Chapter 4 - The Cage
Athena found her nursing degree in the back of the hall closet.
She hadn't meant to look for it.
She had only been putting away towels when the corner of the frame caught her eye from behind a stack of old storage boxes.
For a moment, she just stared at it.
Like it belonged to someone else.
She pulled it out slowly, brushing the dust from the glass with her thumb.
Athena Winterson - Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Her chest tightened.
She remembered how proud she had been the day she graduated. How James had smiled for pictures and told her how beautiful she looked in her gown.
He had taken her out to dinner that night.
Told her she would never have to work a day in her life.
At the time, it had sounded romantic.
Now...
She wasn't so sure.
She carried the frame into the living room and set it on the coffee table, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of it.
She imagined herself in scrubs.
Hair pulled back.
Rushing down bright hospital halls. Helping people. Saving people.
Being needed for something other than keeping a house spotless.
Her throat burned.
"Why does this make me want to cry..." she whispered.
Because somewhere deep inside, a voice she didn't recognize was screaming:
You were meant for more than this.
The sound of the front door opening startled her.
She jumped, quickly standing and placing the frame back on the table like she'd been caught doing something wrong.
James stepped inside, loosening his tie.
His eyes immediately landed on the frame.
His expression changed.
"What's that doing out?"
She swallowed. "I was just cleaning and found it. I forgot I still had it."
He walked over, picked it up, and looked at it like it annoyed him.
"You don't need this anymore."
The words hit harder than they should have.
"I know," she said quickly. "I just thought-"
"You don't need to think about working, Athena. That's my job."
She nodded immediately.
"I know. I'm sorry."
He placed it back in her hands.
"Put it away."
She did.
?
That night, the house felt smaller.
Like the walls had moved in an inch while she wasn't looking.
Athena stood at the kitchen sink again, staring out into the darkness beyond the glass.
The porch light flickered once.
Twice.
Then went out.
Her breath caught.
She had never been afraid of the dark before.
But now, looking out into the blackness where the trees stood, she felt something new crawl up her spine.
Fear.
A slow, creeping awareness that she wasn't alone.
Her heart began to pound.
She leaned closer to the glass without meaning to.
Trying to see.
Trying to understand why every instinct in her body suddenly felt alert.
Alive.
Then-
She saw it.
A shape between the trees.
Tall.
Still.
Watching.
Her breath fogged the glass.
She blinked.
And it was gone.
Athena stumbled back from the sink, her pulse racing.
"James?" she called shakily.
He appeared in the doorway. "What?"
"I think someone's outside."
He sighed in annoyance and walked to the window, looking out lazily.
"There's nothing there."
She stepped closer to him. "I swear I saw-"
"You're imagining things again," he said flatly. "You do that when you're bored."
Her cheeks flushed.
"I'm sorry."
He turned away, already losing interest.
Athena stayed by the window long after he left.
Her heart still racing.
Because she knew what she saw.
And deep in the forest...
A massive black wolf stepped back into the shadows.
Silver eyes glowing.
Waiting.