The voice jolted me out of the daze I'd fallen into. Glancing up, I looked at Nicole, who was standing mere feet away, a large garbage bag in her hand.

"What?" I blurted.

She shook her head in silent mirth, eyes crinkling in vague amusement as she stared at me. "I said I'm off my shift. Think you could close up?"

I scanned the kitchen. Most of the chefs had left by now, and it was just the two of us. "Sure."

"I'll leave after taking out the trash. Night, Quinn."

"Goodnight. See you tomorrow," I added, before continuing to scrub the grime off the pans.

It wasn't until a good twenty minutes later when I was finally done. As quickly as my tired limbs would allow me, I retrieved my bag from the cupboard and headed to the back door.

I was still in the middle of locking the stubborn, rusty catch when a sudden howl ripped through the cold wind. It was like an echo through the empty street, and somehow sounded frightened, desperate.

Wolves.

I spun round quickly, feeling my skin crawl as the howling continued. This wasn't supposed to be a surprise – I'd always known that the town was near a forested area that supposedly was home to hundreds of creatures, but this, this was close. Far too close, far too lethal.

Without wasting another moment, I strode off to the nearest bus stop. It was freezing, and I knew I should've taken out my gloves but I was more concerned with getting away from whatever it was back there.

Only I didn't.

And when I crossed to the next pavement, my heart leapt into my throat as I glimpsed a flash of black and brown fur, all snarls and teeth and growls. A large, feral black wolf had its jaws clamped around the neck of a smaller brown one, and I had passed by just in time to hear the agonising, sickening crunch that followed as the black wolf brutally snapped the neck of the other. Then, with another growl, it viciously tore the brown wolf's throat out. It was all blood and guts, staining the gravel below and bleaching the white snow crimson red.

I couldn't decide whether I wanted to retch or scream, but I did neither. Instead, I took a step back. But my boots scuffed against the road as I did, and the black wolf snapped its head up.

The first thing I noticed was that the wolf's eyes were hued a faint but piercing green.

My heart slammed in my chest as I looked at the creature.

Think, Quinn, think.

The wolf took a step closer and I found my hand darting into my bag, fingers latching round a special metal case that I brought with me everywhere. "Go away," I said lowly, my voice a tight rasp in the tired wind. I couldn't even fathom why I thought talking to an animal was a good idea, but the wolf's eyes seemed to lock on mine as I spoke.

My fingers were still fumbling around the metal case, until I found the catch on it and tugged it open. A shard of silver fell out of the box and I clasped my fingers around it, feeling suddenly courageous with a weapon in my hand.

"I mean it," I said, louder this time, when the wolf took another step closer. I hoped against hope that someone would hear, but the streets were empty this time of day. Removing my hand from the bag, I brandished the sharp knife in front of myself and watched in relief as the wolf quickly fell a step back. "Don't make me kill you."

Taking a deep breath, I gradually backed away, right foot, left foot, slowly but surely placing a safe distance between myself and that vicious creature. The wolf watched me throughout, its green eyes frighteningly unnerving. I could've sworn I heard a faint whine from it at one point, but I focused instead on making it out of there alive.

But just as I thought I could high tail out of there and make a run for it, my right foot caught on a bit of slippery road and I promptly lost my balance, tumbling down onto the ground in a clumsy heap. My palms scraped painfully against the gravel in my attempt to break the fall, knife clattering onto the ground beside me and I winced in pain.

"Damn it," I whispered, quickly dragging myself back up. But a flash of black fur crossed my peripheral vision, and I spun round, a silent scream lodged in my throat as I watched the wolf run towards me, closing the distance in five, four, three, two –

I didn't even think.

My fingers were reaching out for the knife in a blind frenzy, and I swung it out at the wolf just as it lunged for me. I felt the impact as the knife buried itself into the wolf's body, a surge of warm red seeping onto my hand in the next instant. With a terrifying howl, the wolf sprung away from me like it had touched an open flame, collapsing heavily onto its side.

I couldn't breathe. All I saw was red and black and white, crimson blood seeping through the snow, and the silver edge of the knife buried deep in the wolf's black fur.

"I'm so sorry," I rasped, staring at the dead creature with wide eyes, my heart pounding erratically in my chest. It was an accident – self-preservation had won out in the end, but I felt my gut twist at the thought of having killed an animal so instinctively.

With an effort, I climbed to my feet, my boots scrapping against the ground as I stumbled away from the wolf. The streets were silent and dark now, and I forced myself to walk away, never once looking back.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

It took two glasses of wine before I started to calm down. Setting my empty glass down, I leaned my head against the arm of the couch and shut my eyes.

Only when I did, all I saw was black fur and green eyes. Pretty green eyes. It looked entirely uncommon on a wolf but somehow seemed to fit perfectly. I couldn't quite shake the image and opened my eyes, letting out a weary sigh that was barely heard above the low hum from the television playing in the background.

