HAZEL Mate. What the hell did that even mean? Darryl had said it like it was the most important word in existence.I'd heard Amy talking in the background, her voice very distant, but all I could focus on was that word and the way my body was responding to it. My heart was racing, my hands were shaking, and something deep inside me was screaming YES while my brain was desperately trying to make sense of what just happened. And worst is I could still smell him everywhere. Not just a regular smell but this was something else entirely. Something that made me want to track him down, to follow that invisible trail he'd left behind. I knew I had a good sense of smell, but this was different. This was like my entire body was a bloodhound, and Darryl was the only thing that existed."Hazel? Are you listening to me?" Amy's hand grabbed my arm and her touch jerked me back to reality. "What's going on? You just took off from the cafeteria like you were possessed.""I'm fine," I managed to g
HAZELThe moment I got home, everything went to hell.Shadow wasn't just angry. Shadow was a nuclear bomb ready to detonate inside my skull. Every piece of furniture in my room became a potential weapon, and I could feel my control slipping faster.I couldn't think about anything except the fact that I'd just walked away from my fucking mate.From Hazel."YOU WALKED AWAY!" Shadow screamed inside my head. "WE FOUND HER. AND YOU WALKED AWAY!""Shut up!" I roared, grabbing the nearest chair and sending it across the room. It shattered against the wall like my entire world was shattering right along with it. Luna Mara was the first to reach my room. Her eyes went wide taking in the absolute destruction I'd created. The desk lay broken to pieces, books were scattered on the floor, a lamp broke into a thousand fragments. And me, in the center of it all, breathing like I'd just run a marathon."Darryl," she said softly. "Breathe."But Shadow wasn't interested in breathing. Shadow wanted ON
HAZEL The morning air bit into my cheeks as I walked to school, but I barely noticed it because my mind was stuck on replay from Dad's revelations about Darryl last night. "He came looking for you every day for months," Dad had said. "I'd find him sitting on our porch in the rain, refusing to leave until he knew you were safe. Sometimes he'd just stand there, staring at your window like you might suddenly appear."I held my bag tighter, remembering how Dad's face had crumpled when he described those days. "I couldn't tell him about your mother, about what really happened. It wasn't my secret to share. But watching that boy break apart..." He'd trailed off, lost in the memory.I kicked a stone along the sidewalk, watching it roll across the concrete like my scattered thoughts. All these years, I'd carried my own guilt about leaving, but I hadn't known how badly it had broken him."Two months after you left, his parents were attacked," Dad's words haunted me. "Official report said it
DARRYL I watched Lucian adjust his football gear for the hundredth time, trying to ignore the way Shadow was pacing restlessly in my head. Practice wasn't for another hour, but we always came early - had been since freshman year when we both made varsity and needed the extra time to prove ourselves worthy of those spots. "Coach wants to switch up the defensive line," Lucian said, tossing the ball between his hands. "Says we're getting predictable." "We could try that counter formation we worked on last season," I suggested, focusing on the conversation instead of the way Shadow kept pulling my attention across the field. "Mix it up with some new plays." "That could work," Lucian nodded, and I couldn't help but smile. This was why we clicked from the start - he didn't know about mates or pack dynamics or any of that supernatural crap. To him, I was just Darryl, his best friend and brother. We understood each other in a way most people couldn't, both of us having lost everything
HAZEL "Spill," Amy demanded, sliding into the seat across from me at lunch. "You can't just get caught by Darryl freaking Hale in front of the whole school and act like nothing happened."I focused on unwrapping my sandwich, trying to ignore the way my skin still tingled from where he'd touched me. "There's nothing to spill. I tripped, he caught me. End of story.""End of story?" Amy's eyebrows shot up. "The guy who's been avoiding you for weeks suddenly appears out of nowhere like some superhero to catch you? And let's talk about how he looked at you—like he was ready to fight anyone who came near.""He was probably just being nice," I muttered, but even I didn't believe that. Nothing about the way Darryl had held me felt nice. It had felt... inevitable. Like gravity."Nice?" Amy snorted. "Darryl Hale doesn't do nice. He barely talks to anyone except Lucian and his little inner circle. But somehow he was right there when you needed him?"I took a bite of my sandwich to avoid answeri
HAZELThe final bell had barely stopped ringing when I burst through the school's front doors, my heart hammering against my ribs. Jake's appearance in the principal's office had thrown me completely off balance. I'd spent the rest of my classes in a daze, barely hearing the teachers' words over the roar of questions in my head.Why was he here? How did he even find me? My hands trembled slightly as I fumbled with my locker combination. I'd been avoiding Jake all day, making excuses about classes and meetings, but I knew I couldn't dodge him forever."Need help with that?"I jumped at Jake's voice, so close behind me that I could smell his expensive cologne. I squared my shoulders and kept my eyes forward, focusing on gathering my books."I've got it," I said coldly, slamming my locker shut.Jake leaned against the adjacent locker, blocking my escape route with his body. He wore a practiced smile that I now realized never quite reached his eyes. How had I been so blind?"Come on, Haz
