The heavy doors shut behind Nora and Lila with a soft, echoing thud. The sound rippled through the entry hall, vibrating like the house had been holding its breath for far too long.
The air inside was warmer than Nora expected—rich with cedar, old books, and a faint metallic undertone she couldn't name. Soft golden sconces flickered along the walls, casting long shadows across polished wood floors that seemed older than memory.
Lila took one slow step forward."Okay… this is… big."
Nora nodded stiffly.
The manor wasn't just old—it felt aware. The kind of place decorators called "full of character" but normal people called "haunted."
Thorne moved ahead of them with soundless steps, his long coat brushing the floor like trailing smoke.
"Stay close," he said without turning. His voice was low and steady—strangely gentle. "She can feel new arrivals. She listens."
Nora blinked."She… who?"
Thorne paused at the base of the staircase."The manor."
Lila shot Nora a look."Right. Okay. He names houses. Great. Normal."
Nora forced a weak smile."Probably just metaphors. Old houses make noises."
But as they followed him, something brushed against her skin.
Not air.Not temperature.Pressure.
Nora froze.
Lila inhaled sharply."Tell me you felt that."
"No," Nora lied. Saying yes made it real.
Thorne's voice carried easily."The manor recognizes new energy."
Lila whispered, "He talks like houses have brains."
Nora whispered back, "He talks like he forgot other people don't live in magic mansions."
The hallway lights flickered—once—brighter around them… then dimmed.
Both girls stared.
"…electrical issues," Lila muttered."Really dramatic ones."
They followed Thorne deeper until he stopped at a heavy wooden door.
He pressed his palm to it. Old runes pulsed faintly.
"Welcome," he murmured, "to the Archive of My Vigil."
He opened the door.
Inside was a dramatic mix of ancient library and arcane laboratory—towering shelves of leather-bound books, tables filled with crystal vials, metal instruments, tomes bound in unfamiliar materials, and glowing symbols etched faintly into the stone floor.
Lila froze.
Her jaw dropped.Her hand slapped Nora's arm—hard.
"I—Nora. No. What is this?" She pointed dramatically. "Why does this look like Hogwarts had a baby with a mad scientist's dungeon?"
Nora choked a laugh. "I—I don't know—"
"No. No ma'am." Lila backed up a step. "I'm a nursing major. I wasn't trained for potions or glowing graffiti or jars of floating… smoke. That jar has smoke, Nora!"
Thorne glanced over his shoulder."It's harmless."
Lila slapped a hand over her chest."Nothing in here looks harmless, sir. This is the kind of room Netflix warns people about."
Nora bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"Lila—"
"No! Don't 'Lila' me! If a broom starts sweeping itself, I'm leaving you here and calling the police!"
Thorne blinked."The broom does not sweep itself."
Lila squinted."…you hear how weird that sentence is, right?"
Nora snorted.
Lila dragged both hands down her face."If we die here, I'm haunting you. And your future children."
"I don't have a boyfriend," Nora muttered.
"Good. Leaves me more time."
Despite everything, Lila stepped closer to Nora—fear never made her run; it made her attach herself like a magnetic koala.
"That's it," she whispered. "We're in a horror movie. Or a fantasy novel. Both are bad."
Nora hugged her."Me neither. But we're here."
Lila whispered, "If this house starts talking, we leave."
Thorne turned from his shelves, ancient calm in his gaze."You are safe here."
Nora frowned."From what?"
"From whatever follows your arrival."
Lila whispered, "He really needs to stop talking like that."
Thorne continued, "This wing is prepared for you. Rest now. The manor will guide you."
He stepped out with them into the hallway—and the door to the Archive closed with a soft, breath-like sigh.
The house inhaled.
The air shifted—cooler, heavier, aware.
Lila clutched Nora."Organized drafts. Great."
Down the corridor, sconces flickered. One by one, they dimmed—until only two remained lit.
Both girls froze.
"Uh…" Lila whispered. "Is that… for us?"
Nora nodded slowly."The house is… pointing."
Thorne inclined his head."Your rooms."
He lingered for a moment—watching them both, unreadable—then slipped back into the Archive as silently as he'd arrived.
The girls stood before the two lit doors.
Nora swallowed."Let me check your room first."
Lila blinked."Uh—no, let me check your room first. You know… in case someone is waiting to snatch you."
Nora raised a brow."So… you're staying in mine after?"
"…maybe," Lila whispered.
They pushed open Nora's door.
SOREN'S POV
Far beyond the glow of the gravel drive, the forest stood silent and waiting.
Soren crouched in the shadows—half-shifted, muscles coiled, dark fur rippling along his arms and shoulders where the shift clung imperfectly. His olive skin glowed faintly beneath the moonlight. His golden eyes burned through the trees, fixed on the manor steps.
He saw Thorne with them the moment they arrived.He saw the way the girls hesitated at the door.He saw them disappear inside—behind his territory's walls.
A low, territorial growl vibrated in his chest.
Why did the shift take me like that?Why did her presence tear through me the second she crossed the border?I don't want this. Not now. Not like this.
But his body shifted anyway—the moment her energy touched the land.
Something in him reacted before thought, before logic, before command.
Unwanted.Uncontrollable.Undeniable.
His gaze tracked the manor windows. Candlelight flickered behind the glass, silhouettes moving as Thorne led them deeper inside.
A muscle feathered along his jaw.He hated seeing Thorne near them.
He hated the sudden pull in his chest even more.
The shift surged again—bones stretching, fur flooding across skin until—
A massive black wolf stood where the man had crouched.Eyes glowing molten gold.
He faced the manor, chest expanding with a breath he couldn't steady.
And then—
A howl ripped from him.
Raw.Claiming.Calling.Unable to be swallowed back.
It tore across the trees, up the hill, through the stone walls—straight into the manor's bones.
Inside, Nora and Lila stiffened.
A second, softer howl answered—the forest echoing him back.
Steam curled from the wolf's breath.
Then Soren turned and disappeared into the trees—silent, powerful, deeply disturbed.
Now that she was here, the pull would only grow.
And the wolf in him would not let her go