Chapter One: The Forest Doesn't Whisper—It Hunts
Everyone in Briar Hollow had a story about the forest.
Some said it was cursed. Others said it was haunted. But Aria? Aria just thought it was lonely—like her.
She stood at the edge of the treeline, the breeze tugging at her oversized hoodie like even the wind was warning her to go back. But she didn't. She never listened. Not when her aunt told her to stop asking questions. Not when the town's preacher called her "the curious curse." Not even when her own dreams showed her blood on snow and eyes that glowed like dying stars.
Her boots crunched against fallen leaves as she stepped past the line of trees.
And just like that, the air changed.
It was thicker here. Like the forest was holding its breath. Watching.
Still, she kept going.
It wasn't rebellion. Not really. It was instinct. Aria had always felt the pull of the forest. Like something inside those twisted shadows was waiting for her.
Maybe that was why the nightmares started again last night. Same dream, same howls, same pair of silver eyes watching her from the darkness. This morning, she woke up with dirt under her nails and leaves in her hair. But she hadn't left her bed… had she?
Branches whipped at her arms, and brambles clung to her jeans like claws. But she didn't stop.
Not until she saw him.
He stood between two broken tree trunks, like a shadow come to life. Tall. Broad-shouldered. So still, he looked carved from night itself. His coat was black leather, streaked with mud and something darker. His face half-hidden by messy black hair.
But it was his eyes that pinned her in place.
Silver. Wild. Burning.
Like the wolf in her dream.
"Turn around," he said, voice low and rough, like it had been dragged through gravel. "You shouldn't be here."
Aria's breath caught. "Who are you?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he stepped forward, and instinct screamed for her to run.
But she didn't.
"You've been dreaming of me." He said it like a fact, not a question.
Her lips parted. "How do you know that?"
"Because I've seen you too."
Okay, that was definitely creepy. And weirdly… hot?
The moment stretched. His eyes flicked to her neck, her hands, her pulse.
"You smell like her," he muttered, more to himself than to her.
"Like who?" she asked, taking a cautious step back.
His jaw clenched. "Leave. Now."
But it was too late.
A low growl echoed through the trees.
Caius turned, dropping low, his entire body coiled like a predator. "Shit."
"What's going on?" Aria whispered, backing up.
He glanced at her, voice sharp. "You led them here. Run."
A blur of black fur exploded through the underbrush, and before she could scream, Caius lunged.
Not at her.
At the creature charging toward her.
One second, he was a man. The next, he was changing—bones cracking, body stretching, clothes tearing as fur replaced flesh.
And in his place stood a wolf.
No.
An Alpha.
Massive, black as midnight, with glowing eyes and teeth made for tearing.
He collided with the beast mid-air, and the forest shook.
Aria stood frozen, heart racing, as the two wolves snarled and snapped, claws slicing bark, blood flying like rain. The other wolf was smaller, leaner, but fast—too fast.
"Caius!" she screamed before she even knew his name.
He pinned the attacker with a savage growl, teeth at its throat. But the other wolf twisted, sinking its fangs into Caius's shoulder before fleeing into the shadows.
Silence fell. The fight was over.
The black wolf limped forward, shifting mid-step, bones twisting until Caius stood before her again—naked, bleeding, eyes burning like the forest fire she saw once as a kid.
Aria looked away, cheeks flaming.
He chuckled, dark and rough. "You should've listened, little Red."
"You saved me," she whispered.
He shrugged like it didn't matter. "You don't belong here."
"Then why do I feel like I do?"
That stopped him. He stared at her, something unreadable flickering in his gaze.
"You feel it too," she said softly.
"The pull. The dreams. The way the forest… watches."
He said nothing.
But he didn't deny it.
She stepped closer. "What are you?"
"I'm the reason people fear the forest."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you'll get—for now."
And just like that, he vanished into the trees, leaving her heart racing and her soul screaming for more.
Aria exhaled shakily. She had come here looking for answers.
Instead, she found the wolf.