HAZEL I couldn't stop replaying yesterday's scene in my head. Darryl - the same guy who'd been treating me like I was invisible, like I was some kind of ghost haunting his memories had nearly torn Jake apart. If I hadn't stopped him, who knows what would have happened? The thought both terrified and thrilled me in a way I didn't want to admit.God, I felt guilty for that thrill.The way he'd moved, the pure protective fury in his eyes - it was nothing like the cold, distant person I'd been dealing with since I returned to Ravenville. For a moment, he'd looked like the Darryl I remembered from childhood. The one who'd always have my back, who'd fight anyone who tried to hurt me.I was still lost in those thoughts when I first felt it. Something was wrong. The air in my bedroom felt heavy. Thick with a presence that didn't belong. My skin prickled, those weird instincts I'd always had screaming that something was off.I opened my eyes and for a split second, I thought I was dreaming or
HAZELThe hallway was too quiet, the kind of silence that sets your nerves on fire. I slowed my steps and I could feel it more, Something was very off. My gut was never wrong about this kind of thing.I paused and scanned the empty corridor, every shadow and corner suddenly feeling suspicious. A faint sound came from behind me, but when I turned around, there was absolutely nothing. Just the same stretch of a silent hallway.“Get it together, Hazel,” I muttered under my breath and shook my head hard. “It’s just your mind playing tricks. Focus.”Still, my feet moved faster. I didn’t like the feeling creeping over me. My hand shot out to push the bathroom door open, and I ran inside, shutting it behind me with more force than necessary.The silence inside was worse somehow. I leaned against the door, exhaling hard like I’d just run a mile. I closed my eyes for a second, trying to calm down and that's when I spotted her.Amy.She was standing at the sink, hunched over like she didn’t wan
HAZELThe library would be my sanctuary today. It was quiet, and felt far away from the chaos swirling around me. I needed to distract myself. Badly. Darryl wasn’t answering my calls. It made my stomach twist into knots. Then there was my dad. I was so angry with him. He was keeping secrets, controlling me, and now… now he was going after Darryl. It felt like my world was crumbling.I wandered through the tall bookshelves, pulling out random books. Nothing seemed to hold my attention. Finally, I found myself in the paranormal section. I picked out a thick book with a dark cover. It was about werewolves. I settled into a quiet corner, hoping to lose myself in the story.The book started like any other werewolf novel, talking about full moons and shifting. But then, I turned the page and my breath caught. There was a picture. Not the usual handsome man turning into a wolf, this was different. This wolf was massive with glowing red eyes and thick, dark fur. The caption underneath read, “
DARRYLI leaned back against my bedroom door and smiled. Hazel’s scent was still here, and the memory of our shared embrace, the feeling of her tears against my shoulder, warmed me from the inside out. It wasn’t much, but it was something. I felt hope for the first time in what felt like forever, a feeling I'd almost forgotten.I ran a hand through my hair, replaying our conversation in my mind and chuckled softly. I’d even managed to keep Shadow relatively calm during our close moments. It felt like we had finally turned a corner.“She believes me,” I murmured.My smile faded as the image of Alpha Darius’s face flashed through my mind. The Alpha’s words echoed in my ears: “A human mate? It’s impossible, Darryl. Dangerous.” Luna’s disappointed gaze followed. They’d already chosen Katrina for me. The thought sent a surge of anger through me. I balled my fist, the joy of the past hour dissolving into a bitter anger.I slammed my fist into the wall and growled. The impact sent pain throu
HAZELMy heart sank as I heard my father’s voice. I barely had time to process the shock of seeing my broken bicycle in front of the house, let alone figure out how it had ended up here. I turned slowly to face him, the storm in his eyes was unmistakable. His face was tense as if he were holding back a fury that could snap at any moment. "Why did you disobey me?" “Dad... I—” I stuttered, not knowing how to explain myself, not knowing what he wanted to hear. I wanted to tell him everything, to say that I hadn’t meant to disobey him, that I had only gone out to clear my head, to escape the storm that was raging inside me. But the words wouldn’t come. He was looking at me like he expected me to have a solid reason. “I wasn’t planning to meet him or anything.,” I finally managed to say. “I just… I just needed some space, that’s all. I went out to clear my head and I happened to meet him in the woods.”He shook his head slowly, as if the answer was too obvious for me to see. “I know eve
