Chapter 26 Darkness

Chapter 26 Darkness
I finished working on the case.
I didn’t find the culprit, but I did find a suspect. One I strongly believe might be the one.

The Alpha of the Ravel pack.

I’ve checked everything about him. Even though we’ve never had any open issues, I’m starting to feel like he harbors some quiet resentment toward me. His alibi for the first and second attack doesn’t sit right with me Something about it feels too careful and planned. 

I don’t know what he’s planning, but I know he’s hiding something, and I’ll find out what it is.

"I need you to look into Alpha Rafael more," I said. "And get prepared for a war. Because we might be heading into one."

Karim nodded. "Okay, Alpha."

When he left the room, I gathered the papers and pushed them aside, forcing myself to think about something else.

I needed to see Nyla.

It’s been two hours since the fight and I know she’s still upset with me. I don’t even know how to start or how to apologize properly. Judging from our high school experience, Nyla isn’t the type to calm down just because you say sorry, and I’m certain she won’t hear anything I want to say.

I walked into the room quietly. The lights were off, and Nyla was lying on the bed, facing away from me. She looked like she was asleep.

I lay down beside her, careful not to move too much so I don’t wake her up. She twitched instantly, giving herself away.

I waited a moment before speaking. "I’m sorry."

She heard me. I know she did. But she didn’t respond.

"I shouldn’t have yelled at you," I added hoping that would get her to speak but it didn’t, so I continued "I was angry about the danger, about everything. I couldn’t hold it back. I know it doesn’t justify it, but…" My voice faded as I searched for words I didn’t have.

After a while, I added quietly, "Goodnight."

That was all I could manage.

The room fell into silence. I closed my eyes, hoping sleep would come, but it didn’t. The weight of everything sat heavily on my chest, making it hard to rest.

I turned toward Nyla. Her back was to me. I lifted my hand to tap her shoulder, then stopped myself. I didn’t want to seem desperate, and I didn’t want to make things worse.

So I turned away.

The night dragged on. The room stayed quiet, but my thoughts were loud. I couldn’t stop thinking about Nyla, about the attacks, about Cathrine. I’m starting to believe she’s influenced Nyla more than I want to admit. That’s the only reason Nyla thinks going to the farmhouse is a good idea. Cathrine said it was safe, so Nyla believes it. 

If only she knew why Cathrine suggested that.

Time passed. I thought Nyla had fallen asleep when she suddenly sat up and got out of bed.

I was about to ask where she was going, but she walked into the bathroom instead.

A few minutes later, she came back out and went straight to the cupboard. She searched through it slowly, struggling to see in the dark.

I reached over and turned on the light.

She looked at me briefly, then turned back to the cupboard and kept searching.

"What are you looking for?" I asked, walking closer.

She didn’t answer.

"What are you looking for? I can help." I offered as I approached her

She hesitated for a moment before speaking "Medicine."

"Why didn’t you just turn on the light?"

"I thought you were sleeping," She said. "I didn’t want to wake you."

That caught me off, guard. That’s so thoughtful of her. 

"Thanks. What kind of medicine?"

She hesitated. "Food poisoning medicine," She said quietly.

"You ate something bad?"

"No," She replied, rolling her eyes. "I just like the taste of it."

Even her sarcasm makes me laugh

"Sit down," I said. "I’ll get it."

I opened the first aid box, found the medicine, poured water into a glass, and handed it to her. She took the pills and swallowed them quickly.

As she set the glass down, I said, "I’m really sorry about today."

"It’s okay, I understand." She said but it didn’t sit with me. It felt as if she only said it so I could keep quiet.

"No," I said. "I really am sorry."

She sighed. "And I’m sorry too for bringing it up again. I just thought Cathrine might be right. It would be safer if we went there."

"Yes," I said, "But I can’t leave my work and go."

She looked at me for a moment, then nodded. "Okay." She said quietly then carefully, she added "You really love working. I didn’t expect that from you."

"Oh really."

"Yeah, I used to think you hated working. I mean, you do look like the bad boys on the internet that don’t do anything." She said laughing.

I laughed too. The way she was laughing and smiling made me laugh more. For some reason, I loved the sound of her laughter.

Suddenly, I stopped laughing. 

Something felt wrong. My gaze shifted to the window, and that’s when I saw them.

Two eyes stared back at me from the darkness, unblinking. My heart dropped when I saw what he was holding.

Every instinct in me went rigid. I didn’t realize I had moved until I was already standing and walking toward the window, trying to see more.

Nyla must have noticed because she was suddenly beside me. "What’s wrong?" She asked.

I couldn’t answer her. Fear tightened in my chest.

"Don’t leave the house," I said as I bolted out of the room.

Nyla called my name, but I didn’t stop. By the time I got outside, the figure was already running, still holding that one thing.

I leapt into the air as I shifted into my beast form. A growl tore from my throat as I chased him into the darkness.