Chapter 5: The Shadow in the Woods
966 Words
Jake didn't move.
From his position beneath the trees, he watched Savannah carefully.
The blonde wolf stood nearly a hundred yards away, hidden in the darkness.
Watching Alice's house.
Watching his mate.
His wolf snarled.
Mine.
Jake clenched his jaw.
Savannah knew exactly what she was doing.
She wanted a reaction.
She wanted him angry.
Protective.
Possessive.
Unfortunately for her, she was succeeding.
The moment Savannah realized he'd spotted her, she smirked.
Then disappeared deeper into the woods.
Jake considered following.
Instead, he looked back toward Alice's darkened bedroom window.
Protecting Alice came first.
Always.
Even if she didn't know it yet.
Alice woke before sunrise.
Which was unusual.
Even stranger was the feeling that someone had been watching her.
The sensation lingered as she sat up in bed.
The room was empty.
The house was quiet.
Still, unease settled in her stomach.
She glanced toward the window.
Nothing.
Just trees.
The same trees she'd seen every day for years.
Yet somehow they looked different.
Darker.
Almost alive.
A shiver ran down her spine.
"Okay," she muttered.
"Too many fantasy books."
Still...
The feeling wouldn't go away.
School was chaos.
By lunch, everyone was talking about Savannah Blake.
Again.
Alice sat in the library pretending to read.
Actually reading? Impossible.
Not when two girls nearby were discussing Savannah's latest appearance.
"She was talking to Jake again."
"They'd look so good together."
"They totally belong together."
Alice forced herself to focus on her book.
She didn't care.
She absolutely did not care.
Not even a little.
The fact that her stomach hurt was completely unrelated.
Totally.
"Is this seat taken?"
Alice nearly dropped her pen.
Jake.
Again.
The boy was becoming a problem.
"No."
His grin appeared instantly.
"Good."
Jake sat across from her.
Ignoring the dozens of other empty seats.
Alice tried not to notice.
Failed.
"What are you reading today?" he asked.
She held up the cover.
Jake studied it.
"'Legends of Ancient Bloodlines.'"
Alice froze.
Most people glanced at titles.
Jake actually read them.
"It's for a research project."
"Interesting subject."
Something about his tone made her suspicious.
"Why?"
Jake shrugged.
"No reason."
Liar.
The word flashed through her mind.
Not because she thought Jake was a bad person.
Because she suddenly felt like he was hiding something.
A lot of something.
Across the cafeteria, Savannah watched them.
Every laugh.
Every smile.
Every glance.
The future Alpha was falling.
Hard.
That alone was dangerous.
But what truly worried Savannah was the human girl herself.
Alice Rae wasn't supposed to exist.
At least not according to the stories she'd grown up hearing.
Yet there she was.
Breathing.
Living.
Wearing the same family name.
Savannah's fingers tightened around her tray.
The elders had been right.
The bloodline survived.
And if Alice discovered what she truly was...
Everything would change.
After school, Alice headed toward her car.
The parking lot was unusually empty.
Most students had already left.
She adjusted the strap of her backpack.
Then stopped.
A sound echoed behind her.
A low growl.
Alice spun around.
Nothing.
Her pulse quickened.
"Hello?"
Silence.
The growl came again.
Closer.
The hair on the back of her neck stood up.
Something was there.
Watching.
The feeling was overwhelming now.
Predatory.
Wrong.
Fear surged through her.
Then suddenly—
A massive gray wolf stepped from between two parked cars.
Alice froze.
The creature was enormous.
Far larger than any normal wolf.
Golden eyes locked onto hers.
The animal growled.
Alice couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
Couldn't move.
The wolf took a step forward.
Then another.
Her heart hammered violently.
This wasn't possible.
Wolves didn't just appear in school parking lots.
They definitely weren't this big.
The wolf crouched.
Preparing to lunge.
Alice stumbled backward.
Terror flooded her body.
And then—
A furious roar exploded across the parking lot.
A second wolf burst from the tree line.
Black.
Massive.
Terrifying.
The creature slammed into the gray wolf with enough force to crack pavement.
Alice screamed.
The two wolves crashed into a parked truck.
Metal bent.
Glass shattered.
Growls and snarls filled the air.
The gray wolf recovered first.
But the black wolf was faster.
Stronger.
Deadlier.
Its golden eyes burned with pure rage.
The black wolf pinned the attacker to the ground.
A warning growl shook the entire parking lot.
The gray wolf immediately submitted.
Whining.
Retreating.
Then it fled.
Disappearing into the woods.
The black wolf didn't follow.
Instead, it turned.
Toward Alice.
Fear rooted her in place.
The wolf stared at her.
Those golden eyes felt familiar somehow.
Like she'd seen them before.
The creature took one cautious step closer.
Not threatening.
Almost concerned.
Protective.
"Alice!"
The shout shattered the moment.
The wolf's head snapped toward the school building.
Students were coming.
Teachers too.
When Alice looked back, the wolf was already gone.
Vanished.
Like it had never existed.
Leaving her standing alone in the parking lot.
Shaking.
Terrified.
And completely confused.
That night, Jake sat on the edge of his bed.
Blood stained his knuckles.
His wolf paced restlessly beneath his skin.
He'd failed.
Someone had gotten close to Alice.
Far too close.
Mason entered the room.
"You okay?"
"No."
Jake's voice was cold.
Dangerously cold.
"The rogue shouldn't have known where she was."
Mason's face darkened.
"You think someone sent him?"
Jake immediately thought of Savannah.
But something told him the truth was even worse.
Because rogues didn't attack random humans.
Not like that.
Not in broad daylight.
Not unless they were given a reason.
And Alice Rae was becoming the center of a mystery much larger than either of them realized.
Meanwhile, across town, Alice sat awake in bed.
Unable to stop thinking about the wolf that saved her.
The black wolf.
The one with familiar golden eyes.
Eyes that looked suspiciously...
Like Jake Hunter's.
- Writer
