Free Web NovelChapter 58: Run, Willa, Run
WILLA
I hated going to school alone.
It shouldn’t have been a big deal. The past few days I had done exactly that whenever Verah left before me.
But it was a big deal.
It wasn’t just the students — their fake smiles, the whispers that followed me like shadows that wouldn’t let go. It was the academy itself.
Something deep in my bones twisted every time I stepped beyond Valerius House. And right now, that wrongness was heavier than ever.
Nyra flickered inside me, a brief brush of warmth against my ribs, then disappeared like smoke.
"You know," I muttered, tightening the strap of my backpack until it dug into my shoulder, "I think it’s about time you started acting like my actual wolf. My guide."
The parking lot stretched out ahead, eerily quiet under the noon sun. No chatter. No groups lounging on car hoods. No one skipped History like usual. Just rows of silent, ridiculously costly cars gleaming coldly.
I stopped, scanning the area.
Where is everyone?
Maybe they were all in class, I mused. Professor Joy was strict. She probably wasn’t letting anyone leave.
I sighed and looked away.
"You haven’t answered any of the questions I asked you," I muttered.
Still, Nyra stayed silent.
"Before I arrived here, you were always chatty. I don’t know why you suddenly don’t want to speak to me anymore." I let out an annoyed huff. "You should at least say something if I wronged you!"
She probably didn’t want to be my wolf anymore. I’d heard that wolves could go MIA whenever they wanted.
And that was never without consequences. freewёbnoνel.com
After waiting a few more seconds with no response, I muttered, "Fine. I’ll leave you be."
Nyra stirred faintly, as if agreeing.
I scoffed and shook my head.
I proceeded toward the entrance. I was nearly halfway there when something seared through my mind like a hot blade.
A sharp breath escaped my parted lips. I clutched my head, squeezing my eyes shut as blinding pain shot through my skull.
It knocked the air out of me. I stumbled backward, nearly losing my balance.
"What the...?" I groaned, teeth clenched against the agony.
When the pain finally subsided, my ears twitched. I picked up a faint, familiar voice.
"Headmaster Alaric...?"
Was he trying to open a mindlink?
I waited. One minute. Two. Three.
Nothing.
Weird.
"I could have sworn I heard his voice just now," I muttered.
Or maybe I was imagining things.
Something flashed in my peripheral vision. I turned sharply to the right, then the left, before looking straight ahead.
My eyes locked onto a skeletal figure standing barely ten feet away.
A literal skeleton — bony frame, empty eye sockets, long jagged fingers. My breath hitched as it took a slow, deliberate step toward me.
I didn’t think.
I spun around and bolted, screaming at the top of my lungs as I raced back toward the dormitory.
Anyone who sees me right now would think I’ve lost my mind. The Goddess helped me if I was the only one seeing this thing.
And why the fuck was it coming for me?!
I ran until my lungs burned and my legs felt like jelly. Only then did I stop, collapsing against a huge pine tree deep in the woods, panting heavily.
Surely, this was a terrible path to take, but it was better than staying anywhere near that thing.
Wild-eyed, I scanned the woods around me. When I couldn’t spot the skeletal figure, I sagged against the pine tree in relief, breathing hard.
A few minutes passed. I pushed off the trunk, ready to continue toward the dormitory.
I bumped into something hard.
A hand pressed against my head, nudging me backward. The touch was smooth. Cold. Bony.
My breath stuttered. My pulse hammered wildly in my throat. Slowly, fearfully, I lifted my gaze, lips parted, ready to beg for my life.
Instead, I found myself staring at five thin twigs stretched out like skeletal fingers.
That was what had pressed into my head.
I tilted my head back and burst into loud, uncontrollable laughter. I laughed so hard my stomach cramped and tears pricked my eyes.
"Okay, Willa," I wheezed, clutching my sides and shaking my head vigorously. "You are definitely seeing things."
How the hell had I mistaken a few twigs for a full-blown skeleton? There were trees near the entrance, sure, but none big enough to look like that.
With everything going on, I must have imagined it.
Besides, I was exhausted.
After the confrontation with Eric this morning, I hadn’t slept at all. I wanted to — badly. But his words kept invading my mind, along with the guilt of whether ignoring him was the right thing or not.
I pressed a hand to my chest, dragging in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. I probably should have gotten used to this by now.
Barely a month into this place, and I was expected to accept that I was a werewolf who would be seeing monsters every day for the rest of my life — and even beyond it.
"Talk of the devil," I grunted.
A sudden wave of cool air brushed against my skin. Goosebumps erupted across my arms. The hair at the back of my neck prickled, followed by a burning sensation.
It was here.
I grimaced, eyes darting around the trees. "Show yourself."
Instead of the scratchy, creepy voice I expected, the only response was a loud clap of thunder.
My heart skipped. I looked up at the sky. Grey clouds had swallowed the once bright blue expanse. Lightning streaked violently across it. I winced and quickly looked away, shielding my eyes.
I hadn’t expected rain. It was still spring, hardly summer.
Still, I needed to get out of here before it hit. I started toward the forest opening when I felt it — something cold and invasive.
It felt like a finger toying with the nerves in my brain, pushing, prodding, searching for something that wasn’t lost.
Until it spoke.
"Come to me."
The voice was icy cold, slithering through my mind like frost.
Almost immediately, every alarm in my head screamed at once. My body tensed as Nyra’s voice tore through my mind, loud and frantic.
"Run, Willa. Run!" she screeched.
