Riley’s POV
"I love your outfit."
The voice slides through the car. I stiffen imdiately and twist my neck toward the front seat, my eyes snapping to the driver’s reflection in the mirror, but his face is blank, focused on the road, hands steady on the wheel like nothing was said at all.
My heartbeat picks up loud in my ears and before I can speak, another voice follows, calr and colder, like it enjoys taking its ti.
"You know, Ethan did well in tossing you away."
My hands curl into fists so tight my nails bite into my palms. I scan the car wildly, my eyes jumping from the dashboard to the doors, to the dark glass of the windows, trying to place where the sound is coming from and then I see it.
Right above , set into the roof near the rearview area, there is a small black lens, barely noticeable if you are not looking for it, angled directly at the back seat.
The cara.
My stomach drops hard.
"What the fuck?" I shout, leaning forward and staring straight into it. "Are you stalking with a cara now?"
There is no answer. No response at all. The silence that follows is worse than the voices because it feels deliberate, like they said what they wanted and decided I was not worth another word.
The driver does not react and that scares more than if he had smiled.
I lean back slowly, my heart still racing, my thoughts spiraling. If there is a cara in this car, then who knows where else there are caras. My house. The company.
Every place I thought was safe suddenly feels exposed, like I have been walking around in plain sight while soone else has been watching quietly.
The car keeps moving.
Thirty minutes pass in thick silence and it was turning dark a bit. No music. No talking. Just the sound of the tires against the road and my own breathing trying to calm down. When the car finally slows and cos to a stop, I look out the window and imdiately know sothing is wrong.
This is not any part of Crescent Hollow I recognize. The buildings are gone. The streets are gone. All I see are tall trees packed close together, thick grass brushing against the edge of a narrow path, and shadows that seem to stretch deeper the longer I stare.
Fear slips into my chest quietly and settles there.
The driver steps out and opens my door. I hesitate, but staying in the car feels just as bad. I step out, my heels sinking slightly into the ground, and he gestures for to follow. We start walking, the air cooler here and the deeper we go, the more it feels like we are moving away from everything familiar.
"This place looks like a hunting ground," I mutter, more to myself than to him. "Who the hell lives out here?"
He does not respond.
"Where are we going?" I ask louder, stopping and turning to look at him.
He keeps walking like he did not hear .
I roll my eyes in frustration and force myself to keep going, telling myself this is just another intimidation tactic, another attempt to make feel small. But then it happens.
A low growl cuts through the air.
It is deep. Rough. Close.
I stop instantly, my heart slamming against my ribs, and slowly turn my head, scanning the trees and tall grass around us. I do not see anything, but the sound lingers, vibrating through the ground. When I turn back to demand an explanation, the path behind is empty.
The driver is gone.
"What the hell?" I spin around fully now, panic rising fast. "Where the fuck did you go?"
No answer.
Another growl sounds again, louder this ti and my stomach drops when realization hits hard enough to make dizzy.
Stray wolves.
Everyone in Crescent Hollow knows the stories. Stray wolves are not friendly to humans, especially not in parts of the city like this.
My hands shake as I bend down quickly, removing my heels and dropping them without a second thought.
The ground is cold under my feet but I do not care. I straighten up and that is when I see them.
Three wolves step out from the trees in front of , their eyes locked on mine, their bodies low and tense.
"What the fuck!" I scream, my voice cracking as pure fear takes over.
I didn’t wait for a second thought, I turn and take off in a heavy run.
Branches scratch at my arms as I push through, my breath coming out in harsh gasps, my feet pounding against the ground.
I hear them imdiately after , heavy and fast, their growls mixing with the sound of leaves and snapping twigs behind . I do not look back because I know if I do, I will freeze.
I trip over a root and crash to the ground, pain shooting through my knees and palms. I bite back a cry and force myself up, ignoring the sting, ignoring the blood and I run again.
My lungs burn. My legs feel like they are on fire. The sound of them gets closer, faster, more aggressive and I know I cannot outrun them for long.
Another stumble. Another fall. I roll onto my side just as one of them lunges where my head had been seconds before. I scramble up again, terror pushing past exhaustion and then suddenly, without warning, sothing slams into the wolves.
A heavy force hits them out of nowhere, throwing them sideways into the trees with a violent crash.
I freeze mid-step, shock locking my body in place.
"What... what just happened?" I whisper.
I do not wait for an answer. I turn and run again, my heart pounding so hard it feels like it might burst. Behind , the wolves recover and give chase again, but every ti they get too close, that sa unseen force strikes them, knocking them away like they weigh nothing.
"This doesn’t make sense," I gasp, my voice shaking.
One of the wolves growls in frustration,
"What’s going on?" I do not stop. I cannot stop.
My vision blurs with tears and sweat, my body screaming at to give up, but I keep moving until suddenly one of them appears in front of , cutting off. I skid to a stop, nearly falling again, my chest heaving as she circles slowly.
She shifts right in front of my eyes.
Bones crack. Fur disappears. In seconds, three young won stand where the wolves were, smirks on their faces like they have already won.
"What the hell is a human doing in this place?" one of them asks, her tone mocking.
"This is Crescent Hollow," I snap back, forcing strength into my voice even as fear shakes . "Humans live here as well."
She laughs. "No. Humans don’t reside in this particular part of Crescent Hollow. You’re as good as gone."
She charges at .
I brace myself, but before she can reach , that sa force hits her, sending her flying back hard. She crashes into the ground, groaning in pain. I stare, stunned, my mind struggling to keep up with what is happening.
I do not understand it, but I begin to run again.
They follow.
One of them catches up and suddenly grabs my neck from behind, her grip crushing, cutting off my air.
Panic explodes inside . I claw at her hand without thinking and suddenly she screams and drops , falling to the ground clutching her arm.
I stumble back, gasping for air and stare at my hands.
They feel wrong. Heavy. Strong.
"What’s happening to ?" I stare confused.
The other two stare at now, no longer smirking, sothing like fear flickering across their faces. One of them lunges again and this ti I do not think. I move.
I grab her by the throat and slam her back to the ground, my fingers tightening on their own, a sudden strange power surging through that I do not recognize and cannot control, and as she struggles beneath my grip, all I can think is that I have no idea what just took over .
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