Chapter 2 2

Kiera stood frozen on the doorstep, staring at Finn. His eyes never left her face, a silent understanding in his gaze, but his words barely registered in her mind. The howl from the forest echoed again, this time louder and closer, sending a shudder through her entire body. Her instincts screamed at her to retreat, to slam the door and lock herself inside, but something held her in place.

Finn's expression was grim, his jaw tense as he watched the trees beyond the yard. "You're not safe here. Not anymore."

Kiera swallowed hard, her throat dry. "What do you mean, not safe? This is my house-my home."

A bitter laugh escaped Finn, but it was devoid of humor. "Your home is the last place you should be. I didn't want to involve you in this, but you don't have a choice anymore."

The air around them seemed to shift, thickening with an energy Kiera couldn't quite grasp. She glanced over her shoulder at the house, the looming darkness behind her. There was a pull in her chest-a nagging sense that everything she'd known until now was a lie. Her father had been hiding something, and now that secret was hunting her down.

"You're not making any sense," Kiera said, trying to steady her breath. "My father was just a man. He wasn't involved in anything... anything dangerous."

Finn stepped closer, his voice low. "Your father was part of something much larger, something far older than you realize. The pack that's out there"-he nodded toward the forest, where the trees stood like silent sentinels-"they've been watching this house for years. Waiting for the right time to strike. And that time is now."

Another howl pierced the night, sending a ripple of fear down Kiera's spine. She could feel it-an unsettling presence in the woods. The night had suddenly become too quiet, too still, and yet, she could sense the danger lurking just beyond the treeline.

Her heart pounded in her chest, but she couldn't tear her gaze away from Finn. There was something about him-something in his eyes, the way he spoke, that made her wonder if he wasn't entirely human.

"You still haven't told me what's going on," she said, her voice strained. "Why is this happening? Why now?"

Finn sighed, looking away for a moment as if weighing his next words carefully. "I wasn't sure if I should tell you. You were better off not knowing the truth. But now that your father's gone, the pack will come for you."

"I don't understand. What pack?"

The sound of rustling leaves interrupted them. Finn's body tensed, and his eyes flicked toward the forest. "They're here."

Kiera's pulse skyrocketed. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rise, an almost primal sense of danger flooding her senses. The distant rustling became louder, and Kiera realized with a sickening clarity that it wasn't the wind in the trees. Something was moving-something large. And it wasn't alone.

"They're not human," Finn said quietly, his voice strained. "They're werewolves."

The word hit her like a slap to the face. "Werewolves?"

Finn's gaze met hers, his expression dark. "Your father's bloodline is connected to the pack that runs these woods. Your family was once the guardians of their kind, a pact forged centuries ago. And now, you're the last living heir. They've been waiting for you to come into your power."

Kiera's breath caught in her throat. "Wait, are you saying that I-" Her voice faltered. "I'm supposed to be... a werewolf?"

Finn nodded. "You're more than human, Kiera. You just don't know it yet."

Her mind reeled as the full weight of his words crashed down on her. Werewolves? Guardians? Power? She had no idea how to process this-how to understand what Finn was saying. It was like a nightmare that was too surreal to be real. She tried to speak, but her words failed her.

Another howl, closer now, echoed through the trees. The hairs on her arms stood on end. Finn stepped forward, his hand outstretched toward her. "We need to go-now."

Kiera instinctively recoiled, shaking her head. "Go? Where? What's happening? I don't understand!"

Finn's expression darkened. "We don't have time for explanations. They're already here."

Before she could react, he grabbed her wrist, pulling her away from the door. Kiera stumbled, caught off guard by his strength, but she found herself moving despite herself. Fear licked at her heels, urging her to run, but something in the air, something in Finn's grip, kept her rooted to the moment.

He pulled her through the house, past the darkened rooms, the once-familiar walls now feeling alien and cold. The back door opened to the garden, where the shadows seemed darker than they should be. The full moon hung high in the sky, its silver light casting an ethereal glow over the yard. Kiera could feel her heart racing, thudding in her chest as Finn led her toward the woods.

"What do you mean, 'they're here'?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Finn didn't answer immediately, his focus fixed ahead, scanning the trees. "There's a pack-hunters, too. They've been tracking you. Your father's death triggered everything."

Kiera's head spun. "Hunters?"

"They want to kill you before you can unlock your power. They know what you are, what you could become."

The fear in Finn's eyes was real, something that made Kiera's skin crawl. Her mind was racing. She could barely keep up with the deluge of information, the strange words that didn't make sense, but the danger she felt was real enough. Her heart hammered in her chest, each beat reverberating in her ears.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kiera said, trying to break free from the grip on her wrist. "I'm not one of them. I'm just-"

"Shut up," Finn snapped, his voice sharp. "You don't have a choice anymore. They'll come for you. It's too late to run."

The woods loomed ahead, the trees towering like silent witnesses to the chaos about to unfold. Kiera's pulse raced, her instincts screaming at her to run, but Finn's hand kept her steady. "You have no idea what you're capable of, Kiera. I'll explain everything later, but right now, you need to trust me."

A low growl rumbled through the trees, followed by another howl, closer now. The ground seemed to vibrate beneath Kiera's feet, and the sound of branches snapping echoed from deeper within the forest. Her breath caught in her throat. She didn't need to see it to know that something was coming. Something that would change everything.

Finn tugged her further into the woods, his pace quickening as the sounds grew louder. The shadows shifted around them, flickering as if alive. Kiera couldn't see anything clearly, but the feeling of being watched was overwhelming. Something was closing in.

"Stay close," Finn ordered, his voice tense.

Kiera nodded numbly, her mind spinning. The sounds were growing louder now, moving rapidly through the trees. The ground beneath her feet shifted, and the air was thick with the scent of earth and decay. And then, the first figure emerged from the darkness.

A man, tall and lean, with eyes that gleamed yellow in the dim light of the moon. His skin seemed to shimmer, shifting between human and something far more animalistic. His teeth were sharp, his lips curled in a snarl that sent a chill down Kiera's spine.

Finn stepped in front of her, his posture defensive. "Stay back, Kiera."

The figure moved closer, his body rippling with muscle as the transformation began. The air was heavy with the scent of fur and blood, the unmistakable presence of something far more dangerous than any human.

Kiera stepped back, heart hammering in her chest. The words Finn had spoken earlier-about power, about werewolves-rushed back into her mind with overwhelming force. The truth was unfurling in front of her, but she wasn't ready to accept it. She couldn't be. But in that moment, surrounded by the shadows of the forest, Kiera understood one thing.

Her life, the one she had known, was over.