Chapter 1
Here I am, again, staring at the full moon. For the past few days I found myself here more often. No wonder since it is still warm for the almost end of autumn. The view is incredible here, the small pond in between the trees in the woods behind our house. I come here often to draw, this place feels magical. Halfway through my drawing, I get the feeling someone is staring at me, but when I looked around, I didn’t see anyone.
The sun went down slowly and I completely forgot about the time. My mom always says that I live in my own bubble, especially when I lose track of time. I better hurry up and get home now and hope they will not be too mad at me.
Once home, I slowly open the back door and close is slowly, hoping the door won’t creak to much, indicating I was out past my curfew. Letting out a sigh of relief when I think there is no one waiting for me, *click* the lights in the kitchen are flicked on and I see three pair of glaring eyes on me. Busted. “Where were you, any idea how late it is?” Donovan ask me with tempered down anger in his voice as he his eyes look dark, “ I’m sorry, I-I was drawing near the pond and I hadn’t noti-“ I try to explain. Elias holds his hand up, interrupting me, “ go to bed, we won’t tell mom and dad you came home past your curfew, but you have to promise us it won’t happen again, Rea, you really have to promise us.” He says with a tone that means he doesn’t tolerate more excuses.
Ian has been quiet the whole time, so I turn to him to see if he also has something to say. He just looks at me and shakes his head before he turns on his heels and heads upstairs without a word. My heart sinks a bit when he just goes upstairs without saying anything, it is not that I pass my curfew on purpose, it’s just that when I am completely lost in what I am doing, I forget everything else. “ Don’t take it personally, Rea, he is just protective of you and hates it when you get home late.” Donovan says softly, “ I know, I’m going to bed, goodnight” I say as I walk past Elias, who sits at the kitchen counter. “Goodnight Rea” both Donovan and Elias say when I walk up the stairs.
When I am in my room, I let out a long sigh and place my sketchbook on my desk. I can’t help but feel bad, hating that I make my brothers worry so much, because I know this is not the first time I am home past curfew. Trying to shake my bad feeling, I start undressing, throwing my clothes on my chair and putting my comfy pj’s on. When I am changed I grab my sketchbook from my desk and sit down by my window, looking out at the stars. The feeling that someone was watching me came back, quickly I shut my sketchbook close and look out the window, hoping to see the person who is watching me. Again, there is no one there for me to see.
I close my curtain, place my sketchbook again on my desk and sit down on my bed. I didn’t feel uneasy when I felt someone watching me, it gave me a calm and safe feeling. Ian would have lost it on me if I had told them that I had the feeling someone was watching me, Donovan and Elias would not have been too happy about that either. I think I will keep it to myself, there is no need to worry them even more. Without giving it more thought I crawl into bed, I toss and turn before falling deep asleep.
The forest was alive, pulsing with an energy I had never felt before. It wasn’t just the soft rustle of leaves or the haunting cry of a distant wolf—it was something deeper, a heartbeat beneath the earth, one that thrummed in time with my own.
I moved through the mist, my white nightgown clinging to me as if the forest air itself sought to claim me. Barefoot and vulnerable, I wandered further into the shadows, drawn by an invisible thread I couldn’t break.
The trees loomed taller here, their ancient trunks twisted as though they had bent to witness something sacred. My breathing quickened, a mix of fear and a strange, exhilarating anticipation.
Then, the growl.
It rolled through the mist, low and resonant, a sound that wasn’t just heard but felt, deep in my chest. I froze, my pulse pounding like a drum.
“Who’s there?” I called, though her voice trembled.
The mist swirled, parting as if commanded, and he stepped forward.
The man was a shadow made flesh, towering and wild, his dark hair falling in unruly waves around his chiseled face. But it was his eyes that held me captive—icy blue, like shards of glacial ice, glowing with an intensity that made my breath catch.
“You,” he said, his voice rough and low, each word vibrating with power. “You’ve finally come.”
My lips parted, but no words came out. I didn’t know him, and yet… I did. Somehow, he was familiar, as if etched into my very soul.
“I don’t understand,” I whispered, stepping back instinctively.
He followed, his movements slow, predatory. “You don’t need to understand,” he said, his tone softening, though his eyes burned brighter. “You only need to feel.”
Before I could reply, he closed the distance between us in an instant. One moment, he was feet away; the next, his hand cupped my cheek, his touch impossibly warm. My skin tingled beneath his palm, and my knees weakened as a surge of energy rippled through me.
“You’re mine,” he murmured, his thumb brushing her cheek. “You’ve always been mine.”
My breath hitched as his other hand found my waist, pulling me against him. I could feel his heat, his strength, his unyielding presence that seemed to envelop her completely.
“But… how?” I stammered, her voice barely a whisper.
“Don’t fight it,” he said, his voice a mix of command and plea. “You were made for me. Just as I was made for you.”
His head dipped, his lips grazing mine, and the world seemed to stop. The kiss was unlike anything I had ever imagined—wild, consuming, and electric, as though every nerve in my body had come alive.
The forest around us blurred, the mist swirling faster, the trees bending closer. My senses were overwhelmed by him: his touch, his scent, the way his icy blue eyes burned into me even when my own were closed.
Suddenly, a howl echoed through the woods, piercing and haunting. It was followed by another, and another, a chorus that seemed to rise from every corner of the forest.
My eyes snapped open as the man pulled back, his gaze locked onto hers. “They know,” he said, his voice low, almost reverent. “You’re mine now, and nothing can keep us apart.”
The mist thickened, curling around them like a living thing. His eyes were the last thing I saw as the dream began to dissolve, their glow searing into my memory.
I woke with a gasp, my body jerking upright. The room was dark, save for the faint moonlight streaming through my window. I was drenched in sweat, my hair plastered to my forehead, my chest rising and falling as I tried to catch my breath.
My heart pounded as the dream lingered, vivid and inescapable. I touched my lips, still tingling from the kiss, and shivered.
Was it just a dream? Or was it something more?
I wonder how long I can keep it a secret for my brothers that somehow, someone is watching me when there is no one there.
The sound of a distant howl drifted through the night, and my blood ran cold.
