Chapter 3
1477 Words
Isabella’s POV
The moonlight had no right to feel this warm.
I stood outside in the garden, hugging myself against the cold, yet something about the night wrapped around me like a heated whisper. The air shimmered faintly, like the world was watching. And I swore, for a moment, the wind called my name.
I was losing my mind.
That’s the only explanation. Since I arrived in Silver Hollow, nothing had made sense. Not the haunting dreams, the way the house creaked like it breathed, or the way Ethan looked at me like he was both starving and afraid.
Especially Ethan.
He was a walking contradiction—one second icy and distant, the next burning with some primal energy I couldn’t name. And last night... that look in his eyes? Like he saw something in me I didn’t know existed. Like I was his.
But that couldn’t be real.
Could it?
“Isabella,” came a voice behind me, deep and threaded with warning.
I jumped and turned. Ethan stood a few feet away, hands in the pockets of his hoodie, jaw tight. He hadn’t made a sound walking up.
“You always sneak up on people like that?” I asked, trying to keep my tone steady.
“You always sneak out after midnight?”
I shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.”
His eyes narrowed. “You shouldn’t be out here alone. It’s not safe.”
I crossed my arms. “You keep saying that. What exactly am I supposed to be afraid of? The wind? The flowers?”
He stepped closer. “Things you can’t see. Things that come out when the moon is high.”
“You mean like werewolves?” I said sarcastically.
He didn’t laugh.
Silence stretched between us. Then he spoke, his voice low. “Have you ever felt like something inside you was... different?”
“Different how?”
“Like something’s waking up. Like your skin doesn’t quite fit right.”
I swallowed hard. The dreams. The way the moon made my chest ache. The strange pull I felt every time Ethan came near.
“Yeah,” I whispered.
He looked at me like I’d just confirmed his worst fear—and his deepest hope.
“Go inside,” he said roughly. “Please.”
I wanted to argue, but something in his voice stopped me. I nodded slowly and turned to leave. But just before I stepped back into the house, I looked over my shoulder.
He was still watching.
***
The next morning, I woke with a start. My neck ached from sleeping at a weird angle, and my sheets were twisted around me like I’d been fighting them all night. I sat up, heart pounding.
Another dream.
This time, I’d been standing in a circle of trees, the moon hanging low and red. The wolf stood before me again, but this time, it spoke without words. It said: Choose.
I had no idea what it meant.
But I knew, somehow, the decision mattered.
At school, I couldn’t focus. The teachers blurred into background noise. Every time I turned a corner, I expected Ethan to be there—but he wasn’t. It was like he’d vanished. And somehow, that felt worse.
During lunch, I sat alone under a tree at the edge of the courtyard, picking at a sandwich I didn’t want.
“Hey. You’re the new girl, right?”
I looked up. A girl with short braids and glossy lips stood in front of me, holding a lunch tray. Her brown eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Yeah. Isabella.”
“I’m Amara. Mind if I sit?”
“Please do.”
She plopped down beside me, taking a bite of her apple. “I’ve been meaning to say hi, but figured you had your hands full with... certain people.”
I blinked. “You mean Ethan?”
She gave me a sly smile. “Everyone means Ethan. You do know he doesn’t let anyone sit in the back row of chem class, right? Like, ever?”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Well, now you do. You’re basically a legend.”
I laughed despite myself. “Great. Just what I needed.”
Amara tilted her head. “You’ve got that look.”
“What look?”
“The ‘I have no idea what’s going on but something weird is happening and nobody’s telling me anything’ look.”
I stared at her. “Is it that obvious?”
She nodded. “But hey, welcome to Silver Hollow. Weird is kind of our brand.”
Before I could ask what she meant, a cold breeze swept across the yard, sending shivers down my spine. Across the courtyard, a tall man in a charcoal coat stood by the gate, staring directly at me.
“Who’s that?” I asked, nodding toward him.
Amara’s face darkened. “Victor Kane. Stay far away from him.”
“Why?”
“Because he collects broken things... and makes them worse.”
I shivered.
The man turned and walked away without a word. But the way his eyes lingered—like he’d marked me—sent chills straight to my core.
***
That night, I couldn’t sleep. Again.
I sat at the window, staring out over the dark trees beyond the backyard. I’d started to think I’d imagined it all. The dreams. The tension. The strange things Ethan said.
But when I turned around, he was there.
In my room.
He leaned against the far wall, eyes darker than usual, hands clenched at his sides like he was trying not to move.
“Ethan!” I yelped, backing up.
He held up a hand. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“How—how long have you been there?”
“Long enough.”
I folded my arms. “You can’t just sneak into my room in the middle of the night.”
“I had to make sure you were safe.”
“From what? From you?”
He didn’t flinch. “Maybe.”
I stared at him. He looked wrecked. His skin flushed, jaw tight, like he was barely holding something back.
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he said quietly. “It’s not just attraction. It’s need. Instinct. Every time I get close to you, I feel like I’m burning alive.”
My pulse stuttered. “You’re not making sense.”
“I know. But I don’t have time to explain everything. Just... don’t go near Victor Kane. Don’t talk to anyone you don’t trust. And if anything strange happens, come to me.”
“I don’t even know who to trust anymore,” I whispered.
“Start with me.”
His voice was so sincere, so raw, that it silenced my doubts—if only for a moment.
He stepped closer, slowly, like he didn’t want to spook me. When he reached out, his fingers brushed my cheek.
My breath caught.
“You’re not imagining any of this,” he said. “You’re part of it now. You always were.”
“Part of what?”
His eyes glowed—just for a second. Gold like sunlight on water.
“Everything.”
Before I could speak, he turned and vanished into the hallway like a shadow slipping away.
And I was left alone, heart pounding, dreams breaking apart like mist.
***
The next day, I was pulled from class.
A woman in a gray blazer waited for me in the office. Her voice was flat, her eyes unreadable.
“Isabella Grey? I’m here to escort you to a meeting.”
“Meeting with who?”
She didn’t answer.
I followed her down the hallway and into a sleek black car waiting outside the school gates. My skin prickled the entire ride. We drove out of town, past the cliffs, into the trees.
And then we stopped.
Victor Kane stood at the end of the path.
Waiting.
“You’ve been having dreams, haven’t you?” he asked as I stepped out.
I didn’t answer.
He smiled like he already knew. “You’re not like other girls. There’s something ancient inside you. Something I intend to unlock.”
“Why me?” I asked.
He stepped closer. “Because your blood sings, Isabella. And power like yours doesn’t stay hidden for long.”
I backed up, but the woman from before blocked my path.
“I’m not afraid of you,” I lied.
“You should be.”
Before he could say anything else, a roar split the sky.
And from the woods, a wolf emerged.
Not just any wolf.
Huge. Silver-black. Eyes glowing gold.
Ethan.
Victor’s face twisted. “So it’s true.”
The wolf snarled, baring teeth as long as knives.
I didn’t wait.
I ran.
And behind me, the forest exploded into chaos.
- Writer
