Page 16 of Griffin (Pecan Pines #3)
Chapter 16
The Stalker
T he stalker sat hunched in his cluttered room, a mess of empty cans and wrappers surrounding him.
His fingers twitched against the edge of the desk as he replayed Michael’s latest stream for what had to be the tenth time that day.
The sound of Michael’s voice, light and melodic, filled the space, and for a brief moment, it was like Michael was there with him, just the two of them.
But that illusion shattered every time he appeared in the frame.
The boyfriend.
The interloper.
The threat.
The stalker’s jaw tightened, and his nails bit into the soft wood of the desk. He had planned everything perfectly for the day they were supposed to meet.
It would have been perfect.
A moment of serendipity where Michael would finally see him for who he was—the one who truly understood him, supported him, worshiped him.
But then that wolf had to show up.
His lips twisted into a snarl at the thought of the man—no, the beast—that had slithered into Michael’s life.
The boyfriend was everything Michael didn’t need.
Rough, predatory, dangerous. The stalker had seen it the moment their paths crossed, lurking on the outskirts of that lunch like a shadow.
Michael’s laugh had sounded forced, his body language stiff. He was clearly uncomfortable with the wolf.
The stalker knew. He always knew.
Because Michael belonged to him.
The stalker’s hands clenched into fists as his mind looped back to that moment in the ice cream shop.
He’d followed them, of course. Carefully. Always from a distance.
The city streets had been his cover, bustling with so many people that the wolf hadn’t noticed him watching from his little nook among the trees.
He was invisible to them, like always, but his eyes missed nothing. The way Michael smiled at the boyfriend, the way they leaned close as they spoke.
It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. Michael wasn’t capable of loving someone else when he was meant to love him.
He had seethed silently the entire time. He wanted nothing more than to rush forward.
To rip Michael away from that wolf, to claw out the boyfriend’s smug eyes, and scream until Michael understood.
But he hadn’t. Because patience was key.
But patience only lasted so long.
In the present, he leaned back in his chair, the old springs groaning under the weight of his anger.
The room seemed to shrink around him as his mind spiraled further into the memory.
He’d been patient for years. Watching, waiting, and fantasizing about the life they would one day share together.
And for what? For some predator to sweep in and destroy everything he had worked for?
His hand shot out, knocking over an empty can. It clattered to the ground, and he didn’t bother picking it up.
His heart was pounding now, rage thrumming through his veins like a storm about to break.
“Michael doesn’t see it yet,” he muttered. “But he will. He’ll see what I’ve done for him, how much I’ve sacrificed. I’ve always been there for him, even when no one else was.”
He replayed the stream again, eyes fixed on the screen. There was that moment—just a fleeting second—when Michael’s smile faltered.
When his gaze flicked toward the camera, and he looked almost... sad.
It was a sign, the stalker told himself.
Proof that Michael wasn’t happy. Proof that he needed saving. From him.
The boyfriend wasn’t just some passing fling. No, this was deeper, more insidious. The wolf was trying to sink his claws into Michael, to claim him, to steal him away.
But Michael didn’t belong to the wolf. He didn’t belong to anyone.
Except him. Only him.
The stalker’s fingers hovered over his keyboard, hesitating before typing out another message to Michael’s private account.
He’d sent dozens already, but Michael hadn’t responded.
His beloved had ignored him, and the sting of that rejection burned like acid, eating away at his resolve.
Every time he thought about the unanswered messages, the silence that stretched between them, it felt like a slap to the face.
But it wasn’t Michael’s fault. Of course not. It couldn’t be.
Michael was pure, kind, and trusting—a little too trusting. That wolf, with his predatory eyes and smug smile, had likely gotten into Michael’s head.
Whispered lies. Fed him doubts. How dare he?
The boyfriend had probably read the messages, intercepting them before Michael even had the chance to see.
Or worse, maybe he’d forced Michael to delete them, keeping him under his thumb like some kind of tyrant.
“He’s controlling him,” the stalker muttered, pacing the room in sharp, jerky movements.
His bare feet scuffed against the threadbare carpet as his paranoia built into a storm inside his head.
“That wolf doesn’t want Michael to hear the truth. He knows I’ll open Michael’s eyes, that I’ll help him see what’s really going on.”
The idea of it made his blood boil. Michael wouldn’t recognize the danger he was in.
That’s why he needed someone like him—someone who had been watching out for him all this time.
Someone who truly understood him, who had been there from the beginning, long before this wolf had slithered into his life.
The stalker’s hands clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palms until they left angry red crescents.
He pictured the boyfriend standing over Michael, barking orders, telling him who he could and couldn’t talk to.
It was sickening. It was wrong.
Michael deserved to be free, to be loved unconditionally, not trapped in the claws of someone so dangerous.
He stopped pacing and leaned against the wall, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. His reflection in the darkened window stared back at him, eyes wide and feverish.
“It’s not your fault, Michael,” he said softly, almost tenderly, as if speaking directly to him. “You’re too kind. Too good. That’s why he’s taking advantage of you. But don’t worry—I’ll fix it. I’ll make it right.”
His mind raced with plans. He needed to find a way to free Michael from the wolf’s clutches, to show him that there was another way.
That there was someone who loved him purely, selflessly, without any ulterior motives.
But first, he needed to be careful. The wolf was dangerous, unpredictable. If he made the wrong move, it could all blow up in his face.
He needed to wait for the right moment, to strike when the wolf least expected it. And when that moment came, Michael would finally be free.
“You’ll see, Michael,” he whispered, his voice trembling with both fury and devotion. “You’ll see that I’m the one who truly loves you. That wolf won’t keep us apart for long. I promise you that.”
His reflection in the window seemed to sneer back at him, urging him on, feeding the dark fire that burned within him. He would have Michael. No matter what it took.
He hit play again on the stream, watching the boyfriend’s face appear in the background.
The easy way they flirted, the casual touches, the way Michael’s eyes lit up when he looked at him—it was a lie. It had to be.
The boyfriend didn’t know Michael like he did. He didn’t know Michael’s favorite tea, the playlist he always listened to when he couldn’t sleep, or the way his nose scrunched up when he laughed too hard.
The stalker knew everything.
“You’ll see,” he whispered, his voice trembling with both fury and desperation. “You’ll see that I’m the only one who truly loves you. That wolf will never understand you like I do. He’ll hurt you. He’ll ruin you. But I’ll save you, Michael. I’ll save you from him, from yourself.”
His hand curled around the edge of the desk, knuckles white with tension. He could see it now: the wolf gone, eliminated.
Michael would cry at first—he was sensitive like that—but eventually, he’d understand. He’d see it was for the best. For their future.
And then, finally, they could be together.
He stood abruptly, pacing the room like a caged animal. His mind raced with plans, possibilities, each one more elaborate and dangerous than the last. He’d been patient long enough.
The wolf had crossed a line by stepping into Michael’s life, and now, it was time to step up.
“You’re mine,” he growled, his voice low and venomous. “You’ve always been mine, Michael. And soon, you’ll realize there’s no one else. Just you and me. Forever.”