The howl came again.
Low.
Deep.
Close enough that I felt it in my chest.
Every hair along my arms rose.
My wolf went completely still.
There.
I stared through the healer's hut window.
The forest was nothing but shadows beyond the glass.
Lysandra moved first.
"Nobody leaves this hut."
Her voice was calm, but there was something underneath it.
Authority.
I had heard that tone before, but never directed at me.
Mira stood immediately.
"Lysandra?"
"Lock the door."
Mira didn't question her.
She crossed the room and slid the wooden bolt into place.
I looked at Lysandra.
"What is it?"
"I don't know."
That answer frightened me more than anything else.
Lysandra reached for the rope hanging beside the doorway.
I recognized it immediately.
The healer's bell.
I had seen it many times before, though I had never heard it used.
"Wait."
Lysandra pulled the rope.
The bell rang.
Once.
The sound echoed through the night.
Then again.
And again.
A deep metallic ringing rolled through the village.
My stomach dropped.
"Lysandra..."
"I told you to stay inside."
She pulled the rope again.
The bell rang harder.
Three times.
Then four.
Every wolf in Silvercrest would hear it.
The healer's emergency bell.
My wolf shifted nervously.
Something is very wrong.
"I thought only the Alpha could call the pack."
"For an assembly," Lysandra said.
She looked toward the window.
"But an emergency is different."
She pulled the rope one final time.
The bell screamed through the night.
"Some authority belongs to the elders."
She looked at me.
"And I am one of them."
The response was immediate.
Lights appeared throughout the village.
Doors opened.
Voices shouted.
Wolves moved toward the central grounds, some still pulling on coats, others already armed.
Within minutes, the peaceful village had transformed.
Warriors gathered around the healer's hut.
Patrol members formed lines.
The elite warriors who had been preparing for the night patrol returned to the center.
Alpha Roran arrived shortly afterward.
Behind him came Beta Garrick.
And beside Garrick—
Kieran.
My chest tightened.
Even in the chaos, I noticed him.
His eyes immediately searched the healer's hut.
When he saw me through the window, his expression changed.
Concern.
I quickly looked away.
I didn't want him worrying about me.
I didn't want anyone worrying about me.
Lysandra opened the door.
"Alpha."
Roran stepped inside.
"What happened?"
"We heard something in the forest."
"Shadowfen?"
"I don't know."
Roran's expression hardened.
"How many times?"
"Twice."
"Direction?"
Lysandra pointed toward the eastern woods.
"The sound came from beyond the tree line."
Garrick immediately turned to the warriors.
"Form perimeter."
The elite wolves moved.
Fast.
Efficient.
Within moments, the healer's hut was surrounded.
I watched through the window as wolves spread through the village.
Some headed toward the eastern boundary.
Others climbed the watch platforms.
A few moved toward the river.
Nobody knew exactly what they were looking for.
And that seemed to make everyone more afraid.
The search lasted nearly an hour.
I wasn't allowed outside.
Neither was Mira.
Lysandra refused to let either of us leave.
I hated being trapped inside.
But I understood why.
The bell had already told the entire pack that something was wrong.
If even Lysandra was worried, then I had no right to pretend I wasn't.
Eventually, the first group returned.
"No tracks."
Another group arrived.
"Nothing."
A third.
"Only deer."
The warriors continued searching.
They checked the forest edge.
The river.
The eastern ridge.
Even the old crossing.
Nothing.
Eventually, one of the elite warriors reported something.
"We found scents."
Roran turned.
"What kind?"
The warrior hesitated.
"Wolves."
Garrick narrowed his eyes.
"Shadowfen?"
"No."
The warrior shook his head.
"Wild wolves."
A murmur spread through the gathered wolves.
"How many?"
"Several."
"Direction?"
"They were moving through the area."
Roran looked toward the forest.
"Passing through?"
"That's what it looks like."
Garrick crossed his arms.
"So the howls?"
"Likely territorial calls."
Silence followed.
Then Alpha Roran exhaled.
"Search the perimeter one more time."
The warriors obeyed.
But nothing else was found.
No Shadowfen tracks.
No signs of an attack.
No strange markings.
Nothing.
Eventually, Roran turned toward the gathered pack.
"We believe the howls came from wild wolves passing through our territory."
A few wolves visibly relaxed.
Others murmured among themselves.
The tension slowly began to disappear.
People started returning home.
The elite warriors resumed their patrols.
The village settled.
But I didn't feel relieved.
Not completely.
Because I knew what I had heard.
That howl hadn't sounded like something simply passing through.
And my wolf agreed.
That wasn't what we felt.
I looked toward the dark forest.
"I know."
Something was there.
I swallowed.
"And it felt familiar."
