Chapter 3 3

The air outside was sharp and biting, the scent of damp earth and pine even stronger now. Lachlan led Amara to an old, battered truck parked a short distance from the clinic. He opened the passenger door for her without a word, and she climbed in hesitantly, clutching her bag tightly.

"You're not exactly putting me at ease," Amara said, her voice tinged with both curiosity and apprehension.

Lachlan slid into the driver's seat and turned the key. The engine roared to life. He cast her a sidelong glance, his expression unreadable. "You'll understand soon enough."

The truck bumped along the uneven road as they left the small town behind. The forest pressed in closer with every mile, the towering trees swallowing what little light remained in the overcast sky. Amara watched the scenery shift, her heart pounding louder with every turn.

"Lachlan," she said finally, breaking the tense silence. "Where are we going?"

"To the outskirts," he replied, his voice low. "There's something you need to see."

Her stomach tightened. "And you couldn't just tell me about it?"

He let out a dry chuckle, though it held no real humor. "This isn't something you explain. You'll have to see it for yourself."

Amara opened her mouth to argue, but something in his tone stopped her. He wasn't being evasive-he was being careful. She turned back to the window, the forest blurring past as the truck picked up speed.

They drove for nearly twenty minutes before Lachlan finally pulled off onto a narrow dirt path barely visible through the overgrowth. The truck rattled and groaned as it pushed through the rough terrain, the branches scraping against the sides like skeletal fingers.

Amara's grip on her bag tightened. "Lachlan, this is starting to feel like a bad idea."

He parked the truck and turned to her, his silver eyes catching the dim light. For a moment, he didn't say anything, just studied her with an intensity that made her skin prickle.

"You trust me?" he asked suddenly.

Amara blinked, caught off guard. "I... don't even know you."

"Fair enough." His lips twitched in something resembling a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "But I need you to trust me anyway. Just for a little while."

She hesitated, her instincts screaming at her to leave, but there was something in his expression-something raw and vulnerable beneath the sharp edges. Against all logic, she nodded.

"Good," he said, stepping out of the truck.

Amara followed, her boots sinking slightly into the damp earth. The forest was eerily quiet, the kind of silence that made her ears strain for any sound. Lachlan motioned for her to follow him, and they made their way deeper into the woods.

The path was barely a path at all, just a faint trail of flattened grass and disturbed leaves. Lachlan moved with an ease that suggested he'd walked this way a thousand times, while Amara stumbled over roots and uneven ground, her breath puffing in the cold air.

"What are we looking for?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You'll know when you see it," he replied without looking back.

They walked for several more minutes before Lachlan stopped abruptly. Amara nearly ran into him.

"What is it?" she asked, but her question died in her throat as she stepped around him and saw what he was looking at.

It was a clearing, but the ground was torn apart as if something massive had clawed its way through. Deep gouges marred the earth, and the trees surrounding the clearing bore similar marks, their bark stripped away in jagged lines.

Amara's eyes widened as she took in the scene. "What the hell happened here?"

Lachlan crouched near one of the claw marks in the dirt, his fingers brushing the disturbed soil. "A fight," he said grimly.

"With what?"

"Not what," he corrected, standing and turning to face her. "Who."

Amara stared at him, her heart pounding. "You're not making any sense."

Lachlan's jaw tightened, and for a moment, he seemed to wrestle with himself. Then he took a step closer, his silver eyes locking onto hers.

"You don't belong here, Amara," he said, his voice low and urgent. "Not in Blackwood, not in these woods. This isn't a safe place for you."

She shook her head, her pulse racing. "I don't understand-"

"You don't have to," he interrupted. "But you need to listen to me. Whatever brought you here, it's bigger than you think. And if you stay... you're going to get caught in the middle of something you can't handle."

Amara felt her frustration boil over. "What are you talking about, Lachlan? What is going on here?"

Before he could answer, a sound cut through the air-a low, guttural growl that sent a chill down her spine.

Lachlan's head snapped toward the treeline, his entire body tensing. "Damn it," he muttered