Drake's Point of ViewThe moment the word Lycan leaves my mouth, the air around us seems to shift. Subtle at first, but it’s there, an invisible current pulling tight. Hazel goes still beside me, and I can feel the way her energy folds inward. Guarded. Alert.I turn my head slowly to look at her. Her lips are pressed into a thin line, her eyes focused on something far away, something that lives in memory more than in this moment. I can hear her breath catch slightly.“You know what I’m talking about,” I say, my voice low.She doesn't answer right away, but her body speaks for her. A small nod of her head. Then she turns her gaze to me, finally meeting my eyes.“There was a drawing,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “A few weeks ago. One of my students found it during a geology field trip. We were exploring this cave system not far from here. I thought it was nothing at first, just ancient symbols or wild imagination.”She pauses, her fingers tightening around her coffee cup
Hazel's Point of ViewMy breath catches in my chest as the echo of his voice, my name on his lips, lingers in the air, vibrating with memories I’ve tried to bury. My pulse thrums loudly in my ears. I shake my head, taking a step back instinctively, the space between us suddenly not wide enough.“I don’t want any trouble,” I say, my voice firm despite the way my hands tremble at my sides. “I meant it when I left it all behind. I promised myself, I want nothing to do with the werewolves. Nothing.”My back brushes the edge of the desk, the solid wood grounding me as much as it traps me. He’s still standing there, watching me with those unreadable eyes, too calm for what simmers beneath.His hands rise slowly, palms outward in surrender.“I don’t want trouble either,” he says, his voice even, careful. “That’s not why I’m here, Hazel.”His words float between us, laced with something quieter, something that almost sounds like regret.But it doesn’t ease the coiling tension in my chest, or
Hazel's Point of ViewThe morning light barely filters through the curtains, but it’s enough to tell me I didn’t sleep well, again. My body feels heavy, my head clouded, and the same thought gnaws at the edge of my mind like it has every night since the visit to the witch in the woods: I have to go back to them.My old coven.I stare at the ceiling for a moment, my heart sinking. There’s a pressure in my chest that makes it hard to breathe, let alone move. I toss the blankets aside and sit up, rubbing at my tired eyes. I feel the dull ache of another restless night and the weight of everything I’m about to face.With a long, exhausted sigh, I push myself out of bed.The wooden floor feels cold under my feet as I shuffle towards the bathroom. I flick on the light, and the harsh brightness makes me wince. My reflection in the mirror looks just as worn as I feel, hair messy from tossing and turning, shadows under my eyes, worry etched into my features. I lean over the sink, resting my ha
Drake's Point of ViewI watch Aiden and Mark leave my office, the door clicking shut behind them with a soft finality. Their footsteps fade down the hallway, but the tension they leave behind lingers like a storm cloud. I wait until I'm sure they're gone, until the pack house settles again into its familiar, creaking quiet.Then I pull the open folder back towards me.The university brochure is already creased at the corner, the page marked where I found the occult studies department listed among their academic offerings. It’s a long shot. Maybe even a desperate one. But we’re well past the point of playing it safe.I run my fingers along the edge of the page until I find the contact number. It’s scribbled in the margin beside the department head’s name: Dean Blake Richardson.I grab my phone and punch in the number, my thumb hovering over the call button for half a second longer than it should. Then I press it.One ring.Two rings.And then she answers “Good Morning you have reached
Aiden's Point of ViewThe late afternoon sun filters through the blinds, casting slanted golden stripes across my desk. I sit in my office, the chair creaking quietly beneath me as I shift my weight. The pack house is unusually quiet, too quiet. Just the steady ticking of the old clock on the wall and the faint rustling of papers keep me company.I rub a hand over my face, then lean forward again, elbows braced on the desk. The reports are scattered across the surface, incident reports, scout updates, doctor's assessments, and maps marked with the attack patterns. I’ve read them all more times than I can count, but I go through them again, methodically. Page after page. Every detail is a puzzle piece, and I keep hoping the right pattern will suddenly click into place.The Gray Mountain attack. The claw marks. The strange burn pattern left near the tree line. The scent that disappeared mid trail. I circle back to the part about Abby, how the sudden chaos sent her to the hospital, becau
Hazel's Point of View The afternoon sun slants through the trees as I walk back to my apartment, the world quiet around me. The sound of my boots on the pavement, the rustling of wind through the leaves, the occasional bird, everything feels too normal for the storm stirring in my chest. The vision of the woman with crimson eyes lingers at the edges of my mind, pressing in like fog. Once inside, I lock the door behind me and pull the curtains closed, shutting out the light. The stillness in my apartment is familiar, grounding, and yet today it feels more like a sanctuary for something sacred. I move with purpose, setting my bag down and crossing the room to the bookshelf where I keep my supplies. From a drawer beneath it, I pull out an old, folded map, well worn and yellowed at the edges, showing our town and several others nearby. I clear the coffee table and smooth it flat on the surface, weighing down the corners with crystals: obsidian, quartz, tiger’s eye. I grab a small clay