I stood frozen in surprise as the door slammed shut, leaving me standing outside the gate with loads of heavy grocery bags in my hands.
Confusion washed over me as I tried to make sense of the situation unfolding before me.The worried voices of the women continued to echo through the gate, their urgency growing with each passing second.Curiosity and concern compelled me to knock on the door so that I could give a little explanation about the old woman's situation.A few moments of silence followed, and then the door creaked open, revealing a young, beautiful woman with a fear expression on her face. She glanced at me, her ombre eyes filled with apprehension."Who are you?" She asked, her voice trembling slightly."I'm…I'm the lady who brought your grandmother," I stammered.She hesitated for a moment and was about to hand her the bags, but suddenly, her eyes went wide before slamming the door shut again without a word. I blinked incessantly, wondering what was wrong with them. Not even a simple thank you, I grumbled.As I looked down at my hands full of bags,I pondered what to do with them. Should I leave them here, hoping they would retrieve them later? But what if birds or other animals eat them? I wondered aloud.Still contemplating what to do, a sleek imposing black car suddenly appeared and approached the massive gate. The windows were tinted, obscuring the view inside.The gate slowly began to open on its own.Despite my fatigue from lugging these bags, I sprinted in front of the car, causing it to screech to a halt, startling the birds perched in the trees. Peering through the windshield, my gaze locked with a dark brown-haired man wearing sunglasses. There was no mistaking that his eyes, hidden behind those shades, were fixed on me. He removed them, opened the driver's door, and stepped out and marched over to me. I stood there in awe as he towered before me, dressed entirely in black and smelling amazing.He exuded an aura of strength and vitality. His eyes, a piercing shade of ombre, were complemented by his chiselled jawline. His hands were remarkably large.He appeared flawless, almost like a fallen angel, but there was an unmistakable air of hell about him. He was the most strikingly handsome man I had ever encountered in my life.Before I could explain myself, he brought out his hand on my head, and before I knew what he was doing, he pushed me on the ground out of his way like a piece of trash. Shocked, I looked at him. Are fucking serious. I snapped at him.He looked un bothered by my snap because he just walked back in his car. I slowly rose up from the ground, stained in dirt. Suddenly the small gate opened and the old woman came out running while calling Athena's name as that beautiful woman followed suit. I was now tired of her.When She reached where I was, she clamped her mouth in shock. Did you get in trouble again because of me? She whisper-cried. Her grandson got out of the car and asked firmly."What are you doing out here?"The old woman grabbed my hand and pulled me with her to her grandson or son only God knows. She looked up at him and said, Don't be harsh on her. It's me who you should blame, for I begged her to accompany me to the human side...Stop there. He said to the old woman gravely and she immediately stopped talking.No one wouldn't though. Not to that tone he used. There was a silence between them.Two tall men emerged from the big gate and silently one of them carried the old woman on his shoulder as the other one took the beautiful woman whose face had already turned pale.When they all disappeared he turned to me. I won't deny, he looked hot and handsome, his eyes piercing through me, to my deepest core.What's your name? He asked, his voice rough but soothing.Keilah. I replied without hesitation.He gave me a long emotionless stare. Without saying another word he pulled out his wallet and took out almost all the money, his eyes never leaving mine and I knew right away the money was getting offered to me.I came back to my senses from his charming beauty and stopped him before he handed me his money or threw it to me.I had already faced enough embarrassment from you. I did my part of bringing the old woman safely home. Now I'll excuse myself out of here. I said, turned and walked toward the waiting taxi.I hopped inside the car and closed the door, reminding myself not to turn around. However, as soon as I sat down, I found myself glancing back at him. The guy was still standing there, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Suddenly, he shifted his gaze towards me, catching me off guard. Startled, I quickly averted my eyes away, my heart racing. I scolded myself for my reaction. But in a brief moment of silence, I remembered the way he had looked at me – a mix of fear and rage."What a jerk," I murmured, wondering if he knew I was looking at him. The taxi driver caught my attention and said,"He's handsome, right?" I responded with a confused "Huh.."He appears to be new around here. All the years I've been in this business of taxi driving, I've never seen his face before. He said and shot me a look through the side mirror and said, "You're drawn to him.""You're wrong, sir. ''I'll never be drawn to that piece of trash. Did you see what he did to me? Instead of thanking me for bringing his mother, or whoever she is, safely to their house, he just pushed me on the ground. Not only that, he was about to throw money in my face. Like, what the heck?" I grumbled, not realizing I overreacted.The taxi driver shot me another long stare before saying, "I witnessed everything and noticed how you were blushing." However, I have some advice for you: stay away from that man. He poses hell…Before I could respond, the taxi lost control and crashed into a tree, causing me to hit my head repeatedly. Glancing at the driver, I saw that he was bleeding from his head but still conscious enough to speak."What… What was that thing—?"His words were cut short as a huge wolf broke the car window, dragged him out, and bit his head off. The terrifying scene momentarily left me speechless until the wolf turned its eyes on me. I let out a piercing, nonstop scream while desperately calling for help.I stared in horror as the wolf circled my side of the door, its one menacing grey eye piercing me. Heavy breaths escaped its mouth, drooling slimy