Waking up felt like pulling myself out of quicksand. My muscles ached like I'd run a marathon, but it wasn't just physical. There was something else—a tightness in my chest, a gnawing in my gut that I couldn't shake. It was like a constant hum under my skin, a vibration that wouldn't stop.
I lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling. The events of last night—the bite, the creature, the woods—they were all too real. But there was this small, irrational part of me that wanted to chalk it up to a bad dream, or maybe a concussion-induced hallucination. My shoulder throbbed under the bandage. No, this was real. I'd been bitten by something, and it was no ordinary animal.
The sound of footsteps in the hallway snapped me out of my thoughts. Mom. I braced myself. She had a sixth sense for knowing when something was off, and today I wasn't exactly my usual self. I glanced at the clock: 7:45 AM. I was late for school, not that I had any plans of going.
"Jason?" Her voice came from the other side of the door, accompanied by a soft knock. "Are you up? You're gonna be late."
I cleared my throat, trying to sound normal. "Yeah, just getting ready."
There was a brief pause, then, "You feeling okay? You came home pretty out of it last night."
"I'm fine, just... tired."
She didn't say anything for a moment. "Alright, well, don't forget to eat breakfast before you go."
"Sure," I mumbled, listening as her footsteps retreated down the hall.
I swung my legs out of bed, my feet hitting the cool hardwood floor. The nausea from last night was gone, but that strange feeling, that heightened awareness, was still there, creeping under my skin. My senses felt... sharper. I could hear Mom humming softly downstairs, the clatter of dishes as she put them away. The faint smell of toast wafted up from the kitchen, but even that seemed more intense than usual, like someone had turned up the volume on my senses.
I peeled off the bandage on my shoulder, wincing as I looked at the bite wound. Or rather, what was left of it. It had healed overnight, scabbed over to the point where it looked like an old injury. I touched it gingerly, half-expecting the sharp pain from before, but there was only a dull ache now.
How the hell did that happen?
I stood in front of the mirror, my reflection looking back at me like a stranger. My skin was pale, but my eyes—they seemed brighter somehow, more intense. Or maybe I was imagining it. Either way, I wasn't sticking around to analyze myself. I threw on a hoodie to cover the wound and grabbed my phone from the nightstand.
Noah had texted me twice.
**Noah**: Dude where are you?
**Noah**: You alive? Or did the math test kill you?
I stared at the messages, my thumb hovering over the screen. What the hell was I supposed to say? *Hey man, got mauled by a freakish werewolf thing last night, all good though*. I couldn't tell Noah—not yet. I didn't even understand what was happening to me.
I shoved the phone in my pocket and headed downstairs. Mom was at the table, sipping her coffee and scrolling through her phone. She glanced up as I walked into the kitchen, her brows knitting together in concern.
"You don't look great. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine," I said quickly, grabbing an apple from the counter. "Didn't sleep much."
She frowned, clearly not convinced. "Maybe you should stay home today. You've been burning the candle at both ends lately. School will survive without you for one day."
I hesitated, but I couldn't let her worry. "I'll be alright. Besides, there's a project in history I need to work on. I'll head in after lunch."
She raised an eyebrow, but didn't push it. "Alright. Just don't overdo it."
I nodded, giving her a small smile that felt more like a grimace, and left the house. As soon as I stepped outside, the air hit me—crisp and sharp, but it was more than that. Everything was more. The distant sounds of cars on the main road, the wind rustling through the trees, the chatter of birds—it was like I could hear it all at once. My senses were overloaded.
I had no idea what to do or where to go, so I just walked. I stayed away from the main roads, sticking to side streets and back alleys, trying to make sense of it all. My mind raced as I replayed last night in my head. That creature... It hadn't killed me. It could have. It should have. But it bit me, then left.
The questions swirled around in my brain, tangling together into a knot that I couldn't untie. What had it done to me? Why had it let me go? And why did I feel so... different?
As I wandered, my legs carried me toward the woods. I wasn't consciously heading back there, but maybe some part of me needed answers. Maybe some part of me was hoping to find something—anything—that could explain what was happening to me. I followed the familiar path, deeper into the trees, the same path I'd taken the night before. Everything looked so normal in the daylight, but I knew better now. The woods weren't normal. Nothing in Crescent Hollow was.
The wind shifted again, and with it came a scent—something that made my heart race and my palms sweat. It wasn't the scent of blood this time, but something more primal. Something that stirred the new part of me, the part I was beginning to realize wasn't entirely human anymore. My body tensed as I sniffed the air.
And that's when I heard it.
