WEREWOLF SYSTEM

Kyle's POV

I got back home just as the first rays of sunlight broke through the horizon. My legs felt like lead, and my head was spinning with exhaustion. Everything that had happened in the woods played on a loop in my mind—the shadowy figure, the chase, and whatever that... thing was that stirred inside me.

Once inside, I closed the door quietly, careful not to wake my parents. The house was silent, save for the faint hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen. I didn't stop to rest or eat. Instead, I headed straight for my room, taking the stairs two at a time.

Once I was inside, I locked the door and leaned against it, letting out a shaky breath. My room, normally a place of comfort, felt foreign now. The posters on the walls, the books on my desk, even the neatly made bed—it all seemed out of place, as though I didn't belong here anymore.

I walked to the mirror that hung on the wall across from my bed. For a moment, I just stood there, staring at my reflection. My shirt was soaked with sweat and torn in places from the branches and underbrush I'd run through. I pulled it off, tossing it onto the floor, and froze.

The person in the mirror didn't look like me.

My muscles were more defined, almost unnaturally so. I ran a hand over my chest, my fingers brushing against hard ridges of muscle that hadn't been there yesterday. My arms, my shoulders, even my neck—they were all bigger, stronger.

"What the hell is happening to me?" I whispered.

I stepped closer to the mirror, examining every inch of my reflection. My eyes looked different too, sharper somehow, as if they could see things they weren't supposed to.

For a moment, I thought about telling Elena. She'd been the only person I'd started to feel remotely comfortable around at Hilton Way. Maybe she'd understand, or at least help me figure out what to do next.

But then I remembered the way her eyes had looked at me yesterday, the way she seemed to know more than she let on. No. I couldn't tell her—not yet.

I turned away from the mirror and sat on the edge of my bed, burying my face in my hands.

That night, sleep didn't come easily. My mind raced with questions, each one darker than the last. By the time my alarm went off the next morning, I felt like I hadn't slept at all.

The next day, I tried to go about my routine as if nothing had happened. I sat through my first class in a daze, barely registering what the professor was saying. It wasn't until I walked into Dr. Brooks' lecture hall that I started to feel a sliver of normalcy.

Dr. Brooks had a way of making the room feel alive. His booming voice, warm smile, and genuine passion for teaching made even the dullest topics seem interesting. Today, though, I couldn't focus on him.

I slid into my usual seat near the back, nodding at a few classmates who greeted me. The room buzzed with chatter as students filed in, but I stayed quiet, lost in my thoughts.

Then Elena walked in.

She was late, as usual, but no one seemed to care. If anything, people seemed to expect it. She made her way to her seat near the back, her expression unreadable.

I couldn't help but notice the gold chain around her neck, the one with a small smiley face charm dangling from it. I'd seen her wear it before, but today, it felt different.

My stomach twisted as the image of the shadowy figure from last night flashed through my mind. The creature's twisted face, its glowing yellow eyes—and that chain around its neck.

It was the same chain.

My heart raced, my palms growing clammy as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. Could it be a coincidence? Was I just imagining things?

Elena caught me staring and raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a faint smirk. I quickly looked away, my face burning.

Dr. Brooks started the lecture, but his words barely registered. My mind was spinning, replaying every moment from last night. Could Elena have been the one who attacked me? It didn't make sense, but neither did anything else that had happened lately.

I glanced at her again, trying to read her expression, but she looked as calm and composed as ever. If she was hiding something, she was doing a damn good job of it.

My thoughts were interrupted when Dr. Brooks called my name.

"Kyle? Would you care to share your thoughts on this?"

I blinked, realizing I hadn't been paying attention. "Uh, sorry, Dr. Brooks. Could you repeat the question?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Try to keep up, Mr. Lawson. I was asking if you think personal motivations can cloud our understanding of history."

I nodded quickly, hoping to sound convincing. "Yeah, definitely. I think personal biases can affect how we interpret events."

"Good," Dr. Brooks said, moving on.

Elena was watching me now, her head tilted slightly as if she were trying to figure me out. I avoided her gaze, focusing on my notebook even though I wasn't writing anything.

By the time class ended, I felt like I was going to explode. I needed answers, but I didn't know how to get them.

As I packed up my things, Elena lingered near the door, her eyes briefly meeting mine before she walked out. That smirk was still there, like she knew something I didn't.

I stayed in my seat for a few minutes, trying to calm my racing thoughts. The lecture hall was empty now, the only sound the faint hum of the overhead lights.

I couldn't shake the image of the chain around Elena's neck. It had to mean something—it couldn't just be a coincidence.

Could it?

For the first time, I wasn't sure if I could trust her.

As I left the classroom, I couldn't help but feel like someone was watching me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and I quickened my pace, eager to put some distance between myself and whatever—or whoever—might be lurking in the shadows.

I wasn't safe. Not here, not anywhere. And the more I tried to ignore it, the clearer it became that my life was no longer my own.

Something was happening to me, something I didn't understand. And until I figured it out, I couldn't trust anyone—not even Elena.