The forest had never hated me before. Not like this.
Tonight, it did.
Every step I took felt wrong, as if the earth itself were turning against me. Roots snaked up from the ground, clawing at my ankles, tripping me. Branches tore at my jacket and scraped my skin, leaving angry red marks. My lungs burned from running, my heart thundering so loudly I could almost hear it echoing through the thick, shadowed trees. The forest seemed alive, each rustle of leaves a whisper warning me to turn back.
Above, the moon hung low, swollen and red as a fresh wound. Its light spilled through the branches, casting long, jagged shadows that shifted and writhed like living things. The moon seemed to watch me, an unblinking eye, patient and merciless.
I shouldn't have come here.
The moment the air shifted, I knew. The forest felt heavier, thick with something ancient and dangerous, a presence older than memory. Every warning I'd ever been given about this place echoed through my mind: stay away, do not enter, do not look. Dark Pack territory.
My foot caught on a hidden root, sending me sprawling onto the damp forest floor. Pain shot up my ankle in jagged sparks, and I cried out before I could stop myself.
Then the forest went silent.
No rustling leaves. No chirping insects. Not even the faintest whisper of wind. It was a silence so absolute it pressed against my eardrums, suffocating and tense, as though the trees themselves were holding their breath.
And then I felt it.
A presence.
It was overwhelming. Dominant. Watching me with a hunger that had nothing human in it. My skin prickled, my hair rose on end. The shadows themselves seemed to shift in response, bending, pulling back, revealing him.
He stepped from the darkness.
Tall. Broad. Draped in shadows like a living cloak. His eyes gleamed silver beneath the blood-red moon, locking onto mine with an intensity that stole my breath. He radiated power, something primal and ancient, and for a moment the world around me ceased to exist.
Every nerve in my body screamed, a mixture of fear, adrenaline, and something far more dangerous stirring deep inside me. My stomach twisted, heat pooling low, my chest tightening with a strange, dizzying awareness.
He didn't blink. He didn't move in a way that felt human. He simply was. His gaze dropped to my throat, sharp, precise, evaluating me as if measuring whether I belonged in his world—or if I was prey.
I wanted to run. I wanted to scream.
But my legs refused to obey. My body betrayed me completely. I was rooted to the spot, captivated, terrified, and undeniably aware of the pull between us.
He stepped closer. Shadows clung to him, moving like obedient servants, his presence folding into the forest itself. I could feel his power pressing against me, ancient, commanding, and utterly consuming.
This wasn't just being watched.
I wasn't just a trespasser.
I was claimed.
The forest had woken. And it was hungry.