the last Nightspire

the unseen threat

As we entered the house we’d been living in for the past six months, I went straight to my room. Bonny thundered up the stairs behind me, planting her foot in the doorway before I could slam it shut.

I threw myself onto the bed, burying my face in my pillow, and let the tears flow. Bonny sighed, sitting next to me and gently patting my head.

“Let’s celebrate his birthday,” she said softly. “We’ll go to the store, buy a cake, and get more chocolate. We’ll remember him together. He was a great brother, you know… And because of him, you’re still here. That has to count for something. You have to try to be happy and look at it positively. Please, don’t be sad anymore. I know it hurts.”

Bonny’s words struck something deep in me. She was right. I wiped my tears with the sleeve of my hoodie, took a shaky breath, and nodded. “Okay.”

We went to the store, and Bonny kept talking to keep my mind off things. I barely heard her, though. My thoughts were somewhere else—lost between memories of Jay and the ache in my chest that refused to leave.

As I wandered mindlessly down an aisle, I froze.

That feeling again. Eyes on me.

A chill ran down my spine. I stopped mid-step and glanced over my shoulder, scanning the shelves and corners of the store. Empty. I saw nothing. But the sensation lingered, crawling under my skin like an itch I couldn’t scratch.

“I don’t have my wolf yet,” I muttered under my breath. Without her, I couldn’t sense who—or what—was near me. Right now, I was basically human. Vulnerable.

Bonny didn’t have that problem. She was nineteen and had already shifted. I envied her sometimes, but mostly, I was happy for her. She was dating someone in secret—Draven Stormgale. He was the kind of handsome that made heads turn, all sharp features and quiet power. The kind of man that girls like me only read about in books. Bonny adored him, and even though he wasn’t her mate, she’d chosen him.

She told me about their stolen moments and sneaking out to see him. I’d only seen Draven three times, but I couldn’t deny how much he cared about her. Bonny’s mother, though, had other plans. She was already preparing a ball for Bonny’s birthday, hoping she’d meet her fated mate among the single alphas. Bonny didn’t want that. She wanted Draven.

Me? I couldn’t even think about mates right now. Isaac had ruined that for me. What he did was still a fresh wound, and the thought of love felt impossible. I buried myself in my studies instead. I was in my second year of a Ph.D. in Computer Science, determined to finish two years early so I could get away—far away—from all of this.

I was pulling my groceries toward the checkout when I froze.

The world tilted on its axis.

Across the store, between shelves of bread and canned soup, I saw someone—tall, hooded, familiar. My heart stopped.

Isaac.

It was him. It had to be him.

Panic hit me like a wave. My vision blurred, my hands trembled, and I couldn’t breathe. I dropped everything—my basket hit the floor with a crash—and sprinted toward the back exit of the store.

“Aneles!” Bonny shouted behind me, her voice sharp with confusion. “What’s wrong?”

But I couldn’t stop. My legs carried me faster than I thought possible, my lungs burning as I bolted through the alley and toward the one place I felt safe—Thyra’s house.

I burst through the door, gasping, my panic spilling out as a scream. “I saw him! Isaac! He’s here—he knows I’m here!”

Thyra, my rock, dropped everything she was holding and rushed to me. She pulled me into her arms, murmuring soothing words as she rubbed my back.

“It’s okay,” she whispered. “You’re safe now. We’ll figure this out. I’ll speak to the Alpha—we’ll leave as soon as possible. Another pack will take us in. We’ll get a visa and go somewhere far away. Somewhere safe.”

But her words didn’t settle me. I shook my head violently. “I don’t want to run again! Not until I graduate.” My voice broke. “I just need to finish school. I can’t keep running forever.”

Thyra’s gaze softened, her hand brushing my hair back. “We’ll talk to the Alpha. He’ll know what to do.”