The Pattern
Gabrielle POV
“I’ve never seen his face in my dream. Not really,” I say flatly. “It’s always glowing eyes and darkness.”
Tess stares at me like I’ve just said the sky is green.
I press my fingers to my temple, frustrated. Shaky. “And this–this was real. This was… different.”
Different doesn't begin to cover it.
Mara shifts awkwardly. “Do you want me to–”
“Stay,” Tess interrupts.
Mara pauses, then nods. She perches on the edge of the bed like she this is the last place she wants to be.
Tess crouches in front of me again.
Her voice softens. “Gabs. Look at me.”
I force myself to.
Her gaze is steady. Fierce.
“You don’t run off alone again,” she says. “Not here. Not with girls going missing. Not with Connor acting like a psychopath. And, you know...” She gestures vaguely at me. My face, my hair.
My chest twists. “I didn’t mean to,” I whisper.
Tess’s eyes flicker with sympathy. “I know.”
Mara clears her throat gently, “The missing girls…” she starts, then hesitates. “We’re not saying it out loud, but people have noticed.”
Tess’s head turns slowly, “Noticed what?”
Mara’s eyes dart to me. Away. Then back again.
“You know. That it’s been a… a type.”
“What type?” I ask, though a chill is already sliding down my spine.
Mara swallows.
“Red hair,” she says quietly.
The warmth drains from the room.
Not just someone like me.
Me.
Mara presses on, voice tighter, like she hates saying it. “The girls they’ve confirmed. The ones they’ve posted. The ones people have actually seen pictures of. Red hair.”
My fingers clamp around my necklace so hard it bites my skin.
Tess’s voice comes out low. “And Gabi is…”
“A redhead,” Mara finishes, not looking at me.
My pulse slams against my ribs.
Tess grabs my hand, hard.
"That’s ridiculous,” I say automatically.
Even as my blood pumps in my ears.
Red hair isn’t rare. Is it?
There are at least three girls in my year alone. Four, if you count the darker shade that turns copper in the sun.
But I can't think of a single one here.
Cold seeps into my bones. The air feels thinner. Like us saying it out loud has given the thought teeth.
Made it hungry.
“Okay,” Tess says brightly, too brightly. “Okay. Fine. That’s just coincidence.”
Mara looks at her, “Is it?”
Tess’s jaw tightens.
I draw in a slow, steadying breath. My mouth tastes metallic.
I don't feel unlucky.
I feel marked.
“I want to go home,” I whisper.
“We’re not staying,” Tess declares.
Mara stiffens. “We don’t get to decide that.”
Tess rounds on her. “Watch me!”
The air crackles between them – not just fear. Instinct. The pack rubbing against human rules.
I hate that part of me understands both.
Tess squeezes my hand. “We can’t stay.”
Mara shakes her head too quickly. “They won’t let anyone leave. Not mid-retreat. The council–”
“The council can kiss my arse,” Tess cuts in.
But her voice wavers.
I stare down at my necklace. It's still pulsing faintly beneath my fingertips.
Like it’s waiting.
Tess exhales slowly, “Okay. We keep the door locked. We stay together. Tomorrow, we talk to a teacher.”
Mara nods. “Daylight changes things.”
I almost believe them.
Almost.
My necklace is still warm.
My phone buzzes on the bunk beside me.
All three of us flinch.
I pick it up.
No name. No caller ID.
Just a number I don’t recognise.
A single text.
STAY OUT OF THE TREES.
My stomach drops.
Tess leans over my shoulder. “Who is that?”
Another buzz.
I CAN’T PROTECT YOU IF YOU KEEP RUNNING.
I suck in a broken breath.
Connor's threats are loud, smirking. Public.
This isn't. This feels like a warning. Like someone who knows exactly where I've been.
My hands start trembling – the delayed kind. The kind that hits after danger, when your body realises how close it came.
Tess snatches the phone.
Her eyes scan the screen.
Then she looks at me.
There's fury there.
But something else flickers underneath.
“What the hell…” Mara whispers.
Outside, somewhere beyond the cabin walls, a low howl rises into the night.
And my necklace burns like it's answering back.