One Night

Chapter 155

Audrey

“Get out! Get out of my HOUSE!”

Tina and I burst out into the cold night air, bags in hand, hearts pounding. Tears streamed down my friend’s face as screams echoed down the quiet street. The peaceful harvest feast had turned into a nightmare in a matter of moments.

“And don’t come back!” Tina’s father bellowed after us, followed by the slam of a door that was so hard it rattled the window panes throughout the entire house. In the background, her mother was still screaming. Not even screaming words-just- screaming.

Somehow, that was even worse than the slew of awful things that Tina’s father had said.

We jumped into the car, the doors slamming shut as Tina fumbled with the keys. The engine roared to life, and tires screeched as she floored the accelerator. Her hands trembled on the steering wheel as we sped away from the house, the streetlights blurring into streaks of light.

“Tina, slow down.” I said, my voice shaky as I gripped the dashboard. “You’re going to get us into an accident.”

“Sorry.”

Tina eased off of the gas, but her knuckles remained white around the steering wheel. “I can’t believe they reacted like that,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the hum of the engine. “Like.. Like animals.”

I shuddered, wrapping my arms around myself as I remembered the scene that had unfolded just minutes ago. It was something I wouldn’t soon forget.

“I’m- I’m **y.”

There was a long, palpable silence that seemed to stretch on for eternity. Her parents’ faces went ashen, their mouths hanging agape. Instinctively, I pushed my chair back, my muscles tensing to move.

My wolf had sensed Tina’s father’s fury before it came. I could smell it on him, that rage that he had no intention of containing.

He dropped his fork to his plate with a clatter, white hands trembling.

Tina’s mother had set her own fork down more gently, although her hands shook even more than her husband’s. She swallowed hard and said, “What’s that, dear?”

“I’m g**y, Mom.” Tina turned to look at her mother, a pleading look in her eyes. Then she looked at her father. “I’m tired of living a lie.”

“During the harvest feast….” Her mother shook her head, staring blankly down at the tablecloth.

Tina shivered. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t wait. I thought-”

“No one gives a d** what you think.” Tina’s father’s voice was thin, reedy. Slowly, he rose from his chair. I rose, too, my eyes darting to the door as his lip curled back to reveal his fangs Get out of my house. Both of you.”

Tina didn’t move.”Dad-”

Isaid, get OUT!”

He’d picked up the salt shaker at some point, although I hadn’t noticed. I certainly noticed, however, when he suddenly crunched the entire thing in his hand. Salt and glass went everywhere.

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08:58 Fri, Sep 20

Chapter 155

BK 72%

11

Suddenly, we were moving. I was grabbing my friend’s arm and pulling her away, my wolf all the while warning me that it wasn’t safe, wasn’t safe. Tina, face pale and body shaking, stopped in the dining room doorway.

“Why are you so angry?” she dared to growl. “Why is it so bad if I like girls?”

i

Her mother was rocking back and forth in her chair. “What will the neighbors think-the church-we’re going to Hell, Daniel. To Hell!”

“Mom-“Tina, tears forming in her eyes now, reached for her mother.

Her father, letting loose a feral growl, slapped her hand away. “Get OUTT

We left after that. Or rather, I dragged my friend upstairs, where we grabbed our bags. The screaming began at some point while we were up there, loud enough to shudder the entire house, the entire street. You’d think that Tina had died, not simply come out.

And now here we were, flying through the rolling hills,

“I’m here for you, I said, reaching over to grip Tina’s hand reassuringly. Her skin was clammy and cold. “No matter what, okay? We’ll figure this out together.”

“There’s nothing to figure out.” Her voice trembled. “I’m dead to my parents. They’re dead to me.”

I swallowed hard, finding nothing to say. All I could do was grip my friend’s hand.

We drove in silence for a while, the only sounds the hum of the engine and Tina’s occasional sniffles. The familiar suburban landscape gave way to darker, less populated areas. Eventually, Tina pulled over at a rest stop, the car’s headlights illuminating a deserted parking lot.

She was too shaken to drive any further.

As soon as the car stopped, Tina slumped over the steering wheel, her body wracked with ***bs. The sound of her pain tore át my heart.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and leaned over, wrapping my arms around her. Tina relaxed into the embrace, her tears soaking into my shirt. I could feel her whole body shaking.

