The moon hung low that night, a pale silver coin above the forest. The air was cool and still, carrying the faint scent of pine and earth after rain. Elara stood at the edge of the dark trees, her cloak brushing against the damp leaves. She could feel the pull again, that strange force that had haunted her dreams for nights. Something in these woods was calling her name.
She didn't know why she kept coming back here. Perhaps it was curiosity. Or maybe something deeper, something older. Ever since the night she saved that wounded wolf, she had felt different. There was a bond she couldn't explain, a thread connecting her heart to something wild and unseen.
The villagers had warned her never to step into the forest after sunset. "The Alpha's Shadow rules there," they said in hushed tones. "A beast neither living nor dead." But Elara was never one to follow rules born from fear.
She took a slow breath and stepped forward.
Each footstep pressed softly into the wet soil. The forest whispered around her, branches creaking, leaves rustling, distant wolves howling under the heavy moon. Somewhere deep inside, she could feel magic humming in her veins, faint but growing stronger with every heartbeat.
Then, the sound came again, a low, pained growl echoing through the dark.
Elara froze. Her heart hammered in her chest. She turned toward the sound, her eyes glowing faintly in the moonlight. The growl came again, closer this time, followed by a deep, heavy breath.
She whispered a spell under her breath, a faint shimmer of light forming in her palm. The spell wasn't strong, just enough to guide her through the dark. Her fingers trembled as she lifted her hand, and the light revealed what stood before her.
It was him.
The same wounded wolf she had saved.
But now, he wasn't lying weak and broken. He was standing tall, massive, his black fur gleaming under the moon. His golden eyes burned with a strange mix of anger and pain. He was magnificent and terrifying.
"Elara…" The voice that came from the shadows wasn't human, yet it spoke her name as if it had always known it.
She stumbled back, nearly dropping her light. "You can speak?" she whispered.
The wolf stepped closer, and before her eyes, his body began to shift. Bones cracked, fur shimmered, and within seconds, where the wolf had stood, now stood a man – tall, broad-shouldered, his skin marked with faint scars. His eyes, still golden, locked onto hers.
"I am not just a wolf," he said in a low, rough voice. "You've saved a cursed soul."
Elara's breath caught. "Who… who are you?"
He hesitated, his gaze flickering toward the trees as if afraid something might be listening. "My name is Kael. I was once Alpha of this land until the curse took everything from me."
The word curse struck her like a cold wind. "A curse? What kind of curse?"
Kael's jaw tightened. "One that binds my soul to darkness. I was betrayed by the one I trusted most. And now, the moon that once gave me power only feeds my rage."
His voice was raw, filled with old pain. Elara felt a strange ache in her chest. She didn't know him, yet something about his voice made her want to step closer to understand him.
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked quietly.
"Because," Kael said, his eyes burning brighter, "you're the only one who can break it."
The forest fell silent.
Elara blinked. "Me? I'm just a witch with fading power."
He shook his head. "No. You carry the old blood, magic older than the moon itself. I felt it when you healed me. The moment your hands touched my wound, the curse weakened."
She looked down at her hands, trembling slightly. The old blood – she had heard of it only in stories told by her grandmother before the witch trials wiped out their kind. If what Kael said was true, then she wasn't just a witch. She was something much more.
"I don't even know how to use that kind of magic," she said, shaking her head. "And if the curse is that strong, why not seek another Alpha?"
Kael's eyes darkened. "Because every Alpha that walks this forest is dead. Or worse, enslaved to the one who cursed me."
Elara's breath hitched. "Who did this to you?"
Kael stepped closer, the moonlight catching on the faint scar across his neck. "My own blood," he said softly. "My brother."
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying the faint scent of smoke, something burning far away. Kael's expression hardened as he turned toward the forest's heart.
"They're coming," he said.
"Who?"
"The Shadow Pack. The ones who serve my brother. They can smell magic. They'll know you're here."
Elara's pulse quickened. "What do we do?"
Kael's gaze met hers. "Run if you can. But if you stay, you'll never be the same."
The ground trembled, faint at first, then stronger. The sound of claws tearing through earth echoed through the forest. Growls filled the air, deep and savage. The Shadow Pack was close, too close.
Kael's eyes flashed gold again. "Stay behind me," he growled.
Before Elara could reply, the first shadow lunged from the darkness, and Kael shifted, bones snapping, fur bursting from his skin as he transformed again into the beast she had healed.
But this time, there was no weakness in him. Only power. Only fury. Elara raised her hand, magic glowing faintly in her palm as the pack closed in. The night exploded into chaos.
Kael's curse deepens as he fights the Shadow Pack, and Elara's hidden powers start awakening during the battle — powers that could save or destroy them both.