Into the Wolf's Den: Little Red's Tale of Romance

Chapter 3: The Wolf's Prey

THE WOLF

The night was my ally, a cloak that shrouded my movements and hid me from prying eyes. I had always preferred the darkness—its silence, its secrets, the way it allowed me to become nothing more than a shadow among many. In this city, shadows were the safest place to be. They hid the truth, the dangers, and, most importantly, they hid me.

Scarlet had no idea how long I had been watching her, studying her. She was a creature of habit, predictable in her movements, her routines. Every morning she left her grandmother’s small, crumbling apartment to run errands, always taking the same routes, always returning before the sun began to set. She thought she was careful, but she didn’t know this city like I did. She didn’t know the predators that lurked just out of sight, waiting for someone like her.

I wasn’t like them, though. I wasn’t just another predator in the night. I had a purpose, a reason for everything I did. Scarlet wasn’t just some random girl; she was special, though I doubted she even knew it herself. I’d seen it in the way she moved, in the way she looked at the world around her with those wide, innocent eyes. There was a depth to her, a strength that intrigued me. And that was why I had chosen her.

I didn’t just hunt for the sake of it. My instincts were sharper than that, more refined. I could smell fear, taste desperation, sense the slightest hint of weakness in those around me. But with Scarlet, it wasn’t about weakness. It was about something else, something I hadn’t felt in a long time. A challenge. An opportunity to shape something—to shape someone.

I had been waiting for the right moment, and tonight, everything aligned. The air was thick with anticipation, and the city itself seemed to hold its breath as I watched her approach the alleyway. She walked with a purpose, her red cloak billowing slightly in the breeze, but there was a hesitancy to her steps. She could sense it too, that something was different, that tonight wasn’t like the others.

I moved into position, letting the light catch me just enough for her to notice. I could see the flicker of recognition in her eyes, the way her breath caught in her throat. She didn’t know me, not really, but I knew that look. She was trying to place me, to figure out why her instincts were screaming at her to run, even though her mind was telling her to stay calm. It was a fascinating conflict, one that I could almost feel as if it were my own.

“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” I said, stepping out of the shadows. My voice was calm, measured, carefully controlled. I knew how to use it, how to make it sound reassuring, almost gentle, even when I was anything but. It was a skill I had perfected over the years, one that had served me well in my line of work.

She tensed, her eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to assess me, to understand who I was and what I wanted. I could see the fear in her, but there was also something else—a curiosity, a defiance that I hadn’t expected. It made me smile, a slow, deliberate curve of my lips that I knew would unsettle her even more. This was going to be interesting.

As she spoke, telling me she was on her way to see her grandmother, I could hear the slight tremor in her voice. She was trying to be brave, trying to assert some kind of control over the situation, but I could see the cracks. It was those cracks that I would exploit, that I would use to break down her defenses, little by little.

But I wasn’t here to frighten her away, at least not yet. I wanted to see how far she would go, how much she would push back before she broke. So, I played my part, letting her believe that I was just a stranger, someone concerned for her safety. I warned her about the wolves in the city, the danger she was in, and watched as the realization dawned on her. She knew there was more to my words, more to this encounter than just a simple warning. But she didn’t yet understand how deep this went.

When she whispered, “What if I already have?” I felt a spark of something deep inside me. She was acknowledging it, the connection between us, even if she didn’t fully comprehend it. That was the moment I knew she wasn’t just a passing interest, a fleeting curiosity. She was something more, something that would change the course of my life—and hers.

But I had to be careful. I couldn’t let her see too much, too soon. The game had only just begun, and I intended to savor every moment of it. So, I stepped back, letting the shadows reclaim me, letting her believe that she was safe for now. It was important to let her feel that she was in control, even if it was just an illusion. People like her clung to that illusion of safety, and it made them predictable, manageable.

As I walked away, leaving her standing in the alley, I couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement. This was only the beginning, the first step in a much larger plan. Scarlet was the key to something I had been searching for, something I hadn’t even known I needed until now. And I wasn’t going to let her slip through my fingers.

I had already begun to weave the web, and soon she would be trapped in it, unable to escape. But I wasn’t cruel—not without reason. I would give her a choice, a way out, if she was smart enough to take it. But something told me she wouldn’t. She was too curious, too drawn to the darkness that she couldn’t quite see yet.

Back in the heart of the city, the lights of my penthouse apartment glowed like a beacon against the night sky. It was a fortress of steel and glass, impenetrable to most, but not to me. I stood by the window, looking out over the city I had come to dominate, the city that was mine in every way that mattered. And now, she was a part of it, whether she realized it or not.

I thought about her as I poured myself a drink, the amber liquid swirling in the glass like liquid fire. She was different from the others, more complicated, more layered. It would take time to unravel her, to strip away the layers and get to the core of who she really was. But I had time. I always had time.

The game was set, and the pieces were in motion. All I had to do was wait, watch, and strike when the moment was right. Scarlet would come to me, eventually, drawn by the same pull that had brought her into the alley tonight. And when she did, I would be ready.

For now, though, I would bide my time, letting her think that she was the one in control, the one making the choices. It would make it all the sweeter when she realized that she was wrong, that she had been mine from the very beginning.

With a satisfied smirk, I downed the rest of my drink and turned away from the window. The night was still young, and there were plans to be made, moves to be calculated. The Wolf was on the hunt, and Scarlet was my prey.

But she didn’t need to know that. Not yet.