HE'S NOT HUMAN

Elizabeth didn’t sleep much that night, the bed was too soft and too unfamiliar, the faint scent in the air, earthy yet sharp kept pricking at her senses. She couldn’t place it, but it reminded her of the woods after a heavy rain, mixed with something wilder, maybe something alive.

She turned on her side, staring at the closed door. It had stayed locked since that man left, but she could still hear movement outside. Footsteps and low murmurs. Once, she thought she caught the faint sound of claws scratching wood, but she told herself it must have been her imagination playing games with her.

Her mind wouldn’t stop circling the same thoughts. Who are these terrifying people? Why am I here? And why does it feel like I'm being guarded or monitored? maybe not from leaving but from something outside?

Pinky’s absence was the sharpest ache in her chest and every time she thought about her little dog, panic clawed at her throat. She kept picturing Pinky running toward her that night, barking at the men in the woods, and then nothing.

She remembered the precious moments she had shared with Pinky, the playful times in the kitchen while she cooked, the peaceful evening strolls where Pinky trotted happily by her side, the fun of shopping for new trees and treats, and even the quiet afternoons spent planting trees with Pinky playfully digging in the soil.

Each memory was like a warm light in her heart. She missed Pinky so much the wagging tail, the joyful bark, and the way her furry friend made every day brighter. She also missed her garden ,her house, the safe, familiar place where those beautiful moments had lived.

The first sound of the morning was a knock. She sat up quickly, heart pounding, as the door opened and Brooklyn walked in with a tray, his eyes, calm and unreadable, scanned her face before settling on the floor.

“Eat,” he said simply, placing the tray on the small table beside the bed.

"Why should I" Elizabeth eyed the food, it was warm bread, eggs, and tea but her suspicion overpowered her hunger.

“Where’s my dog, where's my Pinky?” she demanded.

Brooklyn’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. “Safe.” That’s not an answer,” she snapped.

“It’s the only one you’re getting,” he said, turning toward the door.

She hated how calm he was, how he didn’t rise to her challenge. “I saw them,” she said suddenly, voice sharp. “That night, those men who weren’t normal moved too fast and the one who” she hesitated, remembering the massive wolf like creature with its glinting eyes, “the one who chased them away that wasn’t you but the other man.”

Brooklyn froze, his back still to her for a moment, the silence between them felt heavy enough to crush her.

“You saw too much,” he murmured, almost to himself. “What does that mean?”

He didn’t answer but he only turned his head slightly, enough for her to see the faint flicker in his eyes, not quite human and then he left, locking the door behind him.

Elizabeth stared after him, a cold wave rolling over her skin. She didn’t know what she had just seen in his eyes, but it made her heart hammer against her ribs.

The day passed in restless pacing, every sound from outside feeding her unease sometime in the evening. She heard low growls not from a dog, but something deeper, vibrating through the air and It was followed by heavy footfalls, then the distinct sound of the front door opening.

The man from the woods stepped in.

Even without Brooklyn introducing him, she knew him and that was the second time they met. He moved with a quiet dominance, like the air itself bent to his will, his clothes were torn at the edges, his hands scraped, and there was something almost metallic at the corner of his mouth.

He looked at her the way someone might look at a puzzle they weren’t sure they wanted to solve.

“You’re awake,” he said, his voice low, distant.She stared at him, the memory of his wolf form flashing in her mind her pulse quickened. “What are you?” she blurted out.

He stopped mid step, his gaze sharpening. “Careful, little girl,” he said, stepping closer. “You’re asking questions you don’t want the answers to.”

Her breath caught as he moved into her space, so close she could see the faint ring of gold around his pupils. Something in that gaze wasn’t human.

She swallowed hard. “I saw you,” she whispered. “In the woods. You weren’t..."

Before she could finish, his expression changed, he wasn't angry, but… dangerous he leaned closer, his voice barely above a whisper. “And yet, here you are breathing that should tell you something.”

Then, without another word, he turned and left, leaving her with the echo of his presence and a hundred new questions burning in her chest.

That night, the moon was bright enough to paint the room silver. Elizabeth couldn’t sleep, she crept to the window, pushing the curtain aside just enough to peek out. What she saw stole the breath from her lungs.

Evan stood in the courtyard, shirtless, the moonlight gleaming over the powerful lines of his body his head was tilted back, eyes closed as if he were listening to something only he could hear then his shoulders rippled, his bones shifting, skin stretching and in one heartbeat, he was gone In his place stood the massive wolf from the woods. Her fingers tightened on the curtain, heart slamming in her chest.

Elizabeth sank back on the floor, her pulse still racing. She didn’t know what she had just seen, but it rattled her more than she wanted to admit

She didn’t know how long she sat there frozen, watching him vanish into the trees. All she knew was that every nerve in her body screamed the same truth. He wasn’t human, just a walking wolf.