The next morning, Desmond awoke to the sound of a soft knock on his door. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes as the events of the night before replayed in his mind. The mysterious man who had appeared in the woods—what was he really trying to say? Why had he vanished so quickly, leaving nothing but a trail of dread in his wake?
He pushed those thoughts aside for now. There was no use dwelling on what he couldn't understand. His focus needed to be on the present. There was more at stake now, and the sooner he accepted the fact that his life would never be the same, the better.
Desmond threw on a jacket and made his way to the door. When he opened it, he found Elias standing there, his arms crossed as he leaned against the frame.
"Morning," Elias said, his expression neutral. "We need to talk."
Desmond nodded, stepping aside to let Elias in. As Elias walked in, Desmond couldn't help but notice the tension in his mentor's movements. Something was wrong.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," Desmond remarked, trying to lighten the mood.
Elias didn't crack a smile. "It's not a ghost. But we need to get serious about what's happening here. You've been acting on instinct, which is good, but it's not enough anymore."
Desmond narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Elias paced back and forth for a moment, deep in thought. "You've got abilities, Desmond. More than anyone could have imagined. But it's not just that. You've tapped into something, something far older than you think. Something... dangerous."
Desmond's stomach tightened. "What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that whatever you are—it's not just an anomaly." Elias stopped pacing and turned to face him. "You're a part of something bigger. You're not just a player in this game. You're the game-changer."
Desmond blinked, feeling the weight of Elias's words sink in. "What do you mean? How am I a game-changer?"
Elias didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took a deep breath, as if trying to gather his thoughts before speaking again.
"Everything that's happening—the vampires, the werewolves, the witches—it's all connected. And you, Desmond, are at the center of it. There's something about you that they can't ignore."
Desmond felt a chill run down his spine. He had known something was off, but hearing Elias confirm it made it all the more real. The supernatural world wasn't just some distant realm; it was closing in around him.
Later that afternoon, Desmond found himself back in the woods, doing what he always did when he needed to clear his head—training. Elias had told him to focus on honing his abilities, but it was harder than he expected. The weight of what Elias had said kept pressing on him.
"Game-changer," Desmond muttered under his breath. "What does that even mean?"
The forest was eerily quiet, the air thick with anticipation. Desmond had barely started his routine when the familiar prickling sensation at the back of his neck made him freeze. He wasn't alone.
He spun around, his eyes scanning the trees. The shadows seemed to shift, and for a moment, he thought he saw something move just beyond his reach.
"Who's there?" Desmond called out, his voice steady despite the rising tension.
The only response was a low growl, followed by the sound of heavy breathing. A figure emerged from the darkness, a silhouette moving through the underbrush. Desmond's heart raced as the figure stepped into the light—tall, broad-shouldered, and unmistakably wolf-like.
A werewolf.
Desmond's shield snapped into place before he even realized it, a barrier of mental and physical energy surrounding him in an instant. The wolf's eyes locked onto his, and for a moment, neither of them moved. The air between them crackled with energy.
"Not the welcome I was hoping for," the werewolf growled, his voice rough but somehow laced with amusement. "You must be Desmond."
Desmond's jaw tightened. "And you are?"
"Name's Kael," the werewolf said with a shrug, as if introducing himself to someone he met on the street. "I've been sent to keep an eye on you. Elias didn't tell you about us, did he?"
Desmond's guard remained up, but the fact that Kael wasn't attacking immediately caught his attention. He studied the werewolf carefully. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yeah, well, you will soon enough," Kael replied, stepping closer. "We're not your average wolves. And as much as you don't want to hear it, we've got our eyes on you. You're too important to let slip through the cracks."
Desmond's mind raced. "Why are you telling me this?"
Kael let out a dry laugh. "Because it's better if you hear it from me than from someone else. You're not just a pawn in some supernatural game. You're something far worse. Trust me, we all know it. And we're all watching you."
Desmond's grip on his shield tightened. "I don't need anyone watching me."
"I'm not here to babysit," Kael said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "But we can't afford to have someone like you running around unchecked. You're too dangerous."
Dangerous. The word echoed in Desmond's mind, and he couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't just Kael's opinion—it was a fact.
"You'll figure it out soon enough," Kael said, his eyes glinting in the fading light. "But be careful. If you get too close to the wrong people, you might find yourself facing something worse than a werewolf."
With that, Kael turned and vanished into the trees, leaving Desmond standing alone with more questions than answers.
As the sun began to set, Desmond stood in the woods, his mind spinning. He had hoped that by pushing his abilities further, he could get some answers. But now, it seemed like the more he discovered, the deeper the mystery became.