Chapter 2 A New Beginning

DOMINIC'S POV

"Rosie, pass the salt, please," I ask my sister.

"Okay, bro," she replies, passing me the salt. I shake it over my fries. "I don't know why they never salt the fries properly."

"It's just your fries, and it's because you complain no matter how much salt they add. It would be better if you just start bringing your own," my sister sassily remarks, and the group joins her in laughter at my expense.

"Nice one, guys. I don't like too much salt; they just don't add the right quantity," I defend myself.

"Sure," they all chime in unison before sharing a glance and bursting into laughter.

"Ha-ha, so funny. You guys crack me up." Realizing I can't defend myself anymore, I focus on my fries until I smell the most delicious scent. I look around and spot two females entering the diner. They go straight to the counter to order, and I stare at them. It seems like a mother-and-daughter duo, as one appears relatively younger than the other.

Taking a look at the younger one, I stop breathing. She's so beautiful. With her back facing me, I can only see her short wavy hair with ginger highlights. I guess she can feel me staring because she turns, allowing me to catch a glimpse of her ocean-blue eyes. I breathe in her scent and find myself disappointed. She's human, which makes her off-limits. As werewolves and the heir to the Haven pack, I cannot be caught mingling with lowly humans. We only have them in the town and school to avoid suspicion from the nosy government.

"Seems like there are new people in town," Zayn remarks. I turn toward him, only to notice that he, Rosie, and Liam are fixated on the new girl. The four of us are clearly curious.

"Seriously! We didn't know that, Captain," I tell him sarcastically. He moves to pinch me, and I quickly dodge him while laughing.

"It's one of the members of the Haven's council work, I'm sure," I say before continuing, "Pretty sure it's another scholarship student, though. At least this one looks good enough to... you know, unlike the others."

"Ewwww, Dominic, you're disgusting. If you want to be disgusting, don't do it in front of me. I'm your sister."

"Sorry," I say before laughing. Liam and Zayn join me, cracking lewd jokes about the new girl.

I quickly forget about her as the conversation shifts to something else, and I don't notice when she and her mum leave.

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SERENA'S POV

It doesn't take long for us to reach our house- a small, quaint little cabin with two bedrooms and three bathrooms, surrounded by a lush forest.

This will be our home for the foreseeable future.

In no time, we unload the car with our belongings, as we have very little, and most of our furniture was moved earlier. We immediately choose our rooms and start basic cleaning. In about two hours, we finish and dive into our meal.

"Fudge, I'm starving," I tell my mum with a mouthful.

"Stop talking with your mouth full, it's disgusting," she cautions, her face twisted in disgust.

This cracks me up, and I start laughing before we slip into a comfortable silence. We eat in relative quiet before heading to our bedrooms to organize. I remember that my curtains aren't hung up and decide to do that. As I'm doing so, I spot a blurry movement and decide to investigate. Squinting my eyes at the thick forest surrounding my bedroom, I begin to hear growling.

I ignore the sounds and the goosebumps on my skin, figuring it's just my imagination. And if it's not, I read somewhere that Haven is a sanctuary for wolves and other animals.

Pulling my curtains closed, I go to my bed and make it. Afterward, I decide any other cleaning can wait until tomorrow.

Jumping on my bed, I close my eyes and drift into a dream.

I'm walking to a pond where a beautiful woman with black hair waits for me. She looks up as I approach her feet, grabs my hand, and says,

"Be formless. Shapeless. Like water. Now, you put water into a cup, and it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, and it becomes the bottle. You put water into a teapot, and it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend."

"Who are you?" I ask.

"I am you, you are me, you are us, we are one, we are water." She turns and walks into the pond.

"Hey! Stop! I'm confused!"

Instead of responding to my calls, she continues walking into the pond.

I wake up startled. "It's just my first night, and I'm already having strange dreams." Tiredness overwhelms me, and I'm starting to drift off again when I feel a cold breeze on my body. I look around trying to figure out where it's coming from and see my windows open with my curtains flying.

"I'm sure I closed the curtains earlier," I murmur. I stand up to close them when I begin to hear twigs snapping. My heart pounds faster as I peer outside to check. I hear the sounds getting closer, but before I can back away, my eyes lock with a pair of red ones. Time seems to stand still as the body of the unknown creature hurls itself at me.

Fear grips me, holding me in place as I'm unable to move. Black smoke flows in through the windows and stains my floor, slowly rising into a shapeless figure. My legs finally move, and I fall while trying to run from what is now a four-legged creature with red eyes. A scream escapes my mouth as the creature advances toward me.

I close my eyes and say one last prayer before the creature can finish me off. A few seconds pass, and the sound of my bedroom door opening forces me to open my eyes.

"Serena, my god, are you okay?" Mum's voice shakes me from my panic. I turn toward her, still trembling, and raise my hand to point at the creature, only to realize it's no longer there."Th-there was something there," I tell her hysterically, still pointing at the window.

My body trembles as I search my room for the creature, wondering where it went. Mum looks at the window in confusion before staring at me. Her eyes soften with concern.

Feeling overwhelmed, she speaks in a soothing tone, "Calm down and explain the situation clearly so I can understand." With gentle care, she guides me back to my bed and wraps me in a warm blanket before embracing me with her comforting arms.

With a deep breath, I explain everything. "I had a bad dream, so I woke up. I tried to go back to sleep when I noticed my curtains were open. I stood up to close them when I started hearing growling sounds, and a shadow came in through my windows. It formed the shape of a dog and had red eyes."

"Honey, I'm so sorry. Let me get you some tea to calm your nerves." I stand up to follow her, but she gently pushes me back down. "Don't worry, whatever that was has already left, and I doubt it will be coming back." I anxiously wait for her return, looking around my room to ensure it doesn't come back.

She swiftly returns with a steaming cup of tea. The warmth and soothing aroma envelop me as I take a sip. Before long, I find myself drifting into a peaceful, dreamless sleep, comforted by my mother's embrace.

The troubling events of the night fade away, becoming nothing more than a distant memory, easily overshadowed by the sense of security and warmth I feel in that moment.