Shadows and Secrets

Chapter 2:

The alley felt colder after the panthers left. Seline hugged herself, trying to stop shaking. Austin stood a few feet away, his broad shoulders blocking the dim streetlight. He watched her silently, his ice-blue eyes sharp.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said, scowling. “I could’ve handled them.”

Austin raised an eyebrow. “Handled them? They were seconds from attacking.”

“I’ve dealt with worse.” She straightened, forcing her voice steady. “Why are you even here?”

“Just passing through.” He crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping the alley. “This town… it’s full of Others. More than I expected. Is that normal?”

Seline shrugged. “Hollowbrook a safe zone. No humans, no laws against magic. People come here to hide, or to cause trouble.” She narrowed her eyes. “Why? You planning to stay?”

“Maybe.” He stepped closer, his presence like a storm cloud. “Depends on what I find.”

She backed up, hitting the wall. Her wolf stirred again, restless. “Stop it,” she told herself. He’s just another shifter.

“You’re new,” she said, changing the subject. “Where’d you come from?”

“North. My pack travels.” His tone was clipped, like he didn’t want to talk about it.

“Well, enjoy your visit.” She sidestepped him, heading for the bar door. “Don’t expect a welcome party.”

He caught her arm. His touch sent a jolt through her, hot and electric. She yanked free.

“What?” she snapped.

“You’re hurt.” He nodded at her sleeve. A scratch from the panther’s claw oozed blood.

“It’s nothing.” She pulled her sleeve down. “Shifters heal fast.”

“Not hybrids.” His voice softened. “Your witch side slows it down, doesn’t it?”

Her chest tightened. How did he know that? “Leave me alone.”

She shoved through the door into the noisy bar. Mira rushed over, wings fluttering.

“Seline! Those panthers came back, didn’t they? I heard –”

“I’m fine,” Seline cut her off. She glanced back. Austin hadn’t followed. “Just… keep an eye out.”

Mira frowned but nodded.

The rest of the night dragged on. Seline cleaned glasses, served drinks, and ignored the ache in her arm. Every time the door opened, she tensed, half-expecting Austin to walk in. But he didn’t.

At closing time, she counted the cash register. The tips were pitiful. Not enough for rent. Not even close. She sighed, rubbing her temples.

“Need help?”

She jumped. Mira stood in the doorway, her blue hair messy from the long shift.

“No,” Seline said. “Go home. I’ll finish up.”

Mira hesitated. “You sure? You look… off.”

“I’m sure.”

Once Mira left, Seline slumped against the counter. The scratch on her arm throbbed. Hybrid healing was slow. She’d need a salve, but that cost money she didn’t have.

A shadow moved outside the window.

She froze. The street was empty, fog curling over the pavement. But the prickling feeling on her skin wouldn’t fade. Like static, buzzing under her bones.

It’s just stress, she told herself.

She locked up and stepped outside. The air smelled like rain. She hurried toward her apartment, footsteps echoing.

Halfway there, she heard it a low growl.

She spun around.

Nothing.

“Get it together,” she muttered.

But the prickling grew worse. Her wolf whined inside her, scared and alert. She picked up her pace.

A block from her apartment, she saw them.

Three figures leaned against a wall, silhouettes tall and lean. Wolves. Their eyes glinted in the dark.

Seline’s breath hitched. She crossed the street, heart pounding.

“Hey, hybrid!” one called.

She kept walking.

“Where’s your Alpha, mutt?” another sneered.

She clenched her fists. Don’t engage. Just get home.

One stepped into her path. “What’s wrong? Wolf got your tongue?”

“Move,” she said coldly.

He laughed. “Or what? You’ll hex us?”

Her magic flared, hot in her veins. But before she could react, a voice cut through the night.

“Enough.”

The wolves stiffened. Seline turned.

Austin stood under a streetlamp, arms crossed. The wolves backed away instantly, heads bowed.

“Alpha,” one muttered.

“Leave,” Austin said.

They vanished into the night.

Seline stared at him. “You… you’re their Alpha?”

He met her gaze. “Yes.”

Her stomach dropped. Of course. The power he’d used in the alley, the way the panthers fled—he wasn’t just a wolf. He was a *leader*.

“Stay away from me,” she said hoarsely.

“Seline—”

She ran.

---

Seline didn’t sleep. She sat on her dingy couch, staring at the wall. The scratch on her arm had stopped bleeding, but it still hurt.

