The golden eyes didn't blink. They didn't move.
Callista's pulse pounded in her ears as she took a shaky step backward, her breath coming in quick, uneven gasps. She wanted to run—every instinct screamed at her to turn and bolt back to the safety of her room. But her legs refused to obey.
The creature in the darkness let out a low, guttural growl, vibrating through the still night air.
A wolf. A massive one.
But wolves didn't live in Ravenshire. At least, that was what she had always believed.
Callista swallowed hard, forcing her voice to work. "S-Stay back."
The golden eyes narrowed slightly, and then, to her horror, the wolf took a step forward, emerging from the shadows. Moonlight hit its fur, revealing a sleek coat of deep midnight black, its muscles shifting beneath its powerful frame. It was unlike any animal she had ever seen—larger than a normal wolf, almost unnatural in its size.
Her breath caught as the wolf let out another low growl, stepping even closer.
Callista stumbled back, her foot catching on a root. She barely had time to gasp before she was falling—her body slamming against the cold earth. Pain jolted up her wrist as she landed hard, but she barely registered it.
The wolf was above her now.
Towering. Watching. Studying.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to scramble back, her palms pressing against damp leaves. But the wolf didn't attack. It tilted its head slightly, as if… confused.
Then, to her shock, it spoke.
Not in words. Not aloud.
But inside her head.
"You're not supposed to be here."
Callista's entire body went rigid, her blood running cold.
She had heard it. A deep, commanding voice that wasn't hers, echoing through her mind like a foreign presence invading her thoughts.
Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
The wolf took another step closer, its golden eyes burning into hers.
"Who are you?" the voice demanded.
Callista's breath hitched. "W-What… what are you?"
The wolf's ears flicked back slightly, and for a moment, something unreadable flashed across its face—an expression far too human for a creature of the wild.
"You don't know?" the voice inside her head sounded almost… curious.
Callista pushed herself up slightly, her wrist throbbing. "Know what?"
The wolf exhaled sharply. Then, before she could react, it lunged.
A scream tore from her throat as a blur of black fur and sharp teeth came at her—but instead of attacking, the wolf did something even more terrifying.
It shifted.
Bones cracked, muscles rippled, and in a matter of heartbeats, the massive beast in front of her was no longer a wolf.
It was a man.
A tall, striking hot young man with tousled black hair and golden eyes which gradually changed to a pair of mesmerizing blue eyes, standing before her as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Callista could do nothing but stare, her entire world shattering around her.
Everything she thought she knew—about Ravenshire, about herself—was a lie.
And as the stranger took a step toward her, his gaze never leaving hers, she realized something even worse.
This was only the beginning.