Page 37
Story: Loving A Stranger
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The campus itself had been brewing with strange occurrences for weeks, but nothing could have prepared us for tonight.
As the sun dipped toward evening, the sky twisted with a ferocity that was nearly supernatural.
The usual buzz of student life yielded to a feeling of thickening tension—a feeling that something ancient and evil was going to break through the cracks in our everyday reality.
I remember being in the center of the quad recently this evening, watching as the lights overhead began to flash wildly.
At first, I attributed it to faulty wiring, but as the phenomenon grew more intense—intermittent blasts of blinding light followed by sudden blackness—it was clear that this was not merely a matter of faulty machinery.
The sound of thunder rumbled in the distance, as if summoned by some energy beyond our control.
I elbowed through the group of students, whose voices had shifted from happy conversation to anxious whispers.
Clusters huddled together, looking nervously in the direction of darkened corridors and shadowed corners.
Some of the more spiritually inclined among us—those whose eyes shone with a faint light or whose skin glowed with an inner radiance—exchanged knowing looks, as if they recognized the omens for what they were: a warning that the tenuous balance between our worlds was on the verge of collapse.
I felt it in my bones—the raw surge of energy building in the air, which made the air itself hum with excitement.
Sometimes, a burst of wind would howl down the quad and pick up littered leaves and toss them swirling in mad routes, and I'd be instantly convinced that for one moment I heard the intimation of echoing voices, frissons of long-forgotten spells in which a fulfilled prophecy was enunciating its promise.
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**The Public Confrontation**
Then it happened.
In an otherwise ordinary-filled hallway outside a main lecture room, an unpredictable discharge of elementary energy happened unannounced.
The hall was peaceful one instant, and next there was the violent flash of light that bathed a group of students in light.
I remember the sound—a crackle, as of glass breaking—and then the whipping of wind as if the door to some indoor miniature hurricane had been let out.
The students cried out and ran.
Some of the more courageous ones attempted to step in, but they were no match for the onslaught of supernatural energy.
I watched one group of rebellious werewolves—a group that had always been in conflict with the more restrained supernatural students—fighting with those attempting to keep things under control.
It was as if the underlying rivalries, quietly festering, had finally reached a head.
I caught my breath as pandemonium dominated.
Amidst the mayhem, wild fire spread of rumors: that a power-seeking opposition faction had orchestrated the chaos.
Others suggested ancient forces, awakened by our growing defiance of the established order, were exacting their revenge.
Reality was shrouded in rumor and fear, yet one thing was certain—the campus was no longer a refuge for secrets.
I moved slowly through the wreckage, my heart pounding with adrenaline and fear.
Amidst the destruction and injured students, I saw glimmers of frightened faces and open eyes reflected off our mutual confusion.
It was an unself-conscious image of raw, unfiltered anarchy—a living testament to the supernatural order breaking down before our very eyes.
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**A Secret Gathering**
Once the initial shock had worn off, a small group of supernatural students met in a secluded courtyard behind the library.
They all spoke softly, a sense of urgency to their tones.
I could catch snippets of what they were saying as they debated their next move.
They spoke of an emergency council—a meeting of coalition packs and supernatural factions called to establish order and prevent more chaos.
Among them were some whom I recognized: a couple of werewolves whose scowls had turned hard, some witches whose eyes glimmered with hidden knowledge and forgotten might, and even a couple of humans whose dormant abilities had already started coming into play in unanticipated forms.
Everyone was clearly at breaking point, since the chaos had driven both past wars and recent alliances to materialize at once.
I lingered at the sidelines of that gathering, trying to get my head around it all.
The Lycan Alpha's initial call—a secret directive for collaboration and protecting the prophecy—had been issued, and I could sense that his plan was now in action. His tactical maneuvers, formerly hidden, were being executed as the supernatural factions began to rally. I could see they were worried; they understood that if the campus broke into total chaos, it would be contagious with the outcome radiating not just across our world but in the human world as well.
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**Tasha's Public Display**
During a campus mixer later that evening at the majestic atrium of an aged building, tensions overflowed.
The gathering had been planned as a way of calming nerves and uniting the student body, but the last-minute cancellations had everyone on edge.
I watched from the sidelines as Tasha pretended to mingle with the throng.
Her laughter became forced every now and again, her smile not so much touching her eyes as being pulled up from it—she was trying her best to maintain an even expression despite the turmoil bubbling beneath.
And then, quite out of nowhere, between the brief moment of silence in the music, something happened.
Tasha was on a raised stage to give a short speech, and while standing there, an outburst of elemental energy exploded from her.
It started with a flicker of fire playing at her fingers, then an explosion of wind that blew through the hall, scattering papers and eliciting gasps from the crowd.
