As the days passed, Lila couldn't shake the strange feeling that had settled over her since meeting Ethan. Pine Hollow had a way of getting under her skin, and despite the quiet charm of the town, something about it felt... off. It wasn't just the eerie conversations or the cryptic warnings—it was something deeper. Something that clung to her every time the sun dipped below the horizon.
It started with the dreams.
At first, they were faint—a flicker of motion in the shadows, a distant howl that echoed through the night. But as the days went on, they became more vivid, more intense. Wolves. She saw them in her sleep, running through thick forests under a silver moon. Their eyes glowed with an eerie intelligence, and the sound of their howls filled her mind, pulling her deeper into their world.
In one dream, she found herself running with them. Her bare feet sank into the soft earth, the cool night air rushing past her as she ran beside the wolves, her senses heightened, her body moving with an unfamiliar grace. She wasn't afraid. She wasn't even human, not entirely. She could feel the power of the pack coursing through her, could feel the hunger and the freedom that came with it.
But then, always, just as the dream reached its peak, a voice would pierce the air—deep, low, and unmistakably Ethan's.
"Wake up."
She would jolt awake in her bed, heart pounding, drenched in sweat. But every time she opened her eyes, the world felt different. The shadows seemed deeper, the air heavier, as though the dream hadn't truly ended.
One evening, after another restless night, Lila walked to the edge of the forest again, hoping to clear her head. She couldn't explain it, but the pull was stronger than ever. As she stepped into the woods, the familiar rustle of leaves and distant calls of birds felt more oppressive. Her senses were on edge, as if the trees themselves were watching her, waiting.
She turned a corner in the path, and that's when she saw it. A figure, standing just beyond the reach of the moonlight.
Ethan Blackwood.
This time, he wasn't as distant as before. He stood with his back to her, his posture rigid, his eyes staring out into the darkness. For a moment, Lila hesitated, unsure whether to approach. There was something... unsettling about the way he was standing, as if he were listening for something—or someone.
"Ethan?" she called softly.
He didn't move.
Lila took a few cautious steps toward him. "Ethan, is everything—?"
Suddenly, he turned, and his eyes met hers. There was a flicker of something in his gaze—something that made her stomach twist. It was like he knew exactly what was happening inside her, like he could see the way the dreams had begun to haunt her.
"You shouldn't be here," he said, his voice colder than she'd ever heard it. "Not tonight."
Lila frowned, a chill creeping down her spine. "What's going on, Ethan? What's happening to me?"
Ethan's jaw tightened, and he stepped toward her, his movements almost predatory. "It's happening because you've been drawn in, Lila," he said, his tone low and intense. "The dreams, the howls... they're not just dreams. They're a warning."
"A warning?" Lila echoed, her pulse quickening. "A warning about what?"
His expression darkened, and he glanced around as if to make sure no one else was listening. The forest seemed impossibly still, the usual sounds of wildlife eerily absent. "There's something inside you, something the town—and the forest—has been waiting for. And it's waking up."
Lila's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean, something inside me? I don't understand."
Ethan's gaze softened just a fraction, but there was no mistaking the weight of his words. "You don't know what you are yet, do you?"
Lila felt her breath catch in her throat. The questions she had been too afraid to ask were all rushing at her now, but they felt too big, too overwhelming. "No," she whispered. "What am I?"
Ethan stepped closer, his voice barely audible. "You're connected to this place. To the wolves. To the pack. And whether you like it or not, you're becoming a part of it."
Lila took a step back, her mind racing. The wolves in her dreams, the feeling of something ancient stirring inside her—it was all starting to make sense in the worst way possible. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, a distant howl echoed through the trees.
It was loud—so loud it rattled her bones. And it wasn't just the sound that sent a shiver down her spine. It was the feeling—the raw, wild energy behind the howl, the sense that it was calling to her.
Ethan's face turned ashen, his jaw clenching. "It's starting," he muttered under his breath.
The howl echoed again, and Lila felt an overwhelming urge to run, to follow the sound. It was almost as if her body was no longer her own, like the call of the wolves was too strong to ignore. But she couldn't move. Her legs were frozen, her breath caught in her throat.
Ethan's hand shot out, grabbing her wrist with a surprising force. "Do not follow it," he ordered, his voice sharp. "Not tonight."
Lila stared at him, her pulse racing. "Why not? Why does it feel like I have to go?"
"Because you're not ready." His grip tightened. "This town, the wolves, they'll take you if you let them. You have to be prepared before you answer their call."
Lila struggled to make sense of his words, but before she could ask anything else, another howl tore through the night. This time, it was closer.
Ethan's expression shifted—something darker flickered behind his eyes, something fierce, primal. He pulled Lila closer, his voice low and urgent. "We need to go, now."
But Lila couldn't move. She could feel the call in her veins, the pull of the forest, the wolves—everything inside her was screaming to follow.
And for the first time, she realized Ethan was the one holding her back.
The dream, the howls, the wolves—it was all beginning to blur together, and she was no longer sure where reality ended and the forest began.
