I hadn’t stopped thinking about Felix since he left my side outside after we shared that kiss that should never have happened. I was sure the sun had already risen and so I wouldn’t be seeing him again anytime soon. The way he left and the sound he made as he fled the scene made my cheeks warm up each time without fail. I was embarrassed by what I felt and thought in the moments before the kiss. How had things changed so drastically? How did I go from hating him with all my heart to thinking it was okay for him to kiss me? Where was the old Jade? Had feelings of guilt and loneliness shaped her forever? I had to admit that I’d become unrecognizable, even to myself. Now, I was only wondering what he thought. Had he felt because of how disgusted he was? I didn’t want to think that way but he hadn’t given me a choice. I was now self-conscious and too self-aware to wind down and not worry about it at all. I wondered why it was that he didn’t look at me after the kiss when he was the one

“What are you doing?” I asked him, my heart beating incredibly fast. I wondered why my first instinct was to ask him that and not scream. I should have screamed. He was pointing a gun at me. “Trying to save your life,” he said between his teeth, stepping closer. “When I received the call that you were here, I knew I had to come even though we didn’t part ways in the most friendly way, did we?”“That’s because you’re a hypocrite,” I shot at him. “You told me to stay away from Felix because he wasn’t trustworthy yet you were keeping things from me too, weren’t you?”I wanted to ask him how he’d received the call and from whom, but I didn’t think it would matter. He was here already. “Look,” he said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know what he said from you. I’m genuinely just trying to help you, can’t you see that? They’re not good for you. You can’t tell me that you haven’t already figured that out.”“You’re not good for me either,” I stated. “Unless you want me to

The knock at the door awoke something inside of me. I looked at Felix’s face and realized what I was doing. I was shocked by my reaction and when he got off me, I felt cold. Still, I didn’t particularly care even though I was somewhat in shock. I still wanted him. I still craved his touch. I had no idea what I’d do later when the guilt hit me but right now, all I wanted was to feel good. I watched him walk toward the door and open it. Jay was standing on the other side of the door. Why wasn’t I surprised? He glanced at me over Felix’s shoulder and his expression wasn’t all that pleasant. When I looked down at my body, I saw how my abdomen was exposed. I quickly lowered it as they exchanged a few heated words at the door, too low for me to make much sense of what they were saying. Felix then closed the door. He stood with his hand on the doorframe for a handful of seconds before he turned around to look at me. I, in turn, looked at him expectantly. I noticed how his expression had

“Jade,” Vanessa said. Her voice sounded distant. I looked up and her face was a blur. “We have to go,” she pressed. “Now.”I stood on shaky legs and she took my arm. I felt nauseous and my dizziness didn’t pass. Still, I tried my best not to fall flat on my face. There was a sense of urgency around her and all her actions. I understood that I had to move and fast. We went down the stairs and I nearly tripped many times. We made it downstairs safely, though. The sight didn’t do me any favors. The whole floor was covered in the darkest blood, so dark that it was almost black. My eyes widened when I saw the dead wolves littered around the living area. My stomach lurched and I ended up vomiting right on the floor. “Great,” someone murmured behind me. Jay, of course. His arms were covered in blood and he had splatters of it on his face. A massacre had occurred here yet they were all unscathed. It was only then that I understood how truly lethal they were. Sven walked through the en

I awoke with a dry throat that forced me to go downstairs to get some water. My head was pounding and I suspected that it was because of my dehydration. I felt completely discouraged and every time I thought about Phil and Marina, I felt sickened. Another thing that hit me hard, of course, was the fact that I would have been torn to pieces by those wolves if she hadn't worn that dress to carry my scent. And there was that wolf, of course, the one I felt I knew so well yet had never laid my eyes on. I couldn't get the look in its eyes out of my mind. The feeling that came over me was impossible to describe and some of it still lingered inside of me, that I knew for sure. But why? What was it?I genuinely couldn't figure it out. I was glad to see the whole house empty. I didn't come across anyone or accidentally heard a conversation I shouldn't have heard. I opened the fridge and drank as much water as my stomach could handle. I felt a little sick afterward but at least it was a pos