Honestly, the wind that morning? It was doing that creepy thing—whispering through the branches like it knew some secret nobody else would ever find out.
Lina Ashford just stood there at the trailhead, sucking in cold air, watching it puff out in little clouds. The forest ahead looked like some ancient king on his deathbed, draped in the last scraps of gold from autumn.
Most folks in the village? Yeah, they wouldn't come out here unless their life depended on it. But Lina? She wasn't most folks.
Today, she needed out. Quiet. Just some space to think, you know?
That weird mark on her shoulder—still burning under her sweater—hadn't chilled out. Actually, it felt even hotter the closer she got to the trees, like it was some sort of compass for trouble. Like something in those shadows was calling her by name.
Ever since that whole thing in the hallway with Rafe Calder—the new guy with eyes like a thunderstorm and a voice that could probably start one—nothing felt normal anymore.
He'd seen the mark, touched it, and then just dropped those words on her like a bomb:
"You shouldn't have that."
"You shouldn't exist."
Then he dipped. Just walked away. No explanation, no "sorry for wrecking your day," nothing.
So here she was, practically marching through the woods, trying not to let panic eat her alive. This trail used to be her safe place. Today? Even the air felt heavy, like the whole forest was waiting for something. Not even a bird making noise. Squirrels? Gone. Total silence.
It was like the trees themselves were holding their breath.
After about an hour, Lina bailed on the trail and started weaving through the old growth, where the trees crowded together like old men at a poker table.
The further she went, the less she remembered her mom's constant warning texts or anything Rafe had said. The silence was weirdly comforting. For a minute, anyway.
Then—bam—a low growl split the air.
Lina froze. Her stomach dropped through the forest floor.
She wasn't alone.
Her eyes whipped around. Nothing. No movement, no twigs snapping, just that growl again, closer this time, like it belonged to something that did not want to be seen.
Yeah, not human.
Her heart did this wild drumming thing. She started inching backward, ready to get the hell out.
And then she saw it.
Just past the trees where the ground dipped and mist hugged the dirt—a wolf. Not just any wolf. This thing was massive, black as midnight, fur glinting like oil, and its eyes—man, those eyes—burned gold, molten, unreal.
Lina stopped breathing. Legs wouldn't move. Total statue mode.
The wolf didn't even bother to snarl. It just watched her. Quiet. Heavy. The kind of silence that feels like a storm's about to break.
But those eyes. She knew them. Same wild look Rafe had thrown her in the hallway.
No way. Absolutely not.
She tried to laugh it off, tell herself she was losing it.
"This can't be happening," she croaked—her voice barely there, trembling like a busted radio signal.
The wolf—oh, it was taking its sweet time, slinking forward like it was debating whether to order pancakes or steak for breakfast.
Lina's foot caught on—what else—a freaking root, and she ate dirt. No grace, just thud and all the air punched outta her chest. She lay there, gasping like a fish, while the wolf strolled up, not even breaking a sweat.
It looked her over, slow and bored, like she was some sad bug it hadn't decided whether to squish or ignore.
Lina's brain screamed, "Move!" but her limbs? Yeah, they'd clocked out early.
It got close. Really close. She could see old scars in its fur and teeth that, honestly, did not look friendly.
It dipped its head, sniffed at her.
She braced herself for pain. Death. Something.
Nothing happened.
Instead, the wolf looked her dead in the eyes. Not a monster's stare. Something… familiar. Someone who saw her. Actually saw her.
For a split second, fear just—melted away. She felt understood, which, let's be real, was almost as terrifying.
Then everything tilted. Pressure built behind her eyes. Roaring in her ears. The world spun and faded.
Blackout.
She woke up warm.
Soft blankets. Her room smelled like pine and lavender, all safe and homey. Lina shot up, heart pounding.
Sunlight streamed through the curtains. Clothes clean. Sweater draped over her chair, boots lined up by the bed.
What. The. Actual. Hell.
She scrambled out of bed, hands flying over her body. No cuts, no bruises, not even a stray leaf.
Had she just dreamed the whole thing? Or had the forest just spat her back out, good as new?
Man, it was almost like the whole forest thing had been a bad dream or something. Like, poof—never happened. Except, it totally did. No escaping that.
Lina remembered it way too well: those wolf eyes, all heat and wild energy, her own skin prickling like the world had just decided she was important. Not the fun kind, either—more like, "Congrats, you lucky disaster, you've won a front-row seat to your own nightmare."
