The Call Beneath Her Skin
1021 Words
Lena woke with the taste of pine and smoke still clinging to her senses.
Her sheets were twisted around her legs, damp with sweat, her heart pounding as if she had been running for miles. Moonlight spilled through her window in a pale silver wash, illuminating the faint scratches along her forearm.
She stared at them.
They weren’t deep—barely more than thin red lines—but she didn’t remember getting them. She pressed her fingers to her skin, half expecting pain. Instead, a strange warmth bloomed beneath her touch, pulsing softly, like something alive.
Like something answering her.
She swallowed hard and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The floor felt cool, grounding, but even that sensation seemed sharper than usual. Everything felt sharper lately. Sounds. Smells. Emotions.
And the pull.
It had started days ago—an ache low in her chest whenever night fell. An unrelenting awareness of the forest beyond town, whispering to her through dreams and half-waking moments. She had tried to ignore it, tried to bury herself in routine, but the call only grew stronger.
Tonight, it was unbearable.
By the time Lena slipped into her jacket and stepped outside, the moon was high and full, hanging heavy in the sky. The air was crisp, laced with the scent of damp earth and something darker… muskier.
Her breath caught.
She knew, with a certainty that frightened her, that she was not alone.
The trees loomed taller as she crossed into the forest, shadows stretching like fingers across the narrow path. Every instinct screamed that she should turn back. Instead, her feet carried her forward, guided by a force she didn’t understand.
She froze when she sensed him.
He didn’t make a sound, didn’t disturb a single branch, but her body reacted instantly—heat pooling low in her belly, pulse racing, skin tingling as if electricity danced just beneath it.
“Lena.”
Her name rolled from the darkness, deep and controlled, sending a shiver straight down her spine.
He stepped into the moonlight.
Calen Blackthorn looked even more dangerous here, framed by silver and shadow. His dark hair fell loosely around his face, his amber eyes glowing faintly, unmistakably inhuman. He wore black, blending seamlessly with the night, like the forest itself had shaped him.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said.
Her laugh came out breathless. “Funny. I was about to say the same thing.”
His gaze flicked over her—slow, assessing, intimate in a way that made her skin burn. He stopped when he noticed her arm.
“You’re changing,” he said quietly.
The words hit harder than she expected.
“Changing into what?” she snapped, though her voice wavered.
Calen stepped closer. The air thickened between them, heavy with something raw and magnetic. She could smell him now—pine, smoke, and something undeniably male. Predatory.
“Into yourself,” he said. “Into what you were born to be.”
Her pulse thundered in her ears. “You don’t get to say things like that and expect me to stay calm.”
A corner of his mouth lifted. “I know.”
The forest stirred.
Lena stiffened as a low growl echoed through the trees—deep, territorial, unmistakably not human. Her body reacted before her mind could catch up. Her muscles tightened, senses flaring, every nerve alive and alert.
“Stay behind me,” Calen ordered.
The command sent a jolt through her—heat and defiance tangled together. “I don’t take orders from strangers.”
His eyes flashed. “You do when your life depends on it.”
A massive shadow moved between the trees. Yellow eyes gleamed, watching her with unsettling intelligence. Not attacking. Not retreating.
Waiting.
“That’s a wolf,” she whispered.
“Yes,” Calen said. “And no.”
The wolf stepped forward, moonlight revealing its size—far larger than any normal animal. Power rolled off it in waves, stirring something deep inside her. Instead of fear, she felt recognition.
The wolf lowered its head.
In acknowledgment.
Her knees weakened. “Why does it feel like it knows me?”
Calen’s voice dropped, rough. “Because it does.”
The wolf vanished as suddenly as it appeared, melting into the forest. The silence that followed was deafening.
Lena turned on Calen, her emotions spiraling. “You need to start explaining. Now.”
He hesitated, jaw tightening. For the first time, she saw uncertainty flicker across his face.
“You’re Moonborn,” he said finally. “A rare bloodline. Powerful. Dangerous. Hunted.”
Her laugh was brittle. “You’re insane.”
“Am I?” He reached into his shirt and pulled out a silver pendant etched with ancient symbols. The same symbol pulsed faintly beneath her skin, just below her collarbone, heat spreading through her chest.
Her breath caught as something answered the call.
A surge of energy rushed through her—wild, intoxicating, terrifying. Her nails bit into her palms as pressure built beneath her skin, her senses exploding outward. She gasped, body arching as instinct clawed its way to the surface.
Calen was in front of her instantly, hands gripping her arms, grounding her. “Breathe. Look at me.”
His touch burned.
Her eyes locked onto his, amber meeting brown, something ancient flaring to life between them. The world narrowed until there was only heat, only the pull, only him.
“Why do I feel like this with you?” she whispered.
His voice was low, reverent. “Because you’re mine.”
The word sent a dangerous thrill through her.
Before she could respond, voices echoed in the distance—human. Armed.
Hunters.
Calen swore under his breath. “We need to move. Now.”
He didn’t wait for permission. He pulled her close, his body shielding hers as they vanished deeper into the forest. Lena didn’t resist.
Because some part of her—the part awakening beneath her skin—already knew the truth.
This was only the beginning.
And the wolf inside her was done sleeping.
- Writer
