Luna Everleigh's POV
***
The scent of damp earth and pine filled my lungs as I stepped deeper into the forest. The sounds of the city had long faded behind me, replaced by the whisper of wind through the trees and the occasional rustling in the underbrush.
Darkness curled around me, thick and unyielding. The moon was hidden behind clouds, offering only slivers of silver light that barely pierced the canopy above.
I wrapped my arms around myself, my body shivering from more than just the cold.
How had it come to this?
Just yesterday, I had a home. A future. A life.
And now…
Now, I was no one.
A sharp twig snapped beneath my foot, and I flinched, my senses suddenly on high alert.
I wasn't alone.
The realization sent a chill down my spine.
Slowly, I turned, scanning the darkness. The trees stood silent, their twisted branches stretching toward the sky like skeletal hands. But the feeling of being watched was unmistakable.
I swallowed hard.
It was probably just an animal. A fox. A deer.
Right?
A low, almost imperceptible sound echoed in the distance—a growl, deep and guttural.
Panic surged in my chest.
Wolves.
I had heard the stories. The rogue packs that lived beyond the borders, shunned from the city, surviving off whatever they could find. Desperate. Dangerous.
I took a cautious step back, my breath quickening.
A second growl. Closer this time.
My pulse pounded in my ears. My instincts screamed at me to run, but I knew better. Running would only make me prey.
Still, my legs tensed, ready to bolt.
Then—
A presence.
A sudden shift in the air, something deeper than just an animal's gaze.
Something intelligent.
Something waiting.
I sucked in a sharp breath, my fingers curling into fists. "Who's there?" My voice wavered, but I forced myself to hold my ground.
Silence.
Then, ever so slowly, a figure emerged from the shadows.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Cloaked in darkness, with only the faintest glint of silver reflecting off his eyes.
His gaze locked onto mine, intense and unreadable.
I couldn't breathe.
Something about him felt… wrong. Not in the way that sent me scrambling for safety, but in the way that made my instincts coil and tighten, unsure whether to fight or surrender.
The air between us crackled with something unseen, something primal.
"Lost, little wolf?" His voice was smooth, deep, edged with something dark.
I shivered. Not just from the cold this time.
"Stay away from me," I warned, though the words held no real power.
A slow, almost amused smile touched his lips. "If I wanted to hurt you, you'd already be on your knees."
The words sent a jolt through me, my stomach twisting at the raw confidence in them.
I should run.
I should scream.
But I did neither.
Because for the first time since my world had shattered—
I wasn't alone.
And that terrified me more than anything else.
To be continued...