Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 4: A Sudden Threat

Olivia’s POV

It was around 3:00 a.m. when I woke up with a start, a cold sweat clinging to my skin. The apartment was dark, silent—save for the soft rhythm of Leo’s breathing coming from the crib beside my bed. But something felt off. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but the air felt heavier, charged with an energy I couldn’t explain.

I glanced at the clock, and then over at Leo, my heartbeat quickening. There was something strange in his posture. His tiny body was tense, his hands clenched into fists, and his eyes were wide open—staring at nothing, as if he could see something I couldn’t.

“Leo?” I whispered, my voice barely audible in the stillness of the night.

He didn’t respond. His gaze was locked forward, unblinking, and I swear I saw a flicker of something dark, something primal, in those deep brown eyes—eyes that, even as a baby, felt older than they should. I moved to him, my pulse pounding as I gently placed a hand on his tiny shoulder.

“Hey, baby. It’s okay,” I murmured, but my voice wavered in my own ears. There was an unease crawling up my spine, a sense of danger I couldn’t ignore.

Leo didn’t make a sound, but his gaze never wavered from the corner of the room. He stared past me, as if focused on something—or someone—standing just beyond my reach.

I swallowed hard, my breath catching in my throat. It was too late for him to be awake. His little body had been through so much already, and I couldn’t stand the thought of him being scared. I reached down to pick him up, but the moment my hands touched him, I froze. A sharp, sudden chill ran through me, and it wasn’t just the night air. It felt like the temperature in the room dropped by several degrees in a heartbeat.

“Leo?” I whispered again, my voice trembling now.

He didn’t react, but I could feel something pressing in on me—a pressure, an invisible weight that seemed to suffocate the very air I breathed.

I felt a shift in the room, as if something—or someone—was watching us. My heart started pounding harder, and I instinctively pulled Leo closer to my chest, rocking him gently in my arms, my mind racing through every possibility. Was someone in the apartment? Had they broken in? Was it... him? Ethan? Had he finally come to take Leo? To drag me back into the world I thought I had escaped?

Suddenly, Leo let out a small, sharp cry—just one short gasp, like he was trying to warn me. His tiny body trembled against me, his fists opening and closing as if trying to grasp at something unseen.

“Leo...” I muttered, desperate, my voice thick with worry. “What’s wrong?”

But before I could process what was happening, the air shifted again—this time with a deep growl, so low and primal that it sent a wave of ice through my veins. It wasn’t the kind of growl I’d heard on the streets before, or even from an angry dog. This was deeper, guttural. It vibrated through the floor beneath me, as if the very earth itself were responding to the sound.

I held my breath. I couldn’t tell if it was real or just my mind playing tricks on me. But then Leo’s head jerked toward the window, his body stiffening in my arms. He was still staring, unblinking, into the dark corner of the room. But now, I could feel it—feel the presence of something out there. Something watching.

A rustle from the bushes outside the window. A scraping sound against the glass.

I froze.

Was I imagining it? Was this just the product of too much stress, too much fear? Or was there truly someone—or something—out there?

I carefully stood up, Leo’s tiny form trembling in my arms. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to get out, to flee, but my legs felt frozen in place. My eyes darted to the window, barely visible in the dim light of the streetlamp outside. A shadow passed by the window. Something big. Something too large to be human.

I gasped and instinctively backed away from the window, my breath coming in shallow, frantic bursts. Leo’s small fingers dug into my skin, clutching tightly, as if he were sensing something I couldn’t even comprehend.

“Who’s there?” I demanded, my voice cracking with fear, but also a fierce protectiveness. I wasn’t going to let anyone—or anything—hurt my son. Not now. Not ever.

I waited, heart pounding in my chest. For a long moment, there was nothing—just the muffled sounds of the night. The wind swayed the trees outside, and a distant dog barked, but nothing else moved.

I exhaled slowly, trying to calm my erratic heartbeat, when I heard it again. A deep, unsettling growl that echoed from the other side of the window, louder this time.

I stumbled backward, clutching Leo against me as I backed away from the window. The growl seemed to reverberate in my bones, sending a wave of terror through me. It was close. Too close.

Suddenly, the front door rattled. My breath caught in my throat, and I instinctively pulled Leo closer to my chest, his small body now trembling violently against me. A pounding, heavy knock followed, and then another—more urgent this time.

I rushed to the door, but before I could reach the handle, a voice called out, low and dangerous, but unmistakable.

“Olivia, open up. It’s me.”

My blood ran cold.

Ethan.

I couldn’t breathe for a second, my fingers frozen on the door handle. What the hell was he doing here? And why was he knocking at this hour, when the air outside felt like it was laced with danger?

I glanced over at Leo, his tiny form shaking in my arms, eyes wide with fear, staring at the door as if he knew exactly who was on the other side.

I couldn’t open the door. I couldn’t risk it. Not when I didn’t know what kind of game Ethan was playing now.

“Go away,” I whispered harshly, my voice hoarse. “You’re not welcome here.”

Another knock, harder this time. “Olivia, open the damn door. I’m not leaving until you do.”

I shook my head, my pulse racing. What did he want? Was he here for Leo? Was this all part of some twisted plan to lure me out of hiding?

I didn’t care. I wasn’t opening the door. Not now.

But then, through the small crack of the window, I saw it.

A dark figure standing in the shadow of the trees just beyond the house. A silhouette—too large to be human. A shape that shifted, that moved in unnatural ways, like it was... hunting.

I gasped, and my hand flew to my mouth, stifling a scream.

“Olivia!” Ethan’s voice broke through my panic. “I’m here to protect you. Open the door!”

But I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think. My mind was spinning as I tried to piece together the events of the last few days, the strange warning Hudson had given me, and now this—whatever the hell was lurking outside.

And then, just as I thought I might lose control, a flash of movement outside caught my eye. A pair of glowing yellow eyes—too bright, too intense to be anything human—locked onto mine through the window.

The beast was here. And it wasn’t alone.

I slammed my back against the door, holding Leo tight, my breath coming in ragged gasps. Whatever was outside, whatever was hunting us, was getting closer. And there was nothing I could do to stop it.

But as the growl grew louder,

I knew one thing for sure:

We weren’t alone.

And the hunter was about to make his move.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter