Chapter 222: Chill in the Shadows
Natalie~
The chill hadn’t left my skin. It clung to me like an unwanted second layer, wrapping around my bones with invisible fingers. I stared at the ceiling, too stiff to move, my breath shallow, heart racing like it was trying to flee my chest.
How?
How the hell did she get in?
This house was protected. Not just by simple werewolf runes or a half-baked enchantment from some backwoods witch. No—Tiger had reinforced every inch of it with celestial wards. Jacob and I had etched protective sigils across the thresholds. Even Fox had sealed the place with his fire magic, just to be extra annoying about it. There was no way—no way—Kalmia should’ve been able to get through.
And yet... she had.
The darkness had slithered into our sanctuary like smoke under a door. I could feel it, still tingling along my spine.
Zane stirred behind me, his voice groggy but instantly alert. "Natalie?"
I didn’t answer at first. My lips were parted, but nothing came out. I turned slowly to look at him—his obsidian eyes now sharp, glowing faintly red under the soft light of the bedside lamp.
"You screamed," he said, sitting up fully now, muscles tense and coiled beneath his sleep shirt. "What happened?"
"She was here." My voice cracked. "Zane... she was just in this room."