Chapter 2 Whisper In The Woods

Cindy couldn't shake the image of Aeron's glowing eyes from her mind.

She lay awake long after midnight, listening to the house breathe. Yes-breathe. That's how it felt. The walls seemed to pulse with a rhythm she couldn't explain, like veins running through old stone. And again, she heard it.

Movement.

Not loud. Not threatening. Just... wrong.

Something-or someone-was moving upstairs.

She got up and walked to her door. She gripped the handle, thinking of the third floor Aunt Martina had strictly forbidden. Her heart told her the answers were up there. But her aunt's voice echoed in her mind like a threat she didn't want to test yet.

She returned to her bed. Not tonight.

She stared at the cracked ceiling, listening to the wind outside. The old chandelier above her creaked slightly, swaying even though the windows were shut. For a brief second, she thought she saw a flicker of shadow move across her wall, but when she blinked-it was gone.

---

The next morning, Cindy made up a lie about walking into town again, but instead she went straight to the cabin.

Aeron was awake this time. Sitting on the ground, leaning against the rotting wall, his eyes tired but alert. She brought him bread, a bottle of water, and the painkillers she stole from Martina's cabinet.

"You're not supposed to be here," he said quietly, but took the bottle anyway.

"Neither are you," she replied.

His mouth twitched. A faint smirk.

"You're brave," he said.

"Or stupid."

"Maybe both."

She sat across from him, knees pulled up. "Why are they after you? You said you're a hybrid. Who are 'they'?"

Aeron's expression darkened. "The Council. They control both the vampires and the werewolves. They don't allow crossbreeds. It's forbidden. A blood crime."

Cindy's eyes widened. "But... you didn't choose to be born."

"Doesn't matter. I exist, and that's the problem."

He looked away, jaw clenched.

Cindy didn't know what to say. How do you comfort someone who's hunted just for being alive?

She noticed the dried blood along his ribs, the bruises that hadn't yet faded from his arms. His pain was more than physical-it was something he carried in silence, a weight that aged him far beyond his years.

After a long pause, Aeron spoke again. "This town-Santa Fe-it's a border. Between realms. Creatures pass through here. Some hide. Some hunt. Some... blend in."

"Blend in?"

He looked at her. "You think your aunt is normal?"

Cindy stiffened. "What do you know about her?"

"I know she's part of something old. Ancient. She keeps her face clean in public, but her hands... they're soaked in blood."

Cindy's breath caught in her throat. It didn't surprise her-but it terrified her just the same.

"Is that why you're hiding here?" she asked. "Because you think she's with the Council?"

"She is the Council," Aeron whispered. "Or at least, she used to be."

Cindy's mind raced. Her entire life she thought Aunt Martina was just a cold, bitter woman forced to take her in. But now she wasn't sure if the mansion was her shelter... or her prison.

A sudden rustling outside made them both tense.

Aeron stood quickly, wincing as pain stabbed through his side. "They're close."

Cindy rose too, heart pounding. "Who?"

"I don't know. But they're not human."

Her blood ran cold. The cabin, once a quiet place of secrecy, now felt like a trap waiting to spring shut.

---

They left the cabin, moving quickly through the woods. Aeron limped behind her, but his sharp gaze scanned the trees like he was born in them.

The forest was denser than she remembered. The air thickened, colder, as if the shadows had grown teeth. A strange mist coiled at their feet.

As they neared the edge of the forest, Cindy suddenly stopped. A large black hound stood in the path ahead-its eyes red as blood, mouth curled in a growl that sent chills down her spine.

"That's not a dog," she whispered.

"No," Aeron said grimly. "It's a sentinel."

The beast lunged.

Aeron shoved Cindy behind him and transformed-just slightly.

His fangs extended. His claws unsheathed. His muscles pulsed as his skin took on a strange silver hue.

He wasn't fully werewolf. Not fully vampire.

But what he became in that moment was something both savage and beautiful.

He fought the creature with blinding speed, dodging its fangs and slashing across its side. The hound howled, stumbling back into the trees before disappearing entirely, leaving behind only smoke.

The scent of sulfur lingered in the air. Cindy stood frozen, chest heaving.

Aeron turned to her, his eyes still glowing. "You shouldn't be here."

"You said that already," she whispered.

"You don't understand. They'll come for you now."

"Then I'll fight," she snapped, surprising herself.

Aeron stared at her for a long moment. "You're not like most humans."

She met his gaze, something sharp blooming inside her. "I don't think I ever was."

---

That night, Cindy returned to the mansion with dried blood on her sweater and a hundred new questions in her head.

Martina sat in the parlor, sipping something from a porcelain cup. Her eyes flicked up as Cindy entered.

"You smell like forest," she said flatly.

Cindy shrugged. "I went for a walk."

"And what did you find?"

"Fog. Trees. A stray dog."

Martina's eyes narrowed. She stood and slowly approached. "Be careful, Cindy. Santa Fe is not kind to liars."

Cindy didn't flinch. "Neither am I."

For a moment, the tension in the room felt like it could snap. But then Martina simply smiled.

"Good. It's time you learned how to survive."

And without another word, she walked away again-leaving Cindy standing in a house full of shadows and secrets.

---

Later that night, Cindy dreamed of fire.

Of voices calling her name.

Of a mark burning across her back.

When she woke up, she was sweating.

And for the first time, she felt something strange humming beneath her skin.

Something alive.