“I expected this,” Tina hiccupped between s**, her words m****

“Hey,” I said softly, stroking her hair, “you didn’t ruin anything. We can still have our own harvest feast. Just the two of us. Who needs them anyway?”

Tina nodded weakly, and I gave her one last squeeze before pulling away. “I’ll go grab us some snacks from the convenience store. You stay here and rest, okay?”

I made my way into the store, the cold air nipping at my skin. Wandering the aisles, I grabbed various snacks: sodas, bags of chips, pretzels, donuts. It wasn’t healthy in the slightest, but it was.. something. Comforting.

“Hide.”

My wolf’s voice was suddenly urgent.

Instinctively. I ducked behind a shelf and pulled my hood up, my heart racing as I wondered if Tina’s father had followed us. But peering around the corner, I saw a familiar head of platinum blonde hair instead.

“Fiona..” I whispered.

She was at the counter, buying what looked like enough food for a very long trip. The cashier was scanning item after item

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Chapter 155

after item-pizza slices and bottled water and chips and granola bars and even a carton of cigarettes. I didn’t know she smoked, but that wasn’t why I was so shocked.

What was she doing here, so far from the city?

As far as I knew, she’d been pretty much MIA since the party. Edwin said that she’d stopped answering the phone and her house was empty when Claudia tried to visit. Something about a sudden business trip.

But we were out in the middle of nowhere now. What sort of business’ could she have all the way out here, at the edge of our territory?

As Fiona turned to leave, I pressed myself flat against the shelf, holding my breath until I heard the bell above the door jingle.

Quickly, I paid for my food and hurried back to the car.

“Tina, you won’t believe who I just saw,” I said as I slid into the passenger seat, my voice low as if Fiona might still be able to hear us.

Tina looked up, her eyes red and puffy, “Who?”

“Fiona. She was buying a ton of food, like she’s going on a long trip or something”

Tina’s brow furrowed, confusion momentarily replacing the pain in her eyes. “What’s she doing out here?”

“I don’t know, but something is off about it,” I said. “I can.. sense it.” My nose wrinkled as if I could smell something refarious in the air.

A spark of interest lit up Tina’s eyes, and I could almost see the gears turning in her head. “We should follow her.”

I hesitated, “I don’t know, Tina. It could be dangerous”

“Please, Audrey,” Tina pleaded, her voice taking on a desperate edge. “I need something to take my mind off of… everything I can’t just sit here and wallow in what happened.”

After a moment of internal debate, I finally nodded. Fiona was pulling out of the parking lot-she hadn’t seen me. “Okay, but promise me we’ll keep a safe distance. At the first sign of trouble, we turn back. Deal?”

Tina started the car with a nod, “Deal.”

We pulled out of the rest stop, following the direction Fiona’s car had gone. The roads became more winding as we drove, tall trees looming on either side. The headlights cut through the darkness, casting eerie shadows across the empty road.

“Do you see her car?” Tina asked, leaning forward slightly as she peered into the darkness,

1 squinted, trying to make out any shapes in the distance. My new werewolf sight allowed me to see further and better in the darkness. “There!” I pointed to a pair of taillights far ahead. “That must be her.”

We followed Fiona’s car down the winding country roads, staying far enough back to avoid detection. The tension in the car was palpable, both of us on high alert for any sign that Fiona had spotted us.

As we drove, signs for Coldclaw territory began to appear, their ominous markings barely visible in the dim light.

“Coldclaw?” I said, my voice tight with worry. A chill ran down my spine at the mere mention of the name of the rogue pack that bordered our own. “That’s not a safe place. It’s full of rogues and criminals. Why would Fiona be going there?”

Tina nodded, her knuckles white on the steering wheel again. “I know. My parents always warned me to stay far away from Coldclaw, What business could Fiona possibly have there?”

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Chapter 155

As we approached the territory border, marked by a large, foreboding sign, Tina suddenly slammed on the brakes. The car skidded slightly on the road before coming to a stop in front of a set of train tracks. Up ahead, Fiona just… kept driving over the tracks. Oblivious of our pursuit.

She was driving directly into Coldclaw territory, and it seemed she had no intention of turning back.

Tina didn’t have to say anything for me to know that we wouldn’t be crossing that border.