The wolf beneath

Ryan wasn't sure why he said yes to the date.

Maybe it was guilt. Or exhaustion. Or the fact that Yara looked at him like she still believed there was something left to save between them. She had said, "Let's clear our heads. Just you and me, no stress, no history, just now."

And maybe she really meant it.

But from the second he stepped into that restaurant, he knew this night wasn't going to go how she'd hoped. Not with that scent in the air.

Roses and vanilla.

Hayley.

His heart clenched before he even turned his head. He didn't need to see her to know she was there. That scent had always clung to her, soft but impossible to ignore. He hadn't smelled it in 2 days—not since she got back from the seminar . And now it was everywhere, as if his wolf picked just hers and blurred the rest.

And then there she was. Laughing at a table across the room, her shoulders bare under a black silk dress. Her hair falling the way they always did—wild and perfect and so unfair.

He might've been able to deal with that.

But she wasn't alone.

Jerry sat across from her, his chair too close, his eyes too familiar. Ryan's stomach turned. His best friend. The one person he thought would never cross the line he never even drew

Something bitter stirred in his chest. jealousy? No, this was deeper—uglier. It felt like anger and frustration all tangled together. The wolf inside him shifted, slow and angry, just under his skin.

But he didn't let it show.

And as they approached him,Jerry smiling brightly which seemed to piss him off the more,he could only force himself to reply normal as he was seething with jealousy.

And as they left,

Yara was already waving him over with a soft smile, and he forced himself to sit. Forced himself to breathe. Forced his eyes not to drift back to that corner table every five seconds.

The dinner was a blur. Yara was kind, trying her best to keep the conversation light, to make it feel like the old days when things were simple. But Ryan couldn't keep up. His head was somewhere else. On someone else.

He hated how much space Hayley took up in his mind. Hated how even now, she could walk in and undo him just by existing in the same room.

He was angry at her—because she didn't even know how much she affected him. Angry at Luke—for taking her on a date before he had the chance to. And most of all, angry at himself. For caring,For this feeling he couldn't explain,and for being in this situation

He barely touched his food. His hands were balled into fists under the table the entire time, nails digging into his palms. Yara notice,but didn't say anything. 

After dinner, he drove her back to her family's place in the next city over. The ride was mostly quiet. She played with the hem of her dress and looked out the window.

When they finally pulled up, she turned to him. "I really enjoyed the meal"

He nodded, managed a "yeah," and watched her walk inside without another word.

By the time he got back home, the silence was unbearable. The kind that crept into your bones. His mansion felt cold, empty—too big for one person, too quiet for someone filled with so much noise.

The rage hadn't left. It had only gotten louder. He could feel it building under his skin, twisting in his chest. The werewolf in him was pacing now, restless and ready to break free.

He walked outside without thinking, drawn to the forest like it was the only place that could understand him. The moon was full above the trees, watching like it knew.

He dropped to his knees in the grass, hands shaking.

And then he let go.

The shift ripped through him. Fast. Violent. Skin split, bones snapped, fur burst through muscle. The pain was sharp, but familiar. And when it was over, the man was gone.

The wolf stood in his place.

Without hesitation, he ran.

Through the trees, over the dirt, through the cold wind. He ran like he was chasing freedom, like he was trying to outrun everything he'd felt tonight.

But even in this form, with the world blurring around him and nothing but forest ahead, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

Hayley.