Chapter 9: Chapter Nine

Claire

"Who knew bullying your bully would make him want to take you out," Cat said, slurping the last of her late-night coffee. "I mean, Axel is super-hot, but I don't tolerate bullying. I wish I could have been there to see the look on his face." She chuckled and kicked her feet onto the chair opposite of her. "I'm sure it was priceless."

Claire wiped down the last area of the counter and smiled to herself. It had been the highlight of her lifetime to do it. She'd dreamed of tossing more than iced tea on him during her life, and it'd felt great to give him a dose of his own medicine. She wished she had the guts to do it years ago.

However, his reaction wasn't what she expected. When he walked into the coffee shop, she expected a tantrum of three-year-old proportions, and what she got was charm. Almost? Kind of. The closest thing Axel had ever come to charm, at least.

She chuckled. "It was amazing if I do say so myself. And I think he got into trouble with his coach. I'm shocked he didn't come in with guns blazing. It's a first."

Cat tossed her empty coffee cup and grabbed her bag from the table. "Are you almost finished? I'll walk you to your car if you want me to."

Claire glanced at the clock that read seven fifty. "I have to stay until eight. My boss was very adamant about that. I'll be fine. There are street lights along the way."

"Okay. My dorm room is just right over there if you need me. I'm going to come see your apartment soon. I'm totally jealous that you have your own place."

Claire beamed. "I wanted to do something for myself for the first time in my life. It's hard paying bills, but I love the space. You're welcomed any time."

Cat left the coffee shop, leaving a heavy silence in her wake. It was the quietest it'd been in hours, and it gave Claire goosebumps. It was surprising how many kids came in for late night coffees. They'd placed this coffee shop in the perfect place beside the library for late-night stragglers.

Claire finished closing the shop, locked up, and walked out of the building into the deep moonlight. The stars were brighter than she remembered them being other nights. Maybe it was because she felt the best she had in years.

She tugged her purse up her shoulder and walked down the lone sidewalk toward the parking lot by her last classroom building. She didn't feel like fighting traffic after her last class and her impromptu altercation with Axel, so she walked to the coffee shop.

The breeze blew against her warmed skin and rattled the bushes against the buildings. The campus was vacant as she made her way across the courtyard. A tall clock tower sat in the middle of a garden full of beautiful flowers, and the street lamps brightened the giant hands.

Claire loved how gothic the campus looked with old brick buildings and an older Bram Stoker feel. She began to dig her keys from her purse and dropped down to her knees to pull it from the endless depths.

Her dad always made fun of its size and said she could hide a library in there. She mumbled as she fumbled around for the long keychain, grabbing everything else in the process. An alley between buildings sat to her left and their small post office on her right. The wind blew again; this time, bringing chills with it. Something about the air stopped her. She felt someone watching her. Claire glanced up at the post office, and the shadows dancing against the glass windows, and then down the lone alley to her left.

She saw nothing but darkness at first, and she sighed in relief. Then something moved in the depths, inching closer and closer to her hunkered down form.

Claire stood up, swallowing the scream of fear in her throat. The university hadn't caught whatever hurt the girl from the other day. No news about her reappearance at school had been talked about. Nothing at all.

Claire took a step toward the parking lot, forgetting her keys, because the parking lot was lit up with streetlights. If she could get there, maybe the light would scare off the animals. But Claire wasn't sure that anything could scare off an animal that left those kind of marks.

When she took another step, a shadowy figure emerged from the depths of the darkness; glistening eyes met hers, and her heart stilled.

This wasn't an animal, was it? It stood tall like a human—taller than a human did—his shoulders broad and his arms outstretched and long toward his thigh. Claire's body stalled, and every rational move to save her life vanished from her head. Evaporated like steam.

The beast took a step toward her. Its red eyes gleamed in the moonlight, and she realized this was exactly what attacked the girl because she noticed his elongated claws.

This was how Claire Summers would die. Death by unknown beast on her first week of college.

She didn't know how the other girl was saved, or how she survived, but Claire didn't think she would make it out of a tussle alive. Death crawled against her skin like tempting satin, daring her to run for her life but giving her no hope.

The seconds ticked by like hours. The wind howled in the trees around them, and Claire eyed the beast because if she did make it out, she needed all the details. But other than a gnarly man-beast with deep black fur, there wasn't much to see.

She took a step backward, causing the beast to snarl its teeth.

She swallowed all of her fear, eyed the parking lot, and took a deep calming breath. She jetted ahead, her pounding heart heavy against her ribcage, masking the sound of her footsteps, and the noise she assumed the beast made behind her.

Claire's foot caught on the sidewalk, scattering her belongings around, and sending her to all fours. Unable to get up quick enough, she glanced back at the beast in the streetlight. It had wolfish features, red eyes, and teeth that made her stomach knot.

Her brief life flashed quickly in front of her eyes. What would her dad do without her? The sad part was that not too many people would care that she was gone. It hurt her heart to think about it.

She backtracked, the loose gravel of the pavement stuck to her palms, and she pushed herself back with the heel of her tennis shoes her dad bought her the year before.

The beast seemed to like to stalk her and didn't look in a hurry, which prolonged her agonizing fear. He seemed to thrive off it. When her back hit one of the vehicles, she looked up at it, the moonlight behind him framed a halo around his pointed ears.

One of his outstretched arms pulled back over his head, and she waited for the blow, but it didn't come. The beast flew from in front of her, something white and furry chasing behind him. The white flash attacked, his sharp canines sunk into the beast's neck, and he shook his head back and forth. Like a dog … only way, way bigger.

Claire realized it was a wolf by the shape of it, although it was larger and tougher than an average one. She was too shocked to move, so she watched in horror as he ripped a chunk of its neck from his body and spit it to the side. The beast scurried away, while the wolf chased after it.

"Oh my God," she mumbled to herself, using the car as leverage to stand up. Her purse and keys sat on the other side of the parking lot, so she walked on wobbly legs over to grab them.

She didn't realize until she bent down to get them that her hands were gnashed and bleeding. She took a steady breath, thankful that was all the bled at the moment. She wiped the blood onto the legs of her pants and gathered her things to leave.

Claire stood up and wiped the sweat from her hairline when she saw him.

The wolf had come back, but Claire didn't feel scared. She felt at ease. "Thank you," she said softly.

The wolf pawed at the ground, and in a quick shift, he transformed in front of her.

And there, in front of her, was Axel Davers—in all his glory—staring back at her.

"Oh my God," she mumbled, taking a step back.

He stepped forward. "Don’t be afraid. Let me explain."

Claire shook her head, dizziness rocked her back and forth. "You're naked," she whispered, her head turning circles before she fell backward, and everything went completely black.