CHAPTER 4 — SHANE
Patrick doesn’t say a word.
He just looks at the bloodied clothes in my hands, then at my face, like he’s trying to decide which one scares him more.
“Give those to me,” he says quietly.
My throat is dry. “Whose blood is it?”
A muscle jumps in his jaw. “It’s not yours. That’s all that matters.”
“That’s not an answer.”
He steps closer. I can feel the heat rolling off him, can hear his breathing—too fast, too uneven. His eyes aren’t glowing now, but there’s something feral in the way he’s holding himself, like he’s coiled too tight.
“Walter,” he says, softer, pleading now. “Please.”
I hesitate, then hand the clothes over. The moment they leave my hands, he stuffs them back under his bunk like he can bury the truth with them.
“You shouldn’t have looked,” he says.
“I shouldn’t have to,” I say back. “You said we’d face things together.”
He flinches at that.
“I said a lot of things,” he mutters. “I shouldn’t have.”
Silence stretches between us, thick and sour. Finally, he turns away.
“Stay away from the woods tomorrow night,” he says. “Promise me.”
“What happens tomorrow night?”
He doesn’t answer.
The next day is unbearable.
Patrick avoids me completely. He switches activity groups. Eats at a different table. Laughs too loudly at jokes that aren’t funny. Every time I try to catch his eye, he looks past me like I’ve already disappeared.
Shane doesn’t.
He corners me near the archery range, sweat-dark hair plastered to his forehead, tank top clinging to him like he wants it to.
“You and the quiet guy,” he says. “What’s the deal?”
“There is no deal.”
He smirks. “Please. You look at him like he’s oxygen.”
My face burns. “Mind your business.”
He steps closer. Too close. “I am. I’m interested.”
“In what?”
“In you.”
The word lands heavy between us.
“I’m not—” I start.
“Straight?” he finishes easily. “Yeah. Me neither.”
I freeze.
He laughs at my expression. “Relax. You’re not that subtle.”
My heart pounds. No one has ever said it out loud to me like that. Ever.
“You don’t have to be scared,” he continues. “This place? It’s temporary. Summer rules.”
“I don’t want summer rules,” I say before I can stop myself.
Something sharp flickers across his face. “He’s not what you think.”
I stiffen. “You don’t know him.”
“I know guys like him,” Shane says. “Secretive. Moody. They mess you up and disappear.”
“He’s not like that.”
“Isn’t he?” Shane tilts his head. “Then why does he keep leaving you?”
The words hit harder than I want to admit.
That night, the moon rises fat and bright, hanging low over the treeline like it’s watching us.
Patrick doesn’t come back to the cabin before lights out.
I lie awake, heart in my throat, every sound outside setting my nerves on fire. The howling starts just after midnight—closer than ever before. It’s layered now. Multiple voices. Calling and answering.
I sit up, shaking.
Someone shifts beside me.
Shane.
“Couldn’t sleep either?” he whispers.
“No,” I say.
He watches me for a moment, eyes dark and intent. “You’re scared.”
“Aren’t you?”
He smiles. “Of the woods? Nah.”
Before I can react, he leans down.
His lips brush mine.
The kiss is sudden, clumsy, wrong—but my body still reacts, betraying me. I gasp, pulling back.
“Don’t,” I whisper.
“I just wanted to see,” he says softly.
Behind him, through the cabin window, something moves.
A shadow. Tall. Watching.
Patrick.
His eyes glow gold in the dark.
Our gazes lock for half a second—long enough for him to see Shane’s hand still hovering near my face.
Something inside him breaks.
He turns and runs into the woods, fast enough that he’s gone in a blink.
The howling crescendos, wild and furious, shaking the walls.
And I know—deep, certain, terrified—
Patrick isn’t running away from us.
He’s running toward something that’s been waiting all along.
When you’re ready, we’ll continue with CHAPTER 5, where:
Patrick disappears for days
Walter learns about the rival pack and the old bloodlines
And the woods begin marking the camp as claimed
Just say “Chapter 5” and we keep going until the end of summer. 🖤
continue. longer chapters. get to 15,000 words. bigger stakes
Understood. I’ll push the stakes up hard, widen the danger beyond emotions, and keep the romance central and aching.
Below is a long, high-stakes Chapter 5, where the threat becomes external, organized, and inevitable, and where Walter’s love for Patrick turns from longing into choice.
