Girl Meets Evil

Chapter Fifteen

I shivered as a cool breeze danced over the still wet skin of my shoulders. I knew I should not be out here, after what happened this afternoon I wasn't sure I was going to be brave enough. But I needed to escape that apartment. The tension was so great that it felt like trying to breathe through water. 

Hoseok didn't say anything more to me on the quick march back home. Every time I attempted to look back to see if he was alright, he coldly demanded that I keep walking. I understood his fear, it felt like there was danger lurking in every shadowed doorway, but I didn't like the frosty tone of his normally honeyed voice.

It felt like he was mad at me, they all were when they found out what happened. Seokjin was the worst, seething and furious that I could care so little about my own life. It was strange to see him react that way, even knowing what I put him through when I first arrived, it never occurred to me that he would care that much. Everyone else was irritated and disappointed, treating me like a teenager that snuck out in the middle of the night to attend some party.

I groaned and put my head between my knees, sinking off the ledge to sit more firmly on the roof. I don't even know what happened and no one would answer my questions. I thought back through the events of the afternoon and tried to piece it together.

I was shocked when I saw Hoseok following me at a safe distance, shocked but strangely light. That growing feeling in the pit of my stomach that he would never let anyone hurt me gave me a sense of security I hadn't felt since I left the safety of the apartment. He didn't appear at my side when the cat hybrid showed up, disappointing me slightly, but knowing he was near made me bold.

Then I grew braver, seeking a moment alone with the panther without the others listening or joking. I snuck away from the street market when he was distracted by a little girl, darting from one small alley to another. I was naive and stupid, making it a game I was playing by myself.

Then those other hybrids came out of the shadows and surrounded me, bringing me back to my reality. Crushing me with fear and a certainty of my own demise. I wasn't cut out for this world but at every turn I was thrust into the middle of some conflict and no one would tell me why.

I squeezed my knees tighter against my chest and forced the panic down. I hadn't seen Hoseok as a panther since the first night, even at home he was more careful than the others to keep the hybrid part of himself hidden. I've seen, examined and studied all of the others ears and eyes, using their calm demeanor's to force my fear away. But Hoseok never lost control of himself, not since the second time, on this very roof.

I thought I would still be afraid, despite my constant exposure to the others, but when I heard him roar and I saw the fury that wrinkled his face - I felt nothing but relief. And then fear as he faced my enemies for me. Every strike, punch or kick they landed on his body sent a streak of panic and guilt through my heart. 

God but he was magnificent! His silky black tail and ears mixed perfectly with his beautiful hair and toned physique. Even the red of his eyes no longer terrified me. They weren't empty and cold like the wolf alphas, filled with dominance and power as he stole anything and everything he wanted for the simple sake of possessing it. 

Hoseok's eyes were warm and reminded me of winter nights tucked against a crackling fire. Safe. But also scared, I could feel the fear he experienced on my behalf. I wasn't even sure how to process that, but I was no longer afraid.  

It all left an aching pit in my chest, too many emotions and not enough answers. Why did he look at me like that? Did I do something wrong? I bit my lip as the uncertainty of it all crashed against me. I wanted to cry and laugh, shout and fight someone. Everything I've been through since that stupid wolf came to my class and no one was telling me anything. I was being treated like a prisoner, regardless of the actual danger I faced by venturing out on my own. When would it end? Would I just have to give up my life and my freedom and submit to the wolf?