Chapter 4 Tides of Fate

The hours that followed the stranger's visit felt like an eternity. Sera couldn't shake the weight of his words-you are part of us now. It echoed in her mind, each repetition making the truth of it sink deeper into her skin, like an itch she couldn't scratch.

She paced the small cabin, running her fingers over the worn furniture, the old wooden beams of the ceiling, anything that felt tangible and familiar. But nothing felt familiar anymore. The quiet of the forest, once a peaceful retreat, now felt oppressive, as though the very air was alive with secrets.

Lucian's warning to stay inside hung in her mind, but she couldn't just sit idly by. She wasn't someone who waited for things to happen-she never had been. She needed answers, and the only way to get them was to find out more. To understand what was happening to her.

She couldn't avoid it anymore.

Sera grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair and shoved her arms into it, the cool fabric brushing against her skin as she hurried out the door. Her boots crunched in the fresh snow as she stepped outside, the crisp night air biting at her face. The sky was dark and heavy with clouds, the moon barely visible through the mist that hung in the trees.

The wolves' howls were closer now, sharp and haunting. Sera felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise, and a shiver ran down her spine. She had never felt this exposed, this vulnerable, and the familiar path leading into the woods no longer felt like a comforting escape.

The wind picked up again, gusting through the trees, sending the branches swaying in a rhythm that was too deliberate to be natural. She hesitated, then pressed on, following the trail that led deeper into the forest.

It wasn't long before she saw movement ahead of her-shadows darting between the trees. At first, she thought it was just a trick of the light, but then she saw them.

The wolves.

They stood in the clearing just ahead, their forms massive and imposing, their eyes gleaming like molten gold in the dim light. Sera froze, heart hammering in her chest. There were five of them-tall, muscular, their fur thick and dark, blending into the shadows of the forest. Their movements were fluid, like a well-rehearsed dance, and their gazes fixed on her the moment she stepped into the clearing.

One of the wolves stepped forward, his large frame rippling with power, and Sera's breath caught in her throat. He was beautiful. In a terrifying, wild way, but beautiful nonetheless. His fur was dark as night, and his eyes-those eyes-burned with an intensity that made her heart skip a beat.

She felt it then. The pull.

It was like a force pulling her toward him, a magnetic, invisible thread that tugged at her very soul. She took a tentative step forward, but then stopped herself. This was crazy. She didn't belong here. She didn't understand what was happening, but she knew it was dangerous to get any closer.

"Sera," a voice growled, low and commanding.

She froze, the sound of her name spoken in that deep, almost guttural tone sending a tremor through her. It was the same voice she had heard earlier-the one that had filled her with unease and curiosity.

Lucian emerged from the shadows, his figure cutting through the darkness like a predator. His presence alone was enough to send a wave of heat rushing through her veins, but there was something else, too-something darker, something she couldn't name.

"You should be inside," Lucian's voice was low, but his eyes never left her, a hint of something dangerous simmering beneath the surface. "You don't belong out here."

Sera's heart fluttered, her mind spinning. She didn't know what to say. Didn't know what to feel. All she knew was that Lucian was a part of this world, a world she didn't understand. And now, she was in the middle of it, standing face-to-face with the wolves that had haunted her dreams since she arrived.

"Why did you bring me here?" she asked, her voice shaky. "What do you want from me?"

Lucian's gaze softened just slightly, but there was still a guardedness to him, something that kept him from fully opening up. He stepped forward, his boots crunching in the snow, until he was only a few feet away from her. The wolves behind him remained still, watching her with intense, golden eyes.

"You have something they want, Sera," Lucian said, his voice soft but full of weight. "Something you don't understand yet. But you will."

Sera took a step back, a cold sense of dread creeping into her chest. "What do you mean? What do they want with me?"

Before Lucian could answer, one of the wolves-much larger than the rest-shifted his stance, his muscles rippling as he slowly began to step forward. The hairs on Sera's neck stood on end as his eyes locked onto hers with a predatory gleam.

Lucian's hand shot out, grabbing the wolf by the scruff of his neck and pulling him back with surprising ease. "Stay back, Kai," he growled, his voice filled with a tension that sent a chill through Sera. "We're not here to scare her."

Kai's eyes flicked to Lucian, but the tension in his gaze remained. He was a wolf-no, not just a wolf-something more, something ancient and untamed.

"You're just as stubborn as ever," Kai muttered under his breath, though his words were tinged with a kind of grudging respect.

Sera's breath caught in her throat as Lucian turned back to her, his eyes full of meaning.

"You're not safe here, Sera," he said softly, but there was an edge to his words now, a quiet urgency. "The pack is restless, and they're starting to realize that you're not just a human. You're something more. You're tied to us in a way you can't yet understand."

Her mind whirled, her thoughts racing, but she couldn't seem to form a coherent question. "I... I don't understand what you're saying. I don't know what you want from me."

Lucian took a step closer, his gaze unwavering. "You'll understand soon enough. But you have to trust me. I'll protect you, Sera. But not all of them will be as understanding."

The tension in the air was thick, the howls of the wolves growing louder around them. And yet, beneath it all, Sera felt something stirring inside her-a spark of power she couldn't explain, but that she couldn't ignore either. She had been pulled into this world, whether she liked it or not. And now, she had to figure out what it all meant, before it consumed her.

Lucian gave her a small, almost imperceptible nod, as if reading her thoughts. "Come with me," he said quietly. "We need to get you somewhere safe. The pack won't wait forever."

Sera hesitated. But something in Lucian's eyes, something that whispered of secrets and danger, made her take the first step toward the unknown.

As the wolves watched her-eyes gleaming in the moonlight-Sera knew one thing for sure.

Her life would never be the same again.