The rain had picked up again, drumming steadily on the diner windows like a warning no one wanted to name.
Aiden showed up at the diner mostly to keep his head on straight. Coffee, background noise, and maybe a stack of untouched pancakes. But as soon as he walked in, he spotted Angela, Eric, and Jessica sitting in the back booth.
Angela waved him over.
Angela sat tucked in the corner booth, half-stirring her coffee, half-staring at nothing. Ben sat beside her, arm stretched along the back of the seat, while Eric was nursing a milkshake across from Jessica, who was unusually quiet.
Aiden slid into the booth just as Eric muttered something about the fries being soggy. Nobody laughed.
"Okay," Jessica finally said, her phone still in her hand, "so... I had to cancel the bonfire."
Eric raised his eyebrows. "Seriously?"
Jessica nodded, and there was a tightness to her voice that made Aiden glance up. "I talked to Coach and the school. Everyone's being super paranoid right now. They don't want a bunch of us hanging around the woods after dark. Not after..."
Angela spoke gently. "After Waylin."
Ben let out a low whistle, shaking his head. "I still can't believe it. I mean, he's lived here forever. He knew those woods like the back of his hand."
"They said it was an animal," Jessica added, barely more than a whisper. "Like a bear or mountain lion or something. But..."
"But that doesn't make sense," Aiden finished for her.
Everyone looked at him.
He leaned forward. "Waylin wasn't the kind of guy to get caught off-guard. And the area they found him? That's not random. That's close to town."
Angela nodded slowly. "I read the article twice. The injuries were bad. They're closing off the north trail completely."
There was a long pause as the group absorbed that.
Eric tried to lighten the mood. "So, no bonfire. Guess that means I get to skip out on embarrassing myself in front of the entire class trying to light damp logs."
Jessica didn't laugh. "I'm just... glad I canceled. I don't want anyone else getting hurt. Or worse."
Jessica slumped forward dramatically. "Ugh. Fine. Forget the bonfire. But we should still do something. Movie night at my place? Just us. No wild animals, no pitch-black woods, no 'did-you-hear-that' moments."
A beat passed. Then—
"I'm down," Eric said.
"Yeah," Ben agreed. "Beats sitting around thinking about it."
Angela nodded, offering a small smile. "Sounds good."
Jessica looked to Aiden. "You in? Or do you have a dark, brooding secret to attend to?"
He chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "I'm in."
"Awesome." She grinned, the tension easing from her face for the first time all afternoon. "I'll stock up on snacks and something not awful to watch."
"Don't lie to us," Eric said. "You're putting on that campy 90s vampire movie again."
Jessica grinned. "Only if Aiden promises not to roast it."
Aiden smirked. "No promises."
As they settled the check and pulled on jackets, the clouds outside shifted subtly, the gray deepening just a shade.
Waylon was dead. Something unnatural was out there.
Aiden looked out the rain-streaked window. Across the street, the forest loomed in dark, watchful silence.
He knew the kind of things that could hide in shadows. Monsters didn't always growl. Some of them smiled.
And if something out there had killed Waylin… it might not stop there.
Across the street, from behind a rain-slicked window of Northwoods Café, someone else watched.
Connie sat alone, elbows on the table, a paper cup held delicately in her hands. The hood of her jacket was up, sunglasses hiding her eyes despite the overcast morning. The reflection in the glass flickered faintly as cars passed. Her gaze never left the diner.
More specifically, it never left him.
She leaned in slightly, lips curling around the rim of the cup as she took a long, slow sip. Her eyes stayed locked on Aiden, who laughed at something Jessica said, none the wiser.
Her fingers tapped rhythmically against the cup. Tap… tap tap. Like a metronome counting down to something no one else knew was coming.
She watched the way his shoulders rose when he tensed. The way he slouched when he thought no one noticed. The way his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
And she smiled, too. Not with joy — but with recognition.
The wolf had found its scent.
And for now… she'd wait.