The night was too quiet.
Clara pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders as she hurried along the narrow dirt road that cut through the woods. The bus stop back in Woodsridge had been deserted for over an hour, and no bus had come. Her aunt had warned her not to linger in town after dark, but Clara had thought she could make it back in time.
Of course, her luck never cooperated.
The last rideshare app had told her there were "no drivers available," and just when she'd decided to call her aunt for help, her phone screen went black. Dead.
Great. Just great.
Which left her no choice but to walk.
Her sneakers crunched over loose gravel as she followed the road. She told herself that at some point a car would pass by, or maybe she'd spot the lights of a gas station. Anything was better than standing still in the middle of nowhere.
A rustle came from the trees to her left. Clara froze.
Probably just a raccoon. Yeah… a raccoon the size of a small car, she thought, blinking rapidly.
But the sound was too heavy, too deliberate.
Then came the eyes, two silver, glowing like molten steel under the pale moonlight. They blinked once, slow and unhurried, as though the owner of those eyes knew they had all the time in the world.
Clara's heart tripped over itself.
Not human eyes.
She stumbled back, but before she could move farther, the shadows shifted, and a tall figure stepped out from between the trees.
Not a raccoon. Definitely not.
The man who emerged was impossibly broad-shouldered, dressed in black, with an aura that seemed to devour the very light around him. His hair was dark and slightly disheveled, his jaw sharp, and his expression carved from stone.
And those eyes, still glowing faintly, as though the moon itself had branded him.
Clara did the only thing her instincts screamed at her to do. "Uh...hi?"
The stranger tilted his head. His gaze raked over her from head to toe, slow enough to make heat crawl up her neck, yet sharp enough to feel like a threat.
"You shouldn't be here." His voice was deep, low, and commanding.
Clara bristled, even though every nerve in her body told her to run. "Well, excuse me, but the bus didn't exactly wait for me. Unless you're here to give me a ride, maybe don't lurk in the trees like a horror movie villain."
His lips twitched, a faintest hint of amusement, though it vanished just as quickly. "You have no idea what you've walked into."
"Enlighten me?" she shot back, though her voice was thinner than she intended.
For a moment, the stranger said nothing. Then he stepped closer.
Clara's breath caught. He moved with a predator's grace, each step measured, silent, deliberate. She stumbled back instinctively, but his hand shot out, catching her wrist before she could retreat farther.
What… why is his hand so hot? she wondered, heart hammering. Why am I not running?
"Let me go," she demanded, tugging.
He leaned closer, his breath brushing against her ear. "If I let you go now, little human, you'll run straight into a den of wolves who won't hesitate to tear you apart. Is that what you want?"
Clara froze. The word wolves lodged in her brain, but she couldn't form a response.
Wolves… real wolves? Her mind scrambled. I am so going to die out here.
"Wh-what are you talking about?"
The corner of his mouth curved, not a smile, not fully, but enough to make her stomach flip. "You'll see soon enough."
Before she could protest, a low, guttural growl ripped through the trees. Another pair of glowing eyes appeared in the darkness, then another. Clara's blood ran cold as the shadows shifted and multiple shapes emerged, circling, closing in.
Wolves. Real wolves. Too big, too menacing, their teeth glinting in the moonlight.
Her knees nearly buckled.
The stranger's grip on her wrist tightened, pulling her against his chest. "Stay behind me."
Clara would have argued, should have—but the sheer dominance in his tone made it impossible to do anything but obey.
The wolves snarled, hackles raised, but none of them advanced.
The stranger growled,ba sound that was far too inhuman, deep and reverberating, the kind of growl that shook her bones. The pack hesitated, then melted back into the darkness, one by one.
Clara clutched his sleeve, trembling despite herself.
What… what is he? Her thoughts bounced wildly between terror and fascination.
"What the hell are you?" she whispered.
He looked down at her, his eyes still glowing faintly. For a second, she swore the shape of his jaw sharpened, his teeth lengthened. Then, as if pulling back a mask, he blinked, and the glow dimmed.
"Go home, Clara," he said.
Her breath hitched. "H-how do you know my name?"
That amused flicker returned in his eyes, but it was darker now, more dangerous. He leaned down, so close their noses nearly brushed.
"I know everything I need to know about you."
Clara's heart thundered in her chest. She hated the strange jolt she'd felt when his skin touched hers, hated the way heat still coiled low in her stomach even now.
Focus. Survive first. Worry about… whatever that was later.
"You're insane," she muttered.
"Maybe." His voice dropped. "But you're mine."
Her pulse spiked. Before Clara could shove him away, before she could even register the audacity of those words, his lips grazed the shell of her ear, close enough to send sparks down her spine.
She gasped, jerking back, but his hand slid to the small of her back, anchoring her against him. The heat of his body radiated into hers, overwhelming, consuming.
This is ridiculous, she told herself. Why does my body even react?
"You don't get to say things like that," she snapped, though her voice cracked with more fear than fury.
He chuckled low in his chest, the sound wicked and intoxicating. "You'll learn, little human. With me, you don't get a choice."
Her palm shot up, pressing against his chest, ready to push. But the moment her skin touched him, a jolt of electricity surged through her veins.
Both of them froze.
His gaze locked with hers, wide for the first time, as though he hadn't expected it either. Then his jaw tightened, and something feral glinted in his eyes.
"No," he hissed under his breath. "Not you."
Clara's heart pounded. "What the hell was that?"
Instead of answering, he grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Listen to me carefully. From now on, you stay away from these woods. Stay away from me."
And then, just as suddenly as he appeared, he released her and vanished into the shadows, so fast it left her reeling.
Clara staggered back, chest heaving, her phone still dead in her pocket, her way home still far away. She wrapped her arms around herself, forcing her legs to move.
Her only thought was survival. Make it back to the edge of town. Find her aunt's house. Lock the door.
Ignore him. Ignore that…spark or whatever. Focus. Survive.
One thing at a time.
First, get out alive.