BLACKWOOD'S POV
My phone buzzed in my jacket as I turned away from Sophia. I reached for it to see an unknown number but I knew who was calling. He must've heard already that I held my first class. He knows everything.
I sat in my dimly lit office and swiveled on my office chair as I deliberated calling back. The space was a new allocation, and the smell of new paint on the walls was proof that onboarding me was a second thought.
The silence was broken by the buzzing of my phone on the table, the same unknown number calling. I picked up.
"Hello Nolan…" a low, gravely voice spoke, "It's been too long."
"Ryker," I replied, composing my tone. "What do you want?"
"How was class, Nolan? Or should I say… Professor Blackwood?"
I hated talking to him. I felt my nails angrily turning to claws.
"The council is growing impatient, you know. The full moon draws near and the prophecy is unfolding…" He continued. "Have you met the girl yet?"
"What girl?"
"You damn well know who I'm talking about!" He jerked loudly over the phone.
I clenched my jaw, my mind racing. "Yes, I met her already."
Ryker had a terrifying effect on all who knew him but I never showed weakness. In fact, it impressed him enough to get me an opening in the college.
"So what did you make of her?"
"She has potential, Ryker."
"Potential?" His laughter was deviously cold. "She's the Silver Wolf, Nolan. And I think you're starting to slip, I don't trust you."
I cleaned a streak of sweat from my face and felt a surge of adrenaline. "What are you insinuating?"
"You know what I mean," His voice dropped to a whisper. "You looked too comfortable with her, Nolan. Your… interests aren't entirely pure, are they?"
My grip on the phone tightened. "You were watching me? You have no right to question my motives or my methods, Ryker!"
"Oh, but I do," He chuckled. "The Council is watching you, Nolan. Don't forget your place."
The line beeped dead.
I sat back, reeling in my thoughts.
His words struck a chord, and they echoed in my head. His accusations of my intentions being impure had me riled up, but only because I refused to acknowledge the truth.
"Fuck you, Ryker," I cursed, my nails digging into the armrest.
I stood from my chair and paced across the room. Ryker's call was a reminder: I had to keep up the act and maintain the facade, double down on my mission and keep the Council convinced of my loyalty.
Although, the truth was far more complicated and I had my own plans for them.
Hours passed and I gazed out the window at the rising moon's glow in the starry sky. I knew within me that I was walking a thin line between loyalty and deception.
Memories of my past flooded my mind - the Council's manipulation, the bloodshed, and the prophecy. I had struggled to live a life motivated by my past. It haunted me.
Strange visions plagued me since I moved to Shadowcreek. I was getting into my plans before the memories of my previous visions resurfaced:
The figure of a woman shrouded in mist would beckon me. "Come here, Nolan," the figure would whisper seductively and in echoes. "Together, we can control the prophecy." I would reach for her only to be separated by an earthquake and a lot of smoke before I got to her.
Anyway, I recalled my mind before it strayed any further away. I sat back down and pondered if Sophia was really the key to unlocking it all.
She didn't look like much, but I couldn't deny the connection I felt when our eyes first met. It felt as if I'd known her before, but that was impossible. I pushed aside the thought, focusing on the task at hand.
The moon rose higher in the sky, and I tried to shake off the uneasiness that overwhelmed me. My eyes fell to the table, on the file Ryker had sent me weeks ago - Sophia's profile.
"Sophiaaa… Langley" I muttered the name as I opened the file to look through its pages. Her history, her abilities, her challenges... everything pointed to her being the Silver Wolf. But there was more to her, something about her that drew me in.
I dropped the file on the table, realizing there weren't enough answers in there. I needed a plan and fast.
The full moon was approaching and the uncertainty unnerved the Council. The prophecy would soon unfold and they wanted control. They prepared centuries for this, and their whole plan rested on whether I could deliver.
I got up in a flit. I needed to prepare, to ensure Sophia's safety and... my own. I decided to get close to her. I would observe her and study her movements, her habits. She was unaware of the danger lurking in the shadows, so I would make the arrangements.
She previously struggled to turn and had quite a reputation in the school. I needed the perfect opportunity to ensure I had everything in place.
It was I who suggested that the school banish her into the woods. I knew she would need protection there, and I would be the one to provide it.
The night wore on and my thoughts returned to Ryker's warning. The Council was watching, and I needed to make my move.
"I'll protect you, Sophia," I whispered, soliloquizing.
In a moment, a chill ran down my spine as I turned to leave, and a vision flashed before me:
Sophia stood under the full moon, her eyes glowing like bright silver. The mist shrouding the figure from my visions had disappeared and the figure appeared to be her, whispering and signaling me to come.
I stretched to reach her but the vision vanished, leaving me breathless.
I knew exactly where Sophia was, I had her file. I grabbed my keys with a sense of urgency and dashed into the night.
Tonight, I would take the first step in protecting Sophia. Or so I told myself.
As I walked away from the campus, my mind seemed to whisper a different truth: "You're not saving her, Nolan. You're claiming her."