The full moon hung low in the sky, spilling silver across the forest. It was beautiful, almost peaceful… except for the tension that hummed through Crescent Valley like electricity.
I couldn't sleep. My room at Kael's house felt smaller somehow, crowded with the weight of the unknown. Every sound of branches brushing the roof, the low growl of distant wolves made me startle. I'd tried to tell myself I was imagining it, that the forest's restless energy wasn't aimed at me. But my instincts said otherwise.
Breakfast was quiet. Too quiet. Kael and the pack sat in tense silence, utensils clinking softly against plates. Lyric's eyes darted toward every shadowed corner of the room, and even Kael's usually unshakable posture carried an edge.
"Something's coming," he muttered under his breath, as though speaking aloud might make it real.
I didn't ask who or what. I already had a sense. The missing animals, the strange footprints, the backpack it had all led to this. Whatever lurked in the shadows was no longer content to stay hidden.
After breakfast, Kael approached me. His gray eyes bore into mine, sharp and steady.
"You're not staying in town today," he said.
"I'm not a child," I said, trying to mask my unease. "I can handle myself."
"You can handle yourself," he agreed. "But you can't handle them."
I felt a chill, the kind that burrows into your bones.
We left the house together, heading toward the forest. Kael's presence was like a shield, but I still felt the forest watching. Every tree seemed to lean closer, every shadow stretching in strange, unnatural ways.
He paused at the tree line. "Stay close," he ordered.
"I'm always close," I replied.
He didn't answer. His attention had shifted to something deeper in the woods.
And then I saw it.
A flash of movement between the trees, too fast for human eyes, too deliberate for a normal animal. My pulse quickened. Kael stiffened beside me. His hand brushed mine not by accident, but in a protective gesture that was intimate and unspoken.
"Stay behind me," he said.
I obeyed, but my curiosity was insatiable. The forest seemed alive, whispering secrets just out of reach. Branches scraped my jacket as we moved deeper, and I noticed more signs of recent activity: broken twigs, disturbed dirt, shadows that didn't belong.
And then it came.
A figure emerged from the darkness. Taller than any human, moving with grace that was almost predatory. Kael stepped in front of me instantly, his stance rigid, ready to defend.
"I told you to stay away," he growled, low and dangerous.
The figure stopped, hands raised slightly in mock surrender. "I didn't come here to fight… yet," a voice said. Smooth, sinister, dripping with amusement.
My stomach dropped.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "You're the one behind this," he said.
"Maybe," the stranger replied, tilting his head. "Maybe I just like watching humans panic."
Fear surged through me, but I clenched my jaw. I wouldn't run. I couldn't.
The stranger moved closer, just enough that the moonlight caught a glint of fangs. My heart raced. Vampire? No… something darker.
Kael's hand gripped my shoulder. "Back," he said sharply.
I froze, feeling the tension ripple from him into me. His Alpha presence wasn't just intimidating it was primal, magnetic, commanding. I could feel the energy, the sheer power, and my body responded before my mind even caught up.
Then chaos erupted.
A howl pierced the night, closer than any wolf should have been. The stranger's smirk faltered, just for a moment. And then the shadows moved dozens of them, shapes blurred in moonlight, circling us. Wolves? Something else? I didn't have time to think before Kael's voice barked orders, sharp and precise.
"Positions!"
Pack members emerged from hidden spots along the trail, wolves and humans both, their eyes reflecting the silver light. Lyric appeared at my side, her energy sharp, ready to strike. My chest pounded.
The stranger laughed, and that laugh cut into my chest like a blade. "The Alpha has brought his little human out to play," he mocked.
Kael's jaw tightened, and I could see the shift control melting into raw instinct. "Get her out of here," he said to Lyric.
"I'm not leaving you," I said, grabbing Kael's arm.
He shook his head, eyes fierce but conflicted. "Now. Or we both die."
Lyric grabbed my hand, and we bolted toward the edge of the forest, branches clawing at our clothes. Behind us, the pack fought with precision and fury, shadows and movement blurring together. I could hear snarls, growls, and the clash of teeth against flesh.
And then… a scream.
High-pitched. Humans. Pain-filled. Somewhere in the fray, someone had fallen. My stomach lurched. My hands trembled.
We made it to a small clearing, panting. The lyrics held me tight. "You're okay," she said. But even her voice trembled.
I didn't feel okay.
I thought of Kael. I thought of the pack. I thought of the forest, alive and waiting.
Something had changed tonight. The threat wasn't just out there. It was closer, smarter, hunting with intent. And it wasn't done.
I clenched my fists, swallowing fear and adrenaline. Whatever was coming, I knew one thing: I couldn't run anymore. Not from Crescent Valley. Not from the danger. Not from him.
The forest whispered. Kael was out there. And I had no choice but to face the shadows he fought against… or be consumed by them.
The moon rose higher, silver light spilling across the treetops. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. The night had only begun.
And for the first time, I understood fully that the danger wasn't just around me—it was coming for me.