Alpha'sShadow

he images came flooding back the massive wolf with its glowing amber eyes, the

k, surrounded by an open laptop, a steaming mug of coffee, and hastily scribbled notes. The une

ross the keyboard. If she was going to figure o

s history was full of strange stories tales of shadowy creatures, unexplained disappearances, and a "curse" tied to

adowcl

ays tied to whispers of wolves and a powerful family that had controlled Ravenshade's forests for centuries. According to old acco

t?" she muttered

d, the more questions piled up. Every lead seemed to point back to

man she'd encountered or

e hesitated before picking it up, half-expecting another ominous

s answered. "Do you have the articl

document stared back at her. "Not yet,"

fluff piece, not an investigative report. Just write s

dy elsewhere. She ended the call quickly, pro

intention of

ebook tucked under her arm. She couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her, but

of the few places where people still whispered about Ravenshade's d

m scent of coffee and baked goods washing over her. A few patr

e a friendly-looking barista gree

voice, she added, "Actually, I'm looking for someon

oward the back of the café. "You'll want to talk to Henr

an older man sat nursing a cup of tea. His fac

d, taking her coff

sked, standing

his expression guar

rom him. "I'm a journalist. I'm working on a story about t

s narrowing. "The forest, huh? What mak

nge. And I saw.." She stopped herself, unsure how much to reveal. "Let's

e. "You shouldn't have gone into the forest," he said af

again. Peop

essed. "What'

was low. "The forest belongs to them. The clans. They've been here longer than R

ning forward. "What are they

"Big ones. Smarter than any animal has a right

She wanted to ask more,

"You're better off leaving it alone. Some

Henry's words lingered in her mind, but they didn't d

the sun began to dip below the horizon,

ng her from a nearby alley, their a

aint howl of a wolf ec