I'm not afraid of the dark. I'm not afraid of the dark. I'm not afraid. 

Kaia wasn't sure how she felt. Maybe it was fear, even though she kept reminding herself that it most certainly wasn't. She felt shaky, yes. But maybe that was just adrenaline. That wasn't even the worst part, though. The hard part was the crawling on her skin. It was like she'd felt when she'd spoken to him, like spiders on her skin. 

Only this time, it was made even worse by her guilt. She felt exhausted, like someone was holding on to her ankles while she walked. She supposed it was natural, but she couldn't stop thinking of Kaleb, of the look on his face when she'd left. Kaia wondered if he would have to shift alone again; she didn't know how it all worked or how often lycanthrope changed. 

Even in his sleep, still a wolf, he'd looked distressed. He knew she was leaving, helpless while trapped in a dream. She'd touched his fur, feeling its roughness underneath her hands. She'd tried to comfort him. But it seemed useless now. 

As she walked down the street awkwardly, still in her dress from the Lunar Ceremony, there were only two things that occupied her mind. Kaleb, of course, took up more space than was reasonable. And the other was fairly obvious, and maybe took up less space than it should have. Him. Her mom's murderer. 

She wondered if she hadn't put enough thought into this. It sure felt like it, walking towards the Neighborhood, trying to shield her face from weirded out strangers on the street who were judging her for her getup. The only thing that could have made her more pathetic would be having a limp; Kaia even had mussed hair and a couple of scrapes from sprinting through the forest. 

She didn't know which she preferred: to arrive at her usual coffee shop sooner or for the trip to take years. Surely she could escape from wandering stares once inside her usual shop. But it was what was waiting there for her that slowed her steps. 

Still, despite her hesitance, she had to go. And soon enough she found herself out front, the sign reading Neighborhood Coffee in curly letters. The town wasn't that big in the first place, and the coffee shop matched it perfectly. It was a tiny place, wedged in the corner next to a used book store. 

There was some cute art on the walls. The counter was stocked with elegant pastries. Most of the sitting space was up above, on a loft level; it was the only way they could fit an entire coffee shop in such a small building. But Kaia loved it that way, because of it's coziness. Usually, it filled her with a sense of peace. 

But not today. Today, there was that spider feeling, that dark, oozy dread. She couldn't see him just by walking in the door, the little bell tinkling its song. If he was here, he was up on the loft. "Good morning," chimed the girl behind the counter, "What can I get for you?" 

Kaia hesitated a moment too long, and the girl gave her a confused look. She seemed sweet enough, with her mousy brown hair and freckles. But Kaia couldn't really pay her any attention. There was a thick black fog filling the room, making it hard to breathe. At least, it felt like there was. 

"Nothing." She wasn't hungry. "I'm...meeting someone." Kaia pointed to the loft. She knew she was doing the right thing, had faith that she was strong enough to do this without Kaleb or Cole to hold her hand the whole way. 

The girl smiled, her eyes understanding, "You're meeting that nice gentleman? With the blue eyes? It's slow right now, so you two will have the loft all to yourselves." 

Kaia practically choked. She'd seen him? She'd talked to him? She'd thought he was nice? He killed my mother! Kaia wanted to scream at this girl. But that was unfair. She couldn't take everything out on someone so innocent, especially someone who hadn't said a thing about Kaia's strange wardrobe choices. Kaia cleared her throat, "Thanks." 

And then, by some miracle, she managed to urge her feet to move forward. When she climbed the stairs, she felt like the star of a horror movie. She felt like the dumb blonde girl who goes up the stairs even though everyone in the theatre is shouting at her not to. But she did it anyway. She urged her body to listen to her mind, torn in two by the half of her that believed in herself and the half that doubted. 

When she got to the top, she saw something she wasn't expecting. She'd imagined a ruffian, for lack of a better word. He'd have scars and be unshaven, maybe even dirty hair and crumpled clothes. Tattoos? Who knows? Maybe. Even if his voice had been smooth, she'd made him as unconventional as possible in her mind. 

