CHAPTER 2. The Wolf Eyes in the Woods
810 Words
The forest called to her.
Luna tried to ignore it, but each day the pull grew stronger like a low hum beneath her skin, vibrating in her bones, whispering her name through the rustling leaves. It wasn’t normal. Nothing about Silverpine felt normal. Not the town. Not the stares. And definitely not Kael Thorn.
Since that first day, he hadn’t spoken to her. But wherever she went, he wasn’t far behind.
At lunch, he sat with the same group of intimidating, silent guys in the far back corner. He never ate. Just watched. At gym, he didn’t join games he stood at the edge of the field, arms crossed, gaze fixed on the woods. Always the woods. Always the same blank, unreadable face.
But Luna felt his presence like heat on her neck.
Like instinct.
“Don’t stare at him too long,” a voice warned from beside her in Chemistry.
Luna blinked. “What?”
The girl had a bright nose piercing, purple-dyed braids, and the kind of attitude that didn’t care if she got detention. “Kael. Don’t get caught looking. He’s… complicated.”
Luna glanced back at her notebook. “He keeps looking at me.”
The girl raised an eyebrow. “He never looks at anyone.”
“I’m not imagining it.”
“Didn’t say you were.” She extended a hand. “I’m Taya. You’re Luna, right? The new girl with the witchy mom?”
Luna hesitated. “Yeah.”
Taya smiled. “Don’t worry. Silverpine’s full of weirdos. You’re just the newest flavor.”
Luna managed a laugh. It was the first time someone had spoken to her like she belonged. “What’s his deal?” she asked, nodding subtly toward Kael.
Taya leaned in. “He’s Alpha-born. His dad runs the Silverfang Pack. You know, the creepy cult-y family that lives in the compound past Pine Ridge?”
Luna shook her head slowly.
“Well,” Taya said, “everyone in Silverpine plays by their rules. Especially at night. Don’t go into the woods. Don’t walk past the border stones. And whatever you do, don’t cross Kael Thorn.”
Luna didn’t sleep that night.
Not because of Kael. Not really.
It was the forest again. The air had changed thicker, heavier. She opened her window and listened. No wind. No owls. Just silence.
And then… the eyes returned.
Not a dream. Not imagination. They hovered just beyond the tree line glowing faintly, unblinking. She thought about waking Rhea. But deep down, she knew her mother already knew.
Instead, Luna grabbed a flashlight and crept out of bed.
The porch creaked beneath her bare feet. Her breath clouded in the chill. She stepped onto the damp grass, flashlight aimed ahead.
One step. Two. Ten.
The beam swept the trees and caught movement.
A flash of fur. A low rustle. And then nothing.
Luna’s heart pounded. Her skin tingled. Not with fear, but recognition. Something familiar lingered here, in the moss and bark and midnight fog. She moved deeper into the woods, following an invisible thread that tugged at her chest.
Then, she saw it.
A circle of stones.
Old. Weathered. Etched with runes.
She knelt beside one and brushed the moss away, tracing the faint symbol with her fingers. The moment she touched it, a jolt of warmth shot up her arm. Her head spun.
The air shifted.
And behind her, something growled.
She turned slowly, the flashlight flickering.
A wolf stood just feet away. Massive. Black fur like ink. Eyes golden and intelligent and locked on her.
Luna didn’t move. Couldn’t.
The wolf stepped forward. Then another.
And then…
It bowed its head.
Luna gasped.
The wolf turned and vanished into the trees.
She didn’t remember going back inside.
She woke in her bed, the flashlight on her nightstand, mud on her feet.
“Luna?” Rhea’s voice drifted from the hallway. “You’re going to be late.”
Luna sat up, dazed. “Mom”
But Rhea was already walking away.
At school, everything felt… surreal. The hallway lights too bright, voices too loud. She barely made it to her locker before Kael was there suddenly, silently like he had stepped out of thin air.
He didn’t speak.
Just leaned close, eyes burning into hers.
“What were you doing in the woods last night?” he asked.
Luna’s breath caught. “How did you..?”
“You shouldn’t go past the circle,” he said. “Ever.”
“Why?”
Kael’s jaw clenched. “Because I won’t always be there to stop what’s watching you.”
That night, she dreamed of blood on snow. Of wolves circling. Of a voice hers, but not hers howling into the night.
When she woke, the mark was on her wrist.
A crescent moon, faint and glowing.
And it was burning.
- Writer
