The Day He Forgot He Hated Me by Evangeline Marrow 71 Summary
After a brief moment of calm, the protagonists face a terrifying new threat as ominous sounds and heavy footsteps surround their home. The tension escalates quickly when violent banging and scratching noises signal an attack. The three Alphas—Asher, Gage, and Arlo—immediately prepare for battle, sensing a dangerous presence outside. The woman’s fear and anxiety grow as the assault intensifies, with crows suddenly swarming the house, breaking windows and invading every corner.
The crows transform into a monstrous Skinwalker, a frightening creature with glowing yellow eyes that taunts the Alphas and targets the woman. Asher stands protectively in front of her, ready to fight, while Gage and Arlo partially shift into their wolf forms to combat the elusive foe. Despite their efforts, the Skinwalker moves swiftly and taunts them, causing chaos and fear. Amid the confusion, the woman spots a mysterious pendant on a table and instinctively grabs it.
Holding the pendant causes a sudden and dramatic shift in the battle. The Skinwalker reacts with fear and pain, its form destabilizing and eventually breaking apart into a flock of crows that flee the scene. The house is left in ruins, and the trio is left catching their breath. The woman reveals she found the pendant while cleaning out her parents’ belongings, unaware of its power. The Alphas realize the creature feared the pendant and possibly the woman herself, hinting at a deeper connection between them.
Asher’s protective stance toward the woman intensifies as he acknowledges the Skinwalker’s strange fixation on her and the pendant. Questions linger about why the creature came despite its fear and what this means for their future. The chapter ends with a heavy silence filled with uncertainty, as the woman clutches the pendant tightly, sensing that this terrifying encounter is only the beginning of a larger battle to come.
CHAPTER 71
Just as we allowed ourselves to believe that the nightmare had finally passed, it returned with a vengeance.
The first sound was barely audible—a faint, almost hesitant scrape, like claws slowly dragging across glass. My breath caught in my throat, and a shiver ran down my spine, raising the fine hairs on my arms.
“Did you hear that?” I whispered, though I knew the question was unnecessary.
All three Alphas instantly snapped to full alert, their eyes piercing through the dim, shadowy room. Asher’s gaze glowed with an intense molten light, his wolf spirit clawing at the surface, restless and hungry for the coming fight.
Then the scrape escalated into something far more ominous: heavy, deliberate footsteps. They circled the house with a slow, confident rhythm, as if the presence outside knew exactly how to ramp up the tension, how to make us feel like helpless prey. The porch creaked under its weight. And then—
A violent bang shattered the stillness, rattling the back door.
I flinched, my heart pounding so fiercely it felt like it might burst from my chest. My vision blurred at the edges, as if we’d slipped into a nightmare film—and yet, this was all too real.
A low growl rumbled from Gage as he prowled forward, his shoulders squared and muscles taut. “There’s something out there.”
“No,” Arlo corrected sharply, his voice edged with a snarl. “Someone.”
The pounding resumed, moving from the back door to the windows, then crashing against the front door with a bone-shaking force. Each strike echoed through the walls like a relentless countdown—testing, probing, searching for the weakest point.
My heart hammered so fast it felt painful. We were no longer safe inside these walls.
“Asher—” I began, but he pulled me close, pressing me against his warm chest, steadying me with his presence.
“We’ve got you,” he promised, his voice a low, soothing growl.
Still, I could see the tension tightening his jaw, the strain he was trying so hard to hide.
Then came the next sound, tearing through the fragile calm—a sharp thud against the window, followed by a dark smear spreading across the glass.
A crow.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds, the house trembled under the assault of wings. The windows rattled violently as hundreds of crows battered them, pecking and clawing, their screams a high, dreadful cacophony that made my teeth ache. It was like thousands of nails scraping glass and wood all at once.
“They’re trying to get in!” Arlo shouted, voice filled with alarm.
“Not trying,” Gage growled, his muscles coiling as the first window shattered, shards raining down like jagged knives. “They are getting in.”
Chaos erupted in the living room. Crows poured through the broken window, the chimney, even the vents. They came from every direction simultaneously, wings flapping wildly, claws slashing, feathers whipping through the air like black flames. The sharp scent of blood hit me as some birds collided with the walls, their cries sharp and unhinged.
“Asher!” I screamed, my heart pounding as darkness and wings engulfed the room.
“Stay behind me,” he ordered, baring his teeth, his eyes glowing fiercely like a predator ready to defend. The swarm closed in from every angle.
Gage and Arlo lunged at the birds with supernatural speed. Their claws extended, eyes blazing like wildfire as they tore through the murder of crows. I felt my own instincts ignite; my claws began to extend, and I turned with my back to Asher, striking out at the winged attackers flying toward me. I swung wherever I could.
Feathers flew, beaks snapped, but for every bird we took down, three more seemed to appear in its place.
Visibility was nearly impossible through the storm of black wings. One crow scraped across my cheek, sharp pain flaring hot. Asher was instantly there, pulling me into his chest, his claws slashing through the bird before it could strike again.