Despite my unease, I couldn't help feeling drowsy. Minutes later, I was almost drifting off to sleep when I heard urgent knocking on the door.

Nervously, I padded my way across the room, pushing myself up on the tips of my toes to stare out through the peephole on the door. The sight of a man and a woman standing there eased my nerves a little – at least it wasn't two men; but I still fell a step back when the man knocked on the door again.

"Quinn Reilly?" His voice was muffled. "We're here on an important matter and we need your assistance."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"We're from the wildlife association division catering to the specific care and welfare of wolves in this tri-state area. We learnt that there had been a wolf attack about an hour ago and we'd like to speak to you about it."

I unlatched the door, pulling it open an inch. "I'm very sorry I killed it, honestly. It was just – I didn't think, I just – "

"Oh, that's fine." The man waved my concerns away. "We'd just like you to describe what happened, so we'd have a better grasp of the situation."

I let out a breath. "Okay, well – I was on my way home, and I heard some howling. Obviously, I wasn't looking for trouble so I just hurried along, but I didn't expect to come across two wolves in the middle of a vicious attack – "

"Wait," the woman suddenly cut me off, her head jerking up as she surveyed me with a sharp, accessing gaze. "Two wolves?"

I frowned. "Yes. One black, one brown – "

"You killed the brown one?"

"No, the brown one was killed by the black. Then the black wolf tried to attack me, so I stabbed it with my knife." My frown deepened when they exchanged a glance. "What's wrong?"

There was a pause. And then the woman shoved her clipboard back in her bag and I froze when the man took a step closer to me, placing his palm flat against the door to keep it propped open.

"Ms Reilly," he said calmly, but I didn't miss the sliver of tension taut in his voice. "If it's okay with you, I'd like for you to come with me."

"What?" I took a step back. "What're you talking about – "

"Ms Reilly – "

I kept my knee pressed against the door when he tried to push it open. "Who are you?"

"We told you; we're from the wildlife association division – "

"The wildlife association division would not force its way into someone's home uninvited!" My eyes darted around the house until I found my phone sitting on the counter. "Don't make me call the cops."

The man exchanged another glance with his companion. Suddenly, he pushed the door open with an unexpected amount of force. I stumbled back when he stepped through the doorway with the woman in tow.

"Ms Reilly, we need you to keep calm – "

"What – " His fingers wrapped around my wrist at the next moment in a vice-like grip. "Let go of me!"

"My apologies – "

"Don't apologise to her, Diego," the woman said sharply, her blue eyes accessing the situation with a calm coldness as she advanced closer. "She's one of them."

"I don't even know what you're talking about!"

"You know what we're talking about, Quinn."

"I really don't!" Forcefully pushing Diego back when he tried to reach for me again, I stumbled into the kitchen, stubbing my toe painfully against the table along the way and using the furniture between to put a good distance between. But as the two of them stepped even closer, I reached for the nearest knife on the shelf, raising it at them. "Get out of my house!"

"Oh, Diego, she's adorable," the woman's smile widened when she saw me brandish the knife. "Go ahead, darling, try to kill us."

I raised the knife threateningly, but that was the most I could do. She was by my side in a flash, sharp nails digging into my skin as she held my wrist tightly, so tightly I half thought she was going to break my bones.

And her blue eyes – they were obsidian.

My fear escalated, terror racing a chill down my spine as she tightened her grip on my wrist, forcing me to drop the knife with a clatter. "Should've killed me when you had the chance," she said, an unchanging, cold smile on her face.

"Let go of me!" I wrenched my wrist from her grip and, with my other, reached for another knife behind me. Diego was closing in from the other side and I brandished it at him, trying my best to keep my hands from shaking. "What the hell do you want with me?"

Diego's fingers tightened round my wrist. As I twisted aside, the knife slashed right across his arm. He wrenched away, muttering a string of expletives.

"You fucking bitch," he hissed, reaching out with lightning quick reflexes, his hand tightening around my throat. I watched in horror as the wound on his arm sealed itself in the next second, his skin lining together like it was being sewed back by an invisible needle.

Dropping the knife, I reached up to pry his hands off me. My throat clammed up. Black dots lined my vision. I was going to die.

"Diego," the woman's voice sliced thin through the tense atmosphere. "She's human. They don't hold their breath very well."

Diego loosened his grip on my throat. I doubled up, trying to regain my breath. But the reprieve didn't last long. The woman reached out to grasp my chin, forcing me to look at her.

Her eyes were still obsidian.

"What are you?" I stuttered.

"Oh, Quinn," the woman shook her head in amusement, even as her gaze sharpened with lethal intent. "I thought you would've figured it out by now."