blood. Trembling, I closed my eyes and began repenting my sins to God.Before I could finish my prayer, the wolf smashed through the car window. I felt its slimy face against my skin, praying for a painless death. As the wolf's hot, rancid breath brushed against my skin, my heart pounded furiously in my chest. Fear consumed every inch of my being as I braced myself for the inevitable death.KEILAH I tugged at Ralph’s hand, trying to pull him toward the ice cream shop. The brightly colored sign above the door read "Scoops & Smiles," and the kids were laughing inside, faces smeared with chocolate and sprinkles. The sweet aroma of freshly made waffle cones and creamy scoops of different flavours filled the air, and I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of indulging in a little treat. But Ralph, as always, resisted. "Come on, Ralph," I urged, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice. "It’s just ice cream. It’ll be fun!" He glanced at the brightly colored sign above the shop, then back at me, his expression impassive. "Mate, this kind of ice cream eating is for kids and teenagers," he replied, his tone calm but firm. "Not for someone like me." I stopped pulling and let go of his hand, the sudden release leaving my fingers tingling. My heart sank as I took in his stoic face, the same face that had ruined every date we’d tried to have in the past few months. It
RALPH I shifted back to my human form, blood dripping from the gashes Zac had left. My heart pounded not from exertion but from the panic twisting in my chest. I need to find Keilah. The sound of approaching footsteps made me halt for a moment, and when I turned, it was Alexander and other council members marching towards me. As they reached me, Alexander stepped forward, his gaze piercing and authoritative. "Go get your mate and your pack, Ralph," he commanded, his voice low but firm. "And get out of this place.” I nodded, my throat too tight to speak. As Alexander turned to leave, he placed a firm hand on my shoulder, a silent gesture of understanding and urgency. Then, without another moment’s hesitation, I bolted out of the ring and dashed through the cave, my heart pounding as I searched for Keilah. Keilah, I called out through the mindlink, desperately trying to connect with her. But there was no response. My heart clenched, fear tightening around my chest like a vice. Kei
RALPH I stared at Keilah, my heart pounding in my chest, torn between rage and panic as the echoes of the crowd’s gasps faded into the background. What was she thinking? The jug clanged as it hit the ground, and in that moment, I snapped out of my stupor. Without another thought, I moved forward, grabbing her arm and spinning her around to face me. “What the hell are you thinking?” I demanded, my voice low and intense, my eyes searching hers for an explanation. “Do you have any idea what you just did?” Her eyes met mine, and for a split second, I saw something in them—determination mixed with fear. But before I could process it, she broke into a laugh. It was forced, brittle, the sound of someone trying desperately to mask their true emotions. “Oh my God,” she gasped, clutching her stomach as if the whole thing were some sort of joke. “What did I just drink? I was so thirsty… I thought it was water, but whatever that was—ugh! It tastes awful! I hope I’m not going to die from it.”
KEILAH I stared at Damien, my mind whirling with a thousand thoughts. His sudden appearance left me speechless, and the raw intensity in his eyes sent another shiver down my spine. The anger in his voice cut through the night air, sharp and cold. My heart pounded in my chest as I struggled to find the words to explain myself. “I—I saw something,” I finally managed to stammer, my voice trembling. “Those men… they were up to something, and I had to know what it was.” “And did you find out what it was?” he demanded, his voice sharp, cutting through the darkness. The fury in his tone was unmistakable, and it sent a fresh wave of unease through me. I swallowed hard, trying to steady myself. “I was about to, but… things didn’t go my way,” I admitted, the frustration in my voice matching my racing thoughts. I could still see the shadows moving in the forest, the broad man’s hand holding the gold jug, the council member’s secretive actions. It was all so close, and yet I had nothing to s
KEILAH As we stepped into the cave, my breath caught in my throat. My mouth hung open in awe as I took in the sight before me. The cave was enormous, far larger than I could have imagined from the outside. It felt like an underground stadium, its sheer size making me feel small and insignificant. The walls stretched high above us, and the ceiling arched into a vast dome that seemed to go on forever. In the centre of the cave, where I expected to see some sort of battle ring, there was only an open space, secured by heavy steel chains forming a loose boundary. The ground was covered in sand, giving it the appearance of an arena, yet it felt unfinished, as if something crucial was missing. The emptiness of the ring added to the unsettling atmosphere, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding. As we walked further inside, I noticed the variety of packs gathered around. Some were chatting quietly among themselves, while others stood in groups, their eyes trained on us. The t
KEILAH Ralph turned at the sound of my voice, his expression shifting from focused to concerned in an instant. The two men beside him exchanged glances but said nothing, clearly attuned to the urgency in my tone.“Keilah,” Ralph said, stepping closer as I hurried toward him. His eyes were searching, full of worry. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “No, not exactly. It’s just… the pack members in the kitchen, they—” I faltered, struggling to find the right words. “They were being kind of creepy.”Ralph’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Creepy? How?”Before I could respond, one of the men cleared his throat. “I’ll go check on my Luna,” he said, heading off toward the house, while the other took a different route.I continued, my voice trembling slightly. “They were acting all concerned and sympathetic, which felt strange. It’s like they suddenly cared, and it threw me off.”Where have you gone, too? I was worried. I asked, not wanting to