Kael told me my life would soon return to peace, but I didn’t believe him-not even a little.
Take my current situation, for example. I looked down at my fingers, where I had accidentally nicked one with a scalpel earlier. Now, the wound was completely healed. Not even the faintest scar remained.
This incredible healing ability was terrifying. What should I do next?
Just then, I heard the door open. Evelyn rushed in, breathless, her green eyes wide with panic.
“Seraph,” she gasped, “something’s wrong. I-I just saw a werewolf!”
I stared at her, stunned. Evelyn had seen it too?
“Where did you see it?” I asked.
“On my way home, in an alley,” she said, her voice trembling. “It was a black wolf, huge-bigger than anything I’ve ever seen. Its fur was like steel needles, standing on end. The aura coming off it was terrifying, so dark. Thankfully, it didn’t see me. I ran back as fast as I could.” She clutched her chest, still shaken.
It was clear she’d been terrified. I’d never seen Evelyn so scared before.
I hugged her, patting her back gently. “It’s okay. You’re safe now that you’re home.”
“Why is this happening?” Evelyn said, shaking her head. “I have a bad feeling about this. More people are going to get hurt, I just know it. I think we need to leave this town.” Her voice was laced with unease. “You know my sixth sense is never wrong.”
I did know. Evelyn had always been able to sense things because of her unique abilities. Now, she could feel the chaotic energy hanging over the town, though her abilities couldn’t go beyond that.
Still, her unease only added to my own.
“It’s going to be okay,” I said, trying to comfort her.
“You mentioned that red-eyed werewolf before. He’s your friend, right? Are you sure he wouldn’t hurt you? Because the one I saw today… he looked so vicious, like he’d attack anyone.” Evelyn’s eyes were filled with worry.
“He won’t hurt me,” I assured her. “But the one you saw today? I saw him too. He’s dangerous, no doubt about it.”
“This can’t go on!” Evelyn exclaimed. “We need to prepare to defend ourselves.”
“Werewolves fear silver,” she said suddenly, pacing the room. “We need to carry silver with us.”
“But what if it’s not just werewolves?” I said, watching as Evelyn rummaged through drawers.
She froze for a moment, then started pacing again, more frantic this time.
“You’re right, Seraph. It’s not just werewolves. There’s something else in this town. I can feel it. What should we do? I think we need weapons. Yes, we need to buy a gun. I have a license. I’ll get one tomorrow for self-defense.”
“I think you’re right,” I said. “A gun might work against those creatures.”
But not against everything.
Humans are supposed to be at the top of the food chain. Yet now, it seemed there were other predators lurking above us, hidden in the shadows.
I thought about that person the werewolf had grabbed last night, dangling from its jaws. He’d been so badly maimed, barely clinging to life.
I used to believe werewolves could coexist peacefully with humans. After all, I’d never heard of a werewolf attacking anyone before. Over time, they’d become nothing more than myths, stories that no one could verify.
But now I knew the truth. More werewolves were appearing, and sooner or later, humanity would realize they were real.
Kael said he would protect this town. Was that true? I could only hope he meant it.
—
The next day, Evelyn and I went to class. She was determined to tell the others what we’d seen.
Kael had warned me not to speak about it, but I didn’t listen. If people knew werewolves existed, they might be more cautious and avoid being attacked.
But when Evelyn told the class, the reaction was not what we expected.
“You’re joking, right, Evelyn? Werewolves? Seriously?” one boy said, laughing.
Evelyn nodded earnestly. “I’m not joking. It’s real.”
“Then why haven’t I ever seen one?” he said, laughing even harder. His laughter spread to the rest of the class.
“You don’t believe me?” Evelyn asked, her frustration growing.
“Evelyn,” a girl said, smirking. “You’re always doing those tarot readings and weird mystical stuff. Nobody knows if it’s real or not. And now you’re saying you saw a werewolf? Come on. If they’re real, bring one here, and I’ll pay you.”
“Forget it,” Evelyn snapped. “If you don’t believe me, fine. Just watch your backs. Don’t come crying to me when it’s too late.”
I hadn’t expected this. No one believed Evelyn.
Despite her reputation in mysticism and her loyal following, when it came to werewolves, no one took her seriously.
It seemed Kael had been right. Even if we told the truth, people wouldn’t believe us. Worse, they might think we were crazy.
While Evelyn seemed unbothered, I couldn’t help asking her, “Aren’t you upset?”
“Why should I be?” she said with a cold laugh. “If they don’t want to believe me, that’s their problem. We just need to protect ourselves.”
I nodded.
There was no point trying to convince others. Their disbelief made them careless, but we couldn’t change that.
Still, I thought about Magnus.
Should I warn him? He had an odd fascination with werewolves. If he found out one was nearby, he might run toward it instead of away.
But I didn’t want him to get hurt, so I decided to message him.
Me: “Do you have class this morning?”
Magnus: “Yes, why?”
Me: “I need to tell you something. Can we have lunch together?”
Magnus: “Of course. Even if I’m busy, I’ll make time for you.”
I smiled at his reply. I owed him plenty of meals, so this was a good chance to make it up to him. But his response left me slightly unsettled.