The Shadow That Follows

The night felt heavier now.

The scent of blood still lingered in Rhea's mind, even though the alley was empty and the strange man had disappeared.

Evelyn hadn't let go of her wrist.

Her grip was firm but not tight, grounding Rhea in the moment. In reality.

"There are worse things than werewolves in this town," Evelyn had said.

Rhea's heart was still racing. She swallowed hard, her skin prickling with something close to fear.

"What did you mean by that?" she whispered.

Evelyn glanced around, scanning the street before she finally released Rhea's wrist.

"Not here," she murmured. "Come on."

Without another word, she started walking.

Rhea hesitated for only a moment before following.

They ended up at Evelyn's place.

It was a small house on the outskirts of town, surrounded by thick trees that made it feel almost hidden from the rest of the world.

Rhea had been here before, but never like this.

Never with the weight of something unknown hanging between them.

Evelyn didn't speak until they were inside. She locked the door behind them, then turned, her golden eyes sharp in the dim light.

"That man," Rhea said before Evelyn could speak. "Who was he?"

Evelyn exhaled, crossing her arms. "I don't know."

Rhea frowned. "But you recognized what he was."

Evelyn's jaw tightened.

Then she sighed. "I didn't recognize him. But I recognized the feeling."

Rhea swallowed. "The feeling of what?"

Evelyn's gaze flickered toward the window, as if she half-expected to see something watching them.

Then, finally, she said, "A predator."

A chill ran down Rhea's spine.

"He wasn't a werewolf," Evelyn continued, her voice quieter now. "And he wasn't human, either."

Rhea's stomach twisted. "Then what was he?"

Evelyn shook her head. "That's what I need to find out."

Rhea sat down on the couch, trying to steady her thoughts.

Just a few days ago, she had thought the biggest change in her life was becoming a werewolf.

Now she wasn't so sure.

She looked up at Evelyn. "You've seen something like this before, haven't you?"

Evelyn hesitated.

Then she nodded.

Rhea leaned forward. "Tell me."

It wasn't a long story.

But it was enough.

"When I was younger," Evelyn said, "there was… something hunting near the pack's territory. It wasn't a wolf. And it wasn't just human."

Rhea's fingers curled into the fabric of her hoodie. "What happened?"

Evelyn's expression darkened. "People went missing. And when we found them, they weren't whole anymore."

Rhea shuddered.

"Did you ever figure out what it was?" she asked.

Evelyn shook her head. "No. One night, it just… stopped. Like whatever it was had moved on."

Rhea swallowed hard.

"You think it's back," she murmured.

Evelyn was quiet for a long moment.

Then—

"I think something like it never really left."

The next day, Rhea couldn't focus on anything.

Not school. Not her aunt's questions. Not the sound of the world moving around her like everything was normal.

Because it wasn't normal.

She could feel it.

Something was wrong.

Something had shifted in the air around town, and she wasn't sure if it was just her instincts sharpening or if the danger was truly closing in.

Either way, she hated feeling like prey.

At lunch, she barely touched her food.

Evelyn sat across from her, stirring a drink she hadn't taken a sip of.

"We need to find out more," Rhea said quietly.

Evelyn nodded. "Agreed."

Rhea hesitated. "But how?"

Evelyn smirked, but there was no real humor in it.

"We start with the one thing that never lies."

Rhea raised a brow. "And that is?"

Evelyn leaned forward.

"History."

That afternoon, they skipped their last class and headed to the town library.

It was an old building, the kind that smelled of dust and ink, with rows of bookshelves stretching into dimly lit corners.

Rhea had never spent much time here.

But Evelyn moved through the aisles like she belonged.

"We need records," Evelyn murmured. "Old police reports, missing persons cases. Anything that looks like what I told you about."

Rhea nodded, following her deeper into the library.

They spent hours searching.

Flipping through old newspapers. Scrolling through digitized records on outdated library computers.

And then—

Rhea found something.

"Evelyn."

Evelyn looked up, and Rhea turned the old newspaper toward her.

The headline read:

THIRD BODY FOUND IN PINE HOLLOW—POLICE REMAIN BAFFLED

Rhea's pulse sped up.

The article was dated fifteen years ago.

Three people had been found dead, their bodies torn apart—but not by an animal.

Authorities had never figured out what had happened.

And then, just like Evelyn said—

It had stopped.

Or at least, they thought it had.

Rhea met Evelyn's gaze. "This is it, isn't it?"

Evelyn nodded slowly.

And for the first time, she looked truly unsettled.

"This is just the beginning," she murmured.

That night, Rhea lay awake, staring at the ceiling.

The newspaper article was burned into her mind.

Third body found in Pine Hollow…

She closed her eyes.

Was the man in the alley connected to this? Was he the same kind of thing that had killed those people?

And if he was—

Why was he watching her?

Her wolf stirred inside her, restless.

Something was coming.

And she wasn't sure she was ready.

But she would be.

She had to be.

Because if this thing had returned—

Then this time, they had to stop it.

For good.