The Wolf I Buried

Chapter 14

Silver Eyes

The anniversary arrived beneath a clear sky. Elena hated that. There should have been rain. Thunder. Something dramatic. Something worthy of the way the day felt. Instead, the world carried on as though nothing had happened. As though a year ago hadn't shattered her life into pieces. As though Ronan Blackwood had never existed. The realization left a bitter taste in her mouth.

By evening, she couldn't stand being inside the house anymore. The walls felt too close.

Too quiet. Too full of memories.

So she drove. No destination. No plan. Just movement. The familiar roads wound through town, past the lake, past the old church, past the animal rescue center where she'd first met Ronan. Every place seemed to be haunted today, not by ghosts, but by memories.

Eventually, she found herself parked beside the overlook trail just outside town. The irony wasn't lost on her. Apparently, all roads led back to the woods. The sun hung low above the horizon, painting the forest gold.

Beautiful. Deceptive.

The same woods that had taken Ronan from her. The same woods that now seemed determined to give her questions instead of answers. Elena grabbed her jacket and stepped onto the trail. The evening air felt cool against her skin. The forest smelled of pine and damp earth. The scent immediately reminded her of him.

Again.

Everything reminded her of him. She wasn't sure whether that would ever stop. The trail climbed gradually. Leading toward a rocky overlook she'd visited countless times before. Ronan had loved this place. The view. The solitude. The peace.

The memory surfaced instantly.

"You know what I like about this spot?"

"The view?"

"The fact that nobody can ask me to help move furniture up here."

"That's your reason?"

"It's a strong reason."

"You're impossible."

"Yet somehow charming."

"Debatable."

"Undeniable."

A sad smile touched her lips, then faded as it always did.

The trail eventually opened onto the overlook. The valley stretched endlessly below. Forests rolling toward the horizon. The town nestled among them.

Small. Distant. Safe.

Elena moved toward the edge and sat on the familiar stone outcrop. And allowed herself to breathe. For the first time all day, the ache inside her chest eased slightly. Not gone. Never gone. Just quieter. The sun continued sinking. The sky transformed into shades of gold and amber. Birdsong echoed softly through the trees. The world felt peaceful.

Still.

Then, the forest went silent. Elena frowned. The change was immediate.

Noticeable. Wrong.

One moment, birds were singing—the next, Nothing. No insects. No rustling leaves. No distant calls. Only silence. A cold sensation crept along her spine. Slowly, she sat upright.

Listening. Waiting.

The woods remained motionless. Too motionless. Every instinct suddenly felt alert.

Aware.

As though some ancient part of her brain had noticed something before she had. The sensation of being watched returned. Stronger than ever. Elena rose slowly—her pulse quickened. The tree line stood approximately thirty yards away. Dense shadows gathered beneath the pines.

Dark. Impenetrable. Watching.

The thought appeared before she could stop it.

Watching.

The silence deepened and then she saw it. Movement. A shape between the trees.

Large. Far too large.

Her breath caught. The figure stepped forward, not fully, but just enough for moonlight to touch black fur. Elena froze.

A wolf.

At least, it looked like a wolf. Until she realized how enormous it was. Every rational thought immediately abandoned her. The animal stood nearly as tall as her chest. Muscles rippled beneath midnight-black fur. Its presence seemed to fill the entire forest.

Beautiful. Terrifying. Impossible.

The wolf remained motionless, watching her.

Waiting.

Neither of them moved, neither looked away. The distance between them suddenly felt insignificant. Elena should have been afraid, truly afraid. Instead, she found herself staring because something about the creature felt familiar, not physically, somehow emotionally. A strange certainty settled inside her, as though she'd seen it before.

Somewhere. Somehow.

The wolf took a single step forward. The movement should have sent her running. Instead, she remained rooted to the spot, unable to look away. Then she saw its eyes.

Silver.

Not gray, not blue, but silver. Moonlit and impossibly intelligent. The breath left her lungs and recognition struck so suddenly that it nearly hurt. Those eyes. Her heart stumbled.

No.

Impossible. Absolutely impossible. And yet—Something inside her whispered otherwise. The wolf watched her, completely still. Those silver eyes fixed on hers; not predatory, not hostile, something else, something infinitely more dangerous.

Familiar.

The realization terrified her. Because familiarity implied connection, and she had never seen this creature before.

Had she?

A memory flickered through her mind, gone before she could grasp it. The sensation remained. A feeling, a certainty, a ghost. The wolf lowered its head slightly, not submission, not aggression, almost—Recognition. The thought made her pulse race. This wasn't happening. None of this was happening.

Wolves didn't behave this way. Animals didn't stare at people as they knew them. Animals certainly didn't look at people with eyes that felt heartbreakingly familiar. The silence stretched.

Seconds. Minutes. An eternity.

Then the wolf turned. The movement broke whatever spell had settled over the clearing. Elena inhaled sharply. Reality rushing back.

"Wait."

The word escaped before she could stop it. The wolf paused, only for a moment, then disappeared into the trees.

Gone.

Just like that. The shadows swallowed him completely. The forest remained silent.

Motionless. Empty.

As though he'd never been there at all. Elena stood frozen. Her heartbeat thundered inside her ears. The encounter replayed endlessly inside her mind. The size. The presence. The eyes. Especially the eyes.

Silver. Familiar. Impossible.

Slowly, she stepped toward the tree line. The place where he'd stood. The place where everything had changed. Nothing remained. No movement. No sound. No explanation. Only a single black hair caught on a low branch. Elena stared at it. Then, carefully plucked it free.

Evidence. Proof. Something real.

Because if she didn't have proof, she might start believing she'd imagined the entire thing. The hair curled around her finger.

Soft. Dark. Real.

A chill crawled down her spine. Because the moment she touched it, the scent reached her.

Pine. Rain. Coffee.

Her breath caught. The exact same scent. Ronan. The realization hit so hard she physically stepped backward.

"No."

The whisper barely existed. Her pulse raced. Her thoughts scattered. The forest remained silent. Yet suddenly she felt closer to the truth than ever before. And somehow—that frightened her more than the wolf itself.

Hidden deep among the shadows, Ronan watched her leave. Every instinct screamed at him to follow. To reveal himself. To end this. But it was too soon. Far too soon. Because Elena had recognized something, he'd seen it in her eyes. The moment she'd looked at him. The moment she'd truly seen him. At that moment, everything had almost changed. His wolf stirred uneasily.

Restless. Hopeful. Dangerous.

Mate.

Ronan closed his eyes. The word hurt. Because sooner or later, she was going to figure it out.

And when she did, he wasn't sure which of them would survive the truth.