Prologue: The mirror's calling
The mirror was always her warning.
Pia leaned over the sink, staring into the still surface, the faint hum of the town’s quiet streets outside the window barely touching her senses. The glass glowed faintly, shimmering like a storm just behind its surface. She didn’t know how long she’d been doing this—searching for answers in its depths—ever since they’d moved to this strange little town at the crossroads of the wolf packs.
She didn’t even want to look, but something pulled at her, drawing her closer each day, each time the visions came. This was different.
A sudden shudder ran through her spine as she saw the figure again. A girl. Blood staining the cobblestone street, eyes wide open, frozen in terror. Pia gasped as the vision took hold, her heart pounding in her chest. It was always like this—real—as if she was there.
The scream. The whispers. The pull.
And then, the silence.
Pia stumbled back from the mirror, her breath coming in shallow gasps. Sweat clung to her skin, and her vision blurred. The pain, the dizziness, the nausea—it never stopped after each vision. The toll was too much, too real.
She wiped her forehead, blinking rapidly. She knew it.
This time, it wasn’t just a dream. This was real.
She tried to focus. The missing poster on the community bulletin board flashed in her mind. The girl in the image—the one with dark hair and pale skin—she was the one from the vision. She was dead.
And Pia hadn’t just seen it. She had felt it. The fear. The pain. The coldness of the blood-soaked street.
A knock on the door startled her from her thoughts.
"Pia? You okay in there?" Kieran’s voice filtered through. The familiar warmth of his tone sent a shiver down her spine, the only thing that made her feel grounded after the chaos of her visions.
Pia took a deep breath, pushing herself upright, wiping away the cold sweat. She wasn’t ready to tell Kieran—or anyone—about the visions yet. Not yet.
"Yeah," she called out, her voice hoarse. "Just... just a headache. I'll be out in a sec."
But the vision was clearer now, sharper. She knew it was only a matter of time before the next murder came. The darkness was closing in on this town—and Pia was the only one who could see it coming.
But why? Why her?
And where was Kieran in all of this? Why did he feel different every time she was near him?
Her heartbeat quickened, and she shook her head.
No time for that now.
Not when a killer was hunting in the shadows.