Bound By What Comes

The air was thick with tension as Rhea and Evelyn made their way back through the forest. The last traces of sunlight bled through the trees, casting long shadows on the dirt path. The Wraithborn was no longer just a mystery—it was a threat.

And it was fixated on Rhea.

Evelyn walked beside her, every muscle in her body coiled tight. Rhea knew she was on high alert, scanning the trees, listening for any sign that they weren't alone.

Rhea exhaled. "So, what now?"

"We find out what's keeping it here," Evelyn said. "Tobias said it's trapped. That means something is anchoring it."

Rhea thought for a moment. "You think it's a person? Or a place?"

Evelyn shrugged. "Could be either. But if it's after you, we need to figure out why—fast."

That was the part that bothered Rhea the most. The creature had tested her. Had watched her.

Like it was waiting for something.

She wrapped her arms around herself as they walked. "If it is connected to me… does that mean it's always been here? Since before I even knew what I was?"

Evelyn glanced at her, something unreadable in her expression. "Maybe."

Rhea shivered.

The idea that this thing had been lurking in the shadows, waiting for her to awaken—to change—sent ice down her spine.

They reached Evelyn's car just as the sky turned dark. The moment they were inside, Evelyn locked the doors and exhaled sharply, gripping the steering wheel.

"I hate this," she muttered. "I hate not knowing what we're up against."

Rhea leaned back in her seat, staring at the passing trees as Evelyn started the car.

She hated it too.

They returned to Evelyn's house, where they spread out everything they knew on the floor of her room. Old newspaper clippings. Maps of Pine Hollow. Tobias's book.

Rhea traced her finger along the locations where the bodies had been found, noting how they formed an eerie pattern.

"This thing isn't killing at random," she said. "There's a pattern."

Evelyn leaned over her shoulder. "Look at the map. The attacks—all of them—circle around the old church."

Rhea frowned. "The abandoned one?"

Evelyn nodded. "No one's stepped foot in there for years. The pack avoids it. Even humans say it gives them a bad feeling."

Rhea shivered. "Then maybe that's where we need to go."

Evelyn's jaw tightened. "Rhea—"

"I have to do this," Rhea said firmly. "If this thing is hunting me, I need to know why. Hiding won't help."

Evelyn studied her for a long moment before sighing. "Then we go together."

Rhea nodded.

Tomorrow, they would face whatever waited for them in that church.