Gray Eyes

I don’t really believe in the saying that time heals.

People love to say that wounds fade, that scars soften with the years. But they don’t know what it’s like to carry this kind of pain. The kind that sits heavy on your chest no matter how much time passes.

I’ve avenged. I’ve destroyed everything in my path.

And still… I’m not healed.

How many years do I still need to heal myself? To heal from everything that’s torn me apart?

It’s been a hundred years now.

A century of walking this earth, of blending in with humans, of wearing a mask so carefully crafted that no one ever looks twice. I’ve lived through wars, watched cities rise and crumble, seen generations come and go.

Every morning, I wake up to the same emptiness. Every night, I close my eyes and hear the echoes of the past—my father’s voice, my brother’s last words, the betrayal that shattered everything I believed in.

The humans around me have no idea. To them, I’m just another face in the crowd. I smile when I have to, laugh when it’s expected, play my part perfectly. But underneath it all, I’m still the same broken wolf, trapped in a cycle I can’t seem to escape.

A hundred years.

And still, the question haunts me:

How long… how much longer… before I finally feel whole again?

–

I work at a bar now.

It’s nothing special—just one of those dim, noisy places where people drown their regrets in cheap drinks and bad decisions. Perfect for someone like me, really. No one asks questions, and no one stays long enough to look too closely.

I’ve got two friends here—if you can call them that. Anna and Jake. They’re both human, both blissfully unaware of what I really am. To them, I’m just Laura.

Anna’s loud, bright, and always has something to say. She’s convinced we’re the same age—28—because that’s what I told her, and she never questioned it.

Jake’s quieter, more observant. He jokes around a lot, especially with Anna, but with me… he keeps it light. Surface-level.

Neither of them knows the truth.

And they never will.

“Laura! Table five needs a refill!” Anna shouted over the thumping music, her face was flushed from rushing around, but she still managed a grin. “And guess what? The guy at table seven totally checked you out.”

I shot her a blank look, grabbing the pitche “Not interested.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “Yeah, shocker.”

Jake slid a beer across the bar to another customer, catching our exchange with a smirk. “Come on, Laura, live a little. You’re what—28? Prime time to make bad decisions.”

“Pass,” I muttered, wiping down the counter without looking up. “You two make enough bad decisions for me.”

“Fair,” Jake chuckled, pulling another draft. “But seriously, it’s packed tonight. You good?”

I shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”

Anna laughed as she rushed off. “Of course you have. You’re like… freakishly calm.”

I stepped out the back door, the cold night air hitting my skin as I hauled the trash bag over my shoulder. The alley was dim and quiet—except for that sound.

Moaning. Wet, sloppy noises coming from just a few feet away.

“Fuck… You're so wet… Ugh…”

I rolled my eyes.

Not exactly new. This was a bar, after all. Humans and their urges—they never change.

Without sparing a glance, I walked straight to the dumpster, tossed the bag in, and dusted off my hands.

The noises stopped suddenly, replaced by a sharp slap.

“Ugh, womanizer!” the woman’s voice snapped, and I caught a glimpse of her storming off, heels clacking angrily against the pavement.

I didn’t care. I turned to head back inside. But then I felt it—a gaze lingering a little too long.

“Hey.”

I didn’t stop walking.

“Hey, gorgeous. Don’t pretend you didn’t notice me.”

I sighed, pausing at the door. Slowly, I turned my head just enough to look at him.

Tall. Cocky grin. The kind of guy who thought he was irresistible, even after getting slapped and left in an alley like trash.

His eyes roamed over me shamelessly, and his smile widened. “You’re way hotter than her, anyway.”

I said nothing, just stared, my patience hanging by a thread.

Then he took it further, his voice dropping with vulgar confidence. “You’ve got way more firm breasts… and that ass? Perfectly shaped.”

My jaw tensed, and my hands clenched at my sides. The wolf in me was already pushing forward, ready to end this pathetic excuse for a man right here.

But before I could move, the back door swung open.