HAZELThe silence around the table was almost suffocating, and I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was being scrutinized, even though no one was speaking. They had been unusually quiet after the question about the silver necklace. I could tell they were waiting for an answer, but I was struggling to put together the right words. Why did he ask about the necklace? What did it mean to him? What was going on in their minds?I looked at Darryl for a moment, but he was staring at his plate, not acknowledging me. I felt a tight knot form in my stomach, unsure of how to answer and I couldn’t shake off the discomfort that was settling in me. “It’s from someone who meant a lot to me,” I finally managed to say. I wasn’t sure if that was enough of an explanation, but it was all I could offer.Darryl’s father gave me a nod, as if my answer was sufficient. But before the conversation could continue, Darryl cut in firmly. “Enough, father. Enough, mother.”His parents fell silent. “Hazel ju
HAZELThe shower’s warmth still lingered on my skin as I stepped out of Darryl’s bathroom, wrapped in a towel. My hair hung in wet strands as it clung to my shoulders. After dressing quickly, I stared at my reflection. The girl in the mirror looked tired, her eyes dull despite the rest she’d gotten. Pull it together, Hazel, I told myself. Today was Saturday, and while I should feel relieved not to rush home for school, a pit formed in my stomach.Dad.Last night, he'd bombarded me with calls, the incessant ringing drilling into my mind. But this morning? Nothing. No texts. No calls. The silence was too loud. It felt wrong—off, even. It was all suspicious, but I pushed it away. There was no time to dwell on it now.I stepped out of the room and the door clicked softly behind me. The house was quiet. For the first time, I noticed how large it was. The ceilings stretched high above me, and the halls seemed to go on forever. I remembered being on Darryl’s back last night, clinging to him
HazelThe room felt colder than it should have been. My fingers trembled as I clutched Darryl’s shirt, the scent of blood still thick in my nose. The silence between us was deafening and stretching longer than I could bear. Darryl didn’t say a word but his eyes was still locked onto mine. Finally, he spoke in a very low and calm voice.“Why do you think it’s me?”I swallowed hard, before raising his shirt up. “This shirt,” I whispered, holding up the evidence between us. “It smells like blood.” My voice faltered, and I looked away. “And also…” I couldn’t finish that.Darryl’s gaze didn’t even move from mine. “Also what?” he pressed. I bit my lips and let the shirt fall beside me. “I saw you, Darryl. I saw you running away from the scene… when Jake was lying on the floor.” My eyes met his, searching for something or anything that could make this feel less like betrayal. “You were shirtless, Darryl. I saw you running away.” I wanted to take them back, to erase the doubt they plant
HAZELThe room was silent, but my heart wasn’t. It was loud like it wanted to burst out and chase after him. The way he had looked at me… I couldn’t stop thinking about it.When he carried me into his room, I thought I’d feel awkward or embarrassed. Instead, I felt safe. But when he placed me on the bed and leaned in, everything changed.His eyes had locked onto mine, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t fear at all. It was something else entirely. The kind of intensity that made me feel seen, like every thought and emotion I had was written across my face and he was reading it.And then there was the way he leaned in. I thought he was going to kiss me. His gaze fell to my lips and I felt a jolt in my stomach.But he didn’t.Instead, he stepped back and then he left.Now I was alone, sitting on his bed like some forgotten thing, replaying everything that had just happened.I touched my lips, my fingertips grazing them softly. Did he want to kiss me? Or was it all in my hea
Darryl’s POV I was still leaning over her, my arms on either side of her, trapping her in place. Her eyes were wide anf her lips was slightly parted. My gaze dropped to those lips, soft and inviting. A dangerous heat surged through me, and all I wanted to do was close the distance, to press my mouth to hers and kiss her deeply. The urge was so strong that my heart raced, my hands almost shaking as I fought the need to touch her.But I couldn’t. I quickly stepped back, shaking my head, muttering under my breath, “Fuck.” What was wrong with me?I clenched my teeth and forced myself to pull back. My hands shook as I stepped away.The silence between us was thick and awkward. Hazel looked down at her hands, her cheeks flushed. I didn’t know where to look. My thoughts were a tangled mess. The room felt too small, the air too hot. I cleared my throat, trying to sound normal. “I—I’ll sleep outside.” She looked up quickly. “You’re not sleeping here?” Her voice was small. I shook my h
DARRYLThe woods were quiet tonight. I liked coming here when I needed space. It was my place to think and to breathe. Tonight was no different. I walked through the trees and inhaled the air which was filled with the faint scent of ashes left behind by the fire. The moon was high and casted light on the branches.Everything was quiet, except for the whisper of leaves and the distant hoot of an owl. My wolf and I shared this calm, this sense of being home. I took a deep breath and let it settle in my lungs. This was normal. This was right.Then, I heard it.Footsteps.These footsteps were light and hesitant. Definitely Human. What would a human be doing out here? This place had been off-limits since the fire. No one from town dared to come here anymore. It was too dangerous and too haunted by memories. Only we, the werewolves came here now, to hunt or during full moons. I crept forward and took every step cautiously. The scent of ashes was still there, but there was something else