Adeline stood frozen, her body tense, as Derrick Heathcliff's gaze pierced into her. There was no warmth in his eyes—only an intensity that seemed to reach deep inside her soul. It was as if the space between them had been charged with an electric current, and her entire being hummed in response. She should have been afraid. She had every reason to be. After all, she was standing face-to-face with the leader of a werewolf clan. But fear was not what she felt. Instead, a pull, deep and undeniable, rooted her in place.
"Derrick," Margaret's voice broke through the tension, sharp and demanding. "What do you want with my little girl?"
Derrick didn't look away from Adeline, his jaw tight with an emotion she couldn't read. His presence seemed to fill the room, like a shadow cast over everything in it. For a moment, there was only silence—the kind of silence that felt like an answer in itself.
"I need to speak to her," Derrick said, his voice low and controlled, but there was a raw edge to it. "Alone."
Adeline's heart raced in her chest. There was a strange urgency in his words, something more than just a casual conversation. She could feel it—the tension was suffocating, and she didn't know if it was from the atmosphere in the room or the gravity of the moment.
Margaret hesitated, casting a quick glance at Adeline. "What is this about, Derrick? You've been watching her for days now. What do you want from her?"
Derrick's gaze flickered briefly to Margaret, then back to Adeline. "I want her to understand what's happening. What she really is."
Adeline's breath hitched. "What do you mean? What am I?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Derrick stepped forward, his tall frame towering over her. The heat radiating from his body sent a shiver down her spine, but it wasn't discomfort—it was something else. Something more.
"You are not just any ordinary woman, Adeline," Derrick said, his voice dropping to a near growl. "You are the key to a prophecy. A prophecy that connects you to me. To my pack. To everything we've been fighting for."
Adelinw blinked, trying to process his words. A prophecy? She didn't understand. She wasn't anyone special. She was just Adeline Argent, a young college graduate from Baltimore trying to piece together the mysteries her grandmother had left behind.
"Derrick, stop," Margaret interjected, her voice trembling. "This isn't the time. You're scaring her. This is all too much for her to take in at once. Calm down"
Adeline's mind was reeling. A prophecy? The words echoed in her head like a chant, the weight of them pressing against her skull. Could this be true? Could everything she had experienced so far—the strange dreams, the feeling of being watched, her unexplainable connection to Derrick—be part of something bigger than her? She wanted to push the thought away, to reject it, but a small part of her couldn't.
Derrick glanced at Margaret with a sharpness in his eyes. "This is not just about her, Margaret. This is about all of us. She has to know the truth."
"Well, I'll be leaving now. You both can have your discussion or whatever" Margaret said.
Adeline's face paled.
"Please don't leave me, Mags"
"You'll be safe here darling. I'm next door if you need me
The room felt colder now, the air heavy with anticipation. Adeline's thoughts swirled in a whirlwind of confusion and curiosity. She had spent most of her life believing in the normalcy of her existence—ordinary, quiet, safe, no much friends. But nothing had been ordinary since her grandmother's death. And now, standing in front of the man who seemed to know so much about her, the man who had been watching her, Adeline could no longer ignore the truth.
"I don't understand," she finally managed, her voice barely audible. "I don't understand any of this."
Derrick took another step closer, his eyes never leaving hers. "You will. But it's dangerous, Adeline. More dangerous than you realize. And I need you to be ready for what's coming."
"What's coming?" Adeline asked, her voice shaking. She couldn't tear her gaze away from his, even though every instinct inside her screamed to run back to her small room in Baltimore, to hide, to pretend none of this was happening.
Derrick's eyes darkened, and for a moment, the weight of his gaze felt like a storm on the horizon. "The time has come for the prophecy to unfold. And it's not just about you and me. It's about the fate of our world. There are forces at play that are more dangerous than you can imagine. Forces that will stop at nothing to control you."
Adeline's heart pounded in her chest as she tried to digest his words. "I'm not... I'm not a part of this, Derrick," she said, her voice faltering. "I'm just me. Look, you must be misfaken. I don't even know what you're talking about. I've lived a normal life."
Derrick's expression softened slightly, and he stepped even closer, closing the distance between them. The air around them thickened, and Adeline's pulse quickened. "That's the thing, Adeline. You've lived a normal life because you've been kept in the dark. But that's over now. You can't hide from this anymore."
He reached out and gently cupped her face in his hands. Adeline's breath caught in her throat at the warmth of his touch. It was a simple gesture, but it felt like the beginning of something monumental.
"I know this is hard," Derrick murmured. "But you have to understand that I've been watching over you for a reason. You are my mate. The one I've been waiting for."
Her heart skipped a beat at his words. The one he's been waiting for? The one he had been watching? The words sent a jolt of recognition through her, like something deep inside her had finally awoken. She didn't fully understand it, but a part of her knew that what he was saying was true. There was something undeniable between them.
But before Adeline could respond, there was a sudden crash outside the house, followed by the unmistakable sound of growling. She froze, her heart hammering in her chest. The sound was primal—ferocious—and it sent a wave of panic through her.
Derrick's expression hardened, his eyes flashing with a dangerous intensity. "Stay inside," he ordered, his voice low and commanding. "Don't leave this room."
Adeline opened her mouth to protest, but Derrick was already at the door, moving with a speed that left her breathless. He flung the door open, his body tensing as he scanned the darkened yard outside.
"Adeline, stay!" he shouted over his shoulder, before disappearing into the night.
She felt a huge rush of adrenaline.
She stood at the doorway, her heart racing, her mind torn between fear and an overwhelming desire to follow him. Something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones.
A shadow darted past the window, and Adeline's breath caught in her throat. Her sesnses were heightened. The wolf-like shape moved too quickly for her to make out its features, but she could tell it wasn't Derrick. It was something else. Something dangerous.
Without thinking, Adeline stepped out into the yard, her heart pounding in her ears. The air was thick with the scent of earth and something metallic—a sign of danger. She had to know what was happening. She couldn't stay behind and wait for Derrick to protect her anymore.
Just as she took another step, a figure emerged from the darkness, blocking her path.
"Stay back, Adeline!" Derrick's voice came from the shadows. But the warning was too late.
The figure lunged at her.
Everything went black.