THE ALPHA WHO ONCE LOVED ME

The rain drops falling on me was a perfect disguise for the tears that fell from my face. Nobody could tell that I had been crying for almost an hour now, not that anyone cared. The boxes were already in my car, stacked unevenly and damp from the downpour.

I slammed the trunk shut, soaking through my clothes until I couldn't tell what was water and what was grief.

I definitely couldn't stay in that house any longer. It made me sick as f*ck. Besides, there was nothing left for me here anyway, so why stay any longer?

It's funny how six months ago my life was perfect. I had a family, a job, a boyfriend who I loved very much. But now with everything gone, it makes me feel like I'm a curse. There was nothing left for me here, so I drove.

The rain blurred the road, making it hard for me to see, but it was certainly hard to miss the "Welcome to Greendale"sign. I exhaled for the first time in days.

A small town, quiet and tucked between endless woods, it was supposed to be peace. A clean slate.

I stopped to get some gas and coffee at a small diner. The store looked half dead, it made shivers run down my spine.

"Uhh...anyone there?" I called out. As soon as I turned my back to leave, I saw a man behind me.

I hadn't heard the door open, hadn't seen him come in. He was just there - tall, pale, blonde with green eyes, it looked like he'd been standing there long before I had walked in.

"I'm sorry, miss," he said politely. "Didn't mean to scare you.was out cleaning the pumps"

"It's fine" I muttered.

"I'd like to get some gas please. And maybe some coffee," I added.

His eyes trailed over me, pausing for a second at my cleavage.

"Excuse me?" I asked, folding my arms.

He blinked in realization of what it might have looked like. "Oh no, you've got it wrong," he said quickly. "I wasn't staring. I was just uh-wondering why you're wet." Then he caught his own words and grimaced. "Not that kind of wet, gosh I'm so silly."

Despite myself, a small laugh escaped.

"Great, now I sound like a creep. For the record, I'm gay. So, no offense, but you're totally safe from whatever's running through your head right now."

"Good to know," I said as a smirk formed on my face.

The guy, said his name was Eli, had poured me a cup of coffee while he went out to fill my car with gas while humming a Billie Eilish song. He seemed nice I guess. Maybe Greendale won't be so bad after all, I told myself.

I went out to pay for the coffe and gas, getting ready to leave.

"Uhh... the coffee is on the house. The diner's way of saying Welcome to Greendale" he gave me back some money and kept the remaining in his pocket. Great! I needed the extra money anyway.

"Welcome to Greendale Tessa, careful driving out there." he said, then I slid into the driver's seat getting ready to go.

My headlights cut through the mist as I turned back onto the road. But then - movement. Something shimmered at the edge of the woods. I slowed , squinting my eyes through the fog. At first, i thought it was an animal, maybe a deer.

But then I saw them- eyes glowing faintly golden, fixed directly on me. They didn't blink, they just watched.

I watched for a minute longer, until the eyes moved, and my instinct screamed to get the hell out of there. I drove faster than I had ever driven until I got to the small cottage I had rented. It wasn't as big as my house in the city, but it was now my home.

I stepped out of my car, still tembling slightly, and glanced toward the forest, checking to see if I was being followed. But there was nothing, everywhere was quiet, too quiet.

Nobody was there, but yet I couldn't shake the feeling that something or someone was still watching.