Chapter 8 CHAPTER 8

Chapter 8 CHAPTER 8
Vivienne’s POV

I was in a forest.

I didn't know how I got there, but everything felt wrong. The trees were too tall, too dark, their branches twisting overhead like skeletal fingers. There was no sound. No birds, no wind, nothing. Just heavy, suffocating silence.

My heart was already pounding.

I took a step forward, and a twig snapped under my foot. The sound echoed way too loud in the quiet.

"Hello?" My voice came out small, shaky. "Is anyone there?"

Nothing.

I wrapped my arms around myself and started walking, trying to find a way out. But every direction looked the same—endless trees, shadows that seemed to move when I wasn't looking directly at them.

Then I heard it.

A low growl. Deep and rumbling, vibrating through the ground beneath my feet.

I froze.

Slowly, I turned around.

And there it was.

The wolf.

The same one from my previous nightmare. I knew it was the same one, even though I couldn't explain how. Massive. Black fur that seemed to swallow all the light around it. Eyes that glowed amber in the darkness, locked directly on me.

Those eyes pinned me in place. I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.

Then it took a step forward.

That broke the spell.

I ran.

I didn't think, just bolted through the trees, branches whipping at my face and arms. My lungs burned. My legs screamed at me to stop, but I couldn't. I heard it behind me—heavy paws thundering against the earth, getting closer with every second.

"Please," I gasped, even though I didn't know who I was talking to. "Please, someone help—"

My foot caught on a root.

I went down hard, slamming into the ground with a force that knocked all the air out of my lungs. Pain shot through my palms where I'd tried to catch myself.

I tried to scramble up, but it was too late.

The wolf was right there.

It loomed over me, huge and terrifying, close enough that I could feel the heat coming off its body. Its breath hit my face—hot, smelling like pine and earth and something wild I couldn't name.

I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for teeth, for pain, for—

\---

I jolted awake with a gasp.

My head exploded with pain, like someone was driving a nail straight through my skull from the inside. I grabbed at my temples, pressing hard, trying to make it stop.

Where was I?

This wasn't my room. The bed was too soft, the sheets too nice. Dim light filtered through curtains I didn't recognize.

Panic clawed up my throat.

What happened? Where—

Then it all came rushing back.

The classroom. Them. Their hands. The tearing sound of my uniform ripping. Rafael finding me.

Oh God. Rafael.

I sat up too fast and immediately regretted it. The headache got worse, pulsing behind my eyes. I pressed my hand to my forehead and tried to breathe through it.

I looked down at myself. I was wearing clothes that weren't mine—soft gray sweatpants and an oversized hoodie that smelled like lavender detergent. Someone had changed me.

My stomach twisted. I didn't remember that. Didn't remember anything after crying in the car.

The door opened suddenly, and I flinched so hard I nearly fell off the bed.

"Vivi!" Emma rushed in, her face flooded with relief. "Oh thank God, you're awake."

She stopped at the edge of the bed, like she wasn't sure if she should come closer.

I stared at her, my throat tight. "Where… where am I?"

"You're at our house," her voice was gentle, careful. "Rafael brought you here. You've been asleep for hours."

Rafael's house. I was at Rafael's house.

My hands started shaking again.

"Hey, hey." Emma sat down slowly on the edge of the bed. "You're safe here, okay? No one's gonna hurt you."

I nodded, but I wasn't sure I believed it. I wasn't sure I'd ever feel safe again.

"Breathe, Vivi." Emma's voice was soft. "Just breathe with me, okay? In… and out."

I tried. My breath came in short, choppy gasps at first, but Emma kept going, breathing slowly and deliberately until I started matching her rhythm.

In. Out. In. Out.

Slowly, my hands stopped shaking. The tightness in my chest loosened just a little.

"There you go," Emma said, giving me a small smile. "See? You're okay."

I pulled the hoodie sleeves over my hands and hugged myself. The fabric was so soft it almost made me want to cry again.

Emma watched me for a moment, then let out a little breath. "You know, I always imagined you'd visit our house eventually. But I gotta say, I didn't think it'd take my brother carrying you here unconscious for it to finally happen."