Her breath? Yeah, pretty much MIA. Panic bounced around inside her ribs, making everything feel way too tight.
She spun in circles, brain scrambling to keep up, and honestly? She nearly missed it. Almost.
But then she saw it.
Right there, at the edge of her freaking bed, pressed into the battered old floorboards: paw prints. And not cutesy little dog ones, either. These were massive. Muddy. Still wet, dirt matted deep into the wood grain.
Oh, and just to make it extra weird? A single black hair. Thick, animal hair. She scooped it up, hands shaking like she'd just downed six Red Bulls. It glimmered in the light, rough and real and absolutely not from any human.
She stood up slow, clutching it like a clue in some supernatural murder mystery.
Honestly, there was only one explanation that made even a sliver of sense, and it was straight-up bonkers: the wolf had brought her home.
Lina? Yeah, she was done with school for the day. No way was she answering any texts, especially not the ones from her mom that just kept stacking up, panic and all-caps.
She couldn't talk, couldn't explain, mostly because she had no idea what to say. Instead, she sat out in the garden, sun on her face, black wolf hair burning a hole in her pocket. Her brain? Full chaos mode.
If the wolf was Rafe—if he'd followed her, saved her, whatever—why not just say something? Why keep it all secret? And how the hell did he know about the mark?
That's when it happened: a whisper, soft as a ghost, tickling her ear.
"It's awakening."
She sprung upright, heart beating abnormally.
"Who's there?"
Nothing. Just wind.
And then, clear as anything but this time inside her own head:
"You are not who you think you are."
And that, folks, is how you lose your grip on reality.
Later, way after the sun had bailed on the day, Selene showed up. She found Lina hunched over in the kitchen, staring at nothing like she was in some indie drama.
"Lina!" Selene nearly tripped over herself getting to her.
"Are you okay? Where have you been?"
Lina didn't even bother looking up.
"You really want to play that game? Where have you been?"
Selene hesitated, twitchy.
"Council business. Things are moving… faster than we thought."
Lina turned.
"You knew about the mark."
Selene went ghost-white. Busted.
"You knew this would happen. And you just kept quiet."
"I was trying to protect you."
"Bullshit. You wanted to control me."
Heavy, awkward silence.
Selene edged closer.
"Listen, Lina. That mark—it's not just a birthmark. It's a seal. An anchor. Something ancient."
"Called the Burning Veil," Lina muttered, barely audible.
Selene froze mid-step.
"I've been seeing things. And yesterday, in the woods—there was a wolf. Black as night. I know it was him."
Selene blinked, slow.
"Who?"
"Rafe."
Selene looked like she'd seen a ghost.
"So it's true. He's back."
Lina's eyes narrowed.
"You want to explain that?"
Selene stared at the floor.
"I know too much, and not nearly enough."
Lina grabbed her, desperate.
"Tell me. Now."
Selene's voice dropped.
"Rafe Calder isn't just the new guy at school. He's the son of Dominic Calder—the last Alpha, the one who fought the prophecy. We all thought he was gone for good. If Rafe's here, it means the prophecy's waking up."
Lina's voice cracked.
"And me? What am I?"
"You're the key, Lina. The fire they tried to snuff out. You are the Burning Veil made flesh."
And just like that, Lina's world fell off its axis.
Selene's voice was barely a whisper.
"This was never what I wanted for you."
Lina let out a laugh, bitter and raw.
"Yeah, well. Bit late for that, don't you think?"
That night, Lina lay wide awake, just staring at the ceiling like it might blink back. The mark on her shoulder thudded like a second heart. Somewhere out there, Rafe Calder—wolf, mystery, maybe hero—was watching.
The forest hadn't given her a warning. Nope. It gave her a choice.
Changing.
"Rafe?" Her voice was barely a squeak.
He turned. His eyes—oh man, they were molten gold, blazing. Not even pretending to be human.
And then it all went sideways. His face twisted, splitting into something monstrous. Claws ripped out of his hands. His back bent in ways backs definitely shouldn't. Black fur exploded from his skin. He was both human and… not. Agony all over his face.
Then he lunged.
Lina screamed—
And snapped awake, drenched in sweat, the mark on her shoulder burning like someone held a lighter to it.
No going back now.