Page 9 of Beckett's Fate

The silence stretched, but the feeling of being watched was unmistakable. Irene’s heart pounded as she turned in a slow circle, her grip on the knife tightening. She’d been careful since arriving in Silver Falls, but it seemed her precautions hadn’t been enough.

“Show yourself,” she said, louder this time.

A low growl rumbled through the trees, deep and guttural. It sent a chill down her spine, the sound far too close for comfort. She turned toward the source, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the shadows.

“Damn it,” she muttered, her pulse racing. She didn’t know if it was a wolf or something else, but she wasn’t sticking around to find out.

Irene took a cautious step back, then another, her senses on high alert. The growl came again, closer this time, and her instincts screamed at her to run. But before she could move, a familiar voice broke through the charged silence.

“You have a habit of finding trouble, don’t you?”

She spun, her knife still raised and found herself face-to-face with none other than Beckett Grey. He stood at the edge of the clearing, his tall, broad frame blending seamlessly with the shadows. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes burned with intensity.

“What are you doing here?” Irene demanded, her voice sharper than she intended.

Beckett tilted his head, his lips quirking in a faint smile. “I could ask you the same thing. I could also point out that these lands are public, and as I’m the one who is a public servant, my questions are probably more pertinent. Want to answer them?”

Her grip on the knife faltered, and she quickly lowered it, tucking it back into the pocket of her jacket. “Not particularly. I didn’t realize hiking was a crime.”

“It’s not,” he said, stepping closer. His presence was overwhelming, and the air between them seemed to hum with unspoken energy. “But you don’t exactly look like someone out for a casual stroll.”

“I just like being prepared,” she shot back, crossing her arms.

He chuckled softly, the sound low and rough. “Prepared for what, exactly?”

Her stomach churned, a mix of frustration and something far more dangerous. The pull she felt toward him was undeniable, and it was taking everything she had to keep her guard up.

“Look,” she said, her voice firm. “I don’t need a babysitter, Sheriff. So, if you’re here to lecture me, save it.”

Beckett’s smile faded, his expression turning serious. “I’m not here to lecture you, Irene. But you should know—these woods aren’t as empty as they seem.”

The warning sent a shiver down her spine, and she fought to keep her expression neutral. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

As she turned to leave, his voice stopped her cold.

“Be careful out there,” he said, his tone softer now, almost... protective. “There are things in these woods that don’t take kindly to strangers.”

She didn’t look back, but his words echoed in her mind as she disappeared into the trees. The nausea was gone now, replaced by a different kind of unease.

As Irene ventured deeper into the forest, the shadows seemed to stretch and shift all around her. She told herself she was imagining things—that the growl she’d heard had just been a warning from the sheriff, staged to keep her in line.

But when she stopped to catch her breath, the sensation of being watched returned, stronger than before.

When she’d put some distance between herself and the sheriff, Irene pulled her sandwich out of her pack and began to munch on it as she adjusted the straps of her pack before stepping back onto the trail leading away from Silver Falls. The crisp mountain air was invigorating, but it did little to soothe the unease lingering in her chest. Her meeting with Grey still loomed in her mind, his intense eyes and quiet authority haunting her thoughts like a specter.

She located the boulders, marking them on her map and drawing out a grid search pattern. Irene stood, brushing dirt from her knees as she scanned the clearing. Using the boulders as her starting point, she began scouting the surrounding area, marking off the grid areas searched with an X. Her eyes were keen for any sign of a hidden entrance, more symbols or a change in the terrain. The mountainside felt alive around her, every rustle of leaves and snap of a twig sending a jolt through her senses.

She moved methodically, her training keeping her grounded even as her thoughts strayed. There were too many unknowns here—too many risks. Beck was watching her, of that she was certain. And if she wasn’t careful, he’d figure out that she was more than just a hiker passing through.

As she climbed a steep incline, a faint sound reached her ears. She froze, her heart pounding as she turned, scanning the trees. It was subtle—a whisper of movement, a shift in the air—but it was enough to set her nerves on edge.

“Beck?” she muttered, her voice barely audible.

There was no response, but the forest seemed to hold its breath. Irene exhaled slowly, forcing herself to focus. If he wasout here, she’d need to be careful. The last thing she needed was to run into him again, especially not when she was in the middle of her search.

But as she turned back to her task, the feeling of being watched persisted, a prickling awareness that sent shivers down her spine. She tightened her grip on the strap of her pack, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the tree line.

“If you’re out there,” she said softly, “you’re going to have to try harder than that.”

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