A low growl, barely audible but unmistakable. I froze, my senses sharpening, heart pounding in my chest. The hairs on my arms stood on end as I scanned the trees, my pulse quickening. Something was out there. Something was watching me.
I turned slowly, trying not to make any sudden movements. The growl came again, this time from the opposite direction. I whipped around, my eyes darting from tree to tree, but there was nothing. The woods were quiet now—too quiet. The only sound was my own ragged breathing.
Then I saw it.
Movement in the trees, just out of the corner of my eye. A flash of dark fur, a shadow slipping between the trunks. My heart leapt into my throat as I backed up, every instinct screaming at me to run. But something held me there, something kept me rooted to the spot.
The growl grew louder, closer. My skin prickled with anticipation—or was it fear? Whatever it was, I was about to find out.
Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the shadows, but it wasn't the creature I'd seen last night. No, this was something—or someone—else entirely.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, with piercing blue eyes and a hard set to his jaw. His face was shadowed by the brim of a worn-out baseball cap, and his clothes—leather jacket, dark jeans—looked like they'd seen better days. But it wasn't his appearance that had me frozen in place. It was the way he moved—deliberate, predatory, like he owned the ground he walked on.
He stopped a few feet away from me, crossing his arms over his chest. For a moment, neither of us said anything. The tension in the air was palpable.
"You're the one it bit," he said finally, his voice low and rough. It wasn't a question.
I swallowed hard, my mouth dry. "Who are you?"
He tilted his head slightly, studying me. "The better question is: What are you?"
I opened my mouth to respond, but I didn't have an answer. I didn't know what I was. I barely knew who I was anymore. "I—I don't understand," I stammered. "What's happening to me?"
He gave a grim smile, like he'd heard this all before. "It's happening faster than I thought. You're lucky it didn't rip you apart. But the bite? It's going to change you. Already has."
A cold shiver ran down my spine. "Change me into what?"
The man's expression hardened. "Into one of us."
"One of us ?" I echoed, confused and terrified at the same time. "What the hell does that mean?"
His eyes narrowed. "You'll find out soon enough. The bite... it's a curse. One that's going to turn your life inside out." He glanced over his shoulder, as if he was expecting something—or someone—to appear. "And now that it's marked you, you're in danger. We're in danger."
My heart pounded in my chest as his words sank in. Danger? Marked? I had no idea what he was talking about, but I wasn't sure I wanted to know.
"I don't—" I started, but he cut me off.
"There's no time for questions. If you want to live, you're going to need help. My help." He stepped closer, his blue eyes locking onto mine. "You've been bitten by a rogue wolf. One that's been hunting these woods for a long time. It didn't finish you off for a reason, and trust me, that reason isn't good. It's coming back. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon. And when it does, it'll want something from you."
My mind spun, struggling to catch up with everything he was saying. Rogue wolf? Marked? Coming back? None of this made any sense. I opened my mouth, trying to speak, but the words caught in my throat.
"What does it want with me?" I finally managed to ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
He stared at me for a moment, his expression hard. "That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? But whatever the answer is, you're going to need to be ready for it. That bite you got—it's not just going to heal you. It's going to change you. Your body's already starting to adjust, whether you realize it or not. And if you don't get control of it, it'll control you."
I took a step back, the weight of his words sinking into my chest. Control me? Was he saying that I was turning into one of those things? A werewolf?
"Look, I don't know who you are, or what you think is happening, but I'm not—" I stopped mid-sentence, a wave of dizziness washing over me. My vision blurred for a split second, like the world around me was vibrating. I blinked hard, trying to steady myself. But the moment passed, and when I looked up again, his face was set in a grim smile, like he knew exactly what I was feeling.
"Yeah," he said softly, "that's how it starts."
I shook my head, panic rising in my chest. "No, this... this isn't possible. I'm not—this kind of stuff doesn't happen. Werewolves aren't real."
The man's expression darkened. "You really think that? After what you've been through? You think a regular wolf could do that to you and let you walk away? You're in it now, kid, whether you like it or not."
I stumbled back a step, my heart pounding. I didn't want to believe him. But every fiber of my being knew he was right. I'd felt the change—my senses, the way I could hear and smell things I'd never noticed before. The way my body healed overnight. The bite... it was changing me.
"What do I do?" I asked, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to sound steady.
The man studied me for a long moment, his piercing blue eyes locked on mine. "For now, you lay low. Don't let anyone know what's happening to you—not your family, not your friends. They'll just get in the way."
"Get in the way of what?" I asked, my pulse racing.
"Surviving."
