Chapter 3 3

The forest was alive with movement, the darkness thick with the sounds of something prowling just beyond the edge of the trees. Kiera's breath caught in her throat as she watched the figure before her-human, then shifting into something larger, more feral. She felt the ground beneath her feet tremble as the transformation took hold. Fur began to sprout across the man's skin, his bones cracking and reshaping with terrifying speed. In seconds, he was no longer a man at all, but a massive wolf, its yellow eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

Finn stepped forward, his body poised as if ready to strike. The wolf before them growled low, its lips curling back to reveal sharp, gleaming teeth. Kiera's heart raced. She had heard the stories, of course, but never imagined they could be real. Werewolves. The pack. Her father's death. Everything was spiraling into something she could barely comprehend.

Finn raised his hand, signaling for Kiera to stay back. "Stay close to me," he said, his voice a low growl. "This isn't over."

The wolf snarled, its large form blocking the path. Kiera tried to step forward, but Finn's arm shot out to stop her. "Not yet. We're not ready."

Kiera's mind raced, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. A creature-no, creatures-of nightmares had stepped out of the shadows, and all she could do was stand there, helpless, paralyzed by fear. Was she supposed to fight? Run? Scream for help?

Another howl echoed through the trees, deeper this time, reverberating off the trunks of the surrounding trees. The first wolf's growl deepened, and its body seemed to grow even larger, rippling with muscle. It was joined by another, its silver fur glinting in the moonlight, and then another, until a full pack had emerged from the shadows. Kiera's breath quickened as she counted them-at least six, each one larger than any wolf she had ever seen.

"We're outnumbered," Finn muttered, his voice steady but taut with tension.

"What do we do?" Kiera whispered, her voice barely audible.

Finn's gaze never wavered from the pack in front of them. "Stay close. I'll protect you, but don't make a sound."

The leader of the pack, the first wolf, stepped closer, its yellow eyes locked on Kiera. Finn tensed, his body coiled, ready to spring into action. The wolf's lips pulled back further, revealing a savage grin, as if it were savoring the fear that radiated from Kiera. Its claws scraped against the ground as it circled them, the other wolves following suit, their movements synchronized.

Kiera's heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing in her ears. She wanted to scream, to run, but the words caught in her throat. This wasn't a nightmare. This was real.

Finn's voice broke through her thoughts. "Do not move. Do not speak. Wait for my signal."

The wolves were closing in, their eyes never leaving their prey. There was something almost ritualistic in the way they circled, as if this moment had been set in motion long ago. Kiera's gaze flickered from one wolf to the next, trying to find some way out. But the pack was too large, too fast.

Her pulse thundered in her veins, the fear nearly overwhelming her. But just when she thought she might collapse from the pressure, the first wolf stopped moving. Its eyes narrowed as it studied Finn, its posture shifting from aggression to something else-something more calculating.

Finn's eyes locked with the wolf's, his jaw tight. "This isn't your fight," he said, his voice low but commanding.

The wolf's growl turned into something softer, almost mocking. It cocked its head, as if considering Finn's words, but then the air between them seemed to shift. Kiera couldn't explain it-there was an energy in the air, thick and charged, that made her skin prickle.

The pack leader took a step back, its eyes flickering to Kiera for a moment before it turned to its pack. The others seemed to hesitate, as if waiting for some kind of signal. A beat of silence passed before the leader growled, a deep, resonant sound that sent a chill through Kiera's bones. The other wolves stepped back, their eyes still fixed on Finn and Kiera, but they made no move to attack.

For a long moment, there was nothing but the sound of the wind rustling the leaves. The tension in the air was palpable. Finn remained still, his muscles taut with readiness, but he didn't make a move.

Then, the leader of the pack spoke, its voice low and gravelly, but unmistakably clear. "You're not ready, Finn."

The words sent a shock through Kiera. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was the wolf... speaking?

The leader's gaze flicked back to Kiera. "She doesn't know, does she? How very typical."

Finn's jaw tightened. "She doesn't need to know yet."

"She will," the wolf replied. "It's inevitable. The bloodline always calls."

With that, the pack leader turned away, its tail flicking behind it as it bounded into the darkness. The other wolves followed, their retreat swift and silent, vanishing back into the shadows of the trees. The air seemed to clear, but the weight of what had just happened hung heavy in the stillness.

Kiera was still frozen, her mind struggling to process everything. What had just happened? Was it over? Were they safe?

Finn turned to her, his expression hard and unreadable. "They're not gone. They'll return. But not yet. For now, we're safe."

Kiera didn't know whether to feel relieved or terrified. "What... what was that? What did they want?"

"They wanted to test you," Finn said, his voice low, but there was a sharp edge to it. "They're trying to see if you're ready. If you're strong enough to lead them."

"Lead them?" Kiera's voice cracked. "You want me to lead a pack of werewolves?"

Finn's eyes softened, but only for a moment. "It's not a choice. It's your bloodline. Your father's bloodline."

Kiera took a step back, shaking her head. "I don't understand. I'm just... me. I don't have any kind of bloodline. I'm just-"

"You're more than human, Kiera," Finn interrupted, his voice firm. "And you're not just 'you.' You're the last of your family's bloodline, the last of the guardians. The wolves won't stop until you embrace what you are. Until you unlock your power."

"I don't want this," Kiera whispered. "I don't want any of it."

Finn's eyes softened with something that almost looked like pity. "No one wants this, Kiera. But it's your destiny. You can fight it, but the wolves will never stop hunting you."

She stared at him, her chest tightening. Every word he spoke seemed to pull her further into a world she didn't understand-a world that didn't seem to belong to her at all.

The ground beneath them trembled again, but this time, Kiera knew it wasn't the wolves. The air shifted, and she turned her head, feeling a cold breeze stir the leaves. It wasn't the wind. Something else was coming. The feeling was palpable. The darkness seemed to close in tighter, the trees stretching higher, their twisted branches reaching like fingers across the sky.

"We need to go," Finn said abruptly. "It's not safe here anymore."

Kiera looked back to the forest, her eyes narrowing. "Why? What's coming now?"

Finn didn't answer. He just took her arm and began pulling her further into the woods.

A howl sounded again, but this time, it wasn't from the pack.

It was something darker... Something more ancient.