stood frozen, staring at the creature that had been so close to ending her life. Every instinct in her screamed for her to r

was no illusion. The creature was gone, and Derrick was standing in front of her, his enormous werewolf form still vibrating w

lled with urgency as he stepped toward her, his

t dry, constricted, as though the weight of the night's events had lodg

managed to say, her voice barely

n't immedia

is body tense, his muscles rippling beneath his fur as he kept watch. Then,

hat's been corrupted by dark magic. Someone's c

t skipped a be

her stomach twist. "Yes," he said grimly. "And that's only the beginning. You

uldn't breathe. Her mind raced, trying to make sense of everything-of the strange conne

of wind in the trees. Adeline felt as though she were standing at the edge of a pre

she whispered, shaki

he air like a haunting melody, full of promise and danger. "You have blood that ties you to this world, to our world. Your grandmother k

She trailed off, her mind working overtime. Her grandmother had always been

aze softening. "I'll explain everything, Ade

to know everything-what her grandmother had kept from her, what Derrick was

een through, throughout this day. We'd leave before Dawn tomorrow mo

only nodded and went back inside, f

tside, probably kee

having thoughts, imaginations and dreams

swirl of confusion and fear, and though she desperately wanted to ask more questions, she couldn't find the words. The ni

she didn't understand why. There were so many questions, b

ginning to feel like a place out of a nightmare. No one had seemed unusual at first, but now, in th

something off about it. She had always thought it quaint-small, peaceful, the kind of place where nothing much ever happened. Bu

e felt a strange sense of unease settle over her. It wasn't just the isolation of the place-it was the

he had come to recognize. He stepped out first, quickly moving to her sid

w, urgent. "I need you to trust

rust him-he had protected her from the rogue, even risked his

n?" she asked, her v

here's more to the town than you think. People here-people you've known all your life-aren't what they seem

ght of his words sank in, and for the first t

the word heavy in the

w, eerie sound-like something moving in the distance, a rustling in the dark

narrowed. "We