The ghost of Shadowvale

Chapter 003

The Predator’s Playground

“Beware the Tyrants.”

Those were the final, trembling words Aiden had whispered before he practically sprinted off the rooftop, leaving Nyx standing alone in the cold wind.

Now, hours later, the word kept echoing in Nyx’s mind, occupying her every thought as she sat through the rest of her afternoon classes. She kept her head low, but her eyes constantly scanned the classroom, searching the faces of her peers to figure out who these "Tyrants" were. All she could see were groups of privileged, snobby teenagers. They would giggle with their perfectly white teeth, stealing glances at her when they thought she wasn't looking. Whenever Nyx formed a fierce, threatening scowl and glared back, they would immediately snap their heads away in fear.

'Tyrants. Plural,' Leo, her inner wolf, commented smoothly in the back of her mind, trying to sway Nyx’s focus.

'If there’s more than one of them running this school, we have a bigger problem than just looking like a dead girl.'

Nyx let out a deep, heavy sigh, slumping into her chair. " I really do have a massive pile of people to avoid in this cursed place. Interesting."

'Except for that tall, dark pine tree, Mr. Creed,' Leo purred, her will instincts practically drooling at the memory of the literature teacher.

'If you won't claim him for yourself, let me take the wheel and do it for us.'

Nyx quickly cleared her throat, masking her discomfort. The final bell had just rung, signaling the end of the school day. Nyx was walking across the school’s sprawling front courtyard when she spotted him. Mr. Creed was walking toward the staff parking lot. His posture was impossibly straight, commanding absolute authority with every step. He unlocked a massive, ash-colored Mercedes G-Wagon, the heavy engine roaring to life with a low, intimidating growl.

'This guy must be f*****g rich. I love it!'. Leo remarked cheerfully.

"If he can afford a custom G-Wagon, why the hell is he a volunteer teacher?" Nyx fired back internally, her eyes narrowing as the ash-colored beast of a car pulled out of the parking lot.

'Who cares? Whatever his secret is, I love all the pampering that comes with a man like that,' Leo said, squinching her voice into a dramatic, spoiled tone and chuckling beneath her words.

"He’s a volunteer teacher, dummy," Nyx sighed, her frustration leaking out. She twitched her fingers close to her temple, as if she were literally trying to massage the headache Leo was giving her. A few passing students shot her amused, confused looks, not knowing she was physically arguing with the ancient wolf spirit living inside her skull.

"He’s just another rich guy with a bougie attitude, and you know I hate dating guys like that," Nyx concluded, walking away from the visible crowd of students and heading toward the town of Vale.

'Oh, please,' Leo mocked, mimicking Nyx’s voice perfectly. "You know I hate dating guys like that." That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Who said anything about dating him? I just want to have fun with him. You are such a boring weirdo!'

"Did I just hear you say 'I'? Are you forgetting we share the same bo—" Nyx started to argue, but Leo swiftly cut her off.

'Shush. Walk faster. I am literally the only source of fun in your miserable life,' Leo whispered smugly, fading to the back of Nyx's mind to let her concentrate on the road.

The town of Vale, tucked at the bottom of the Howling Hills, was usually covered in a thin, chilly mist by late afternoon. Nyx pulled her jacket tighter around her slim frame as she hurried down the cobblestone pavement. She was already running late for her shift at Sips and Drinks, a popular local café where she worked part-time as a front desk attendant.

As she approached the café, she stopped dead in her tracks.

Parked perfectly on the opposite side of the street, right in front of the ultra-exclusive Crescent Restaurant, was an ash-colored G-Wagon. Nyx’s stomach did a nervous flip. She wouldn't have thought much of it—Vale had plenty of rich residents—until Leo eagerly pointed out the license plate.

'BWS-635-714,' fLeo noted with sharp precision. 'It's that not the exact same plate number on Creed’s car?'

Nyx’s eyes darted over the vehicle. It was him. Without the Mr.attached to his name, Leo spoke of him as if they were already intimately acquainted. Nyx marvelled at how her wolf had memorized a random license plate at first sight, but before she could dwell on it, a loud voice echoed from the door of the café.

"You are late again!"

Nyx whipped her attention away from the dark vehicle. Standing in the doorway of Sips and Drinks was Becks, her coworker.