My wolf didn't answer.
She didn't need to.
I already knew.
The next morning, Silvercrest looked almost normal.
Almost.
The village was quieter than usual, but the panic from the night before had faded.
The official conclusion was simple.
Wild wolves.
Passing through.
Nothing more.
Everyone seemed willing to accept it.
I wasn't.
But there wasn't much I could do about it.
Lysandra had kept me busy since dawn.
I helped prepare medicine.
Sorted dried roots.
Cleaned jars.
Organized bandages.
Eventually, she looked at me and sighed.
"You need to move."
I blinked.
"What?"
"You've been pacing around my hut for an hour."
"I haven't."
"You have."
I looked down.
I had.
"Can I go train?"
Lysandra stared at me.
"For yourself."
"Yes."
She considered it.
"The barracks."
I nodded.
"Not the forest."
I hesitated.
"Elara."
"I know."
"Say it."
I sighed.
"I won't go into the forest."
"Good."
She pointed at me.
"And if I hear that emergency bell again because you decided to investigate something alone, I'll personally tie you to my table."
I couldn't help smiling.
"That's a little extreme."
"Try me."
The barracks were almost empty.
Most of the elite warriors were out on patrol.
The training grounds were unusually quiet.
I preferred it that way.
I didn't need anyone watching me.
I grabbed a wooden training sword and walked toward one of the practice posts.
Then I began.
Strike.
Step.
Turn.
Block.
Again.
My breathing gradually settled.
My thoughts quieted.
For a while, there was only movement.
The sword in my hand.
The sound of wood hitting wood.
My feet against the dirt.
My wolf's steady breathing inside me.
This was why I trained.
Not to become the strongest.
Not to impress anyone.
I trained because there was something comforting about knowing I could rely on myself.
I struck the post again.
Harder.
Then again.
Sweat gathered at my temples.
My shoulders burned.
I paused to breathe.
That's when I felt it.
Someone was watching me.
I slowly lowered the sword.
My eyes moved toward the forest.
Nothing.
The trees stood perfectly still.
I waited.
Then—
There.
A movement.
Barely visible.
Between two trees.
My heart jumped.
My wolf lifted her head.
It's him.
I stared.
"What?"
The one from before.
I tightened my grip on the sword.
The shadow moved.
Only slightly.
But I saw it.
Someone was standing among the trees.
Watching me.
My pulse quickened.
Part of me wanted to run.
Another part wanted to stay exactly where I was.
But there was something else.
Something I couldn't explain.
Familiarity.
Not the scent of a packmate.
Not the scent of Kieran.
Something different.
Something older.
Something that made my wolf become strangely quiet.
We know this.
I swallowed.
"How?"
She didn't answer.
I took one step forward.
The figure didn't move.
Another step.
My heart beat harder.
The distance between the barracks and forest wasn't far.
Maybe thirty yards.
Twenty.
Fifteen.
I could see the outline now.
Tall.
Still.
Watching.
My wolf whispered again.
Closer.
I moved forward.
Ten yards.
The wind shifted.
For one second, I caught a scent.
My breath stopped.
I knew it.
I didn't know from where.
But I knew it.
It reminded me of the feeling at the river.
The dream.
The symbol.
The strange presence that had followed me through the woods.
My hand loosened around the training sword.
"Who are you?"
The figure remained silent.
I took another step.
Then—
"ELARA!"
I jumped.
The figure vanished.
I turned sharply.
Mira was standing at the edge of the barracks, waving at me.
"What are you doing?"
I looked back toward the forest.
Nothing.
Just trees.
"Mira..."
She walked toward me.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack."
I stared at the forest.
"I thought someone was there."
Mira followed my gaze.
"Who?"
"I don't know."
She frowned.
"Come on."
"Where?"
"Meeting."
I looked at her.
"What meeting?"
"The patrol and warrior meeting."
My eyebrows pulled together.
"Now?"
"Yes. Beta Garrick called it."
She grabbed my arm.
"And Lysandra told me to bring you."
I glanced toward the forest one last time.
Nothing moved.
My wolf was still staring into the trees.
He was there.
"I know."
And he knew you were coming.
That sent a chill through me.
I let Mira pull me away.
But as we walked toward the meeting grounds, I couldn't stop thinking about the figure.
Whoever it was...
It hadn't been afraid of me.
It hadn't attacked.
It hadn't even moved when I approached.
It had simply watched.
As if it had been waiting.
And somehow, deep inside me, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had seen those eyes before.
Not in the forest.
Not at the river.
Not in real life.
Somewhere else.
Somewhere inside a dream.
I looked back one final time.
The forest stood silent beneath the morning light.
But I knew better now.
Something was in there.
And whatever it was...
It knew me.