Chapter 3 - disaster
875 Words
The restaurant smelled of wine, polished wood, and quiet promises whispered between couples.
Selina sat alone at a small corner table near the window, the city glowing faintly beyond the glass. Candles flickered softly, their flames bending each time the door opened and let the night air slip inside.
She checked her phone.
8:12 p.m.
No message. No missed call.
Her fingers tightened around the stem of her wine glass.
“Excuse me,” she said softly as a waiter passed. “I’ll have a glass of your reserve red. And the almond butter cookies.”
“The imported wine from Marseille?” he asked.
“Yes,” Selina replied evenly.
When the wine arrived, she took a slow sip. Rich. Expensive. Comforting in the way indulgence often was when disappointment began to settle in.
She told herself she wasn’t upset.
Just tired.
Minutes passed. Then more.
She watched couples laugh, lean closer, share forks and secrets. Somewhere behind her, a woman giggled. Somewhere else, a man murmured something tender.
Selina felt strangely invisible.
The cookies arrived—golden, delicate, dusted lightly with sugar. She broke one in half, barely tasting it.
8:37 p.m.
She was slipping her phone back into her purse when footsteps stopped at her table.
“Selina.”
She looked up.
Ethan stood there, jacket slightly damp, tie loosened, hair tousled as though he’d rushed. His eyes, however, went immediately to the table.
To the wine.
To the cookies.
His smile faltered—just for a moment.
“You ordered already?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied simply.
An awkward pause followed as he took the seat across from her, glancing again at what she’d ordered. His shoulders stiffened.
“I didn’t realize you’d be… eating,” he said lightly.
“I’ve been here almost forty minutes.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry. Work ran late.”
“You said that last time too.”
That caught him off guard.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said quickly. “You know how things get.”
She took another sip of wine. “I know how waiting feels.”
Silence stretched between them before he reached across the table, brushing her fingers.
“You look beautiful,” he said. “I missed you.”
She didn’t pull away. But she didn’t lean in either.
Dinner followed—careful, half-romantic, half-off. He talked about work, deadlines, people who didn’t understand his pressure. She nodded when expected.
She mentioned the board meeting briefly.
“You presented?” he asked, surprised.
“Yes.”
“And?”
“It went well.”
“That’s… impressive,” he said, though something uneasy flickered in his eyes. “Guess you don’t really need anyone taking care of you.”
Her lips curved into a faint, unreadable smile.
When the check arrived, Ethan reached for it.
“Want to go somewhere else?” he asked casually. “There’s a hotel nearby. We could relax.”
The air changed.
Selina looked at him slowly. “A hotel?”
He chuckled. “I mean… I paid for dinner.”
Something inside her went cold.
She reached for the check. “I’ll take care of mine.”
“Selina, I didn’t mean—”
“I don’t owe you anything because you chose to be late.”
“You’re overreacting.”
“No,” she said calmly. “I’m reacting clearly.”
She paid for her wine, her cookies, her meal.
When she stood, he reached for her arm. “Wait. I’m sorry.”
She looked at his hand, then at his face.
“I waited for you,” she said quietly. “Don’t make me feel small for it.”
Outside, rain poured in heavy sheets, drumming against the pavement like grief made sound.
“Selina!” Ethan called as she stepped into the storm. “Wait—!”
She didn’t.
The rain soaked through her dress instantly as she walked faster, then ran—heels splashing, breath shaking, heart aching.
Behind her, his voice faded.
Ahead, the night stretched wide and unforgiving.
Then it happened.
A strange heat curled low in her body, sudden and unfamiliar, like something awakening beneath her skin. Her pulse quickened. Her breath hitched.
“What’s happening…?” she whispered.
She looked up.
The moon hung full and red in the sky.
A blood moon.
Something was wrong.
A scream cut through the night.
Then another.
People ran from a nearby bank, panic flooding the street. And then she saw it.
A creature—massive, feral, more terrifying than anything she had ever imagined.
A werewolf.
Her blood turned to ice.
She ran.
A crowd surged, bodies crashing together—until suddenly, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her effortlessly.
She was carried into a car.
A car she recognized instantly.
Her vision blurred as she looked up.
“Liam?” she gasped.
“How did you—” Her voice faded. “You were so fast…”
The door slammed. Rain vanished. Darkness crept in.
And as the car sped away, Selina lost consciousness in the back seat, unaware that her life—and her heart—had just crossed a point of no return.
- Writer
