The cool night air caressed Alex's skin, now cold and sweaty. He could still feel the echo of the transformation in every fiber of his body, as if his bones hadn't finished adjusting. The full moon still shone brightly over the clearing, but it no longer called to him with the same intensity as before. The wolf had retreated, but the feeling of danger remained.
Gideon watched Alex with a furrowed brow, his expression grave as he helped him stay on his feet. "I warned you it would be hard, but you did it."
Alex could barely grasp his mentor's words. His mind was still trapped in the memories of the attack... the chaos and fury that had consumed him. "I almost killed you..." he muttered, lowering his head, unable to look Gideon in the eye.
"It's not the first time a newbie almost tore me in half," Gideon replied, in a tone that tried to be relaxed but didn't hide the tension that still lingered in his body. "The important thing is that you stopped it. You regained control before it was too late."
Alex still felt guilt like a claw squeezing his chest. He remembered the exact moment when his claws almost tore Gideon's throat. "But it could have been worse."
"It wasn't." Gideon looked at him firmly, his tone now stronger. "Every full moon will be a test. This is just the first of many. But now you know you can resist it, even if just for a moment. That gives you an advantage."
Alex nodded slowly, although he wasn't sure he believed him. The wolf inside him was still an unpredictable force. "How am I going to live with this? I can't be near anyone during the full moon. I could... I could lose control again."
"That's why you're here," said Gideon, leading him back to the cabin. "To learn how to handle it. This isn't just about surviving, Alex. It's about controlling the wolf before it controls you. And you're doing well, much better than you think."
As they walked towards the cabin, Alex couldn't help glancing at the surrounding forest. The trees creaked softly in the wind, but there was something else, something in the darkness that unsettled him. Since the encounter with the red-eyed figure, he couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched.
"Gideon... do you think that thing... that hunter will come back?" he finally asked, breaking the silence as they both crossed the cabin's threshold.
The hunter didn't respond immediately. He approached the fireplace, stirring the embers, and then sat down across from Alex. "I don't think it's gone. That figure we saw in the forest wasn't a simple hunter. It knew too much about you. And it wasn't here by chance."
Alex frowned, remembering the figure's red eyes and how it had watched him. "What do you think they want from me?"
Gideon sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose before answering. "I'm not sure yet, but if they're looking for you like that, it means there's something in your blood. Something they want."
The idea of being "special" brought no comfort to Alex. On the contrary, it only increased his fear and confusion. Why him? What made him different? There were other werewolves, but it seemed he was the only one attracting this kind of attention.
"We'll stay alert," Gideon said in a serious tone. "For now, you need to rest. Today's training was exhausting, and although you might not believe it, you've already taken an important step by surviving the first full moon."
Alex nodded, but he could barely relax. Despite the fatigue invading his body, his thoughts wouldn't stop racing. He lay down on the cabin's couch, staring at the ceiling, but his senses were still too alert. Every little creak in the wood, every whisper of the wind kept him on edge. He couldn't stop thinking about the hunter, about that red-eyed figure watching him from the forest shadows. And even more, about the danger it posed not only to him but to Gideon.
After several hours of tossing and turning, he finally gave up. He couldn't sleep. He got up quietly, trying not to wake Gideon, and went out to the cabin's porch. The night was still thick, the full moon shining like a beacon in the clear sky, bathing everything in a silver glow.
Alex closed his eyes, breathing deeply in the fresh air. For a moment, he tried to find some peace. The wolf inside him was quiet now, almost asleep, but there was something else in the air. Something that didn't fit.
Suddenly, he felt it. A presence.
His eyes snapped open, and his senses sharpened immediately. He wasn't alone. On the other side of the clearing, among the trees, something was watching him. He could feel the weight of the gaze, like a pressure on his chest. He didn't need to see it to know it was there.
His instincts screamed at him to run, to wake Gideon, but something inside him, a more primitive part, told him he should face it. That this shadow in the forest wasn't going to simply disappear if he ignored it.
Slowly, he moved towards the edge of the clearing, his eyes fixed on the darkness. His steps were stealthy, almost inaudible. His heart was pounding in his ears, but his body was already changing slightly, as if preparing for the confrontation.
"Who's there?" he whispered, knowing that whatever it was, it could hear him.
The figure emerged from the shadows. This time it wasn't a simple hunter, nor the same red-eyed presence he had seen before. It was something smaller, more agile, but equally dangerous. Its eyes shone with a sinister gleam, and its twisted smile revealed sharp fangs.
"I've been looking for you, Alex," the creature said, its voice barely a whisper laden with malevolence.
Alex took a step back, his muscles tensing. The wolf inside him woke up immediately, growling in response to the threat.
"Who are you?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
"A messenger," the creature replied, taking a step closer. "I've come to warn you. Your days as a werewolf are just beginning... but you have no idea of the danger you're in."