Eliza.

Eliza trotted along the dark forest path, her ears pricked and her nose taking in the scents of the woods. The full moon illuminated the forest in a silvery glow, casting shadows from the tall trees. She was restless tonight, her wolf side yearning for something she couldn't name. She wanted to be free, to run, to hunt, to feel alive. But something was missing, and she couldn't quite put her paw on it.

Suddenly, she caught a whiff of an unfamiliar scent. It was spicy, like cinnamon and cloves, and it made her nostrils flare with curiosity.

"This is not a werewolf," she said to herself.

She followed the scent, her muscles tensing as she saw the outline of a figure standing in a clearing.

As she got closer, she saw that it was a man. He was tall and lean, with pale skin and jet black hair. His eyes were the colour of amber, and they glinted in the moonlight. He wore a black leather jacket and jeans, and his arms were crossed over his chest.

Eliza's hackles rose as she approached the stranger. Her instincts were telling her to be wary of him, to stay away. But her curiosity got the better of her, and she padded closer until she was standing a few feet away from him.

"Who are you?" she said calmly, her lips curling back to reveal her sharp teeth.

The man raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a half-smile. "I'm Caleb," he said, his voice smooth as velvet.

"You're not a werewolf."

He stared, saying nothing.

For some reason, she enjoyed the silence, with this stranger who seemed to materialise out of thin air.

She smiled, thinking of when last she felt this type of ease with a stranger.

A stranger.

She quickly remembered that he's a stranger and quietly berated herself for letting her guard down so easily.

He could be anything…a wizard? Highly unlikely, considering his getup but then, maybe he's a newer breed?

Could he be a hunter? But if so, why isn't she dead already? Shrivelled and dried up like the rest of her cousins who were poisoned with wolfsbane five moons ago.

Or a vampire? That's much worse. Nope, it couldn't be, he'd be dead already…or killed her.

Or he could just be mad, seeing as no one just dared dabble into their territory except that were the case.

He smiled. That irritated her.

"What?"

"You could ask those questions out loud, you know?"

A vampire.

Eliza snorted. "You have no right to read my mind like that. What are you doing here?"

Caleb shrugged. "Just passing through. I didn't mean to intrude on your territory."

Eliza's eyes narrowed. "This is werewolf territory. I need not mention to you that vampires aren't welcome here."

Caleb chuckled. "I'm aware of that, Eliza. But I'm not here to cause any trouble. I was just taking a walk."

She was momentarily thrown off-balance. Something about the way he said her name….oh, he's reading her mind. She has to keep talking.

"How do you know my name?" She definitely didn't tell him

He pointedly stared at her. Or rather, her hair.

She immediately understood. She's popular within and beyond Silver Creek for the colour of her hair - silver strands, the colour of white skies mixed with the questionable white of beach sand, she was rumoured to be the true and pure descendant of the First Mother - and of course the controversial, yet favourite daughter of the former Alpha, Alpha Richardson, the man whose name made even newborns tremble.

"You've done your research."

He stared.

Yeah, he's probably really mad. He knows who I am, yet he's not running for his dear life?

"I could let out a howl and you'd be surrounded in seconds, you know that?"

"You won't do that." He said, almost sadly.

Eliza bristled. "Yes I won't, and that's why you should leave. Now. If you're still reading my mind -" she sent him a sly look. "you would know that I easily change my mind."

Caleb raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Fine. I'll go. But before I do, can I ask you something?"

Eliza tilted her head, curious despite herself. "What?"

Caleb's eyes bored into hers. "Do you ever feel like there's something missing in your life?"

Eliza's hackles rose again. "What an ability you have there, vampire." Her gaze was intentionally cold.

She stepped forward. "Have you gone to the part of my mind wishing to stab you with silver, peanut?"

Peanut?? Where did that come from?

That caused his demeanour to falter a little but he didn't take the bait. Caleb stepped closer, his scent overwhelming her senses. "I mean, do you ever feel like you're meant for something more? Like you're meant to be part of something bigger than yourself?"

Eliza shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm doing just fine as it is because I'm happy here with my pack and why the heck am I telling you this." She mumbled the last part more to herself.

Caleb nodded, "We'll meet again, Eliza." his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer before he turned and disappeared into the woods.

Almost literally. Of course he would show off his supernatural speed, tsk, showoff.

Eliza watched him go, her heart racing with an unfamiliar feeling. Was it attraction? Disgust? Fear? She didn't know.

It felt like a dream.

All she knew was that she had to keep this encounter a secret from her pack.

"Eliza?"

Startled, she froze, then registered the voice as that of her brother, Germaine. She could finally breathe easier.

"Hey."

"What's up? What are you staring at?"

Great, he didn't see Caleb.

"Nothing, just wanted some air."

"Thinking of Kate again?"

She nodded, she required no effort to look pitiful, it's now a constant look on her. "Let's just go."

Germaine studied her features then brought her close and affectionately ruffled her fine mane of almost white hair.

"Yeah, let's go."

As they turned to make her way back to the pack's den, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to change in her life. She just didn't know what.

Nice to meet you, Caleb.