. A beautiful white gown lay neatly folded inside, elegant and glowing softly in the dim light. The kind of dress meant for someone important. Someone *chosen*.
My heart fluttered.
I reached out to touch the soft fabric—then froze.
“Selena,” Isadora’s voice had changed.
I shifted the gown slightly, and my stomach dropped.
Blood.
Dark, fresh crimson stained the pure white material.
I jerked back as if burned. The gown slipped from my fingers and pooled on the floor like a wounded thing.
I stumbled away, heart slamming against my ribs.
The blood looked too fresh. Too real.
“This… this can’t be from Alpha Kael,” I whispered, shaking my head. “It’s not him.”
Someone else had done this. Someone sending a message.
My hands trembled as I forced myself to pick up the gown again, holding it by the edges. The stain had ruined its beauty, turning something pure into something threatening.
I was about to shove it back into the box when Isadora spoke.
“Selena. Wait.”
She pointed.
Something small was pinned to the fabric.
She reached for the note and held it out. “Take it.”
“I—I can’t,” I whispered. “You read it.”
Isadora hesitated, then unfolded the paper. Her hands shook slightly as her eyes moved across the words.
“What does it say?” My voice came out hoarse.
She swallowed, then read aloud:
“You dared walk with the Alpha after all my warnings.
What you have done cannot go unanswered.
Come to the Northern Forest alone tomorrow night. For your safety, do not involve the Alpha.
Or we will come for your beloved children… and for you.”
Silence crashed down, thick and suffocating.
My hand flew to my mouth. The children. Nyra.
“No,” I breathed.
Isadora stepped closer, gripping my hands. Her voice was firm despite the fear in her eyes. “Selena, listen to me. This is serious. Whoever sent this means it.”
“I can’t let anything happen to them,” I choked out. Pain twisted sharp in my chest.
She squeezed my hands. “Breathe.”
I tried. Slow. Shaky.
“The Northern Forest,” she said quietly. “You know what that place is. Wolves go in… they don’t come out.”
I nodded weakly.
“They’re trying to trap you,” she continued, her tone turning calm and controlled. “Leave it to me. I’ll handle it. You just need to rest.”
Something felt… off. But I trusted her. I always had.
Slowly, I nodded. “Okay.”
She smiled. “Good.”
I moved to the bed on heavy legs and lay down, staring at the ceiling. The threat pressed down on me like a physical weight.
Isadora carefully folded the ruined gown and placed it back in the carton. Then she moved toward the door and paused.
“Selena?”
I turned my head.
“Promise me you won’t go to the forest.”
Her voice was soft. Too soft.
I swallowed. “I promise.”
She smiled, satisfied. “Good.”
She slipped out, closing the door quietly behind her.
Sleep never came that night. Only the echo of those words, circling endlessly in the dark.
Or we will come for your beloved children…
- Writer
