Chapter 1 The Howl in the Shadows

The small town of Thornhill, nestled in the foothills of a vast mountain range, was known for its serenity. By day, the narrow streets were lined with neat rows of cottages, each with a garden bursting with flowers that bloomed in the short, crisp summer months. By night, it became something else silent and still, save for the occasional rustle of wind through the trees and the distant howl of a wolf.

Mara Sterling had grown accustomed to the quiet. As the only nurse working the graveyard shift at Thornhill Hospital, she was alone in a world of echoes. The old building creaked in the dead of night, and the soft hum of machinery was the only constant. But tonight, something was different. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

She pulled her cardigan tighter around her shoulders, trying to ignore the prickle at the back of her neck. The faint glow from the streetlamps outside cast long shadows through the window, stretching across the sterile white walls of the emergency room. The night had fallen colder than usual, and Mara sighed, glancing at the clock. It was just past midnight. Her shift would end in a few hours, but she still had several rounds to make.

Her footsteps echoed through the deserted halls as she walked to check on the lone patient in Room 3 an elderly man who had come in earlier with a mild fever. He had been a regular visitor to the hospital, a casualty of age and the harsh elements of mountain life. Mara often found herself spending her shifts in quiet conversation with him, listening to his stories about the town's past, stories that sometimes seemed more like legend than fact.

As she entered the room, she smiled at the old man who was now asleep in his bed, his breathing shallow but steady. Mara adjusted his blankets and then turned to leave, but as she did, a faint sound caught her attention. It was a soft, almost inaudible rustling like footsteps on the gravel outside. She froze, listening. It wasn't the wind, and it certainly wasn't the usual stray animals that wandered around the outskirts of the hospital.

Curious, she made her way to the window. The moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery glow across the town, bathing the streets in an ethereal light. She scanned the area below, where the hospital's parking lot met the edge of the woods. Her eyes narrowed when she saw him standing just outside the gate, half-hidden in the shadows.

A man. Tall, with dark hair that seemed to catch the light in strange ways. He wore a long coat, his posture rigid and still, as if he were waiting for something.

Mara's heart skipped a beat. She had never seen him before. Thornhill was a small town, and everyone knew everyone else. But this man... He was unfamiliar, and something about him made her uneasy. She leaned closer to the window, her breath fogging up the glass.

He turned suddenly, as though sensing her presence. Their eyes met, and Mara felt a chill run through her, though it wasn't the cold air outside. There was something in his gaze something ancient and unsettling that made her pull back from the window in surprise. Her hand brushed against the sill, and for a moment, she thought she might have imagined it. But when she looked again, he was still there, staring at her.

She felt a strange compulsion to go outside, to approach him. But she resisted. It was the middle of the night, and she had a job to do. She turned away from the window and shook her head, trying to shake off the feeling of being watched.

The hours dragged on, but Mara couldn't forget the man outside. Every time she checked the window, he was gone, but the unease remained. By the time the first light of dawn began to creep over the horizon, she had almost convinced herself that it had been nothing more than a figment of her imagination. After all, the mind played tricks in the dark.

But as she left the hospital later that morning, heading toward her car in the half-light, she saw him again.

This time, he was standing across the street, just at the edge of the woods. His coat billowed in the wind, and his eyes those dark, knowing eyes were fixed on her. The moment she saw him, he took a step forward, and then another, his gaze never wavering.

Mara's breath caught in her throat. It was as though the world around her had slowed to a crawl. Her heart pounded in her chest as she instinctively took a step back, but before she could turn and flee, he spoke.

"You need to stay inside during the full moon," he said, his voice low and gravelly yet oddly gentle. There was an edge of urgency in his tone that made her stop, her mind struggling to process his words.

She blinked, confusion flooding her. "What? Who what do you mean?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked past her, as though searching the horizon, his face tense. Then, with a final glance at her, he turned and melted into the shadows, disappearing as quickly as he had appeared.

Mara stood frozen for a moment, staring at the empty street. Had she heard him, right? Stay inside during the full moon? Why would he say that? And who was he?

The strange encounter left her with more questions than answers, but the warning gnawed at her, burrowing its way into her thoughts like a splinter she couldn't remove.

The days passed, but the strange feeling persisted. Mara couldn't stop thinking about Elias the name that had formed in her mind, though she hadn't heard him speak it. She told herself it was silly. There was no reason to be frightened by some man who had given an odd warning. Still, every time the moon crested the horizon, her eyes would instinctively drift toward the trees, searching for the man who had haunted her thoughts.

It wasn't until the next full moon that Mara finally understood.

She had just finished her shift and was walking home when she saw him again, standing in the same spot across the street. His eyes locked with hers, and this time, there was no fear in her chest only curiosity, the kind that demanded answers.

"What's your name? "Mara asked, her voice steady despite the uncertainty that churned inside her.

The man didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stepped closer, his eyes scanning the area as though checking for something or someone. Finally, he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Elias," he said. "I told you to stay inside. The full moon brings more than just its light. There are things in these woods things you don't want to face. Trust me, Mara, you don't want to know."

She frowned, confused. "What do you mean? What's out there?"

For a moment, Elias hesitated. Then he stepped forward, his expression darkening.

"I'm not what you think I am," he said. "I'm not just a man. And these woods... they're not as empty as they seem."

Mara's breath caught in her throat. "What are you talking about?"

Before he could answer, a strange noise echoed from the woods a low growl, one that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Elias's eyes flicked toward the sound, and his jaw clenched.

"I told you to stay inside," he repeated, his voice sharp now, filled with a raw intensity. " You're not safe here. None of us are."

The growl grew louder, closer now. Mara's heart pounded, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Elias. He was different now tense, his body coiled like a spring. His eyes shimmered with an otherworldly light.

And then, with a single, fluid movement, he turned and dashed toward the woods, disappearing into the darkness.

Mara stood frozen, her heart racing. Something deep inside her knew that this was only the beginning that Elias's secret was far more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.

But she couldn't walk away now. Not when she had finally met the man who had haunted her dreams.

Not when she was already too far entangled in his curse.