Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It feels like our lives are over. We could not escape it; there was just no way we could live without the fear of someone finding out what we did.

I was just in the library, typing up my lecture notes from this morning, completely oblivious to the nightmares that were about to change my life forever. I was trying to be respectful of the library rules and not disturb anyone, so I put my phone on silent. Unfortunately, I ended up missing six frantic calls from my sister.

I only realized I had calls and texts when I took a break and checked my phone. I quickly tossed my laptop into my bag and headed out of the library, leaving my books and stationery behind to show that the table was taken.

Hey Cami, how is it going? I asked her while I was zipping up my bag.

Nala. Cami whispered and then tears started to fall. "Hey, something has come up, you need to get home."

"Huh?" Hey, what's going on? "Hey, are you doing alright?"

Cami stayed silent, and all I could hear were cries of anguish.

I felt a chill run down my spine, kind of like a spider making its way down with a silky thread. I could feel it everywhere, kind of taking over until I felt like I was almost frozen. Right now, my mind is stuck on just one thought. Can you help Cami?

"I am on my way back home." I mentioned it to her while I was heading back into the library. I just kind of went on autopilot, grabbing my things and making my way to the car park. I can't even recall driving; I just knew I needed to get home.

When I walked into our house, it was super quiet, and I could not shake off the shiver that ran down my spine as I made my way into the hallway. Cami! I shouted out. "Hey, where are you?"

"Hey, I am in the kitchen!" Cami's voice came out a bit raspy and had a slight tremor to it.

I made my way to the kitchen, and the sound of my shoes on the floor felt like it was amplified, almost like I was on a loudspeaker. I had no idea what was coming, but I could feel my body getting ready—my heart was racing, and my palms were getting all sweaty.

I just could not believe what I was seeing, and honestly, I did not want to either. I had never seen anything like this, not even in my craziest nightmares. My sister was curled up in the corner of the room, her clothes all ripped, holding a bloody kitchen knife and her phone tightly. She had tears streaming down her face, her mouth moving as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out.

A man was sprawled on the kitchen floor, his white shirt soaked in a bright red liquid that was starting to gather around him. His pants were down by his ankles, and he just stood there, not moving at all.

My mind is racing, and it is making everything feel painful. I really wish they would slow down a bit so I can catch my breath and take in what is happening, but it feels like they just keep going. I am gasping for air, and everything around me is starting to go fuzzy.

"Hey, Nala?" Cami let out a soft cry, and I turned my attention to her. My eyes, filled with fear, locked onto hers as I took in her appearance once more.

I dropped my keys and bag on the floor, and with shaky legs, I made my way over to her and carefully took the knife and phone from her hand. I set them on the counter and gave her a hand getting up. Seeing her shake made my heart ache, and even though I had a hunch about what might have gone down, I was not ready to face it just yet.

"I will take care of this, but first, let us make sure you are all cleaned up." I leaned in and whispered to her.

Cami looked at me, her face stained with tears, and it just broke my heart. "I ended his life." Nala, I ended his life."

"Hey, quiet down." Let us go. I helped her up the stairs to her bedroom, supporting most of her weight along the way. "What happened?"

Cami began to shake, and once more, tears welled up in her eyes. After a brief pause, she began to speak. "I just could not stop him." I gave it my all with Nala, but man, he was just too strong.

I wrapped her in a warm hug. "I am going to call the police. He tried to hurt you, so it was self-defense."

Cami tensed up in my arms. "We can't do that." Nala, he is a werewolf, you know.

"No worries, it was still self-defense." I gave it my best shot to calm her down.

Cami shook her head and let out a sad little sob. "He's part of the visiting pack and holds a pretty high position." "We can not call the police, because they'll... they'll..."

They were going to kill her. The Alpha of that pack would totally take her out. We just held each other in silence for a few minutes.

Sure thing! I began as I moved away from her. "We are not calling the cops, but we definitely need to tidy up."

Cami nodded, and we headed into the bathroom we shared. Cami began to remove her clothes, letting out soft whimpers as she went along.

"Can you stick around?" Cami leaned in and whispered as she caught my gaze.

I gave a nod and gestured for her to take a seat on the edge of the bathtub. I turned on the taps, and the water began to fill the bath. "Wait, did he really do that to you?" Did he... pause before he really..? I kind of faded out, not really sure how to bring it up, hoping he wouldn't get the chance to say anything first.

Cami began to cry. "I really tried to stop him!" I felt pain and rage surge through me as she confirmed what had happened.

