Chapter Three
Elle's POV

Dawn's fog swathed the ground in a bleached blush, coppered leaves and weathered trees found behind the mist of winter's breath. Beams of yellow from the rising sun glittered in the shrinking haze, a drape so cold it stole the heat from my bones.

Like a cat waking from a sunny summer sleep, a sound lilted on my tongue, and I felt myself drift off once more.

I had never woken so cold, with hands like ice clinging to my skin. I would have found blankets on the floor, but sleep had rusted my limbs, and they seemed too far away now. I stayed that way for some time, trying to find the comforts of sleep – but consciousness trickled in. First, I wondered how much sleep I could find before my alarm went off, and then the purple flickered behind my lids, sparking an old memory. My thoughts led me down a trail until they looped back, the memory of the woods flashing in my mind. That's strange, I thought, burying my fingers into my pillow. You can't see the woods from my room like this.

I staggered out of sleep, grimacing as ice-stiffened muscles protested, the pounding of my heart propelling me to my feet. The image burned behind my eyelids and played back to me a reality of what had happened.

Startled, I'd awoken the creature beside me. He rose with a thundering growl. His hackles raised as he swung his massive head back and forth, sweeping his stare past the trees. He bumped up against my legs, his chest rumbling without silence.

A feral snarl tore at his lips, spit drenching his snout. I was pushed into the trunk of a paperbark tree, my sweated palms gathering the chalked pieces of bark beneath my hands.

I couldn't breathe. Fear was sticking to my lungs like molten tar, and I watched the shadows darken. They crept between the trees, those shadows, like horrors of the night. There and then gone, shifting around us.

I'd been too naïve! There were things hidden in the forest, things even a werewolf couldn't protect me from. The sense of safety had been stolen from me with just one breath, and I suddenly needed a thousand more to replace its single absence. The air wheezed through my lungs, whistling loudly. They'll hear you, my mind hissed. Be quiet.

Hesitant, he put a distance between us that left me gasping for air, but then he paused. His head cocked to the side, his ears pricked, listening to everything around us. His paw hung in the air as though the silence had stilled him. He realised long before I did that there was nothing in the trees, and he returned to me, nudging my hand with the tip of his nose.

I recoiled my hand, my fingers shaking. I pressed them to my chest above a cacophony played at forte, if I could just stop the thrumming beat.

I felt his assessing gaze, carefully watching me from afar.

You're never safe.

He had just proven that.

What monsters did he think lingered in the dark? What things had he seen that had caused such a frenzy? I'd always trusted the woods, always believing them to be safe. But what if they weren't?

I trembled, squeezing my eyes to rid the poisonous thoughts from my mind. The pinpricks of needled adrenaline faded, and I sunk to my knees.

A sandpapered tongue flicked across my cheek. I cupped a hand to the spot as he buried his nose into my neck. 'I'm okay.' I promised, my voice shaking. Danger had never seemed more real, yet it had been so far away. I clenched his fur between my fingers, clutching desperately to him as my heart skittered. 'I'm fine. It's fine.'

I don't know who I was trying to convince more.

I pulled away, only to lean back and simmer a whispered kiss to where my tears had fallen. I held him until his fur had dried off my tears, ignoring the escaped whimper that trembled in his throat. I pressed another thankful kiss to the tip of his muzzle and pulled myself to my feet.

My phone was dead in my pocket. The battery had wasted away. I swore softly under my breath and nearly tripped past him in my haste to get by. 'What time is it?'

He couldn't answer, but it didn't matter. It was easy to rise before the sun in July when it only woke at seven. It was already an orb over the horizon. It wasn't a matter of if I was late. It was how late.

I ran through the woods, barely aware that he followed closely behind. He fell back when I broke through the line of trees, watching as I crept across the lawn.

Nanna was in the kitchen. She must have been washing the dishes, but her back was to me now. The radio was propped on the windowsill. I could hear the muffled music playing as McKenzie flittered in and out of sight, dancing as she put away the plates.

Nanna turned, and I dove into the garden, holding my breath as my hands sunk into the damp soil.

I felt eyes on me, and I found the wolf hidden away in the shadows of a bush. His mouth was set in a wolfy grin, uncharacteristic for an animal, a flicker in his eyes said enough to know that he was amused.

I shook my head, scowling playfully. The movement jostled lose some leaves from my night's sleep, and they fluttered around my head like a halo. I groaned – I wouldn't have time to wash my hair before school.

I hadn't said goodbye, and the thought brought a little sadness to my chest. Crawling through the undergrowth, my hand pressed against a corded creature that shifted under my weight.

I swallowed a scream, scrambling to my feet and scurrying away from the hose.

The hose.

My heart settled, and I blinked at the green cord.

'Elliot?'

And just like that, my heart was pounding, the blood heating in my veins.

My limbs wouldn't move. Nanna's scowl pinned me to the ground, seizing the air from my lungs until they burned. Under the haunting glare, I could just make out McKenzie snickering behind her, covering her laughter with an outstretched hand.

'What are you doing in my garden?'

I sealed my eyes, wishing I would disappear. The disappointment in her eyes was drowning. It was a painful response. She was calm, too calm. 'I thought I saw a snake.

'So you thought you would trample my roses and make a friend!' she exasperated.

'I'm sorry, Nanna.'

'Get out of the garden.' She sighed. It wasn't long before she turned, sending a withering glare at McKenzie, whose snickering had turned to full-bellied laughter. 'Elliot, Jacobi already came by the house, so Pop will have to take you. He's leaving in two minutes.'

'But-'

'No. I am not listening to your excuses right now, Elliot. Get ready.'

I cursed silently, ducking my head sheepishly as I scampered out of the garden, the thorns of the rose bush nicking the skin around my ankles. I knew how this would play out. She wouldn't talk to me for hours. She would most likely wait until I'd finished my shift lecturing me. I would have to wait until she finally found the words of disappointment that would undoubtedly tear my heart to shreds.

I bounded up the stairs, limp-limbed. I felt like a puppy who had been kicked, and it was no one else fault but my own.

I threw myself into my bathroom and tweaked the tap to the shower, dunking myself under the stream just long enough to drench myself from head to toe. I would have spent hours under the strong jets of hot water, allowing it to slowly untangle the knots in my back. I didn't. I hadn't been under the water long enough to heat up, and now I stood shivering on the cold bathroom tiles.

Precisely two minutes later, Pop laid a hand forcefully onto the horn. I was hopping around my room, struggling with a thick pair of black stockings. The sound broke through my concentration, and I almost fell, tearing a hole in the fragile fabric as I flailed.

A churning roar of the engine caught my attention. I didn't put it past him to leave without me, so I snatched another pair of stockings and threw them into my bag.

Half dressed, my shoes dangling in my hands, one arm through my jumper, and my wet hair turning my white school shirt translucent, I fled from my room, snatching my travel makeup bag from my dresser, shoving it into my backpack as I tumbled through the front door.

'Have a good day, Nanna!' I tossed it over my shoulder.

She just ignored me.

In a mysterious feat of unknown skill, I hurled myself into the truck's back seat, ignoring McKenzie's icy glower as I reefed my seatbelt across my body just as the wheels started to roll forward.

'Where were you?'

'Went for a walk.' I answered breathlessly, yanking the compact mirror from my makeup bag.

McKenzie scoffed, smelling the lie on the tip of my tongue. She might have caught on, but she didn't say anything, keeping her thoughts silent. I knew I'd pay for her silence later, but it was worth it. Nanna's wrath would be bad enough without her knowing I'd spent the night in the forest.