Dawn's eyes became wide with excitement and her breath became shallow. She bit her lip and said, "That is freaking awesome!" She clasped her hands. It had been five years since she had visited the Wyatt's Golf Course. All she wanted that time was to get her set and start playing. She laughed with merriment. That was the place she started her golf with her father. As she was laughing a memory flashed across—of a werewolf who had bitten her. Her body shuddered and her laughter died down immediately.
Promptly Daryn got up and embraced her in his arms. "Don't Dawn. Don't remember that ugly memory. I want you to think of our future and unless you go back there face it." He knew that he was demanding a lot from her. If she was not willing to go, he would cancel the tournament.
Dawn's breath became ragged. "Who could that be, Daryn?" she rasped. "And why me?"
He caressed her back. "That's how fate works darling," he replied.
Dawn felt warmth in his embrace, little knowing that his fingers emitted red tendrils of light that touched her body in order to calm her. He rested his chin on her head and kissed the crown of her hair. "I won't push you to come with me. You can come if you want to."
She nodded. "I will come."
"That's like my girl!" he replied and kissed her forehead.
For a week Dawn wondered if she would be able to go there or not. At the end of the day she would decide not to go and then when the new day began, her resolve to visit the golf course would renew. She decided to go there an hour before the tournament would start, which meant that she had to reach the course by 5:30AM. "That would be better. No one would see me, only the guard. I will walk around a little and then come back," she muttered under breath while giving instructions to the gardener.
Ever since she had come back, her lawyer Geoffrey had told her that Lily Wyatt wanted to see her urgently. Dawn was delaying it because she thought she deserved a long vacation from the troubles of life. She was aware that eventually she had to see the business, especially now that Geoffrey had already made the deal with Lily Wyatt.
On Sunday, she woke up early. Daryn's face was in the crook of her neck and his thighs over her. She removed his thighs and slipped out of the bed, which resulted in a reluctant growl from her sleepy husband. She had already mentioned to him that she would go an hour earlier. As usual he had asked security to be around her as soon as she stepped out of the house.
Dawn got dressed in a white chiffon midi with beautiful pink and green floral motifs and wrapped a Cashmere shawl over her. She paired them with her sports shoes. When she stepped out, the November chill hit her but it soothed her skin. Being a neotide, coolness was so welcome that it was balmy.
They reached the golf course and she found that the gates were open. She didn't see Geoffrey, the old guard over there. Instead a young man in his early thirties was standing there. With brown hair and even lighter brown eyes, he smiled at her and allowed the cars to pass through the gates. He walked towards them to note the name and number of the cars.
"Good morning Ma'am," he said. "I am Jonathan. May I know your name please?"
Dawn got out of the car and said, "Hi! I am Dawn W— Silver." She hesitated to say Wyatt.
He started noting down her name.
"Where is Geoffrey?" she asked in a low voice.
Jonathan looked up at her with surprise. "He died…"
That was a bolt to her. "How?" She managed to ask in a jarring voice.
"I don't know Ma'am, but he was found murdered in the golf course, his body hanging on a tree, about five years back."
She stared at him with an incredulous expression. That was the exact time that she was bitten and had to run for her life.
"Wh— who murdered him?" Thousands of questions bounced around her head.
Jonathan shrugged. "I don't know Ma'am. Some say that he committed suicide while some say that they saw claw marks on his torso. However, till date no one knows what happened to him."
Dawn staggered a little. She held the door of her car in order to balance herself.
"Are you okay Ma'am?"
"I— I am," she replied.
Then with a smile he asked, "How do you know him?"
She had to ignore that question, so she just smiled. Her instincts told her to flee from here, but her heart didn't allow that. "Thank you Jonathan," she said and walked past him.
One of the security people followed her at ten feet distance when she walked in the open restaurant of the course. It was empty. Only the cool breeze blew through it. As she climbed up the stairs, blood gushed to her brain and made her feel alive. Nostalgia hit. Her smile grew on its own accord as if this was the most fun thing she was doing. Excitement began to dance in her heart as her steps moved ahead on their own. She trudged towards the iron railing of the restaurant and looked at the vast expanse of the golf course in front of her. She filled her lungs with the fresh air. "God! I missed you so much," she muttered. "I made the right decision to come."
She reveled in the beauty of the green fairways as the sun began to rise slowly, lending its golden beams to the sky and nudging the birds to find their early worms. She wrapped her arms around her body enjoying every moment when her reverie broke with the clucking sound of heels. She turned over her shoulder to look who was there and the smile that was on her lips faded and her expressions changed to shock.
A girl with her hair cut until her neck and bangs on her forehead came to stand a few feet away from her.
"Oh my! Who do we have here? This is a surprise!" she mocked. "The great Dawn Wyatt, who disappeared a week before a major tournament, shaming her family, her coach and her town."
"Hello Bree," Dawn acknowledged her with narrowed eyes. Bree had become very plump and was wearing a white shirt with black trousers.
Bree crossed to a table behind her. She sat on its edge, crossed her arms over her chest and said, "So what makes you return? I heard that you married the great Daryn Silver."
Dawn ignored her and once again looked towards the greens.
"You were thrown out of your family Dawn. This course doesn't belong to you," Bree continued, spewing venom. It was as if she didn't want to see her at all. "I know that your husband has hosted a tournament here. So just stick to him like a good wife and then get out. Don't return. I run this place. I am the Manager here! I don't want to see a woman like you on this beautiful golf course. I will let Lily Wyatt know about you. Once she sees you, she is going to throw you out of here! So if you don't want to get insulted, just leave gracefully once the tournament is over."