NOT SAFE YET
267 Words
The sound came again.
Closer this time.
My body tensed instantly, every nerve on edge as I tried to focus through the darkness.
“Who’s there?” I called out, my voice steadier than I felt.
No response.
Only silence.
But it wasn’t empty.
It was watching.
Waiting.
My heart pounded harder as I took a slow step back, my mind racing through possibilities.
Was it a guard?
Did Kael send someone after me?
Or worse—
Was it something else entirely?
Another sound.
A branch snapping under weight.
Definitely not imagination.
I swallowed, forcing myself to stay calm.
Panic wouldn’t help me now.
“Show yourself,” I said.
Still nothing.
But then—
A shadow moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Before I could react, a figure stepped out from the darkness, tall and unfamiliar.
My breath caught.
He wasn’t from the pack.
I could tell immediately.
The way he carried himself.
The way his presence felt—
Different.
“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” he said.
His voice was low, calm, but there was something about it that made me uneasy.
“I could say the same about you,” I replied carefully.
A faint smirk touched his lips.
“I’ve been watching you,” he said.
My heart dropped.
“That’s not comforting.”
“It’s not meant to be,” he replied.
Silence stretched between us.
Tense.
Uncertain.
“Who are you?” I asked.
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he took a slow step closer.
And something in my chest tightened.
Because whatever this was—
It didn’t feel like help.
- Writer
