Chapter 3 The First Danger

The forest shouldn't have feel this invigorated. Each pop of a twig underneath, each shift of the breeze through the branches - it was excessively, too sharp, excessively loud. However, something about its wildness called to me. I didn't have a place over here, not actually, however the draw had been obvious. It always was.

It began with a walk. Or if nothing else, that was everything I'd said to myself. A stroll to clear my head. A walk to sort through the chaos of dreams that felt too real, of arguments with Grayson that left me raw, of Liam's relieving words that felt like a demulcent I didn't merit. I'd scarcely made it a quarter mile from the edge of the property when the sensation crawled up on me: the undeniable feeling of being watched.

I quit, turning gradually, my heartbeat pounding against my ribs. "Who's there?" I called, my voice steadier than I felt. The silence that followed was worse than any answer.

The first growl was low, almost imperceptible. I only caught it because of whatever strange changes were happening to me. My senses, sharpened by something I didn't understand, had been a curse all week. Now, they felt like a cruel reminder of just how out of my depth I was.

The second growl came from behind me. This one was unmistakable. Low, guttural, and entirely too close. I spun around, my breath catching in my throat. And there it was-a wolf. But not just any wolf. This one was enormous, its yellow eyes gleaming with a cruel intelligence that sent ice shooting down my spine.

It wasn't just a wolf. It was one of them.

"Stay back," I whispered, though my voice cracked. My fists clenched at my sides, useless against something so primal and deadly. The wolf's lips pulled back in a snarl, its fangs glinting in the dappled light.

"You're her," a voice growled-not from a person, but from the wolf itself. It wasn't spoken in words, but I understood it all the same, the way you understand a storm's intent as it looms.

I staggered back, my breath hitching. "What are you talking about?"

"You reek of power," it continued, pacing in a slow, deliberate circle around me. "Your blood... it sings. They'll come for you, little wolf-blood. You can't hide forever."

The words hit me like a slap, and my knees nearly gave out. "I don't know what you're talking about!" I shouted, fear giving my voice an edge.

The wolf tilted its head, an almost mocking gesture. "You will."

And then it lunged.

Instinct took over-raw, untrained, and clumsy, but enough to save me. I threw myself to the side, hitting the ground hard as the wolf's massive body crashed into the space I'd just occupied. My shoulder screamed in protest, but adrenaline drowned out the pain.

"Help!" I screamed, knowing full well no one was close enough to hear. My mind raced, desperate for an escape, but the wolf moved too fast. It turned on me, its claws ripping into the earth as it lunged again.

And then, just as it reached me, a deafening roar echoed through the forest.

Grayson.

He appeared out of nowhere, a blur of movement that seemed too fast, too controlled. He collided with the wolf mid-air, their bodies crashing to the ground in a snarling, chaotic tangle of fur and fury. I scrambled backward, my chest heaving as I watched in stunned horror.

Grayson was brutal. He didn't just fight-he dominated, his movements precise and terrifying. It was over in seconds. The rogue wolf yelped, a sound that made my stomach churn, before retreating into the shadows of the forest.

Grayson didn't chase it. Instead, he turned to me, his eyes blazing with a mixture of fury and something else I couldn't place.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he snarled, stalking toward me.

"I-I wasn't-" I stammered, still trying to catch my breath.

"That much is self-evident," he snapped, getting my arm and pulling me to my feet. His grasp was firm, yet all at once not difficult. "You might have been killed."

I yanked my arm free, glaring up at him in spite of the tears stinging my eyes. "I didn't request your assistance."

"No, you didn't," he snarled, his voice low and perilous. "However, you're important for this world now, regardless of whether you like it. Also, in the event that you don't begin paying attention to me, you will not endure it."

Back at the house, Grayson's outrage hadn't died down. He paced the lounge like a confined creature, his clench hands grasped at his sides.

"For this reason I told you not to go into the forest alone," he said, his voice tight with scarcely limited fierceness. "You have no clue about what's out there."

I folded my arms, resting up against the wall. "Perhaps assuming you'd let me know what's happening rather than simply yapping orders, I wouldn't be so clueless."

He stopped pacing, turning to face me with an intensity that made my stomach flip. "I've told you enough."

"No, you've told me what's convenient for you," I shot back. "What was that thing? Why did it know who I am?"

Grayson's jaw tightened, but he didn't answer.

"Grayson," I said, my voice softer now. "Please."

His shoulders sagged, and for the first time, he looked... tired. "It was a rogue. And it knew who you were because word is spreading. About you. About your bloodline."

"What about my bloodline?" I asked, my throat dry.

He hesitated, then shook his head. "Not now. It's too dangerous."

"Too dangerous for who? Me? Or you?"

Liam showed up later, his presence a welcome relief from the suffocating tension. He found me sitting on the back steps, my arms wrapped around my knees as I stared into the forest.

"Rough day?" he asked, sitting beside me.

"You could say that," I muttered.

He smiled softly. "Grayson can be... intense. But he means well."

"Sure has a funny way of showing it," I said, glancing at him. "What about you? Are you going to tell me it's my fault too?"

"No," he said simply. "But I am going to remind you that we're here to help you. All of us."

I snorted. "Even Talon?"

Liam's expression faltered for a split second before he recovered. "Talon's... complicated. But yes, even him."

As if on cue, Talon appeared later that night, leaning casually against the porch railing like he belonged there.

"You really need to work on your survival instincts," he said, his grin equal parts charming and infuriating.

I glared at him. "What do you want?"

"To warn you," he said, his tone abruptly serious. "That attack today? It wasn't random. The rogues are organized. They're working against the pack."

"Why?" I asked, my chest tightening.

"Because of you," he said simply. "You're a threat to them. To everyone."

The heaviness of his words settled over me, weighty and choking. "I didn't request this," I murmured, my voice scarcely discernible.

"No, you didn't," Talon said, his gaze softening. "Yet, that doesn't change the way that it's working out. Furthermore, on the off chance that you don't begin having an independent mind, the pack will use you up and spit you out."

"No more," Grayson's voice slice during that time like an edge. He ventured out onto the yard, his appearance as cold and enduring as anyone might imagine. "Leave."

Talon smirked but didn't argue. "Contemplate what I said, darling."

And afterward he was gone, vanishing into the shadows.

I went to Grayson, my chest hurling with a combination of outrage and dread. "He's lying, right?"

Grayson didn't reply. All things considered, he stepped nearer, his voice low and risky."Stay away from him, Evelyn. He's not your friend."

"Nor are you," I snapped, the words getting away before I could stop them.

His demeanor solidified, but he didn't argue. Instead, he walked away, abandoning me with the devastating load of all that I didn't have any idea.

The following morning, I found claw marks on the edge of the forest-deep, deliberate, and impossible to ignore.