Chapter 5

Tamara's POV

Jenna tilted her head in confusion, first at the café mirror and then back at me. Worry etched deep lines across her face as she shook me, forcing my gaze to meet hers. My heart hammered like a drum inside my chest, and I was grateful she wasn’t a werewolf, grateful she couldn’t hear the rhythm that betrayed me. A part of me wondered if I had finally accepted that title: wolf.

Anxiety surged through me. “Jenna, I have to go.”

Her brows furrowed. “What? You can’t leave. Leave where? This café is your home, remember?”

“Sis, there’s a lot I need to explain, and I owe you that. But right now, if I stay, I’ll put you in danger.”

She scoffed, anger rising with every word. “Danger? I saw my half-conscious sister dragged away by strange men when I thought she was dying. Then you vanish for weeks, and now you appear through the back door dressed like this? Do you expect me to fold my arms and let you walk out again, as if the past few weeks haven’t been hell?” Her voice cracked at the end, raw with pain.

Tears blurred my vision. “Jen–”

“No. Don’t Jenna me.” She jabbed her finger at me, trembling with fury. “I’m your big sister. It’s my job to protect you.”

“And I know that,” I whispered, “but I’m trying to protect you too. Something is happening to me, something I don’t understand. I don’t want it to hurt you.”

She stared at me as if I’d lost my mind. “Protect me from what?” Her hands flew up hysterically.

Inside me, something stirred, like black smoke curling through my veins, pressing against my ribs, whispering in a voice I couldn’t quite hear. Was it the Dark Wolf? Or just madness? I didn’t know. But I knew it was real.

“I have to leave before this escalates into something I can’t control,” I said, voice breaking. “I promise I’ll come back. I’ll explain everything. Just trust me this once.”

“Do you know what it’s like to wake up every day wondering if you’re already dead?”

“If I stay, I’ll drag you into something neither of us can fight. If I leave, at least I can keep the danger away from you.” I replied

Her lips trembled, fury giving way to fear. Finally, she nodded, though her eyes burned with unshed tears. “You’d better come back, Tamara. Don’t make me regret this.”

I slipped out the back door into the chill night, the café’s warmth fading behind me as every step pulled me deeper into the dark.

The road was lonely, serene, yet every step felt like surrendering to something darker. The thing inside me stirred faintly, its claws scraping at the edges of my mind. My breath came shallow, the night air clawing at my lungs. My gown snagged at my ankles as I ran, the echo of the wolf’s reflection burning behind my eyes.

A voice cut through the silence, low and mocking.

“Out here all alone? What are you, a runaway bride, or just bad at directions?”

I froze, chest heaving. A man stepped from the shadows, bow slung lazily at his side, grin sharp as a blade.

“I’m just… trying to get home,” I whispered, clutching my arms around me.

He tilted his head, circling like a predator toying with prey.

“Home? Funny. You don’t smell like someone who belongs anywhere. Tell me… do you ever feel the moon pulling at you?”

My veins burned. The shadow inside me whispered at the edges of my mind. Not now. Please, not now.

His grin widened. “You flinch like prey, but your eyes… they’re too sharp. You’re hiding something, aren’t you? Maybe a little wolf in you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I countered, forcing strength into my voice.

He raised his weapon, smirk curling cruelly.

“Doesn’t matter. Wolves bleed the same as humans. Let’s find out which you are.”

Before I could move, another voice sliced through the night.

“You ask too many stupid questions for a man about to lose his teeth.”

A figure dropped from the treeline, lean, fierce, eyes glinting with fire. She moved faster than I could follow, striking the hunter’s arm. His weapon clattered to the ground.

“Rogue trash,” he spat, staggering back. “This isn’t your fight.”

She smirked, stepping between us. “It is now. Try me.”

The man hesitated, then retreated into the shadows, muttering curses.

Silence fell. My breath came ragged, the burn in my veins subsiding. The woman turned to me, her expression unreadable.

“You’re shaking,” she said flatly. “First time being hunted?”

I swallowed hard. “First time being hated.”

Her gaze softened, just barely. “Then listen well. They’ll never stop. You’re worth more dead than alive.”

“Hunters?” I asked, surprising myself.

“Yes. Hunters.” Her tone was sharp, certain. Of course I knew about hunters, I thought bitterly. I’d read about them in old texts, dismissed them as myths. My inner dialogue felt foolish now.

“You coming?” my savior called, already walking ahead, her steps quick and purposeful.

Feeling the stirring calm, I matched her pace, though I trailed behind.

She led me to a house deep in townold, wooden, its frame groaning with age. Inside, the air smelled of dust and Cinnamon. She guided me into a small room.

“You should lay down. Your heart’s running a marathon in there,” she smirked.

Shyly, I thanked her and slipped out of the dress that bore too many memories, tossing it onto a chair by the window. Preparing to succumb to slumber, I noticed her resting by the door, arms folded across her chest.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“I’m Tamara. What about you?” I forced a smile, trying to appear polite.

“Tamara,” she repeated, ignoring my question. “Care to share what you were doing alone, staggering in the night?”

I let out a breathy laugh, turning to stare at the ceiling. “You might want to grab a chair and popcorn for that story.”

Silence answered me. When I turned sideways, she was staring, eyes sharp, as if she could read everything about me without a word.

Too uncomfortable, I whispered, “Thank you for accommodating me. Tomorrow… I’d like to visit my sister.”

Her voice cut sharp. “You’re reckless. The pack cast you out, and rival packs are circling, waiting for a chance to take down Alpha Percy.”

The name caught in my throat, a sharp pang twisting through my chest, Percy’s bond yanking at my core like an invisible chain, even now.

“Pack members are circling town. News of the Dark Curse being unleashed spreads fast,” she continued, tone unsettling.

I hummed softly, nodding, unwilling to reveal more. I made a mental note to remind myself tomorrow to ask her how she knew I was cast out. She shouldn’t know that… unless she’s hiding something.

She straightened, ready to leave. “There’s something inside you, Tamara. Something dangerous. It’s all in the eyes.” She smirked.

She flicked off the lights and shut the door with a faint click.

Drifting toward sleep, my heightened hearing caught her voice even through the haze.

“I’m Kat, by the way.”

My lips tugged into a weak smile, the first in a long time

The bed creaked beneath me as exhaustion claimed me. Shadows pressed close, and with them came the faint tug of a bond I thought I’d escaped. That terrifying presence brushed against me, familiar and agonizing.Her lips moved before she could stop them, soft and aching.“Alpha…”The word slipped out like a confession, heavy with longing I hated herself for. Sleep eventually took me, but the bond pulsed quietly, a reminder I was never truly free.