Chapter 9: Chapter Nine - Jessica

The silence in the house settled over me like a weighted blanket.

It was bittersweet for the boys to leave because I found it hard to be around Mason for too long. The longing inside of me was pathetic. I’d just met this man and suddenly felt like a thirteen-year-old girl again.

On the other hand, the house gave me the creeps. Maybe it was the fact I was alone in this giant house with man-size wolves roaming the woods. I still couldn’t grasp that a wolf could get that big. It looked so intelligent staring at us in the road. I'd never seen anything like it.

Sliding my palms against my hair, I dared to walk upstairs to the second floor. Grandmother’s room sat at the end of the long hallway to my right. When I

shoved open the room her perfume hit my nose.

It brought tears to my eyes.

I hadn’t seen her in over a decade but remembered her scent. It was flowery and smelled like an old lady, but I’d always loved it growing up.

The scratchy comforter had a dark floral print that matched the dark wood of her four-post bed.

Dust particles danced in the sunbeams leaking in from her window from the setting sun. I walked over and the view spanned out the house's front yard.

This place seemed like a castle when I was young. Mother would bring me over and we spent hours playing in the woods.

That seemed like a completely different universe. Swiping a tear from the corner of my eye, I turned and ran my fingers against her vanity mirror.

I sat down on the seat and stared at myself in the mirror. There was no way I could sleep in this room. Not in my grandmother’s bed or under her sheets.

I slid away from the mirror when I caught sight of a pendant sitting on the corner of the vanity. The crest was crescent moon-shaped with a blue glow tint to

the silver.

Curling it into my hand, I slipped it into the pocket of my jeans and walked back downstairs.

The sun had begun to set and my nerves were all over the place. Finding a way to keep myself busy, I walked into the guest room and unpacked my clothes.

Since I didn’t have much to unpack, it only took about thirty minutes before I was sitting on my bed, opening my laptop.

I spent most of the night scrolling and applying for writing jobs. When I woke up, my laptop had slid to the side and darkness had taken over the room.

I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my palms and searched the bed for my phone. My fingertips found it beneath my pillow, and I slowly turned on the

flashlight.

The darkness moved in a way that twisted my stomach. I instantly regretted not letting one of Jacob’s friends stay the night.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I reached for the lamp on the nightstand. Once the light brightened the room, I sighed heavily and leaned against the pillow.

I needed to get over this fear sooner or later.

Slipping my phone into my pocket, I walked toward the kitchen to grab a cup of water.

My footsteps were light against the wooden floor until it turned into the cool tile of the kitchen.

I flipped on the lights, the inky darkness disappearing as I walked to the cabinet and found an empty cup. My gaze shifted toward the window above the sink as I filled my glass of water. I was not too fond of faucet water but since I hadn’t been to the grocery store, I had no bottles.

The moon lit up the front yard enough that I could see the fountain overgrown with ivy and the gravel driveway. A slight movement shifted near the tree line.

I blinked rapidly as my eyes adjusted and the form of a wolf appeared. My hand on the handle tightened as the wolf made eye contact with me. The water

overflowed the cup but I couldn’t move.

His gray fur was dark, and he had a white underbelly. Just like the wolf in my dream.

Was I dreaming? Had I never woken up earlier?

The wind picked up, blowing dead leaves around the wolf. It was as if the motion broke him from his stare and he raced into the woods.

I fumbled with the cup in my hands and sat it down in the sink. My heart thumped wildly as I dug my phone out of my pocket. I called Jacob first but he didn’t answer.

My fingers hovered over Mason’s name. He told me I could call him, but it was after one in the morning. Maybe he was asleep.

So, I texted him. I saw a giant gray wolf in my front yard.

I sat my phone to the side and lifted my cup from the sink and to my lips.

My phone dinged several seconds later with a text from Mason.

Another one? Why are you awake? Are you having trouble sleeping?

Was it greedy or needy to want him to come over? My fingers hovered over the texts when someone knocked on my door.

I swallowed heavily as I tip-toed over and looked out of the peephole. Seth stood on the other side and I sighed heavily.

Seth just knocked on my door. I’m okay now.

I slid my phone back into my pocket and opened the door.

He grinned ear-to-ear. His dirty blonde hair was windblown and looked a bit sweaty as if he ran over. I didn't see his truck, which was odd but I just assumed he lived close. “I wanted to make sure you were okay. I saw the kitchen light on and figured you were still up.”

“You’d be right. I fell asleep and woke up. This house is just so big.”

Seth stepped inside and kicked the door shut behind him. “It is that but I think you’ll get used to it. Do you want some company until you get tired? I hope it's not weird I showed up to check on you."

I lifted a brow at him. “Don’t you have to work or something in the morning?”

He gave me a lopsided smile. “Nah, I’m off.”

“Do you work at the sawmill like Jacob and Mason?” He followed me back into my bedroom where I finished my glass of water and sat it on the nightstand.

“Nah,” he said, plopping down in the chair in the corner. “I work at a hardware store in the next town over.”

“You didn’t go to college?” I asked, sliding underneath the covers.

Seth shook his head. “No. College isn’t for me. Liam is the brainiest out of all of us.”

I placed my laptop on the floor beside my bed when I heard the front door open and then shut. Seth stood up as angry footsteps stalked toward us. Seth got halfway there when Mason filled the doorway.

He looked irritated as hell standing in front of me. “What are you doing here? Jacob said for you not to come over here.”

Seth narrowed his eyes at Mason and slipped his hands into his pockets. “Yeah? So why are you here?” he asked.

“She texted me,” Mason said.

A feverish blush heated my cheeks and I suddenly found the comforter very interesting. I wrapped a loose string around my finger and began to pull at it.

“I’m fine now if you two want to go. I was just telling Mason about the giant wolf I saw in the front yard.”

When I looked up, Seth was staring at me. “What color was he?”

“Gray,” I said.

Seth looked over at Mason. “I think it’s time to go. She’s going back to bed. I’ll see you later,” he said, walking past Mason and shoving his shoulder into him.

I watched in confusion as they shared this heated moment. Mason swallowed and then cleared his throat. “Are you truly okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble between you two. Though, I’m not sure what’s going on exactly.”

Mason shifted, his wide shoulders taking up most of the doorway. “It’s nothing you need to worry about, Jess. You can text me until you fall asleep. I need to

talk with Seth.”

A shiver raced down my spine. “The wolf I saw was the same one from my dream,” I whispered.

The corner of Mason’s mouth twitched, but I couldn’t decipher the meaning. “I’ll see you soon.”

He left me in the bed with the oddest sense that he was satisfied at hearing that. I just had no idea why any of it mattered. The longer I sat and thought about

it, the more confused I grew, until my eyes grew heavy and I let them rest.