Chapter 22: 22_ Set up

The guy stood there, silent, with a smirk plastered across his face that sent an icy chill crawling up my spine. He looked to be around Dylan's age, but I didn’t recognize him from school or anywhere else. My heart pounded furiously in my chest as I tried to steady myself against the dizziness that was consuming me. I asked again, my voice firmer this time, “Who are you?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his smirk widened, and he finally said, “I’m here to have some fun.”

The words made my skin crawl. Something about his tone felt vile, predatory, and it set every alarm bell ringing inside me. I tried to stand, to put distance between us, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. My legs felt like jelly, and the world around me tilted. The dizziness was overwhelming now, worse than before. My stomach churned with unease. This wasn’t just fatigue.

My mind raced. What was happening to me? I hadn’t touched alcohol tonight—Dylan had made sure of that. So why did I feel this way?

The guy took another step toward me, his movements slow and deliberate, as if he was savoring the fear that must have been written all over my face. My voice trembled as I said, “Get away from me.”

But he didn’t stop. Instead, he laughed softly, the sound sending shivers down my spine. “I’m going to enjoy this,” he said, his eyes gleaming with twisted anticipation.

My breath caught in my throat as he closed the space between us. He reached out and placed his hand on my thigh. The weight of it felt like a burning brand on my skin, and the helplessness I felt in that moment terrified me more than his presence. My wolf was silent—unreachable—and for the first time in my life, I felt completely vulnerable.

But then, something snapped.

It was as if a dam inside me had broken. A rush of heat coursed through my veins, and my wolf came alive, roaring to the surface with a ferocity I hadn’t felt in weeks. A low growl escaped my lips, unbidden but full of warning. My hand shot out, gripping his wrist tightly. His expression shifted instantly from smug confidence to startled pain as my grip tightened like a vice.

“Let go of me,” I growled, my voice unrecognizable. It was deep, guttural, and full of menace.

The guy winced, his free hand coming up to grip my wrist in a futile attempt to pry himself loose. For a moment, I saw fear flicker in his eyes, but it wasn’t enough to make him stop. He doubled down, placing his other hand on my second thigh. That was the last straw.

I let out a threatening snarl, and both my hands shot out, gripping his wrists with an iron strength I hadn’t known I possessed in my human form. His eyes widened in shock as he tried to pull away, but it was too late. Adrenaline surged through me, fueling my rage. Without hesitation, I threw him across the room with enough force to send him crashing into the far wall. The sound of his body hitting the drywall reverberated through the room.

I stood, my legs steady now, and stalked toward him as he lay crumpled on the floor, groaning in pain. Crouching beside him, I glared into his terrified eyes.

I was just about to grab him, lift him up and do something even worse when he whimpered, holding up his hands as if to shield himself from me. “Please, don’t hurt me!” he begged, his voice trembling. “I was just doing what I was told!”

What?

"What do you mean by that? Who told you to do this?" I asked utterly confused.

His eyes darted around nervously before he whispered a single name: “Claudia.”

The name hit me like a punch to the gut. A cold chill ran through my body, and the room seemed to spin again—not from dizziness this time, but from the sheer weight of what he had just said. My ears rang, and his words echoed in my head. Claudia? No. It couldn’t be. She was my friend. My only friend.

“Why would Claudia do this?” I whispered, more to myself than to him.

I stood abruptly, my mind racing with confusion and anger. Without another word, I turned on my heel and left the room, leaving the man behind. My vision blurred with rage, and I felt my wolf pacing just beneath the surface, desperate to take control.

The hallway was crowded with people laughing and chatting, oblivious to the storm brewing inside me. I scanned the crowd, searching for Claudia, but she was nowhere to be found. My hands clenched into fists as I pushed my way downstairs, each step heavy with anger. I started looking for Dylan everywhere since j couldn't find Claudia.

Finally, I found Dylan in the kitchen, and my heart sank at what I saw. He was standing with Claudia, and she was leaning into him, her hand trailing from his chest to his shoulder. My breath caught in my throat, and I felt a fresh wave of anger surge through me.

Dylan didn’t stop her. He didn’t push her away. Instead, he looked down at her with a mixture of concern and discomfort. “You’re drunk,” I heard him say, his voice low but clear to my wolf ears. “Let me take you home.”

Claudia giggled, her hand lingering on his shoulder, and something inside me snapped. My wolf raged, clawing to get out. Every muscle in my body tensed as my vision turned red. Without thinking, I turned and stormed out of the house, my fists trembling at my sides.

The cool night air hit my face like a slap, but it did little to calm the storm inside me. I walked aimlessly, my feet carrying me away from the house and toward the tree line at the edge of the property. My breathing was ragged, and my mind was a whirlwind of anger, betrayal, and confusion.

Looking up at the sky, I saw the moon shining brightly above me, a half-moon that was almost full. The realization hit me like a blow: the full moon was only a few days away. That explained the heightened emotions, the unbearable anger. But knowing that didn’t make it any easier to control.

I clenched my fists and tilted my head back, fighting the urge to scream. I knew that if I let it out, it wouldn’t be a scream—it would be a howl, loud and feral, and it would draw too much attention. Instead, I pressed my lips together, swallowing the sound that was clawing its way up my throat.

The woods called to me, offering solace and an escape from the chaos of the night. I didn’t hesitate. I ran toward the trees, shedding my human form as I went. The transformation was almost instant, my body shifting and elongating into my wolf form. The relief was immediate. My senses sharpened, and the rage that had been boiling inside me found an outlet.

Throwing my head back, I let out a howl that echoed through the trees, raw and unrestrained. It carried all of my anger, pain, and betrayal, reverberating in the stillness of the night.

For a moment, I stood there, my chest heaving as the howl faded into silence. The woods around me were quiet, the animals and insects seemingly holding their breath. I dropped to all fours and started to run, needing the release, the freedom that came with moving in my true form.

The betrayal still burned, but for now, I let the wind in my fur and the earth beneath my paws take some of the weight away.