Then, as suddenly as it began, the chaos shifted.
The crows pulled back, swirling into a dark cyclone at the center of the room. Feathers spun faster and faster until they merged, their bodies melting into one towering figure.
The Skinwalker.
Standing tall and twisted, half-hidden in shadow and half-beast, his face was a grotesque mask. His unnatural yellow eyes locked onto me with a hunger so cold it made my blood run ice-cold.
“You never see three Alpha males so desperate to protect one she-wolf,” the creature hissed, its voice a chilling chorus of whispers.
“Stay away from her,” Asher snarled, planting himself firmly between me and the monster. His growl was deep and primal, shaking the very air.
The Skinwalker smiled, revealing sharp, gleaming teeth. Then, in a blink, it dissolved back into crows, reappearing in the kitchen with the crash of shattering dishes. It moved like a phantom—then the hallway, then upstairs—everywhere at once.
“Keep it cornered!” Asher barked to his brothers.
Without hesitation, Gage partially shifted, his arms erupting into thick fur and razor-sharp claws. Arlo followed, his fangs lengthening as he leapt after the creature. They became predators unleashed, their movements fluid and deadly.
But the Skinwalker was faster. It flickered in and out of rooms, appearing just long enough to taunt them before vanishing again. The sound of wings and cruel laughter echoed all around us.
I pressed my back against the wall, heart racing, panic clawing at my chest. My eyes landed on the table across the room. Half-hidden beneath a stack of papers lay the pendant—the strange one I’d found weeks ago. Something about it had always drawn me in, though I never understood why.
Without thinking, I lunged for it.
My fingers closed around the cold metal just as the Skinwalker materialized again, this time standing in the doorway directly opposite me. Its smile widened when it saw me—until its gaze dropped to the pendant in my hand.
The change was immediate.
Its grin faltered, feathers rippling as if it struggled to maintain its shape. Its yellow eyes widened in an expression I never expected: fear.
“No,” it rasped.
I raised the pendant higher, though I didn’t know why. It pulsed once in my palm, glowing faintly with a light that wasn’t from the fire, but something far older, far more powerful.
The Skinwalker shrieked—a piercing, ear-splitting sound that rattled the walls, splintered wood, and shook glass until shards fell like rain. The noise sent shivers down my spine, but it also forced the creature to stumble backward, its form flickering and twisting as if torn apart by its own terror.
“Asher!” I screamed, my voice raw. “It’s afraid!”
He turned swiftly, eyes locking onto the pendant. For a moment, shock crossed his face—disbelief, then sudden understanding. He finally grasped the truth.
“Hold it steady!” he commanded, his voice fierce with urgency, the power of his Alpha presence rumbling beneath every word.
The Skinwalker shrieked again, fracturing into hundreds of crows. They exploded outward, smashing through the remaining windows and filling the night sky like a living storm cloud.
Then—silence.
Feathers drifted gently to the floor. The house lay in ruins—glass, blood, and soot scattered everywhere. The air was thick with the acrid smell of smoke and burning feathers. My hands trembled as I lowered the pendant, its glow fading until it was just a cold piece of metal once more.
The twins were breathing hard, their partial shifts slowly receding. Gage wiped blood from his cheek with the back of his hand, leaving a dark streak across his skin. Arlo’s chest rose and fell rapidly, eyes still glowing faintly as he scanned the broken shadows for any sign of the creature.
But it was gone.
Asher pulled me close, holding me so tightly it almost hurt. His chest heaved as his heart pounded against mine. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine. Just a few scratches,” I whispered, though my voice trembled.
He leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing at the pendant still clenched in my hand. “Where did you get that?”
“I… I don’t know,” I admitted, staring at it. “It was just there, in the basement, when I was cleaning out my parents’ things. I didn’t even think—I just grabbed it.”
Gage stepped forward, his expression grim. “Whatever it is, the Skinwalker didn’t like it.”
Arlo bent down, picking up a feather from the floor. It shimmered faintly before crumbling to ash between his fingers. “He was terrified.”
Asher’s gaze returned to me, sharp and unreadable. His grip on my shoulders tightened just a bit, as if both to ground himself and ensure I wouldn’t slip away. “He wants you for some reason,” he said finally, his voice low. “But he’s afraid of that pendant.”
“But why?” I asked.
He didn’t answer immediately. His eyes lingered on the pendant, a muscle twitching in his jaw. Then he muttered, almost to himself, “Or maybe… both.”
“If he’s scared of both me and the pendant, then why did he come here?” I pressed.
“Maybe he’s only scared of you when you have the pendant,” Gage suggested.
The room fell silent once more, heavy with unspoken questions. The fire crackled weakly in the hearth, casting flickering shadows over the wreckage. I held the pendant tighter, my mind spinning with uneasy thoughts.
Somehow, deep down, I knew this was only the beginning.
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.
SUMMARY (~1000 Words in English)
