Chapter 1 The Whispering Forest

The wind howled through the trees of Moonridge, echoing like a whisper only the brave dared to interpret. Tall pine trees swayed under the pale light of the full moon, casting shadows on the dark forest floor. In the distance, an eerie howl broke the silence-a sound that had become familiar to the residents of the town, yet remained unexplained.

Fifteen-year-old Lyssa Wolfe sat cross-legged on her bedroom floor, staring at the clock. 11:48 PM. Her dark curls framed her face, and her amber eyes shimmered with restless curiosity. Across the room, her brothers, Kai and Aiden, paced like caged animals.

"They're gone again," Kai said, pulling aside the curtain and peeking into the night. "That's three months in a row. Always at the full moon."

"I heard Mom and Dad whispering last night," Aiden added. His voice was tense. "Something about 'the forest' and 'transformation.'"

"Transformation?" Lyssa echoed, her heart skipping a beat.

The three of them shared a look-silent agreement forged from years of being inseparable. Triplets didn't just share a birthday. They shared secrets, suspicions, and now... questions too heavy to ignore.

"Let's follow them," Kai said finally, his blue eyes glinting with mischief and concern.

"No," Lyssa said sharply. "What if it's dangerous?"

Aiden tilted his head. "Exactly why we need to find out. Whatever they're hiding-it involves us. I can feel it."

It was true. Each of them had started to notice things. Kai's sudden bursts of strength. Aiden's hypersensitive hearing. Lyssa's dreams-always full of blood moons and snarling beasts.

At midnight, wrapped in hoodies and armed with nothing but flashlights and teenage stubbornness, they crept out of the house, hearts thundering in unison. The forest was only a few miles from the edge of town, but under the full moon, it felt like another world-alive, watching.

They kept to the shadows, following distant murmurs and the unmistakable scent of their parents' cologne and perfume-sharper, somehow, than before. It led them to a clearing surrounded by rocks shaped like claws.

And then, they saw them.

Two silhouettes at the center of the clearing. Their parents-Noah and Celia Wolfe-stood hand in hand, the moonlight bathing them in silver. A thick silence fell as both adults raised their heads to the sky.

Then it began.

Bones cracked like firewood. Their bodies convulsed and contorted. Hair erupted from skin. Screams turned to howls. Their mother's gentle frame twisted into something monstrous, yet regal. Their father's broad figure doubled in size, his face elongating into a snout.

Lyssa gasped. Kai stumbled backward. Aiden froze, his flashlight slipping from his fingers with a dull thud.

Two wolves-enormous, ethereal, and terrifying-now stood where their parents had been.

Panic surged. Lyssa turned and ran, her breath coming in sobs. The forest blurred around her. Behind, she heard Kai call her name, and the sound of paws hitting earth. She didn't stop until they were back home, trembling in her room.

That night, none of them slept.

Morning light spilled across the kitchen table. The trio sat in silence, watching their parents enter as if nothing had happened.

"We need to talk," Noah said simply.

Lyssa's fists clenched. "What... what are you?"

Celia sat down, her eyes soft but tired. "Not what. Who. We're still your parents. But we're also... werewolves."

A silence followed, thick as fog.

"It's a curse," Noah continued. "One passed down through five generations. Every firstborn inherits it. And when there are triplets-" he paused, glancing at Lyssa- "each one carries the curse. But only one holds the power to end it."

Lyssa felt the blood drain from her face.

"Who?" Aiden whispered.

Celia's gaze fell on her daughter. "You, Lyssa. The only girl born to three. The prophecy has always been clear."

"I don't understand..." she whispered.

"You will," her mother said gently. "Soon. Your sixteenth birthday is in six days. When the full moon rises again, you'll feel it. All of you will. But your journey, Lyssa... will be different. Harder. You were born with a heart both human and divine."

Kai slammed his hand on the table. "So this is our future? Turning into monsters every month?"

"You are not monsters," Noah said firmly. "You're protectors. But yes-it's your reality now. Unless Lyssa finds a way to break the curse."

"How?" Lyssa asked. "How do I break it?"

Celia hesitated, then spoke a name like it was a wound.

"The Blood Moon's Heart."

The name meant nothing to them. Not yet. But it sent a shiver down Lyssa's spine, one that whispered of pain, sacrifice, and a destiny she never asked for.

But destiny didn't ask for permission.

It just came.