WOLF'S BLOOD

Eighteen-year-old Ethan Cole never believed the forest behind Ridgeway High was alive. To him, it was just a stretch of dark trees students whispered about, a shortcut he usually avoided. On the night everything changed, rain soaked his hoodie, his phone battery was dead, and the long way home felt impossible. The forest swallowed sound as soon as he stepped inside. The wind died. The rain softened. Ethan’s heartbeat became the loudest thing he could hear. He told himself it was fear—nothing more—but something deeper stirred beneath his skin, as if his body recognized a danger his mind could not yet name. The growl came from nowhere and everywhere at once. It was low, vibrating, ancient. Ethan froze. His breath caught when a massive shadow burst from the underbrush. Yellow eyes burned through the darkness,Ethan was confused as to what he saw ,he didn't believe it at first until it drew close to him ,it was said that wolves never existed in ridgeway but he was so sure it was a wolf .The wolf was too large, too intelligent. It moved with purpose, not hunger. Ethan ran. Roots clawed at his feet. Branches tore at his arms. He almost made it to the clearing when pain exploded through his shoulder. He screamed as teeth sank into his flesh, hot and sharp, followed by a force that slammed him into the mud. The wolf loomed over him, breath steaming, eyes locked onto his. For a brief, terrifying second, Ethan swore it looked… curious. Almost regretful. Then the world went black. When Ethan woke up, he was lying at the forest’s edge, the rain gone, the sky pale with early dawn. His clothes were shredded. His body should have been broken. But he was alive. All felt like a dream but it was reality More than that—he felt different. Stronger. Sharper. Awake in a way he had never been before. At school later that day, whispers followed him. His best friend Marcus Hale noticed the bruises, the way Ethan flinched at loud sounds, the way his eyes seemed brighter. Lena Rivers, the girl Ethan had loved quietly for years, noticed too. Ethan lied. He smiled. He said he fell. And somewhere deep inside him, something growled in agreement.