"Hey, quiet down." No need to apologize for asking! Everything's going to be alright. You will be just fine.

Once Cami stripped down to what little she had left, she slipped into the bath and shut her eyes. I could not help but let my gaze wander over her body, pausing on the bite marks and the handprint-shaped bruises. The water began to take on a light pink hue, and I found myself looking away.

"Hey, I am going to grab you some clothes."

I walked into her room, picked up her pillow, and let out a big scream into it. I was just filled with anger and pain. How did this even happen?

I bit my tongue, trying to keep the tears from spilling over. I could not help but think about everything my little sister had been through, and before I knew it, the tears started flowing. At first, a tiny tear slipped out, making its way down my cheek and rolling off my chin. Then one more and another, until my eyes were overflowing and a steady stream of salty tears started to flow.

Cami was all I had left. Our parents passed away when we were kids, and our uncle took us in. Even though he and his wife never said anything, I could tell we were a burden to them. They already had three kids, and bringing in another two little ones didn't really help the situation.

Before I turned 18, we talked about what would happen next, and my uncle and aunt were totally on board with me taking responsibility for Cami. Honestly, I think they were a bit relieved about it. Cami was just two years younger than me, so it was not too hard like it might have been with someone much younger. So, we made the decision to move back into our old house in Manchester. I kicked off my university journey, and Cami began her college adventure.

My parents had saved a bit of money before they passed away, and my uncle also helped us out with some cash. We did not have to stress about a mortgage since our house was paid off, but we still had other bills to take care of. We decided to keep the money from our parents and uncle to a minimum, so we both took on part-time jobs. Cami put in about 10 hours a week, while I was working around 20 hours. Getting a loan from student finance was a nice surprise. We were not exactly thriving, but we were managing pretty well financially.

I took a deep breath, wiped my tears, and started pulling some clothes out of the wardrobe. I really needed to be strong for Cami; I just had to be there for her.

I knocked on the bathroom door, even though it was open, just to let Cami know I was back. She stared at me with a blank expression. "Let's go." I mentioned while handing her the towel. "Alright, let us get you all dressed up!"

Cami got dressed quietly while I let the water out of the tub, just watching the light pink water swirl around. "So, what is our next move?"

I turned back to her and took her hands in mine. "You are going to try to get some rest, and I'm..."I am going to cover the body and figure out a plan.

Cami just shook her head. I'd love to help out. I take full responsibility for this.

"Hey, can you hear me out?" I said to her, holding her hand firmly. It is not on you. Can you hear me? It is not on you.

"I'd love to help you out!"

"Hey, Cami..."

"Come on, Nala."

I took a deep breath and sighed. "Alright, but if it starts to feel overwhelming for you, just let me know."

Cami nodded quietly and came along with me down the stairs. I had no idea what I was meant to do. Do you think I should just look this up on Google? But what if what I search ends up being linked back to me? I really had to think this through because I could not afford to mess up.

I strolled into the kitchen, picked up a tea towel, and tossed it onto the face of the guy lying on the floor. I really did not want to see his face.

I picked up my bag that was lying on the floor, keeping my eyes on the body the whole time. I grabbed a notebook and a pen and made my way to the living room.

"Hey, what are you up to?"

"You know, people often get caught because they start to panic and rush through things. We really can not afford to make any mistakes." I am going to jot down everything we need to do so we do not miss anything. I mentioned to her while turning to a fresh, clean page.

"Wait, are you serious?"

I took a quick look at her and gave a nod. "We really need to watch out; he's a werewolf from a visiting pack, and they'll definitely come looking for him if he doesn't show up." We need to make sure nothing points him in this direction.

Cami swallowed and gave a nod. She spoke with a bit of a tremble in her voice, sharing how he had walked into the Costa Coffee where she had been working for the past few days. Whenever she was busy with work, he would start chatting with her. It was all friendly at the beginning, but then he popped the question about going on a date. Cami mentioned she was 17 and not really into dating someone in his late 20s, but that did not seem to bother him at all. She was filling in for her colleague today, and he was around, but this time he just watched her without saying a word.

As I opened the door, he suddenly came up from behind and gave me a push. "I totally did not see him following me! I really should have noticed!" Cami let out a cry and lowered her head. "So, I dashed into the kitchen, thinking I could sneak out the back door, but he was just way too quick, and then..."

Cami went silent, and we both just froze, our eyes getting wide with fear.

Hey, someone just knocked at the door.