"JESTER!" Everly burst into the tent, her hands shaking as she frantically shook her sleeping friend. "Jester, wake up! Please, you have to wake up NOW!" Her voice cracked with panic, the images of what she'd just witnessed still burning in her mind.
"JESTER, FOR GOD'S SAKE, WAKE UP!"
Jester groaned, his eyes fluttering open reluctantly. As his vision cleared, he jolted fully awake at the sight of Everly's face—ghostly pale, her eyes wide with terror.
"Eve? What's wrong?" He pushed himself up to sitting position, instantly alert at her obvious distress. "What happened?"
"We need to leave. Right now!" She was already grabbing their essential belongings, shoving them haphazardly into bags.
"Wait, did you get your eclipse shots at least?"
"Yes, yes, I got them," she nodded frantically, "but that doesn't matter now. We have to go. We're not safe here anymore!"
"Eve, slow down." Jester caught her trembling hands. "What's got you so terrified? Talk to me."
"Wolf," she whispered, pointing with a shaking finger toward the rocks. "But not just any wolf. It's... I saw..." Her voice failed her as a bone-chilling howl split the night air, much closer than before.
Jester's skepticism vanished at the sound. Without another word, they scrambled to break down the tent, tossing everything into the car's trunk. Another howl, even closer, sent them into overdrive.
"The keys!" Everly screamed as Jester fumbled in his pocket. The sound of heavy paws pounding against earth grew louder, accompanied by the crack of breaking branches.
The engine roared to life just as a massive black shape emerged from the treeline. In the rearview mirror, Everly caught a glimpse of gleaming golden eyes—the same ones she'd seen through her camera lens.
"GO!" she screamed as Jester slammed the accelerator. The car lurched forward, tires spinning on loose earth before finding purchase. Behind them, the wolf—Maxim—let out a thunderous howl and gave chase.
"He's following us!" Everly gripped her seat as Jester navigated the narrow forest path at dangerous speeds. The headlights caught glimpses of black fur through the trees as their pursuer kept pace, sometimes disappearing only to reappear closer than before.
"What do you mean 'he'?" Jester swerved to avoid a fallen log, the car fishtailing briefly before straightening out.
"Just drive!" Everly clutched her camera bag to her chest, the evidence of tonight's impossible events safely stored within. The wolf was running parallel to them now, visible through the passenger window. Even at their speed, it matched them stride for stride.
The forest path seemed endless, each turn revealing only more darkness ahead. Branches whipped against the windows, and twice they nearly crashed trying to navigate the treacherous terrain at such speed.
"There!" Everly pointed frantically. "The highway! We're almost there!"
As they burst out of the forest onto the paved road, their tires screeching against asphalt, Everly twisted in her seat to look back. The massive black wolf had skidded to a halt at the forest's edge, its powerful form silhouetted against the darkness. For a moment, those intelligent golden eyes met hers once more. Then, as if acknowledging some invisible boundary, the creature turned and melted back into the shadows of the forest.
They drove in tense silence for several minutes, both breathing heavily, before Jester finally spoke.
"Eve... what exactly happened back there?"
Everly looked down at her camera, her hands still trembling. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she whispered. "But I have proof. I have it all on camera."
The moon, now free of its eclipse, shone bright and clear above them as they sped toward the city, leaving behind a forest that held more secrets than either of them had imagined.
***
'Oh my God, I can't believe what I'm seeing.'
Everly lay on her bed, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling as the events of last night replayed in her mind like an unstoppable horror movie. She didn't even have time to talk to Jester - as soon as she got home, she locked herself in her room, trying to calm her still pounding heart.
"Should I tell Jester?" she whispered to the silence of the room, her fingers squeezing the blanket restlessly. "But what if he thinks I'm crazy? Werewolves... even I have a hard time believing that."
Suddenly a horrifying thought flashed through her mind. She jerked in her seat, both hands clamped over her mouth. "What if Maxim recognizes me?" Her heart seemed to stop for a moment. "No, it's impossible. We're too far apart, and he sees me with his wolf eyes, not his human eyes... but still..."
With shaky steps, Everly approached the table where her camera bag was. Her hands were still shaking as she took out the camera and started going through the photos from last night. Each shot clearly showed the transformation process-from a handsome CEO to a giant black wolf. Evidence that could take the world by storm... or destroy his life.
"The money from these photos could pay for mom's treatment," she murmured, swiping at the camera screen with trembling fingers. Her mother's chemotherapy costs were mounting, and the insurance couldn't cover it all. "But if Maxim finds out that I shared this..."
The image of a large black wolf with menacing golden eyes made her skin crawl. A CEO of a multinational corporation who was also a werewolf-a very dangerous combination to have as an enemy.
"But how is that possible?" Everly started pacing in her room. "Rington Corporation has been around for centuries. Is the entire Harrington family... no, that's impossible. But I saw it myself!"
Driven by irresistible curiosity, Everly turned on her laptop. Her fingers danced over the keyboard, searching for any information on the Harrington family. Most articles only discussed their business success, the usual petty scandals that graced the gossip tabloids...
Until his eyes caught an article that had him transfixed.
"Maxim Harrington's Mysterious Accident in the Forbidden Forest," she read the title in a hushed voice. The article was dated five years ago, reporting how the Rington Corporation heir was found unconscious at the bottom of a ravine after disappearing for three days in the same forests he had visited last night.
"Experienced total amnesia after the incident..." Everly read with bated breath. "No recollection of anything that happened during the three days in the forest... found with unexplained injuries..."
Suddenly, a small detail in the photo accompanying the article caught her eye. On the neck of the hospitalized Maxim, there was a faint crescent-shaped scar-or bite?
"Oh my God..." Everly whispered, the pieces of the puzzle starting to come together in her mind. "What really happened in that forest five years ago? Is that why she turned into..."
The sound of an email notification startled her. With trembling hands, Everly opened her inbox.
Sender: M.Harrington@rington.com
Subject: About Last Night
Everly's heart seemed to stop beating.