Audrey’s POVI didn't get any sleep. Not because I couldn't, but rather because I didn't let myself to. That thing appeared every time I blinked or tried to sleep.The way it moved like it wasn’t bound by gravity. The way its body shimmered, not fully wolf, not fully anything. The way it threw Derek like he weighed nothing. And how Derek shifted midair, bones cracking and fur exploding across his back while I just stood there, frozen, watching my classmate—my maybe-mate—become something else. Something impossible.Hmmmmm, And the worst part?It wasn't even the most craziest incident that happened the previous night.I am yet to recover from that shock. I was too shaken to cry and too wired to remain motionless. The journal sat open in my lap, the map spread across the floor. The Thinnest Veil. The place was marked in faint ink, like the writer hadn’t wanted to admit it existed. A circle with a date. A scribbled note which I kept rereading over and over again."Veil thins when the
Audrey’s POVI was unable to understand what Derek meant.Before I could say anything, he had started walking away, and the howl was low and guttural, cutting through the trees like a blade. He quickly move to my front, protecting me with his body as if I couldn't bear what was about to happen, and then he was standing there, angry and wild, and still too close.“Run,” he said.I didn’t, but I froze.I hated that.My legs locked and my lungs stuck. I sensed that something was going to happen. It was there, even though I couldn't see it yet. A blur and wrongness circumstance overwhelmed me. The forest shifted with it, and the hair on my arms stood up like a warning.Derek’s back arched.And then it came...Black.No, darker than black. Like smoke and shadow and teeth. Looks like a wolf—but not. A shape shifting too fast to follow. It didn’t growl. It didn’t make noise. It just launched attack straight at us.Derek shifted mid-air.It was not slowly and not gradually. Not even in th
I didn’t sleep.Not really.I lay there in Adrian’s too-warm bed with the covers pulled halfway over my body, every breath stuck behind my ribs, and every nerve on fire. The room was quiet, but my head was screaming. I kept seeing bones break in reverse, snapping back into place like they were elastic. I kept hearing that howl—that low, guttural, not-human sound that still lived under my skin.How did I get to Adrian’s bed? Maybe I passed out again and he took me to his room to attend me. He has been very nice and seems to show care at every opportunity. All the same, I feel more comfortable here. But where is the damn guy? I was not feeling better anyway…And worst of all, I kept replaying what Derek said outside my house.“You weren’t supposed to see that.”He didn’t even flinch. Didn’t try to lie or gaslight me. He just stood there with those too-bright eyes and let the truth rot in the silence between us. And then he said it.“You should be scared.”I’d laughed. I don’t know wh
Audrey’s POVI felt cold at firstThe kind of cold that goes inside your bones rather than just touching the surface. My back hurt as if I had been trampled upon or tossed from something. I blinked, squinting against the grey blur of trees overhead. The sky was overcast and very quiet.And I wasn’t in my tent.I lay flat on my back on the frostbitten soil and wet leaves. My hoodie was stuck to the smell of earth, which blended with something that smalls like smoke… Ash?I sat up fast and soon regretted it. My head spun as if someone hit me with a bat in the skull. My hands braced the ground instinctively and—“What the hell,” I muttered.My right wrist stung. I twisted it around and I was shock. There was a mark burned into my skin—barely visible, but definitely there. Thin, looping lines in a kind of spiral pattern. Not a cut or bruise. Almost like… a brand.My spine tingled with panic.Trembling and experiencing sensations throughout my leg, I staggered to my feet. My legs were h
Audrey's POV"Hey… are you Audrey?" I looked up. A student stood near my locker.She wore an oversized sweater, had eyeglasses, and exuded a positive aura that made me feel uneasy. "Yeah," I said, forcing a smile. "That's me." Quickly, she took her seat. "We are history assignment partners. Mr. James paired us up.""Oh. I didn’t know that."The words fell out before I could figure out if they even made sense. I was already lost."And it’s due on Monday next week.""What?""Yeah, so we have now to work on it. The assignment is simple, we just have to pick something historical about Ravenfalls to write about.""I just moved into town. I don’t really know anything about the town's history."“Oh, really?”"You have nothing to be worried about," she replied, beaming with smile and enthusiastic posture as if we were already best friends. "My family has always lived here. Like, ever. I basically know everything about this town. My name’s Lucy, by the way.”“Nice to meet you, Lucy,” I said
Derek's POVI couldn't confirm it when she bumped into me at the airport, but being close to her the other day in school… her scent, it called me.I ran my hand through my hair. It couldn't be possible that she was my mate. No, no, that was impossible. She was human.I growled under my breath, low and sharp, my chest burning with this mess of rage and confusion.Shit…the wolf in me wasn’t quiet anymore—he was pacing, clawing at the walls I’d spent years stacking brick by brick. It wanted her. It recognized her.But she was just a weak, fragile human. I couldn't be mated to her. That’s not how it worked. At least... that’s not how it used to work.I kept my eyes on her from a distance not out of obsession, but out of curiosity.And probably obsession, because seeing Caleb close to her pissed me the hell off.I walked into school like I always did. Girls looked and whispered. Tried everything possible, but I didn’t look back.Didn’t care. Didn’t want to talk to her.Except…God! It was