"I am so sorry, Becks!" Nyx said, waving her hands in a frantic, apologetic gesture.Becks playfully scowled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Quickly, go change! I am almost late for my dance class."

Nyx rushed into the back room, practically tearing off her school uniform and throwing on her café apron as fast as she could to relieve Becks from her post. Becks was older than Nyx and a deeply generous soul. When Nyx had first moved to Vale and desperately needed money, Becks had fed her tips on how to handle the strict manager, Mr. Wills, helping Nyx secure the job.

They were complete opposites, but they clicked immediately. Becks had a remarkably unique look: sharp, pointed features, vibrant red curly hair, and a dusting of freckles that ran across her eyelids and down her nose. Leo had secretly nicknamed her the "Snow Woman," claiming her bright orange-freckled nose looked exactly like a snowman's carrot.

After clocking in, Nyx walked back out to the front desk. The café was relatively quiet, giving Nyx the perfect excuse to stare out the large front window. The ash-colored G-Wagon was still parked across the street. She was so engrossed in studying the vehicle that she didn't hear footsteps approach.

"That place is exclusively for the elite, you know. It would take your entire month's salary just to buy a single appetizer there, baby girl."

Nyx gasped, her shoulders jumping as she realized Becks was leaning over the counter, her lips right next to Nyx’s ear.

"I... I thought you left for your dance class already!" Nyx stammered, placing a hand over her racing heart.

Becks stood up straight, raising a perfectly arched red eyebrow.

"Girl, if I had left for my dance class, I would have walked right through that front door, and you would have seen me. Unless you built a secret trapdoor I don't know about? Or were you too busy daydreaming about whoever owns that tank across the street?"

Nyx cleared her throat awkwardly, avoiding her friend’s knowing gaze.

"Anyway, as you must know, I was busy saving your ass upstairs. Mr. Wills was looking for you," Becks added with a wink. Mr. Wills was the manager, a bitter man who was always searching for the slightest mistake to fire someone over.

"You're welcome."Nyx let out a breath of relief.

"Thank you. Seriously. But why are you still here?"

"Don't look at me like that. I'm waiting for Biden," Becks sighed, pulling out her phone and tapping the screen.

At the mention of the name, Leo let out a vicious, internal snarl. Biden was Becks’s older boyfriend, a wealthy, arrogant prick who drove a flashy Lamborghini. He frequently came into the café acting like he owned the building, snapping his fingers at the staff. What made Leo hate him even more was the fact that Becks—who was usually so fierce and independent—always did exactly what he said without hesitation.

'It’s just because he owns that thud of a Lamborghini that he thinks he can order everyone around like dogs,' Leo clicked her tongue in disgust.

"That is exactly why I hate those rich pimps," Nyx agreed silently, wiping down the espresso machine.

"They live entirely off their fathers' wealth and still don't know how to treat a woman right."

'Ah, do not lump him in with them, X,' Leo suddenly purred, hauling her voice back to a seductive, throaty register.

'Mr. Creed isn't like those spoiled boys. He’s not a pampered prince. He is a predator. A dangerously handsome, commanding predator.'

"You are such a brash slut," Nyx teased internally, a small smile playing on her lips.

Her smile completely vanished a second later.

Through the glass window of the café, Nyx saw the heavy oak doors of the Crescent Restaurant swing open. Mr. Creed stepped out into the misty evening air. He was dressed in a tailored, charcoal-black suit that clung perfectly to his broad shoulders. He looked like money, power, and danger wrapped into one human body.

But he didn't walk toward his G-Wagon.

Instead, Mr. Creed stopped at the edge of the sidewalk. He slowly turned his head, ignoring the rain, and looked directly across the street. Straight through the glass window of Sips and Drinks. Straight into Nyx’s eyes.

Nyx froze, the wiping cloth slipping from her fingers. The street between them was wide, and the café was dimly lit, yet his hazel eyes found hers with impossible, terrifying precision. He knew exactly where she worked. He knew she was watching him.

A slow, chilling smirk crept onto Mr. Creed’s face. He gave her one slow, deliberate nod—a silent promise that she was completely, undeniably on his radar—before turning and slipping into his car.

Nyx’s breath hitched in her throat, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs. She was no longer just a ghost at Shadowvale College