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(Aria's POV)
If I'd known that storm would change my life, I probably wouldn't have slammed that door so hard.
But I did.
And the whole diner rattled, just like my patience.
"Aria, you can't just walk out in the middle of your shift!" my boss had yelled, but I didn't look back. I was done—done pretending everything in Ravenwood made sense.
The night air was cold enough to bite, but anger kept me warm. My sneakers splashed through puddles as I followed the empty road that curved toward the woods. I didn't care where I was going. I just needed to breathe.
The forest always looked different at night—darker, quieter, heavier somehow. Like it was keeping secrets. The rain turned from drizzle to downpour, soaking through my hoodie, but still I walked deeper.
That's when I heard it.
A sound that didn't belong to the storm.
Low. Guttural. Animal.
I froze.
There was a flash of movement between the trees—then another. My heart started pounding, fast and wild. I told myself it was just deer or maybe wolves, but then I saw them.
Two shapes, massive, snarling, circling each other. Wolves—but not like the kind you see on TV. These ones were bigger, faster, terrifyingly real. Their growls echoed off the trees.
I should've run.
Instead, I watched.
The black one lunged, teeth sinking into the other's shoulder. Blood splattered across the wet ground. The other wolf retaliated, knocking its opponent into a fallen log—and that's when it happened.
The black wolf's body twisted, bones cracking, fur vanishing into skin until, standing in its place, was a man.
I gasped.
He stood tall, rain streaming down his chest, eyes burning like molten amber. There was something cold and furious in them—something not human.
He turned his head sharply.
Straight toward me.
Our eyes locked, and for a split second, I forgot how to breathe.
Then he moved—fast.
Before I could even blink, he was in front of me. One second he was ten feet away, the next his hand was wrapped around my wrist. His grip wasn't painful, just... unshakable.
"What did you see?" His voice was deep, rough—commanding.
"I—nothing," I stammered, trying to pull free. "I was just—"
"Don't lie to me." His tone could've frozen fire. "You shouldn't be here."
His scent hit me—smoke, pine, rain, danger. Everything in me screamed to run, but something about him… something in those eyes held me in place.
"Let me go," I whispered.
He didn't move. He just studied me like he was searching for something under my skin. Then, without warning, his expression shifted—from fury to confusion.
"What are you?" he murmured under his breath, almost to himself.
Before I could answer, a distant howl cut through the storm. He cursed softly, then released me.
"Go home," he ordered. "Forget what you saw, and stay out of these woods."
And just like that, he was gone—disappearing into the trees as if he'd never been there.
I stood there, drenched and shaking, the rain pouring harder.
But no matter how hard I tried that night, I couldn't forget those eyes.
Amber. Wild. Dangerous.
And for some reason… familiar.
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