I stared at him, the weight of his words pressing down on me like a stone. I could barely wrap my head around it—this stranger, standing in front of me, telling me that I was turning into a monster, that I had to hide it from everyone I cared about. But the bite on my shoulder was proof. The growing power inside me was proof. This wasn't something I could run from.
"What about the wolf?" I asked, my voice hoarse. "The one that bit me. How do I stop it?"
The man's expression hardened. "You don't. Not yet, anyway. Right now, you're not strong enough, not fast enough. If you try to take on a rogue wolf as you are, it'll tear you apart in seconds." He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "But that's why I'm here. I can help you. Teach you how to control the change. How to fight. When the time comes, we'll take it down together."
I swallowed hard, every instinct in my body telling me to run. But I didn't. I couldn't. I had no idea who this guy was or what his motives were, but deep down, I knew he was my only shot at surviving this. Whatever this was.
"Who are you?" I asked, finally voicing the question that had been gnawing at me since I first saw him.
The man hesitated for a moment, like he was weighing whether to answer. Then he took a deep breath. "Name's Caleb," he said. "Let's just say I've been doing this a long time. And if you want to live through what's coming, you're going to need me."
I nodded slowly, trying to process everything. Caleb. He seemed rough around the edges, hardened by something I couldn't yet understand. But his eyes—those sharp, piercing eyes—told me he was telling the truth. This wasn't his first encounter with whatever was out there.
Before I could ask him anything else, a twig snapped in the distance. Caleb's head whipped toward the sound, his eyes narrowing. His entire body tensed like a predator ready to strike.
"They're coming," he muttered, almost to himself.
"Who?" I asked, my heart jumping into my throat.
But Caleb didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed my arm and yanked me deeper into the woods. "Move. Now."
I stumbled after him, my feet tripping over roots and stones as we crashed through the underbrush. My lungs burned as I tried to keep up, but Caleb moved with a fluid grace that made it clear he wasn't entirely human either.
"Who's coming?" I gasped again, my chest tightening with fear.
"Hunters," Caleb spat, glancing over his shoulder. "And if they find you, they'll kill you."
My blood turned to ice. Hunters? Kill me? The questions tumbled through my mind, but there was no time to ask any of them. We tore through the woods, the branches whipping at my face, my heart racing with adrenaline. My senses were heightened again, the sounds of the forest—birds, wind, footsteps—pounding in my ears.
Suddenly, Caleb pulled me to a stop, shoving me behind the thick trunk of an oak tree. He crouched low, motioning for me to stay silent. My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath, my ears straining to hear whatever it was Caleb had sensed.
And then I heard it. Voices. Two of them, low and gruff, getting closer. They weren't panicked or hurried—they were methodical, searching. My heart slammed against my ribs as I pressed my back against the tree, trying to make myself as small as possible.
"There's blood here," one of the voices said, the sound chilling me to my core. "He's close."
"We need to move fast. If the kid changes, we'll have a full-fledged wolf on our hands."
A sickening knot tightened in my stomach. They weren't just looking for any old creature—they were looking for me. My throat tightened as I realized just how bad this was. Whoever these people were, they knew what was happening to me. They knew about the bite, and they weren't here to help.
Caleb stayed perfectly still, barely breathing as the voices grew louder. I peeked around the tree, catching a glimpse of two men in dark jackets, their faces hard and cold. They were armed, though with what, I couldn't tell. They weren't cops, and they didn't look like regular hunters. Their movements were too calculated, too deliberate. They knew exactly what they were doing.
"What now?" one of the men asked, his eyes scanning the forest floor.
"We track him," the other man replied. "The alpha wants him alive, but if he changes too soon... we put him down."
My stomach flipped, bile rising in my throat. Put me down? Like an animal? They weren't going to take chances with me. If they saw me as a threat, they'd kill me without hesitation.
Caleb shot me a look, his eyes warning me to stay still, stay quiet. He waited until the men moved deeper into the woods before turning to me, his face grim.
"We need to move. Fast."
I nodded, fear and adrenaline pumping through my veins. I didn't know who these hunters were or why they wanted me, but I knew one thing: they were dangerous. And if Caleb was right, they wouldn't stop until I was dead.
"Come on," Caleb whispered, pulling me to my feet. "This way."
We started moving again, quieter this time, keeping low and sticking to the shadows. My heart pounded in my chest as the weight of everything pressed down on me. I didn't know who to trust. I didn't know what I was becoming. And now there were people hunting me like I was some kind of monster.
But the worst part?
That part of me—the part that was changing—didn't feel fear. It felt excited.
We had only made it a few hundred feet when Caleb suddenly froze. His entire body tensed, and his eyes widened in alarm. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath.
