One Night

Chapter 104

Audrey & Third Person

Audrey’s POV

The party swirled around me, a cacophony of laughter, music, and clinking glasses. It should have been a night of fun and revelry, an exciting way to kick off the summer on a high note.

But despite the crowd and the pulsing music, I felt hollow. Empty. Even the alcohol coursing through my veins couldn’t fill the void that had taken up residence in my chest.

I couldn’t stop thinking about him, no matter how hard I tried to push those thoughts away. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that yellow wolf gaze looking down at me, felt his lips on my neck, felt his fangs brush my skin.

I hate him. I want him. I hate him. I want him.

The cycle of thoughts was endless.

I made my way through the throng of people, nodding and smiling when necessary, but not really engaging on a deeper level than that. My friends were scattered throughout the house, each caught up in their own conversations and games. Tina was playing an intense game of beer pong with a girl she had been flirting with lately, while Betty was leading an animated discussion about fashion trends in the living room.

I should have been happy, excited even, to be here. I should have been playing beer pong or talking about fashion.

But all I could think about was Edwin.

The bass from the speakers thrummed through my body, matching the dull ache in my chest. The scent of sweat and alcohol hung heavy in the air, reminding me of our romp in the woods and making it hard to breathe. I needed to escape.

With a sigh, I grabbed another bottle of beer and slipped out the back door, breathing in the cool night air with relief. Finally-a cool breeze and some solitude. Something, anything, to take my mind off of him.

I settled onto the porch steps, wrapping my arms around my knees. The music from inside was m**d now, the sounds of laughter and voices fading into a dull hum. The rough wood of the steps pressed against my bare legs, grounding me in the present, and the stars twinkled pleasantly overhead.

Betty’s family’s mansion, situated in a small neighborhood outside the city, was mostly wooded all around. The only neighbors were a good quarter-mile down the road in either direction, and the tall pine trees flanking the property made it feel like we were well and truly secluded.

And I was glad for that. The seclusion was nice, and I could already picture a summer of backyard barbecues and nights watching meteor showers.

“Mind if I join you?”

I looked up to see Gavin standing there with a gentle smile on his face. He held a bottle of beer in one hand and a paper plate in the other.

I nodded, scooting over to make room for him. “Be my guest.”

He sat down, offering me half of a cookie off his plate. “Thought you might want a snack. Avis’s famous chocolate chip. They’re addictive.”

“Thanks,” I said, taking the offered treat. The cookie was still warm, and the chocolate melted on my tongue. We sat in companionable silence for a while, munching on the cookie and gazing up at the stars.

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Chapter 104

Almost unconsciously, found myself leaning against Gavin, my head resting on his shoulder. He was warm, solid, and for a moment, I could pretend that everything was okay. His cologne, a subtle mix of sandalwood and citrus, reminded me that not all men smelled like Edwin’s smoky, intoxicating scent.

“What’s on your mind?” Gavin asked softly, his breath stirring my hair. “You’ve seemed a bit out of it lately. Is everything okay?”

I sighed, closing my eyes before they could mist over with tears. How could I possibly explain everything? The hurt, the betrayal, the lingering desire for someone I couldn’t have? Especially to Gavin, who had similar feelings toward me?

“I’m just… tired of being a human plaything,” I finally admitted, the candid words slipping out before I could stop them.

Gavin stiffened slightly. “You’re not a plaything to me, Audrey. You never have been.”

I lifted my head to look at him, surprised by the intensity in his voice. His eyes were dark, serious, and for a moment, I thought he might kiss me. He was close enough to, and his arm snaked around me, tugging me a little closer.

Part of me wanted him to kiss me. Wanted to lose myself in the comfort of someone who cared, who saw me as more than just a human.

But as Gavin leaned in, his hand coming up to cup my cheek, all I saw behind my eyelids was those yellow eyes and that dark fur. I gently pushed my hand into his shoulder and leaned back.

“Gavin,” I said, his name catching in my throat. “I can’t. It’s not… I’m not…”

Gavin’s face fell, but he nodded, understanding in his eyes. We had been here before, too many times. Chuckling softly, he held up his almost-empty beer bottle. “Blame it on the alcohol?” he whispered.

I nodded, looking away and biting the inside of my cheek. “Yeah”

With that, he muttered an excuse and got up and went back into the house, leaving me alone with my thoughts once more.

I felt like a fool all over again. Here was Gavin, my sweet Gavin, clearly interested in me. And yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about Edwin, a man who had used me as a side fling while engaged to someone else.

I dropped my head into my hands, tears of frustration pricking at the backs of my eyes. Why couldn’t I just move on? The memory of Edwin’s touch, his kisses, the way he made me feel… it all haunted me, refusing to let me forget. I wished I cond just erase those memories from my mind altogether.

Suddenly, a rustling in the nearby bushes caught my attention. I looked up, squinting into the darkness. For a moment, I could have sworn I saw a pair of glowing yellow eyes watching me from the shadows. They seemed to float in the darkness, eerily beautiful and terrifying all at once.

My heart leapt into my throat and I rose to my feet before I could second-guess myself. Could it be? I hardly dared to hope, but in that moment, it was as if something deep inside of me took over-something desperate and yearning, some part of me that had never left the woods with him that day.

Pursing my lips, I strode to the middle of the lawn, just feet from the edge of the trees. A gentle breeze combed against my back, almost as if it were urging me forward.

I took another step toward the treeline, straining to see in the dim light. The eyes seemed to blink, then disappear. The shadows shifted, and I thought I caught a glimpse of movement. And there, in the shadows, I swore I could see the outline of

dark wolf.

“Edwin?” I called out without thinking.

No answer. No movement. No sound, except-

“Audrey?” Tina’s voice suddenly called from inside, cutting through the night air. “Where are you? We’re about to start a new

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Chapter 104

game!”

Sep

90%

I whipped around toward the house, where the warm light was spilling out onto the porch. “Oh, uh… I’ll be right there!” I called out.

When I looked back at the trees, there was nothing. No eyes, no movement. Just shadows and leaves rustling in the gentle

breeze.

Must have been a trick of the light, I thought, shaking my head. With one last glance at the stars, I headed back inside…

And locked the door behind myself.

Third Person POV

The gray wolf watched from the shadows as Audrey’s form disappeared back into the house.

Linda’s lips curled back in a silent snarl, her initial plan of mauling the human girl forgotten in light of this new development.

She had been ready to pounce, to finally rid herself of this human nuisance once and for all. Audrey’s scent had been so tantalizing, promising a swift and satisfying end to her vendetta. She could have done it quickly and cleanly and in a way that no one would ever know what really happened.

But the single word that Audrey had uttered had stopped Linda in her tracks. One name, spoken with such longing and hope, had changed everything.

Edwin.

Linda’s ears perked forward as she considered the implications. She had known there was someone protecting Audrey, someone powerful enough to thwart her previous attempts at bringing her down.

But she had never imagined that it might actually be their professor, Edwin Brooks.

As she slipped back into the shadows, her paws making no sound on the leaf-covered forest floor, Linda’s mind raced with possibilities. If Edwin was indeed Audrey’s protector, that changed everything.

The prestigious professor, Alpha, and CEO, consorting with a human student? It was almost too delicious to be true.

Linda’s wolf form melted away as she transformed back into her human self. She leaned against a tree, the rough bark pressing into her bare skin. A smirk played on her lips as she considered her next move, her fingers running across the jagged scar along her upper thigh.

This information could be useful.

Incredibly useful.

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