hapter 13
REBECCA’S POV
:
“There’s a body in the ravine, deep in the woods.”
:
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The words tumbled from my mouth before I could stop them. I instantly slapped a hand over my lips. My eyes widened like saucers and I stood frozen in place. What the hell did I just say?
The silence that followed was bone–chilling.
My mother was staring at me like it would be the last time she’d ever see me alive with my head still attached to my body. Her face went pale, and her lips parted in horror.
But Drew?
Drew was looking at me like I had personally betrayed him. Like I was a disobedient child, and he was the furious father who’d just discovered his virgin daughter was pregnant with the school fuck–boy’s love child. His eyes were stormy his jaw was clenched so tight I swore I heard a crack.
And Devon’s lips began trembling like he wanted to lash out on me. My ears picked up on the low, guttural growls slipping through his throat. My eyes slowly drifted to him. The rage on his face was almost animalistic.
My mother stood beside him, rubbing his arms in frantic strokes like she was trying to soothe a wild beast. Her hands trembled even as she forced a nervous smile, whispering things to calm him down.
“Miss Moore… Miss Moore!” Officer Lennox’s voice jolted me out of my trance. “Are you saying there’s a body somewhere on this property? A dead body?”
“I–I… I stammered. I didn’t know what to say.
“She doesn’t know what she’s saying,” my mother blurted, stepping forward. Her voice was high–pitched and desperate. “She’s confused. She’s just trying to stir more trouble for Devon.”
“We understand, Mrs. Clawbelle,” Officer Brown responded with careful politeness. “But as law enforcement officers, we have to take statements like this seriously. We’ll have to investigate this ravine Miss Moore mentioned.”
Devon’s voice shot through the room like a crack of lightning. “You can take a look if you want, officers, but this is still private property. You’ll need a warrant before I let anyone wander around on my land.”
“Very well,” Officer Lennox replied, already pulling out his phone. “We’ll be back with a signed warrant soon.”
The moment the door shut behind them, Devon exploded.
He launched himself toward me with both hands raised, heading straight for my throat. His eyes were wild and filled with red–hot fury.
“Devon, no!” my mother cried, trying to block him, but he backhanded her away like a fly. She crumpled to
the floor with a weak thud.
13:08 Thu, Sep 4
Chapter 13
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Before I could even scream, Drew was in front of me. He grabbed my wrist and yanked me behind him, shielding me with his broad frame like a wall.
“Father!” Drew bellowed. “Don’t make me fight you.”
I couldn’t see his face, but his voice was so deep, I almost didn’t recognize it.
“Think about this,” Drew growled. “If you touch Becca, and the police come back and see any marks on her, they’ll know it was you. And you don’t want that kind of heat on our pack right now.”
Devon froze mid–step. His fists clenched, shoulders twitching, jaw ticking like a ticking time bomb. But slowly, very slowly, he relaxed, exhaling through his nose like a dragon sucking back its flame.
He didn’t even look at Drew. His eyes stayed glued to me, drilling holes through my skull.
“The gods are on your side today,” he spat. “But Drew leaves for college in a few weeks. And when he’s gone, there’ll be no one standing between me and your throat.”
With that final warning, he turned and stormed out of the room.
I swallowed hard. All of a sudden, my mouth tasted bitter and my legs felt like jelly.
Drew turned quickly and rushed to my mother, who was still on the floor. “Are you okay?” he asked softly, kneeling to help her sit up.
“Yes… I’m fine,” she winced, avoiding his eyes as she got to her feet. She leaned heavily on his arm.
“Mom…” I stepped closer, wanting to help. Wanting her to see I was only trying to protect her.
But she raised her palm sharply, silencing me before I could say more.
“I don’t want to hear it, Becca,” she hissed. “I told you to keep quiet. I told you not to say a word about what you saw out there the other night. And what did you do? You opened your damn mouth to the police.”
She glared at me with fire blazing in her eyes.
“Do you think Devon will just let this slide now? Do you think he’ll forget it?” Her voice cracked as she staggered slightly. Drew caught her before she fell.
“You don’t look so good,” Drew said with concern. He signaled to one of the staff nearby.
A woman in a maid uniform rushed in. “Yes, Master Drew?”
“Take her to the infirmary and make sure she’s okay.”
“Yes, sir.” She turned to my mom gently. “Come, Luna. Let’s get you looked after.”
As soon as they were out of the room, Drew turned back toward me.
But the tenderness in his eyes was gone.
13:08 Thu, Sep 4
Chapter 13
All that remained was fire.
“You are nothing but trouble, aren’t you?” he sneered, stepping closer to me.
I blinked. “What did I do?”
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“What did you do?” he repeated in disbelief. “What did you do? Are you seriously asking me that right now?”
His tone burned, laced with so much anger I flinched.
“I thought you were just some quiet, nerdy bookworm with a savior complex,” he spat. “But no. You’re a walking disaster. You’re reckless. Explosive. Always running off your mouth.”
“Only when I’m angry,” I snapped.
“Well then, maybe I should make it my life’s mission never to piss you off,” he said sarcastically. “Because clearly, you’re a bomb with no fuse.”
“Maybe you should,” I shot back, folding my arms. “Because clearly, no one else in this house is brave enough to speak the truth!”
He stared at me as he breathed hard.
“You could’ve gotten my mom killed,” he seethed. “Do you even think before you speak?”
“I’m not going to sit back and act like everything’s okay when it’s not,” I said, voice rising. “You want me to shut up? You want me to smile and pretend your father isn’t a violent psycho who beats my mom? Sorry, that’s not happening.”
“You don’t get it!” he shouted, stepping even closer. “There are rules here, things you don’t understand yet! You’re not just poking the bear, Becca you’re poking a monster. And you’re dragging everyone else down with you.”
I refused to back down. “Maybe someone needs to poke the monster. Maybe someone needs to stop pretending this is normal.”
His eyes bore into mine.
“Just… try and be on your best behavior,” he growled. “The police will be back soon. They’ll probably investigate, but they won’t find anything out there. Still, they’ll question you some more. But you can’t tell them anything. Tell them you made it all up because you hate my father.”
My eyes widened, “You want me to lie?”
“Yes!” he said, exasperated. “Because if you don’t, things will get worse. For me. For your mother. For you.”
“But Drew… I did see something that night.”
He stilled. “What did you see?”
I hesitated. “I know this is going to sound insane, but… I saw… well I thought I saw a werewolf dragging a dead
13:08 Thu, Sep 4
Chapter 13
body toward the ravine.”
He blinked.
“A werewolf?” a voice cut in from the doorway.
Drew and I both turned, and both of us gulped in sync.
There, standing tall and expressionless, were Officers Lennox and Brown.
They heard everything.
AD
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