A soft radiance of light seemed to radiate from her, and for a moment, the room was illuminated by a blinding brilliance that pinned all of us into complete stillness.
I was able to observe the shock in the faces of those surrounding me—some of amazement, others of fear.
For a moment, Tasha's closely guarded supernatural side was unhidden for all to see. It was subtle but unmistakable—a clear sign that her abilities were no longer something to be hidden. The demonstration, though suppressed, was enough to fuel rumors and spark debates among the students. Even those who had tried to maintain their human masks could no longer ignore the truth.
I watched as Tasha's eyes, usually so brimming with defiant spirits, fluttered uncertainly and vulnerably. It was a look I knew—a flash when the burden of destiny and the danger of being found out crossed paths. For an instant, I felt a rush of conflicting feelings: relief that she had finally accepted a part of herself, and a piercing sting of sadness at the sure-to-be pitfalls ahead.
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**The Personal Reflection of the Lycan Alpha**
As the external chaos boiled, I retreated to a quiet alcove in the rear of the atrium.
There, in the stillness of an empty, darkened corridor, I cracked open a worn notebook and began scribbling notes.
I wrote of how the campus was transformed from a realm of hidden secrets to an arena of unchecked, untrammeled energy.
I unleashed my grief at witnessing Tasha—my lover, my unspoken trophy—stealing the show while I was stuck in the background.
Every furtive glance from someone else, every smile she gave to another, was a dagger piercing my heart.
I penned:
"She is my destiny, but she dances with the multitude as if unaware of the storm raging within me. I stand idly by, a prisoner of my own self-control, being required to allow her to play the world while I choke on my own jealousy. The prophecy made me wait until the mating ceremony, but this waiting is killing me. I would like to protect her. I would like to claim her. And with each laugh she shares with another man, another piece of my soul is broken."
I hesitated, my pen poised over paper, remembering the scowl of defiance on Tasha's face during our last meeting—a mix of pain, anger, and maybe hope. I could not let her catch me in my vulnerability, catch me in my desire to be near her, to comfort her. I did know that I had no other choice. The delicate equilibrium between fate and prophecy called for patience, even when the very fabric of my existence screamed to be released.
I closed the notebook and leaned back against the cold stone wall, eyes closing briefly as I tried to still the tempestuous feelings inside.
I knew that tonight, the campus would continue to shatter under the weight of the supernatural conflict—and that one day soon, the time would come when all of it would be forced into the light.
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**A Pivotal Choice**
As dusk gave way to night, the campus grew quiet, but the echoes of the earlier tumult lingered like ghosts.
I paced the empty halls, every step ringing with portent of an approaching storm.
My mind churned with visions of Tasha—her contemptuous smile, the sparkle in her eye, the ferocity with which she clung to her newfound powers even as they threatened to destroy her.
I could have sworn I felt her presence as a light in the darkness, calling to me even as I struggled with my own agony.
I stood in front of a large window that overlooked the quad.
Outside, the campus lay in moonlight, serene yet unnerving, as if it held its breath in anticipation.
I could see small groups of students in muted tones, speaking softly, and in their hushed words, I heard the promise of change.
The old prophecies, long sequestered in forbidden books, were no longer legend—they were reality, unspooling before us.
It was at that moment that I received a cryptic text on my phone. The sender's identity was unmistakable—Frigg's unmistakable signature, a chilling combination of verse and warning:
"The storm approaches. The veil between worlds is thinning. Prepare, for the reckoning is nigh. Your choice will shape not only your own destiny, but that of all who dwell in the shadows."
The letter gave me the shivers.
I knew that soon enough, the thin line of our lives would crumble completely.
And I, with all my pain and restraint, would be forced to confront the truth of my affair with Tasha—to emerge from the shadows finally and claim what I had so desperately yearned for, or let the storm consume us all.
I opened my eyes, took a deep breath, and let it slowly out, the weight of the decision settling within me.
My head was warred between need and duty, between the predictions that demanded patience and the gnawing, pounding need to be near her.
I knew that the next few days would compel my hand to do things I wasn't sure I could endure.
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**The Unseen Gathering**
The campus itself seemed to be building towards something enormeous.
As the darkness deepened, I observed the gradual build-up of spectral students in secret alcoves—a clandestine meeting, a quiet congregation of those who understood that our reality was changing irreversibly.
They greeted each other gravely and spoke softly, and I felt that the equilibrium was on the verge of shattering.
Some among them had already joined the radical factions, whereas others clung to the previous order in the expectation of restoring equilibrium.
I stalked among them, unseen in the dark as I tried to see what they were doing. Every glance, every whispered word, added to the growing tension. It was clear that the campus hung on the brink of anarchy—and that the prophecy would soon reveal our hidden destinies into the light.
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Table of Contents
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- Page 37 (Reading here)
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