The air in Blackwood Hollow was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine. The town, nestled at the foot of the mountains, was quiet in the early morning, with only a few cars passing along the main road. Damien Blackwood stood outside the sheriff's office, his mind racing as he stared at the photograph in his hand.
The sigil carved into the tree near the most recent disappearance wasn't just a random mark. It was a symbol he'd seen before—one linked to an ancient enemy.
His grip tightened on the paper. Whoever was behind this wasn't just hunting rogues. They were sending a message.
Lucas stepped up beside him, arms crossed. "I don't like this, Damien."
"Neither do I." Damien folded the paper and slid it into his jacket pocket. "We need to find out who's behind it before more of our kind disappear."
Lucas exhaled sharply. "Then I hope you're ready for a fight."
Damien didn't respond. He already knew a fight was coming.
As they turned to leave, the sound of a camera shutter clicking nearby caught his attention. His head snapped toward the source. A woman stood across the street, partially hidden behind a parked car, holding a camera with a long lens.
His eyes narrowed. Humans rarely paid attention to werewolf affairs—unless they had a reason to.
The woman lowered her camera and met his gaze. For a moment, neither of them moved. Damien took her in—dark auburn hair, striking green eyes, and a sharpness in her expression that spoke of intelligence. She wasn't afraid of being caught watching him. If anything, she looked intrigued.
Lucas muttered under his breath, "You know her?"
"No," Damien said, but something about her felt… familiar. Not in a way he could place, but in a way that unsettled him.
The woman turned and disappeared down the sidewalk.
"Follow her," Damien ordered.
Lucas smirked. "You got it."
Damien walked in the opposite direction, taking a shortcut through an alley to intercept her. If she was snooping around, he wanted to know why.
The Journalist
Evelyn Carter knew she had been caught watching them.
Damn.
She tightened her grip on her camera as she hurried down the sidewalk. She had been tracking the disappearances for weeks now, but this was the first time she had seen the infamous Alpha Damien Blackwood up close.
And now he had seen her too.
She turned the corner, quickening her pace. She had parked her car two blocks away—if she could get to it before they stopped her, she'd be fine.
A shadow moved in front of her.
She stopped abruptly, heart hammering.
Damien Blackwood stood in her path, arms crossed, his towering frame blocking the entire sidewalk. Up close, he was even more intimidating—broad shoulders, dark silver hair slightly tousled, and piercing golden eyes that seemed to see straight through her.
"Going somewhere?" His voice was deep, smooth, but edged with authority.
Evelyn took a breath, masking her nerves. "I don't think I owe you an explanation."
Behind her, she heard footsteps. Lucas had caught up. Trapped.
Damien tilted his head slightly. "You've been watching me. Why?"
Evelyn straightened her shoulders. "I'm a journalist."
Lucas scoffed. "Of course you are."
Damien's gaze never left hers. "That's not an answer."
She hesitated, considering her options. Lying wouldn't get her anywhere, but telling the truth could be even worse.
"I've been investigating the disappearances," she finally said. "And from what I've seen, you know more than you're telling the public."
Damien's expression didn't change. "The disappearances aren't human business."
"Tell that to the dead bodies turning up," Evelyn shot back. "The sheriff may be keeping things quiet, but I know what I saw. Something is hunting out there. And you know exactly what it is."
A flicker of something—surprise?—crossed his face, but it was gone in an instant.
"You should walk away from this," Damien said, his voice lower now, almost… dangerous.
Evelyn refused to back down. "I don't think so."
A muscle in his jaw twitched.
Lucas sighed. "Stubborn little thing, isn't she?"
Damien exhaled slowly. "You're coming with us."
Evelyn stiffened. "Excuse me?"
"You wanted to know the truth?" Damien's lips curled slightly, but there was no humor in his expression. "Then let's take a ride."
Evelyn glanced between him and Lucas. Neither looked like they'd take no for an answer.
She had two choices: run, or go with them.
And for some reason, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to run.
The Packhouse
The drive to the Silver Moon Pack's territory was quiet. Evelyn sat in the backseat of Damien's black SUV, her mind racing.
She had spent years digging into supernatural cases—most turned out to be nothing but myths, but this? This was real.
And now she was in the heart of it.
The packhouse was massive, a sprawling lodge-style mansion hidden deep in the forest. It looked like something out of an old gothic novel, surrounded by towering trees, with a long driveway leading up to it.
Evelyn stepped out of the car, her fingers still gripping her camera bag. "Nice place," she muttered.
Damien ignored the comment and motioned for her to follow.
Inside, the place was warm but grand—high ceilings, wooden beams, a massive stone fireplace crackling with fire. Wolves lounged around, some in human form, others fully shifted.
All of them turned to stare at her.
Damien led her into a large study and shut the door behind them.
"Talk," he ordered.
Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "Talk about what?"
"What you know."
She set her camera bag down. "Fine. Over the past month, at least six people have disappeared—two humans, four werewolves. But the weird part? No bodies. No struggle. Just… gone." She pulled out a notebook. "Except for the ones that did turn up. And those?" She slid a photograph across the desk. "They weren't just killed. They were dissected."
Damien picked up the photo. His jaw clenched.
"You've seen this before, haven't you?" Evelyn pressed.
Damien didn't answer. But she saw the flicker of something dark in his eyes.
Lucas, who had been leaning against the wall, exhaled. "Shit."
Evelyn folded her arms. "Tell me what I'm dealing with."
Damien finally looked at her. "You're dealing with something you don't understand."
"Then help me understand."
Silence stretched between them.
Then Damien leaned forward, his golden eyes locked onto hers. "If you want answers, you stay close. No wandering. No asking questions you don't want the answers to."
Evelyn's heart pounded. She knew she was stepping into something dangerous.
But she had come this far.
"Deal," she said.
Damien nodded, but something in his expression told her she had no idea what she had just agreed to.