When Wolves Watch

Chapter Five – The Warning

The morning felt wrong.

I dragged myself out of bed with heavy eyes. I couldn't sleep again after seeing those golden lights at my window. Every sound in the night had made me jump. Every shadow looked alive.

My father was already gone for work, his coffee mug still sitting half full on the table. The house felt empty, but not safe. Not anymore.

I sat down, trying to force a piece of bread down my throat, but my stomach twisted. My vexation pushed the plate away.

Then came the knock.

Sharp. Strong.

Three times.

My heart jumped into my throat. Nobody knocked on their door this early.

I stood, slow, feet dragging against the floor. I reached for the handle, but my hand trembled. Something in my gut told me not to open. To pretend I wasn’t home.

Then the voice came.

“Lilian.”

I froze cause I knew I'm not strong enough.

That voice. Smooth. Heavy. Dangerous.

I pulled but the door open before I could stop myself.

And there he was.

The man from the café. The man from the nightmare. The billionaire with the golden eyes.

He stood on my porch like he had every right to be there. Dressed in black again. Clean. Sharp. Powerful. But the air around him wasn’t normal. It shoved down on my chest, made my heart beat too fast.

I grabbed the doorframe. “Why are you here?”

His lips twisted, not quite a smile, not quite a threat. “Because you walk too close to the dark.”

My throat moved dry. “What do you mean?”

“You should not be on the road at night,” he said. His voice was calm, but it hit like thunder. “You should not wander near the trees. Not now. Not when the hunt has begun.”

My skin prickled. “Hunt?”

He leaned closer. His perfume was sharp, wood and smoke. His eyes glowed faintly in the morning light, as if darkness still lived inside him.

“Listen carefully, Lilian,” he said. “Do not run when the shadows move. Do not look too long when the eyes find you. And most of all…” He paused, his breath brushing my ear. “Do not trust anyone who smiles at you in the dark.”

My knees are nearly worn-out. I hugged the door tighter.

“You’re scaring me,” I said.

“Good,” he said, pulling back. “Fear keeps you alive.”

I stared at him, words stuck in my chest. I wanted to slam the door in his face. I wanted to demand answers. I wanted to scream.

But then he stepped off the porch, slow and steady, like a king leaving his throne.

I called after him before I could stop myself. “Wait! What’s your name?”

He turned, eyes burning like a warning fire.

“You’ll know it when you’re ready.”

And then he walked away, disappearing into the street like the shadows swallowed him whole.

I stood frozen in the doorway, heart hammering, hands shaking.

The house was still. The bread on the table was cold. But I knew one thing for sure.

The nightmare had walked into my daylight.

And it had spoken my name.