“Laura!” Anna’s voice rang out, her usual cheerful tone breaking the tension. “Can you help me—”

She froze when her eyes landed on him. “Oh my God. A handsome man!” She whispered enough for me to hear it.

I rolled my eyes, stepping back as she practically bounced over.

The guy’s smirk returned full force as he looked Anna up and down, but his eyes flicked back to me. “I like your friend,” he said with a wink, before turning and strolling off like he owned the world.

Anna let out a dreamy sigh, watching him disappear around the corner “Damn… who was that?”

I didn’t answer. My hands were still clenched, my wolf still pacing inside me. 

“He’s a creep,” I muttered, brushing past her and heading back inside.

If it weren’t for Anna, that bastard would already be buried six feet underground.

Before I started living and blending with humans, I made a promise to myself. A vow.

No powers. No bloodshed. No harm to humans.

Because once I let that side out—just once—I knew it would be impossible to pull it back in.

I carried the tray into the VVIP room, my face calm, my steps steady. The room was dimly lit, thick with expensive cologne and quiet laughter. Men in suits lounged back in plush chairs, their arms draped around women dressed to impress.

I kept my eyes down, focused on the drinks and food, placing each glass carefully, my mind still lingering on the alley and the promise I’d forced myself to keep.

“Another round,” someone barked, not even looking at me. I nodded silently, setting down the last of the plates.

I turned to leave, gripping the tray—ready to slip out of this room and this night, get back to blending in.

But then I saw something I know I shouldn't be.

In the corner, half-hidden in the shadows, a man leaned close to a girl, whispering something in her ear that made her giggle and squirm. His hand slid lazily over her thigh, his body relaxed and loose with alcohol and arrogance.

And then… he looked up.

Gray eyes.

A chill ran down my spine.

Not just the eyes—his aura. The quiet, pulsing energy beneath his skin.

He is not a human. He is a wolf.

My grip tightened on the tray, my heart pounding in my ears.

So much for blending in.

A wave of memories crashed through me, sharp and unstoppable.

That night.

That room.

The cries of a baby, helpless and small.

I saw myself again… on bended knees, my left hand raised high—gripping the silver fork, ready to strike. My eyes were wild, my breath ragged, my wolf screaming for vengeance.

And then—

A voice.

“Laura, no!”

I froze, my chest heaving, staring down at the baby—the same gray eyes as Carlos.

“Laura, don’t do this,” the voice pleaded behind me, shaking, desperate. “This isn’t you… This isn’t what Laura does!”

I stood there, paralyzed, my hand still in the air, the weight of the fork unbearable.

“I know you’re angry… more than angry. You’re drowning in it. I know what Carlos did—what he took from you. Your brother. Your father. He destroyed everything.” The voice cracked, closer now. “But that child… That baby is innocent. He’s not Carlos. Don’t make him pay for sins that aren’t his… Laura…”

I remember my heart pounding, my wolf pacing, clawing at my insides. My vision blurred with tears I refused to let fall.

I stared at those gray eyes—so pure, so unaware of the hatred burning through me.

And I…

I lowered my hand.

The fork clattered to the floor, sharp against the silence. 

I blinked hard, dragging myself back to the present.

Before he could even fully notice me, I turned on my heel and slipped out the door, moving fast—too fast.

Out. I needed out.

I stepped into the cool air of the hallway, my breath ragged, my hands trembling around the tray. I kept walking until I found the nearest wall and pressed my back hard against it, squeezing my eyes shut.

My grip on the tray tightened until my knuckles turned white.

I could feel it again—the rage. The fire I thought I’d buried long ago, deep and unreachable. But now… now it was clawing its way back to the surface, fierce and alive.

My chest heaved as I stared down at my shaking hands.

I can’t do this.

I can’t see those same gray eyes again—the eyes I once loved with everything in me… and that betrayed me in the cruelest way.

I will kill him. 

And this time, I swear, I will not think about it anymore.

I must kill that wolf… The last bloodline of Carlos and Bethany, the last memories of their betrayal to me.