Wolf in the shadows

the streets of the small town of Red Hollow began to empty. It was the same every night-quiet, almost unnervingly so. Yet, Lily couldn't shake the

nergy to leave. It wasn't that she hated this town-she had grown up here, after all-but there was something about it that neve

ds. It had always been just stories. At least, Lily had believed so. But recently, the dreams had started. Dreams of running through the forest, her bare feet pounding aga

r mind. The chill of the evening nipped at her skin as she stepped outside, the wind carrying the scent of pine and damp earth. Re

it was-perhaps it was the way the night felt different, the air almost thick with anticipation. T

d settled in her chest, she found herself drawn toward it. Something told her to go. She couldn't

y a strange sense of belonging. She moved further, following a narrow trail, the sound of her boots cru

-something primal, something wild, and she stopped. Her breat

est. She felt it, this time, not as a sound but as a sensation. Her skin prickled, her senses sharpened, and for

her ears. It beckoned her, almost pleadingly, as if calling her to join it in some unknown place. The air aroun

in shadows-emerged from the trees. His eyes, a piercing shade of silver, glowed faintly in the low light. H

en a man-looked at her with an expression that seemed both curious and knowing. His gaze flicke

, his voice deep and gravelly, l

hard. "Who...

ment fluid, almost predatory. "I

force and an undeniable part of the night itself. Something about him fel

ce shaking slightly, though she couldn'

rowing, as though he was assessi

a hesitant step bac

een a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes

eached down, and from the darkness, a massive wolf stepped forward-its fur as dark as the night, eyes glowing with the same silver light as the man's. The wolf was impo

ar, but because, deep inside, something told her that she had to stay. Something told

el it, don't you?" he asked, his voice now so

wolf. She had always felt... different. She couldn't explain it. But standing in fr

nd," she whispered, he

"You will, in time. But for now, y

't heard anything-no footsteps, no rustling leaves-b

in, trying to find her voice

hing dangerous flickered in his eyes. "I'm Elias," he said, his

and mournful, rising from deeper in the woods. Elias tens

response, its body c

eave. But Elias's urgency sparked something in her. A warning. She didn't know who or wh

he forest, away from the safety of the town. The call of the wolf had been an