Alpha.

The word echoed in her mind. Alphas were ruthless. They led packs with iron fists, looking down on anyone weaker. Like her.

Her mother’s voice hissed in her memory: *“You’re no wolf. You’re a mistake.”*

She shook her head, trying to clear it. Dawn light crept through the curtains. She needed to open the bar in a few hours.

But first, she needed air.

She pulled on a hoodie and slipped outside. The streets were quiet, dew glistening on the pavement. She walked aimlessly, passing closed shops and sleeping houses.

The park was empty. She sat on a bench, watching sparrows hop in the grass. The prickling feeling had faded, but her skin still felt raw, sensitive.

Footsteps crunched on gravel.

She tensed.

“Can’t sleep either?”

She turned. An old man with a cane smiled at her. His eyes were milky white—a blind seer, maybe.

“No,” she said cautiously.

He sat beside her. “The town’s restless. Can you feel it?”

She shrugged. “I feel nothing.”

He chuckled. “Liar. You’re half-witch. You feel everything.”

She stood. “I should go.”

“Wait.” He gripped her wrist. His touch was cold, but gentle. “The wolf Alpha… he’s here for a reason.”

She froze. “What do you know?”

“Old magic stirs. Bonds break. Bonds form.” He released her. “Be careful, child. Not all wolves howl for blood.”

Before she could ask more, he vanished—literally. One second he was there, the next, gone.

Seline shivered. *Great. Now I’m getting advice from ghosts.*

She headed to the bar early. Maybe work would distract her.

But when she arrived, Austin was there.

He leaned against the wall near the back door, talking to two men and a woman. All wolves, judging by their stance. The woman laughed at something he said, her smile bright.

Seline’s chest tightened. She ducked behind a dumpster, watching.

Austin’s pack. Of course. They looked strong, confident everything she wasn’t. The woman tossed her hair, touching his arm. He didn’t pull away.

Seline’s wolf growled low in her chest.

Stop it,! she told herself. He’s nothing to you.

But her skin prickled again, hotter this time.

She slipped in the front door, avoiding them. Inside, she scrubbed tables furiously, trying to erase the image of Austin smiling at that woman.

Mira arrived, yawning. “You’re here early.”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

Mira eyed her. “You look terrible.”

“Thanks.”

The day crawled. Every time the door opened, Seline glanced up, half-dreading Austin’s arrival. But he didn’t come in.

At lunch, Mira nudged her. “Who’s the new guy?”

“What new guy?”

Mira pointed out the window. Austin stood across the street, talking to a group of Others. His pack lingered nearby, watching the bar.

“No one,” Seline said quickly.

“Uh-huh.” Mira smirked. “He’s been staring at you all day.”

“He’s not.”

“Is too. Look.”

Seline refused. But her cheeks burned.

By evening, the bar was packed. Seline moved on autopilot, serving drinks, dodging drunks. The prickling on her skin had spread, like ants crawling up her spine.

She slipped into the storeroom to breathe. Leaning against the wall, she rolled up her sleeve. The scratch was red, angry.

“Need help with that?”

She yelped. Austin stood in the doorway.

“How’d you get back here?” she demanded.

He held up a bandage. “Mira said you were hurt.”

“I’m fine.” She pulled her sleeve down. “Get out.”

He stepped inside. “Why do you hate us?”

“What?”

“Wolves. You tense up every time one walks in.”

She glared. “Why do you care?”

“Because you’re my—” He stopped.

“Your what?” she challenged.

He shook his head. “Never mind.”

Silence fell. The storeroom felt too small.

“My mother was a wolf,” Seline said suddenly. She didn’t know why. “She left when I was a kid. Hated that I was part witch.”

Austin’s expression softened. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” She pushed past him. “Just stay away from me.”

He caught her hand. “Seline—”

The touch sent fire through her veins. Her wolf surged, howling. She jerked free.

“Don’t,” she whispered.

He let her go.

Back in the bar, the noise overwhelmed her. She served drinks with shaking hands, avoiding Mira’s worried looks.

At closing, Austin was gone. His pack too.

But the prickling remained.

As she walked home, she passed a shop window. Her reflection stared back—pale, tired, alone.

A shadow moved behind her.

She spun around.

Empty street.

“You’re losing it,” she muttered.

But deep down, she knew.

Something was coming.

And Austin Hale was at the center of it.