Stuck with the enemy

Chapter 15: A Flash of Failure

Alya and I crouched in the shadows, our eyes glued to the figure on the bench. Despite all our efforts, I still couldn't make out his face. Every time he shifted, shadows swallowed his features, keeping him just out of reach. I inched forward, praying the mist and darkness would hide us long enough for us to spot something-anything-that could tell us who this person was.

Beside me, Alya was tense, her breath barely audible. "Can you see anything?" she whispered.

"Nothing yet," I murmured, frustration prickling at me. "Who is this guy?"

As if in answer, Alya's phone suddenly lit up, the flash blinding us both. I froze. Her phone! She had some setting that triggered the flashlight whenever she got a message-how had we forgotten?

The flash gave away our position instantly. The figure on the bench stiffened, his head snapping up. My heart leapt as he glanced our way, catching a glimpse of us. For a moment, his face seemed almost visible, but before I could make anything out, he sprang to his feet.

"Wait!" I hissed, but he was already gone, darting into the shadows with the speed of someone who had no intention of sticking around for answers.

"No, no, no!" Alya gasped, scrambling to turn off her phone's flash. She looked at me with wide eyes, her expression somewhere between horror and guilt. "Deniz... I-"

"Alya!" I groaned, unable to help myself. "Your phone! Really?"

She held up her hands defensively, still flustered. "I swear, I forgot! I usually turn it off, but I-I didn't think-"

I shook my head, biting back a laugh that bubbled up despite my frustration. "We planned everything. We used scent-blocking spray, we watched from a rooftop, we even set up decoy messages-and we get caught because of a phone notification!"

Alya's face twisted, half-guilty, half-exasperated with herself. "Look, maybe he thought it was just a... random flash?"

I gave her a look. "Yeah, because it's totally normal for the bushes to suddenly light up in the middle of the night."

She winced, rubbing her forehead. "Okay, okay, maybe not. First failed mission of the night."

"Well, let's hope it's the last," I muttered, still annoyed but starting to see the humor. "But that means we're back to square one. And he's probably spooked now, too."

Alya sighed, sinking onto the ground. "So... now what?"

I looked at her, rolling my eyes. "Now we go home, genius. Maybe plot a little better next time."

She gave me a rueful grin, the flash of her mistake starting to fade into the background of what would definitely be a story for later. "Hey, at least we know he's real, right? And... he's not terrible at running?"

I snorted. "Not terrible at running? Alya, he vanished."

We stared at each other for a moment, and despite everything, burst into laughter.

I stood there, watching the darkness where he'd vanished, the reality sinking in. "He knows it was a trap now," I murmured, the weight of failure settling heavily on my shoulders. "And I've lost any chance of catching him. He won't be so careless again."

Alya's face fell, realizing the gravity of it too. "I'm so sorry, Deniz... I didn't mean to mess everything up. We were so close."

But before I could reassure her or even process what to do next, my phone buzzed, the screen flashing with a new message. It was him-the anonymous number. A chill went down my spine as I read:

"You tried to trick me! But don't think you're getting away with it so easily. If you tell Derek anything, things will get ugly... Just remember, you're not safe, no matter what you choose. I warned you-Derek is dangerous, and you don't need to dig any deeper."

My hands shook as I clutched the phone, his words echoing in my mind. You're not safe, no matter what you choose. The threat was crystal clear. Whoever this person was, they were close enough to know my every move and bold enough to let me know that they had the upper hand.

Alya peered over my shoulder, her eyes widening as she read the message too. "This... this is serious, Deniz. He's not just warning you; he's threatening you."

"I know," I replied, forcing myself to stay calm. "But I'm not giving up. I need to find out why he's so desperate to keep me away from Derek. Why go through all this trouble?"

Alya looked worried but resolute. "Then we're going to figure this out, even if it means digging through every shadow he tries to hide behind."

I nodded, taking a deep breath to steady myself. I might be playing with fire, but I had to know the truth.

That night, we trudged back home in silence. I couldn't shake the sting of disappointment. Our plan had fallen apart, and my mind raced, searching for answers that refused to come. Derek's face kept flickering in my thoughts, but not with any comfort. If anything, memories of his coldness haunted me.

Once inside, I dropped onto the edge of my bed, my thoughts circling back to Derek's distant behavior. From the beginning, he had pushed me away, barely offering a word when we crossed paths. It was like I was invisible to him-unimportant. And now, someone was warning me to stay away from him, fueling the doubts that already smoldered in my mind.

"Derek is dangerous," I whispered to myself, echoing the messages. Derya, my wolf, was quick to chime in.

"But he's still your mate, Deniz." Her voice was soft yet steady. "You owe it to yourself to find out the truth. Mates don't hate each other."

"Tell that to Derek," I muttered bitterly, remembering how he'd talked to me every time we met.

"Maybe he's as confused as you are," Derya argued. "But avoiding him won't get you answers. And if he really is that dangerous... wouldn't it be better to know, instead of always wondering?"

I chewed over her words, my instincts urging me to confront him, to demand an explanation. Derya was right about one thing: this uncertainty was eating me alive.

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my phone and typed a quick message to Alya: "New plan. Tomorrow, after closing the café, I'm going to confront Derek. I need to get to the bottom of this."

As I set the phone aside, a knot of determination settled in my stomach. Tomorrow, I would face Derek, the mate who'd rejected me, the Alpha who'd never shown any interest in protecting me. One way or another, I'd find out who he really was. And the reason  he hates me that much.