But the man who sat at the little round table farthest from her was far from unconventional. He had silvery gray hair and the sort of face that, even if he were in his forties, maintained its charm; Kaia could only imagine how stunningly beautiful he'd been when he was young. Whatever lines he had, they only served to add to his overall sophisticated appearance. He wore a casual suit, his maroon shirt unbuttoned at the top. He even had a little white pocket square. 

"Kaia, I never asked you to dress up for me," he said without even looking up. He was staring at his phone where he held it low in his lap, his legs crossed. 

"I came straight here," Kaia said as calmly as she could manage. 

He chuckled, an absurdly warm sound compared to how his laugh had sounded in her dream. He seemed...different. He seemed like a normal person, not a murderer. But Kaia wasn't going to let that change her opinion of him. Kaia knew the truth. Sometimes, it's the ones pretty on the outside that are the ugliest underneath. Her mom had told her that once. 

"As you should have," he said, finally uncrossing his legs and leaning forward. He gently tapped his phone on the table and looked up. When his eyes met hers, she felt a rush of cold. His irises were a stunning blue color, the kind of blue that was simply impossible for real humans. Then again, he wasn't human. 

Though it was very little, she did know some about this man. He'd underestimated her, assumed that the connection he'd utilized to speak to her in her dreams was a one-way street. It was this very underestimation that gave her hope that she could beat him at his own game. 

She'd been able to see hints of who he was, though all of it was blurry and vague. She knew he wasn't human, but that still didn't explain his abilities. Kaia was human; she didn't transform, and yet she was mated. She had these abilities. Worst of all, Kaia felt like there was something behind her mother's death, something beyond than cruel chance. He had the answers, and she was going to take them from him even if he tried to resist her.

"Why did you do this?" Kaia asked, "Why am I here?"

He was quiet for a long moment, observing her and her bruised ego; she was practically flashing a neon sign sporting and big blinking 'You beat me!' Maybe he had. Kaia wasn't sure. She hoped not. 

Finally, he leaned back in his chair again. "Sit down, Kaia." 

"Why?"

"Because it's rude to stand," he said. His words and his tone were perfectly innocent, but his eyes held a threat. Kaia sat. "Now, I'm assuming you want to ask me questions. But, please refrain from the very dull ones you've already asked." 

Kaia clenched her jaw and crossed her arms, "I think I've got a right to know why you did this to me. To Kaleb. Was it because of my mom?" 

There was a spark in his eyes, a flash of something. Kaia didn't know what it was. It was strong, all-consuming, but she couldn't tell if it was sharp or soft. "First of all, Kaia, I care very little for the Alpha of Whispers, despite what you might believe. He can't even control his own Pack, much less stand up to mine. Secondly, your-" 

"You have a Pack?" Kaia interrupted. This could affect her plan. Maybe even ruin it. 

He frowned and ignored her question. "Secondly, while I do harbor strong emotions towards your mother..." Kaia wondered just what the nature of those emotions was. Was it all hate? Or was there something else left in him? Something gentler. He'd said he loved her once, and there had been a hint of a warmer emotion when she'd peered into his mind. "...I didn't ask you here because of her." 

"You mean force me," Kaia corrected. 

"I didn't force you here, Kaia. I gave you a choice." 

"You threatened every single person I've ever loved," Kaia hissed, and she hoped her next words would somehow sting him. It was a test; would he feel pain, and could she use that pain against him? "You killed my mother." 

To Kaia's surprise, it worked. The look that passed through his vibrant blue eyes was like the rose's thorns, like a stab of pain among soft petals. It was a breach of his beauty, his composure. Maybe he had felt something for her mother, even if what he felt must have been impossibly twisted. 

"I told you," he continued, "I only dealt with her because I had to." 

Kaia stayed quiet. She had to rein her anger in if she was going to get this to work. But it was difficult to do in his overly calm presence. Kaia looked down at her hands and took a deep breath, taming the beast inside of her. "There's something you're not telling me," Kaia said. 

"There are many things I choose not to tell you, for a wide variety of different reasons. Is there something, in particular, you had in mind?" he asked. 

Kaia fought to meet his steady stare with her own. She had so many questions she didn't know where to start. Who are you? Why did you kill my mother? Really, why am I here?  But she started with an easy, "How big is your Pack?" 

