That same night, after the laughter in the woods had faded, Zack walked home beneath the rising moon.
He was still covered in mud.
His clothes were ruined, his hair was a mess, and he couldn't stop smiling.
Zack: "Mason is such an idiot..."
He kicked a small stone along the road.
For the first time in weeks, everything had felt normal.
Then he reached the edge of town.
He stopped.
Something was wrong.
The street was completely empty.
No cars.
No voices.
Not even the sound of crickets.
Zack's smile disappeared.
Zack: "...Mom?"
He slowly opened the front door.
The house was dark.
His mother stood in the kitchen, staring at him with tears in her eyes.
Zack: "What's wrong?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she walked toward him and grabbed his shoulders.
Mother: "You need to listen to me very carefully."
Zack: "Mom, you're scaring me."
Mother: "You cannot see Mason again."
Zack froze.
Zack: "What?"
Mother: "Tonight was the last time."
Zack pulled away.
Zack: "Why?!"
His mother looked toward the windows.
Mother: "Because they know about you."
Zack: "Who?"
A loud knock echoed through the house.
THUD.
Zack jumped.
Another knock.
THUD.
His mother's face went pale.
Mother: "They're here."
Zack: "Who are they?"
She grabbed an old backpack from beneath the stairs and shoved it into his arms.
Mother: "There isn't enough time."
Zack: "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's happening!"
His mother finally looked him directly in the eyes.
Mother: "Your father wasn't human."
Zack went silent.
Mother: "And neither are you."
The words seemed to echo through the room.
Zack: "What...?"
His mother took a trembling breath.
Mother: "Our family has been hiding for generations. Your father belonged to an ancient wolf bloodline. There are people who hunt wolves like us because they believe certain bloodlines carry abilities that shouldn't exist."
Another knock shook the door.
Mother: "And tonight, they found us."
Zack's breathing quickened.
Zack: "But what does this have to do with Mason?"
His mother hesitated.
Mother: "Everything."
Zack: "What?"
Mother: "Your wolf has already chosen him."
Zack stared at her.
Mother: "You may not understand it yet, but there is a bond between you and Mason. A bond neither of you can see clearly because you're still young."
Zack whispered:
Zack: "Mason..."
Mother: "If they discover who your bond is, they'll use him to get to you."
Zack shook his head.
Zack: "No. I'm not leaving him."
Mother: "If you stay, Mason becomes a target."
Zack: "I don't care!"
Mother: "You will when you see what they do to the people you love."
Silence.
Zack looked toward the window.
Somewhere beyond the trees was Mason's house.
His best friend.
The boy who had made him laugh that afternoon.
The one person he couldn't imagine losing.
Zack's eyes filled with tears.
Zack: "If I leave... he'll hate me."
Mother: "Maybe."
Zack: "He'll think I abandoned him."
Mother: "Maybe."
Zack: "Then why would I do it?"
His mother gently placed a hand against his cheek.
Mother: "Because sometimes protecting someone means letting them believe you don't love them."
Zack looked down.
His hands trembled.
Then came a third knock.
This time, the front door cracked.
Mother: "Go."
Zack: "Mom..."
Mother: "Go!"
Zack grabbed the backpack.
He ran through the back door and into the darkness.
But halfway through the woods, he stopped.
He looked back toward the town.
Mason's house was visible in the distance.
Zack's wolf stirred inside him.
Go back.
Zack closed his eyes.
Zack: "I can't."
His wolf resisted.
He's ours.
Zack's voice broke.
Zack: "That's exactly why I have to leave."
And then he ran.
By sunrise, Zack was gone.
No goodbye.
No explanation.
Only an empty house and a childhood friendship that Mason would spend the next ten years believing had meant nothing.
But Zack never forgot.
Every year, on the same day they had last played together, he returned to the edge of that forest.
He would stand beneath the trees and wonder whether Mason still remembered him.
And every year, his wolf whispered the same thing.
Find him.
Ten years later...
It finally happened.
The moment Zack saw Mason across that city street, the bond awakened completely.
And this time, neither of them could run from it.