The forest waited. I could feel it before I even stepped onto the path, a low hum of life pressed against the edge of awareness, as if the trees themselves held their breath. The sun was barely up, weak gray light slicing through the fog, and I pulled my jacket tighter around me, feeling the chill seep deeper than usual. Every step I took onto the familiar trail felt foreign, as though the forest had reshaped itself overnight.
I remembered the backpack, the torn straps, the absence of its owner. That memory sat heavy in my chest, a reminder that whatever lurked here didn't just watch. It took. And now, I had been drawn back into its reach.
Branches snapped softly, not under my boots, but somewhere ahead. I froze, every nerve screaming. The scent hit me before I saw anything: coppery, metallic, sharp. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay calm. I knew I wasn't alone.
"You shouldn't have come," Kael's voice rumbled from behind me, startling me so much that I nearly dropped my water bottle. He stepped forward, his presence commanding, every movement precise and deliberate. "I told you this forest isn't safe for anyone but the pack."
"I can handle myself," I said, though my voice sounded smaller than I wanted. The truth was, I could handle myself… sometimes. But the forest had a way of testing limits, of exposing weakness in ways that left you raw.
He didn't answer. His gray eyes scanned the misted trail ahead, every line of his jaw tense. I followed his gaze and saw shadows moving between the trees. Not one, but multiple. Their forms were human enough to be mistaken at first glance, but their movements weren't human. They slinked through the fog with grace that was terrifying, predatory.
"Who are they?" I asked, my voice tight, heart hammering.
"Hunters," Kael said finally. "Or something like them."
Something inside me stirred. I didn't want to run. I couldn't. It wasn't just curiosity, it was recognition. The forest called to me differently now, pulling at the edges of instincts I didn't fully understand yet. Every hair on my arms stood on end as the shadows edged closer, silent but deliberate.
I glanced at Kael. "Can we fight them?"
He shook his head, almost imperceptibly. "Not yet. Not until you understand what you are."
The words cut sharper than any blade. I opened my mouth, ready to argue, but then a figure stepped out of the fog tall, lithe, and completely still. My stomach dropped. Recognition flared in my chest. This wasn't a random enemy. This was someone or something connected to the forest, to the pack, to the night itself.
And it was looking at me.
"You feel it too," Kael said, voice low, almost a growl. "It's drawn to you. And it won't stop until it knows what it wants."
I took a step back, the ground uneven beneath my boots. The fog swirled around me, thickening as if it were alive, hiding threats I couldn't see. "What does it want?" I whispered.
Kael's expression darkened. "To test you. To see if you're ready."
The shadow shifted suddenly, and my heart jumped. It moved closer in silence, the fog parting in an unnatural way, leaving a trail of cold air. My instincts screamed for me to run, but another part of me, the part that had survived the past weeks, the part that had faced more danger than I cared to admit, held firm. I would face it. I had to.
Then it spoke.
Not with words. With a sound inside my mind a low vibration that resonated in my chest. It was a voice, but alien, echoing. "Golden… awaken."
I stumbled back, gripping my chest. Kael's eyes widened. "I didn't expect it yet," he muttered under his breath. "Not here. Not like this."
The forest seemed to pulse around me, the fog swirling faster, branches twisting like they were alive. Something inside me shifted. Heat pooled in my veins, electricity crawling under my skin. I felt my teeth sharpen slightly, nails elongate just enough to draw blood from my palms. My body changed, subtly but undeniably. The first signs of the curse of the moon marking me were here.
I glanced at Kael, confusion and fear battling with something deeper than anticipation. "What's happening to me?" I demanded.
He took a step closer, hand reaching out but stopping short. "You're awakening. The mark… it's permanent now. There's no going back."
I swallowed, breath trembling. My pulse raced. Every instinct screamed warning, but another part, the part the forest had been stirring for weeks,welcomed the change. The shadows edged closer. I braced myself.
"Remember," Kael said, voice sharp and firm. "You are not alone. But what happens next… will define you."
The shadows stopped. And then the forest howled.
Not with the wind. Not with ordinary animals. With something ancient, something alive in the bones of the trees. It was calling to me.
And I answered.