He smiled softly, a smile that Kaia figured he had practiced in a mirror to make it seem convincing. It wasn't a real smile. It was a tactic. "Large enough," was his vague answer, "Not that such a thing should matter to you." 

"You're my enemy," Kaia said coldly, "It's generally smart to know your enemy." 

"I am not your enemy, Kaia. I don't want my history with your mother to alienate you from me," he chastised. His eyebrows drew together as if he were concerned or in pain, but it felt fake just as his smile had. He was putting on a show, holding up a perfect picture in front of himself so that he could hide his real filth behind it. 

And using the word 'history' to describe what had happened...was cruel. It was an old wound, yes. If Kaia hadn't had years to process her loss, she'd be strangling the man sitting across from her already. But it had been years, and the pain that used to burn her every day had faded into a dense rock that sat vigilantly in her heart, weathered by time and life. Besides, she had to do this. For Kaleb. For Cole. For herself. 

"What exactly is your history?" Kaia asked, not expecting a straightforward answer. 

"I think that's for another time, child," he said, his smile deceptively sweet. He even managed to let it reach his eyes. "Why don't you ask me a question you're ready to hear the answer to?" 

Kaia clenched her hands into fists, "How did you find me, learn about me?" 

"Antony," he said simply, "A member of my Pack. Your paths crossed, I believe, in the woods and at a hospital. He told me about your uncanny ability to know things you simply shouldn't know, about how the Alpha of Whispers so gallantly came to your aid. It was easy to find you, honestly." Stupid lumberjack asshole. 

Kaia sighed, lowering her gaze. "Are you going to hurt Kaleb?" 

"As I said, I have no interest in your Alpha mate unless he interferes," he replied, "As far as I'm concerned, you're the only one I need pay any attention." 

"Why is that?" 

"Because you're different, Kaia. Have you not noticed it? Because I think such obliviousness is near impossible."

Kaia bit the inside of her cheek. Different. Yes, Kaia knew. She'd known probably her entire life. She lost her mother. She hardly left her house. And when she'd tumbled into the lycanthrope world, she'd realized it was more than just that. She was different even in this crazy version of reality where nothing made sense because she made even less sense, with her strange scent and her snapshots. 

"I'm here because of my...visions?" Kaia asked, meeting his eyes again. So he was interested in the same thing she was, it seemed.

He gave her a disapproving look and clicked his tongue. "Perhaps, in part." 

Kaia crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. "Nothing you say makes sense." 

"You must be used to things not making sense these days," he said, his voice almost cheery. 

"Yeah," Kaia had to admit. 

"But I promise it will, eventually," he said calmly, picking up his phone and staring at the screen for a few seconds. 

"Eventually? How long do I have to be here?" Kaia asked. She honestly did want to know. It was a good sign that he hadn't killed her yet. Kaia had a feeling she would be safe as long as she didn't force her way past his charming facade. Maybe that's what had gotten her mother killed. She'd been too close to him, and he burned anyone who got close.

He leaned forward, closer than Kaia felt comfortable. "I hope that you'll stay, at least long enough for you to understand the full truth." 

Kaia was struck by how different this man was from the one in her nightmares. This version of him was...so smooth it was unnatural. The one she'd previously met was all spines and fangs, perhaps equally unnatural but in a very different way. "Why can't you just tell me now?" Kaia shot back. 

He leaned back, and Kaia was grateful for the distance. She didn't want to be any closer to him that she had to be. "It doesn't work like that." 

"Of course not," Kaia sighed. 

"For now, I believe formal introductions are in order before I show you my home," he said, holding out his hand. 

Kaia stared at it and realized after a moment that he meant for her to shake it. The last thing Kaia wanted was to touch this man. She expected his hands to be cold, maybe even clammy. But when she finally took his hand, it was warm. It seemed unfair, deceptive that such an utterly ordinary hand could have done such foul things. The beast appeared nothing more than human, but Kaia knew deep down that no matter how human he looked, he lacked humanity. 

"My name is Jacob," he said, his eyes steely, "But you can call me Jack." 

Leave me one of those perfect little comments of yours (what do you think of Jacob?) or a shiny little star. Love you for reading!