Moonlit Case Files : The Exiled Wolf

Chapter 3 : The Witness

Samira's first class on Wednesday was Introduction to Biochemistry.

She spent the entire lecture thinking about claw marks.

The professor droned on about molecular structures while Samira sketched the tree from the woods in her notebook. The deep gouges in the bark. The way the wood had splintered outward, like something had been pulled free. Or escaped.

What kind of animal leaves marks like that?

She knew the answer. She just didn't want to admit it.

After class, she checked her phone. A text from Maeve: Found someone who might talk. Shifter named Corvin. Runs a food truck near the river. He saw Lily the night she disappeared. Be careful—he's skittish.

Samira typed back: On my way.

---

The food truck was parked near the river, surrounded by a handful of picnic tables and a view of the water.

The sign on the side read CORVIN'S CATCH in peeling letters. A handwritten note taped to the window said FRESH FISH. NO REFUNDS. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Samira approached the counter. A man stood inside, flipping something on a grill. He was thin, wiry, with dark hair and sharp features. His eyes flicked up when she approached.

He didn't smile.

"We're closed."

"The sign says open."

"The sign lies." He turned back to the grill. "What do you want?"

"Maeve sent me."

The man—Corvin, presumably—went still. Then he laughed. It wasn't a pleasant sound.

"Maeve sends everyone. What are you? Another witch? A vampire? Some pack wolf sniffing around for information?"

"Human," Samira said. "Detective."

Corvin turned. Looked at her properly this time. His eyes narrowed.

"A human detective. In Hollow Creek." He shook his head. "You're either brave or stupid."

"Both, usually." Samira leaned against the counter. "I'm looking into Lily Morrow's disappearance. I heard you might have seen her."

Corvin's expression flickered. Fear. Then something else. Guilt.

"I don't know anything."

"You know something."

"I know I don't want to get involved." He turned back to the grill. "The pack doesn't like people who talk. And I like living."

Samira was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "Lily's mother is terrified. She thinks her daughter is dead. And the pack won't help her because she's nobody. Unaffiliated. Sound familiar?"

Corvin's hands stilled.

"You're a shifter," Samira continued. "Not a wolf. Not part of the pack. You're nobody to them too. That's why you're out here, running a food truck by the river instead of living in town with the rest of them."

"Careful," Corvin said softly.

"I'm not trying to insult you. I'm trying to understand." Samira met his eyes. "You saw something. Something you haven't told anyone. Maybe because you're scared. Maybe because no one asked. I'm asking."

A long silence.

Corvin looked at her. Really looked. Whatever he saw seemed to make a decision for him.

He sighed. "She came through here three nights ago. Around ten. She was with someone."

"Who?"

"A man. Tall. Dark hair. I didn't see his face clearly." Corvin paused. "But he smelled like pack."

"A wolf."

"Not just any wolf. An alpha. Or close to it." Corvin's jaw tightened. "They were arguing. She was crying. He was... angry. I heard her say something about 'not going back' and 'the truth.' Then they left. Toward the woods."

"Did you follow them?"

"No." Corvin's voice was bitter. "I'm not an i***t. I'm not getting involved with pack business."

Samira studied him. "You recognize him. The man she was with."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to." She pulled out her phone. "Do you know a man named Silas Kane?"

Corvin flinched. "Everyone knows Silas Kane. He's the alpha."

"What does he look like?"

"Tall. Dark hair. Intense." Corvin paused. "But the man I saw... he wasn't Kane."

Samira frowned. "Who else could it be? Someone from the pack, you said."

"There are other wolves in the pack. But..." Corvin hesitated. "There's one who isn't. Not anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"He was exiled. A year ago. Cast out. No one talks about him." Corvin's voice dropped. "But he was close to the alpha. Before. His second, or something like it."

Samira's heart pounded. "What was his name?"

"Kaelen. Kaelen Voss."

The name hung in the air.

"Was he the man you saw?"

"I don't know. Maybe. The build was right." Corvin shook his head. "But he's supposed to be gone. Banished to the Dark Forest. No one's seen him since."

"Except maybe Lily."

Corvin said nothing.

Samira pocketed her phone. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Just don't tell anyone you talked to me." Corvin turned back to the grill. "And if you're smart, you'll stay away from the Dark Forest. Whatever's in there... it's not friendly."

Samira walked away.

She had a name now.

Kaelen Voss.

---

Back at the apartment, Samira stood in front of her corkboard.

The scarf was off. The board was covered in red string and photos and questions.

At the center: Lily's photo. The notebook page.

Around it: the red fabric. The claw marks. The twisted magic.

And now, a new addition. A sticky note with a name.

Kaelen Voss. Exiled. Suspect? Witness? Both?

She stared at it.

The exiled wolf. The one no one talked about. The one who might have been the last person to see Lily alive.

She needed to find him.

But the Dark Forest was pack territory. Dangerous. Off-limits. And she was just a human.

Nothing new, she thought.

Her phone buzzed. Robin: Dinner? I'm making pasta. It's edible this time. Promise.

Samira typed back: Be there in ten.

She covered the board. Grabbed her jacket.

As she walked to the kitchen, she paused at the window. The sun was setting. The trees at the edge of town were dark silhouettes against the orange sky.

The Dark Forest.

Somewhere in there, a wolf was hiding.

I'm coming, she thought. Whether you like it or not.