I blinked at her.

"I mean, come on." She tilted her head, her smile turning teasing. "We both know the real reason you never came over. Certain tall, broody guy ring any bells?"

Heat rushed to my face. "Emma—"

"I'm just saying." She held up her hands. "You've had the biggest crush on Rafael since, like, freshman year. Don't even try to deny it."

"I—" My face was on fire now. "That's not—"

"Vivi. You literally turned into a tomato every time he walked past you in the hallway."

Despite everything—despite the pain and the fear and the absolute horror of today—a small, strangled laugh escaped my throat.

Emma's eyes lit up. "There she is."

I pressed my hand over my mouth, but another laugh bubbled up. It was shaky, weak, but it was there. "Oh my God, shut up."

"Never." Emma grinned, clearly pleased with herself. "I've been waiting years to tease you about this."

The laughter faded, but something in my chest felt a little lighter. Just a fraction.

Emma's smile softened. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and glanced down at her hands. "Vivi… what happened?"

The lightness vanished.

My throat closed up. I looked away, staring at the wall, at the curtains, at anything but her.

"You don't have to tell me right now," she said quickly. "But… Rafael found you. And you were—" Her voice cracked slightly. "You were really messed up. Your clothes were torn and you were crying and—"

The door opened, cutting her off mid-sentence.

Rafael stood there.

My breath caught in my throat.

He looked… rough. His hair was messy, like he'd been running his hands through it over and over. His shirt was wrinkled, still the same one from earlier—the one I'd cried all over. There were shadows under his eyes, and something in his expression made my chest tighten.

He stared at me. Just stared, like he was making sure I was real, that I was actually awake.

I couldn't hold his gaze. My eyes dropped to my lap, heat flooding my face. My heart was racing, stuttering at the same time. I didn't know if I wanted to cry again or hide under the blankets or—

"Rafa!" Emma stood up quickly. "She just woke up. I was just—"

"I know." His voice was quieter than I expected. Careful. "I heard you guys talking."

Emma glanced between us, biting her lip. "She's okay. I mean, she's awake. And we were just… talking."

Rafael nodded slowly, but his eyes never left me. I could feel them on me even though I wasn't looking at him anymore.

"Emma." His tone shifted, just slightly. Not harsh, but firm. "Can you give us a minute?"

"What? But I—"

"Please."

There was something in that single word that made Emma pause. She looked at me, like she was asking permission, and I managed a tiny nod.

"Okay," she said softly. She squeezed my hand one more time before standing up. "I'll be right outside if you need me. I mean it."

She walked past Rafael, shooting him a look I couldn't quite read—part warning, part concern—then slipped out into the hallway.

The door clicked shut.

Suddenly, it was just the two of us.

The silence felt too heavy. Too loud.

Rafael didn't move from the doorway at first. He just stood there, hands shoved in his pockets, watching me like he wasn't sure what to do.

I pulled the sleeves of the hoodie down further over my hands and hugged my knees tighter.

"Vivienne." His voice was soft, almost painfully so. "Can you look at me?"

I didn't want to. I really, really didn't want to.

But something in his tone made me glance up anyway.

The second our eyes met, everything came rushing back. The classroom. His arms around me. The way he'd held me in the car. The jacket that smelled like him.

My throat burned.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, and I didn't even know what I was apologizing for.

His expression shifted—something like pain flashed across his face.

"Don't." He took a step closer, then stopped, like he'd caught himself. "Don't apologize. None of this is your fault."

I bit my lip hard, trying to keep the tears back.

He took another slow step forward. Then another. Until he was standing at the edge of the bed, close enough that I could see the tension in his jaw, the way his hands were clenched at his sides.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

The question almost broke me.

Was I okay? I didn't know. I didn't know anything anymore.

I shook my head. Small. Barely a movement.

Something flickered in his eyes—that same dangerous look from before, like he was holding himself back from something violent. But when he spoke again, his voice stayed gentle.

"Can you tell me what happened?"