The evening air wrapped around Blackwood Estate like a silk shawl, carrying whispers of autumn and the distant song of cicadas. Selene sat cross-legged on her porch, absently tracing patterns on the wooden railing as the setting sun painted the sky in hues of amber and rose. Her thoughts, however, were far from the peaceful scene before her.
"Earth to Selene," Naksu's voice cut through her reverie. "You've been staring at nothing for ten minutes straight."
Selene blinked, turning to find her friend watching her with a knowing smirk. "Sorry, I was just thinking."
"About Cane?" Naksu's tone carried a hint of concern beneath its playfulness. When Selene didn't immediately deny it, she sighed. "You know, most people would be thrilled to have a mysterious, handsome guy interested in them. But something's different about him, Selene. And not in a good way."
"What do you mean?"
Naksu leaned forward, her expression turning serious. "Remember your birthday party? When your dad gave you that silver bracelet?"
The memory flickered through Selene's mind—Cane's sudden flinch, the way he'd pulled back from her touch as if burned, how he'd kept his distance for the rest of the night. She'd dismissed it then, but now...
"Maybe he just doesn't like jewelry," Selene offered weakly.
"It wasn't disgust, Selene. It was fear." Naksu's dark eyes held her friend's gaze. "Real, genuine fear. Like he'd just seen something dangerous. And then there are the disappearances. People going missing right when his family arrives? That's not coincidence."
Before Selene could respond, a familiar voice interrupted their conversation.
"Talking about me again?"
Cane stood at the bottom of the porch steps, hands tucked into his jacket pockets, an amused glint in his eyes despite the tension in his shoulders. The fading sunlight caught his features in a way that made Selene's breath catch—all sharp angles and shadows, beautiful and somehow dangerous.
"Not everything is about you," Selene managed, but she couldn't stop the small smile that tugged at her lips.
"Could've fooled me." He nodded toward the path leading to the woods. "Care for a walk?"
Selene glanced at Naksu, who looked thoroughly unimpressed, before standing. "Fine. Just a short one."
They walked in companionable silence, the forest growing darker around them. Cane moved with that strange grace of his, each step deliberate yet fluid. When they reached the small clearing near the lake, he stopped.
"Do I make you nervous?" he asked suddenly.
Selene scoffed, though her heart skipped. "No. Why would you think that?"
"Because you avoid looking at me for too long," he said, grinning. "Like right now."
Heat rushed to her cheeks as she realized he was right. She forced herself to meet his gaze, trying to ignore how the dimming light made his eyes seem to glow. "I do not."
His chuckle was low, warm. "Relax, Selene. I don't bite."
Something about his choice of words sent a shiver down her spine, but before she could dwell on it, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a single red flower.
"For you," he said softly.
Selene hesitated before taking it, twirling the stem between her fingers. "You know," she murmured, "love isn't red."
Cane raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then what color is it?"
"Something softer. Maybe white or blue." She glanced up at him through her lashes. "Red is too... intense."
His smirk deepened. "I'll keep that in mind."
Without thinking, Selene stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. Cane tensed for a moment, as if surprised by the contact, before relaxing into the embrace. He rested his chin lightly on top of her head, and for a moment, everything felt right.
But their moment of peace was shattered by sudden shouts erupting from deeper in the woods, followed by frantic barking. Selene's stomach dropped as Cane's body went rigid against hers.
"What was that?" she whispered, pulling back.
"Stay here," Cane commanded, his voice tight with urgency.
"Like hell I will," Selene shot back, already moving toward the noise.
They rushed through the darkening forest, branches whipping past them as they followed the sounds of commotion. The air grew thick with an acrid scent that made Selene's nose burn. When they burst into a small clearing, the sight before them stopped them cold.
A body lay sprawled on the forest floor, lifeless and mangled. Deep claw marks carved brutal patterns into the flesh, and the ground around it was stained dark with blood. The metallic smell of death hung heavy in the air.
Selene's breath caught in her throat as Naksu's grip suddenly tightened on her wrist—she hadn't even realized her friend had followed them. They stood frozen, unable to look away from the horrific scene before them.
Cane remained eerily still beside them, his expression unreadable in the growing darkness. But something in his stance had changed—he seemed coiled, tense, like a predator sensing danger.
For the first time since meeting him, Selene felt something cold settle in her chest.
Dread.
Later that night, as she placed the red flower on her nightstand, her hands wouldn't stop shaking. She was falling for Cane—there was no denying it anymore. But after what they'd discovered in the woods, she couldn't help but wonder if that attraction would be her undoing.
The claw marks on the body flashed through her mind again. They weren't from any animal she knew. And the way Cane had looked at the scene—not with shock or horror, but with grim recognition—made her wonder just how much he knew about what was really happening in Blackwood Estate.
She was falling for him. And that terrified her more than anything else.