"What?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Before Caleb could answer, the sound of howling erupted in the distance—long, eerie, and unmistakably close.
"Run," Caleb said, his voice tight with urgency. "Now."
I didn't need to be told twice.
We bolted, my legs burning as we sprinted through the trees, the howls growing louder behind us. My senses were on high alert again, every rustle of leaves, every snap of a branch sending shockwaves through my body.
I glanced over my shoulder, my heart seizing as a shadow darted through the trees behind us—low to the ground, fast. Too fast. It wasn't the hunters.
It was something much worse.
The howling continued, reverberating through the forest, sending chills down my spine. The rogue wolf. It was here, hunting us just as the hunters were hunting me. And it was closing in.
Caleb cursed under his breath, his eyes darting between the trees. "We need to lose it. If we split up, I can draw it off."
"What?" I shot back, my breath coming in ragged gasps. "Are you insane? You can't—"
"Listen to me!" Caleb grabbed my arm, his grip firm. "You need to get out of here. Head west, follow the creek until you reach the old barn. Hide there. I'll lead it away, but I can't hold it off forever."
I shook my head, panic rising in my chest. "What about the hunters? They're going to find me."
"They won't," he said, his voice tight. "Not if you do exactly what I say. Trust me, kid. You're no good to anyone if you're dead."
I swallowed hard, my mind spinning with fear and confusion. But deep down, I knew he was right. I wasn't ready to face the rogue wolf, not yet. Not like this. Caleb was my best shot at survival.
Without another word, I turned and ran, my legs burning as I pushed through the underbrush. The howling behind me grew louder, and I heard the unmistakable sound of something massive tearing through the forest in pursuit.
I didn't look back.
Branches whipped at my face, my feet stumbling over rocks and roots as I sprinted through the trees, trying to remember the way Caleb had told me to go. West. I needed to head west. But which way was that? My sense of direction was a mess, and the panic pounding in my chest wasn't helping.
The forest around me seemed to blur, the trees blending together in a rush of green and brown as I pushed myself harder, faster. I could hear the rogue wolf now—its growls growing closer, its footfalls heavy and relentless. My lungs burned, but I didn't dare slow down. I could feel it, that primal instinct, screaming at me to run, to survive. Every nerve in my body was on fire, every muscle pushing me faster as if something deep inside me had kicked into overdrive.
The rogue wolf was close—too close. I could hear its heavy breathing, the crack of branches snapping under its weight, and the low, guttural growl that made my blood run cold. It was right on my heels, and no matter how fast I ran, I couldn't seem to put enough distance between us.
My mind raced, trying to remember Caleb's instructions. *West. Follow the creek.* But I hadn't seen a creek yet, and the trees were getting denser. My heart pounded against my ribcage as I dodged fallen logs and jagged rocks, hoping I wasn't about to run headfirst into a dead end.
Then, just as I was starting to think I'd be torn apart before I ever found the creek, I heard it—the faint trickle of water. I veered toward the sound, my legs trembling from exhaustion. The trees began to thin, and soon I burst out of the dense undergrowth and stumbled down a small embankment. Below me, the creek wound its way through the forest, narrow but fast-moving.
I didn't stop. I splashed through the shallow water, the cold seeping through my shoes, but I barely noticed. The wolf's growls were still behind me, echoing through the trees like a nightmare that wouldn't end.
Then I saw it—the barn. Old, weathered, and half-collapsed, it stood in a clearing on the other side of the creek, its wooden beams sagging under the weight of time. It wasn't much, but it was shelter, and right now it was my only hope.
I climbed up the opposite bank, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I sprinted toward the barn. Behind me, the rogue wolf let out a furious howl, and I knew it was only a matter of seconds before it reached me.
I slammed into the barn's door, throwing it open and stumbling inside. The air inside was musty, filled with the scent of rotting wood and damp hay. I shoved the door closed behind me, my hands trembling as I fumbled with the rusted latch.
For a moment, there was silence. I stood there, leaning against the door, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. Maybe—just maybe—I had outrun it.
Then I heard it.
A low growl, right outside the barn.
My heart stopped. The rogue wolf was here. It had followed me, tracked me all the way to this broken-down barn. And now there was nothing between me and it except a thin, splintering wooden door.
I backed away from the door, my pulse racing. My mind was spinning, desperate for a plan, for something—anything—that could keep me alive for a few more minutes. But there was nothing. No weapons, no way out. I was trapped.
The growling grew louder, and then—*crack*—the door splintered as the wolf slammed against it. I jumped, my back pressing against the far wall as I watched the wood buckle under the weight of the creature.
I needed to move. I needed to hide. But there was nowhere to go.