The wind stirred the leaves around them, sending a chill through the air, but the silence between Lila and Ethan felt heavier than the cold. The howl had faded, but its lingering echo seemed to hum in the air, vibrating through Lila's very bones. Her heart raced as the primal energy of the forest pulsed beneath her feet. She didn't understand what was happening to her, but she knew one thing—she couldn't ignore the pull much longer.
Ethan's grip on her wrist tightened, but his eyes weren't filled with anger anymore. There was something else—something urgent, something desperate.
"Please," he whispered, his voice low but intense, "you don't know what you're dealing with." His eyes scanned the forest, as if expecting something to emerge from the darkness at any moment.
Lila shook her head, trying to pull away from him. "I don't understand. What's happening to me? Why does it feel like… like I'm meant to be here? Like I'm part of this place?"
Ethan's face hardened, and for a moment, his gaze flickered with something dark—something regretful. He let out a breath, as if he had been holding it in for too long. "You don't get to choose, Lila. No one does. The forest… the wolves—they call to you, and soon, it won't just be dreams anymore."
Lila's breath caught in her throat. "What do you mean? It's just a dream. It has to be. The wolves in my dreams, the howls—they can't be real."
Ethan stepped closer, his eyes fierce and resolute. "They're real. Everything about them is real. And so are you." He let go of her wrist and placed a hand on her shoulder, his fingers warm against the coldness of her skin. "You're connected to this place. To the wolves. To the Blackwoods. And what you're feeling right now—the pull, the call—it's not just curiosity. It's destiny."
"Destiny?" Lila echoed, her voice barely a whisper. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask to be here, to be a part of whatever is going on in this town." Her hands shook as she stepped back, heart thundering in her chest. "I just wanted a fresh start."
Ethan's gaze softened, but there was a sadness in his eyes that made Lila's chest ache. "I know you didn't choose this, Lila. But there are things in this world that don't ask permission. And Pine Hollow—it chooses its own. You've been chosen."
Lila looked at him, her mind racing, but no words came to her. What did it mean to be "chosen"? And why her? She was just a girl from out of town, looking for something new. Yet somehow, she was tangled in the ancient forces that seemed to grip this place.
Another howl echoed in the distance—closer this time, sharper, more urgent. Lila's pulse quickened. Her body seemed to react without her permission, her feet shifting as if they already knew which direction to go.
Ethan saw the shift in her, his eyes widening. "No," he breathed. "You can't go, Lila. It's too soon."
"Why? What's waiting for me out there?" Lila's voice trembled as she took another step toward the sound, her feet moving almost instinctively. The pull of the howls was becoming too strong to resist.
"It's not what you think." Ethan's voice was strained, and he reached for her again, his hand firm on her arm. "They'll use you. The wolves, the pack—they don't care about who you are. They care about what you can become."
Lila's breath caught in her throat as she turned to face him, her eyes searching his for some kind of answer, some kind of relief. "What do you mean? What can I become?"
Ethan's face tightened, the lines of his jaw sharp with frustration. He looked as though he was about to say something, but the words seemed to catch in his throat. His expression faltered for a moment—vulnerable, like he was wrestling with something inside himself.
"You're not ready for this," he finally said, his voice quiet but intense. "The Blackwoods—they were never meant to be alone. We've always been part of something bigger. And you... you're not just some outsider anymore. You're part of the pack. Whether you like it or not."
Lila's heart thudded painfully in her chest, and her mind swirled with confusion. The pack? What did that even mean?
"But I don't want this," she said, the words barely leaving her lips. "I don't want to be a part of whatever this is."
Ethan stepped closer again, his face filled with an emotion Lila couldn't quite place. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice heavy with regret. "I didn't want this for you. But once you've heard the call, there's no going back. You have to make a choice, Lila. Now. Tonight."
She could feel the weight of his words like an anchor pulling her down. The howls were louder now, almost deafening, as if they were calling her name. The forest seemed to close in around her, its shadows stretching toward her like hands reaching from the darkness.
"What choice?" she whispered, feeling the air thicken around her. "What am I supposed to do?"
Ethan's eyes flickered to the trees behind her, as if he could see something that Lila couldn't. His lips parted, but his gaze was distant, conflicted. "You can follow the call," he said slowly. "You can join the pack and learn what it means to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Or you can fight it. You can leave. But the pack will always find you, Lila. And one way or another, you'll be a part of us."
Lila felt her head spin. The words were too much, too heavy, and for a moment, she just stood there, frozen, her eyes locked on Ethan. The pull of the forest, the call of the wolves—it was all too much to deny. But was she ready to become something she couldn't even begin to understand?
Before she could answer, the howl came again—closer this time, filling the air with an intensity that made her heart race.
Ethan's hand brushed her arm again, gentle but firm. "You have to decide, Lila. Now. What do you want?"
For the first time since she had arrived in Pine Hollow, she didn't know what the right answer was. And as the howl echoed once more through the trees, Lila knew that the town—and the wolves—would never let her go.