THE WARNING
1020 Words
Slowly, Maxene touched the silver marks on her wound. But the moment her fingers brushed against it she suddenly stopped.
Then a FLASH!
A sharp pain exploded inside her head. She gasped loudly as another vision suddenly appeared before her eyes..
Now she saw a woman with silver hair standing inside a burning temple. With screaming and broken sounds shatter around her. And her eyes were filled with tears.
“Protect her,” the woman whispered desperately.
Several wolves surrounded the temple outside, growling violently.
“She is the last blood!”
The silver-haired woman pressed her bloody hand against a newborn baby wrapped in black cloth.
Then the vision suddenly changed.
A cold crimson eyes, dangerously watching from the darkness. Maxine saw him, it was Jerick.
Maxine stumbled backward as the vision disappeared. “What the hell…”
Her breathing became fast and shaky. "Why did I see him? And why did those visions feel so real?"
A sudden knock on her bedroom door made her jump.
“Max? Can I come in?” Paul’s voice came softly from outside
She quickly covered her arm again. “Y. Yes”
Paul entered slowly, carrying a small medical box.
“We have to clean your wounds properly,” he said with a small smile.
Maxine relaxed slightly. "thanks"
Paul had always been kind to her. Unlike everyone else at school, he never treated her like a burden. He sat beside her carefully while opening the box.
Then Paul finally spoke quietly. "You seemed scared downstairs.”
Maxine looked away. “I was just tired. Maybe this was like a trauma for me"
“Jerick scared you.”
She gave a bitter laugh. “Jerick scares everyone.”
Paul frowned while gently cleaning the wound on her arm. “He’s been acting strange lately.”
“What do you mean?”
“He keeps watching you at school" he admitted.
Maxine stiffened slightly.
“I noticed it months ago,” Paul continued carefully. “At first I thought he was just visiting his cousins. But now… Now it feels different.” He hesitated.
Maxine stayed silent. Because she noticed it too. Jerick always found reasons to appear near her. In the hallways, in the training grounds. Library. Even during lunch. And sometimes she caught him staring at her with strange intensity before looking away again. Like he was searching for something.
“You should stay away from him,” Paul said seriously.
Maxine forced a weak smile. “Trust me, I want to.”
Paul looked at her for a moment before sighing softly. "There’s another reason I volunteer to bring this box and help you here”
“What?”
He looked nervous suddenly.
“The entire pack is talking about San Diego University.”
Maxine’s chest tightened instantly. Of course news traveled fast.
Paul looked down sadly. “Is it true? You’re leaving next year?”
She nodded slowly.
Paul clenched his jaw tightly. “That place is hell.”
“I know.”
“The students there are cruel, Max.”
“I already deal with cruel people every day.” she answered.
“That’s different.” His expression darkened. “Future Alphas and Luna's are dangerous.”
Maxine looked down quietly.
If only Paul knew the real reason she feared that school. It was not the bullying, Not the powerful students. But the possibility of someone that may have discovered her that she was half witch.
Paul suddenly grabbed her hand gently. “Then don’t go.”
Maxine blinked in surprise. “What?”
“Run away with me.” Paul suggested.
Her eyes widened.
But Paul looked completely serious. “We can leave the Northern Valley together. Forget the packs. Forget San Diego University. We can start over somewhere else.”
For one painful second. Maxine actually considered it. The freedom with no secrets, no wolves and no fear. But the reality quickly returned.
She slowly pulled her hand away. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
Because something had already awakened inside her. And she knew that running would not stop it. Before Maxine could answer, a cold unfamiliar feeling suddenly crept through her chest. Like someone was watching her now..
Both she and Paul looked toward the window instantly. Then there was a tall shadow standing outside, they could feel it beyond the glass.
Maxine’s heart nearly stopped. Because those crimson eyes glowed faintly in her vision, and she can sense him... it's Jerick.
He was watching her room silently from the outside.
Paul stood up angrily. “What the hell is wrong with him?”
But before either of them reached the window, Jerick disappeared into the garden.
Maxine stared at the window long after Jerick disappeared. Her heart continued pounding heavily inside her chest.
Paul cursed under his breath. “That creep seriously keeps getting worse.”
Maxine forced herself to look away from the window. “Maybe he was just passing by.”
Paul gave her an unbelieving look. “Outside your bedroom window at this hour?”
She had no answer for that. Because deep inside, she knew Jerick was not there by accident. He had been watching her, again.
Paul walked toward the curtains and shut them tightly. “You need to stay away from him.”
Maxine sat quietly on the edge of her bed, wrapping her arms around herself.
If only it were that easy.
Something about Jerick unsettled her in ways she could not explain. It was not just fear anymore. That's because every time he looked at her, she felt exposed, as if he could see every hidden secret beneath her skin, aside from her wolf.
And this afternoon..…he almost did.
Paul sighed softly before kneeling in front of her. “Max, listen to me carefully.”
She looked at him.
“If Jerick starts bothering you again at school, tell me.”
A weak smile touched her lips. “You can’t fight the future Alpha. Also he's 18 years old"
“I’d still try.”
For a moment, warmth spread through her chest
- Writer