*CRACK.*
The door burst open, and the rogue wolf stepped into the barn, its massive body filling the doorway. Its amber eyes locked onto mine, and for a second, the world seemed to slow. It was even larger than I remembered—muscle and fur and teeth, its breath coming in heavy, angry huffs.
I could feel its rage, its hunger, and something else—something darker, more deliberate. It wasn't just here to kill me. It was here for something more.
The wolf let out a low, rumbling growl as it stalked toward me, each step deliberate, its claws clicking against the barn floor. My heart hammered in my chest, and I could feel the pull of whatever was inside me—the thing that Caleb had warned me about. The change. It was coming, whether I wanted it or not.
I backed up, my hands shaking as I pressed myself against the far wall, but I knew there was no escape. The wolf had me cornered, and there was nothing I could do.
But then—just as the wolf tensed, ready to lunge—something slammed into it from the side, knocking it off its feet.
I blinked, my mind barely able to process what had just happened. Caleb. He had come back. He was standing between me and the rogue wolf, his eyes glowing a bright, unnatural blue, his entire body radiating a power I didn't understand.
"Get up," Caleb barked, not taking his eyes off the wolf.
I scrambled to my feet, my legs shaking as I backed away, putting as much distance between me and the wolf as I could. Caleb crouched low, his muscles coiled like a spring, ready to strike.
The rogue wolf snarled, shaking off the blow and getting back to its feet. Its eyes flickered between me and Caleb, and for a split second, I could see the calculation in its gaze. It wasn't just an animal. It was something more, something intelligent—and it wasn't giving up.
With a vicious snarl, the rogue wolf lunged at Caleb, its jaws snapping with terrifying speed. But Caleb was faster. He dodged to the side, slamming his elbow into the wolf's ribs with a force that made the creature yelp in pain. The two of them collided, a blur of fur and fists, growls and snarls filling the barn as they fought.
I stood there, frozen, watching the battle unfold, my heart racing in my chest. I didn't know how Caleb was holding his own against the rogue wolf, but it was clear this wasn't his first fight. He moved with a fluidity and precision that I could barely follow, his every strike calculated, every dodge perfectly timed.
But the rogue wolf was relentless. It snapped and clawed, its massive body slamming into Caleb with the force of a truck. Caleb staggered back, grunting in pain as the wolf's claws raked across his chest, leaving deep, bloody gashes. But he didn't fall. He didn't stop.
And then, with a roar that sent a shockwave through the air, Caleb shifted.
One moment, he was human—tall, muscular, and fierce—and the next, he was something else entirely. His body twisted and grew, his skin darkening, fur sprouting across his arms and chest. His face elongated, teeth sharpening into fangs, and his eyes—those piercing blue eyes—glowed brighter than before.
Caleb was a wolf. No, not just a wolf. He was like the rogue wolf, but more controlled, more deliberate. His form was leaner, faster, and there was something almost regal in the way he moved, like he was born to lead, born to fight.
He let out a deep, rumbling growl and lunged at the rogue wolf, his claws flashing in the dim light of the barn. The two wolves collided with a force that rattled the walls, their bodies slamming into each other, snarls and growls filling the air.
I could barely breathe as I watched them tear into each other, their movements so fast and brutal I could hardly keep track. Caleb was holding his own, but the rogue wolf was a savage, relentless force, driven by something far more primal.
Suddenly, Caleb was thrown against the barn wall with a sickening *thud*, the force of the impact knocking the wind out of him. He slumped to the ground, dazed.
The rogue wolf turned toward me, its amber eyes burning with rage and hunger. My blood ran cold.
It crouched low, muscles tensing as it prepared to lunge—and in that moment, I knew it was coming for me.
Before I could react, a voice echoed through the barn—sharp, commanding, and filled with authority.
"Stop!"
The rogue wolf froze, its body going rigid. Slowly, its head turned toward the entrance of the barn.
I followed its gaze, my heart hammering in my chest.
A figure stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the fading daylight. Tall, dressed in dark, flowing clothes, with an air of authority that made the rogue wolf's aggression seem to melt away.
The figure stepped into the light, and I saw her face.
A woman, her eyes glowing the same bright amber as the wolf's.
She smiled—a cold, calculating smile that sent a shiver down my spine.
"I see you've met my pet," she said, her voice smooth as silk. "But this is just the beginning, Jason."
The rogue wolf growled low, but it didn't move. It was waiting for her command.
And I realized, with a sinking feeling in my gut, that whatever was happening to me—whatever I was becoming—it wasn't just about survival anymore.
It was about her.
And she had plans for me.