CHAPTER ONE
Kaima's POV:
I heard a noise coming from outside. My fingers tightened around the cabin door as it groaned open, the sound slicing straight through my nerves. Baguio's woods felt wrong too quiet, too aware. I'd laughed off the stories before arriving, but now every shadow seemed to breathe. They're just rumors,I told myself, stepping inside.
Unpacking was pointless. Boxes loomed around me like bony guards, and the wind outside hissed as if trading secrets with the trees. When a knock landed on the door, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I walked a little closer to the door and asked, "Who are you?"
"Hey," he called out, "I'm Nicko. I live nearby."
I opened the door, pointing the light straight to his face.
"I'm Kaima."
Nicko: "And what are you doing here?"
Kaima: "I just moved in here."
Nicko: "Okay, thought I heard some noise coming from your house."
Kaima: "No, it's coming from outside."
Nicko: "Okay, hope to see you next time."
Kaima: "Yh,Me too."
Few hours later, I heard the same sound coming from outside. I saw a shadow and I pointed the light at it,I felt something shifted. His green eyes locked onto mine, sharp and knowing, sending an unfamiliar spark through my chest. He looked like he belonged out here rough, carved from stone and forest, dangerous in a quiet way.
Darkness swallowed the sky faster than I expected. The full moon rose high, painting the woods in silver blades. Then came the howl low, haunting, close enough to feel. My stomach twisted. What if the stories weren't lies? I pulled on my jacket and stepped outside before I could stop myself.
Pine needles crunched beneath my boots as I followed the sound, my breath fogging in the cold. A wolf stood ahead of me. Its eyes glowed like frozen moonlight, unblinking. I forgot how to move. "Easy," I whispered, though my heart was slamming against my ribs. It padded closer, fur brushing the leaves, every instinct screaming danger and awe all at once.
A twig snapped behind me. I spun nothing. When I turned back, the wolf was gone. Instead, Nicko stood there, shirtless, chest rising and falling like he'd just run miles. His gaze burned into me, raw and untamed. "Lost?" he asked, voice rough.
"Maybe," I replied, forcing calm into my tone. Our eyes held, something feral humming in the space between us. And the question I didn't dare ask echoed louder than any howl. Was he the wolf?