"Excuse me, miss, but you can't just park here."
The voice was gruff, impatient. Ariana Solace froze for a moment, her hands still gripping the steering wheel of her beat-up SUV. She had just pulled into what she thought was a dirt parking lot at the edge of the forest. But as she looked up, she realized the "lot" was little more than a muddy clearing near a cluster of wooden cottages.
Her chest tightened. The man standing outside her car, arms crossed over his broad chest, wasn't exactly welcoming.
"I didn't see any signs," Ariana sai.d, her voice sharper than she intended. She rolled the window down halfway, the cold breeze stinging her face.
"There aren't any signs," the man shot back, his tone laced with annoyance. "That's the point. This isn't a tourist spot."
Ariana's jaw tightened. She wasn't in the mood for this. "I'm not a tourist," she replied curtly. "I'm here for work. Photography project. I just need access to the forest."
The man's eyes narrowed as he leaned in. His face was weathered, his gray-streaked beard giving him a rugged appearance. He looked her over, clearly skeptical.
"This isn't the kind of place you just wander into," he said. "Especially not alone."
"I'll be fine," Ariana said, her voice firm. She didn't need anyone telling her what she could or couldn't do. Not anymore.
The man grunted, clearly unimpressed. "Suit yourself. But don't expect anyone to come looking if you get lost."
With that, he turned and walked off, muttering something under his breath. Ariana exhaled slowly, her grip on the steering wheel loosening. Great, she thought. First interaction in this tiny village, and she was already making friends.
As she grabbed her camera bag and stepped out of the car, the crisp scent of pine filled her lungs. The forest loomed ahead, dark and inviting. This was why she'd come—to capture the untamed beauty of the wilderness, to lose herself in her work.
But even as she adjusted the strap of her bag, a familiar pang of unease crept up her spine.
It had been two years since the betrayal. Two years since she'd walked in on Daniel, her fiancé, standing in her apartment with a folder of confidential documents in his hands. She'd known something was wrong the moment she saw his face—guilt and panic written all over it.
"What are you doing?" she'd asked, her voice trembling.
He'd tried to lie at first, but the truth had come out soon enough. He wasn't just her fiancé. He was working for someone—someone dangerous. Lucian Thorn.
The name still sent a chill through her. She'd never met him, but she'd heard enough to know he was bad news. And Daniel… Daniel had been feeding him information, using her as a pawn in some larger game she still didn't fully understand.
She'd ended it that night, walking away without looking back. But the scars had stayed. Trust didn't come easily anymore.
Ariana shook off the memory and focused on the task at hand. She pulled her camera out of the bag, adjusting the settings as she stepped into the forest. The air was cooler here, the trees towering above her like ancient sentinels.
She wandered for a while, snapping photos of the sunlight filtering through the leaves, the gnarled roots twisting along the ground. The world felt quiet, almost otherworldly.
But the further she went, the more uneasy she became. The forest was beautiful, yes, but there was something else—something she couldn't quite put her finger on.
It felt… alive. Watching.
Ariana paused, glancing around. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She told herself it was just her imagination, the product of too many late nights spent editing horror-themed photo shoots.
Still, she couldn't shake the feeling.
From the shadows, Kaelen Draven watched her.
He had been tracking her since she arrived, keeping his distance as she wandered deeper into the forest. There was something different about her. Something that didn't quite fit.
Most outsiders didn't last long in the village. They came, they realized how isolated it was, and they left. But this woman… she didn't seem like the type to scare easily.
Kaelen's hazel eyes followed her every move, his senses sharp despite the curse that weighed on him. She was petite, with dark hair pulled into a messy braid and a determined set to her jaw.
She didn't belong here, and yet… he couldn't look away.
Ariana's foot caught on a root, and she stumbled, barely catching herself before she fell.
"Damn it," she muttered, brushing dirt off her jeans.
"You're a long way from the trail."
The deep voice startled her, and she spun around, her heart racing. A man stood a few feet away, his hands in his coat pockets. He was tall, his dark hair slightly disheveled, his sharp features framed by a scruffy beard.
"I didn't realize I needed a guide," Ariana said, her voice defensive.
The man raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. "Most people don't wander this far into the woods alone."
"I'm not most people," she replied, lifting her chin.
He studied her for a moment, his hazel eyes piercing. There was something about him—something intense, almost predatory. It made her uneasy, but also… curious.
"You're not from around here," he said finally.
"No," she admitted. "I'm working on a photography project. Landscapes, mostly."
The man's gaze flicked to the camera hanging around her neck. "And you thought this was a good place for that?"
Ariana bristled at his tone. "Look, I don't need your approval. I'm perfectly capable of handling myself."
His lips twitched, almost like he was amused. "Is that so?"
"Yes," she snapped. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my work."
He didn't move. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, as if listening to something she couldn't hear.
"You should head back," he said after a moment.
"Why?"
"Because it's getting dark. And this forest isn't as safe as it looks."
Ariana hesitated. There was something in his voice—something that made her stomach twist.
"Who are you?" she asked.
For a moment, he didn't answer. Then, his lips curved into a faint, humorless smile.
"Kaelen," he said. "And you are?"
"Ariana," she replied cautiously.
"Well, Ariana," Kaelen said, his voice low. "Consider this your warning. Don't stray too far from the village."
Before she could respond, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the trees.
When Ariana returned to the village, the sky was painted with streaks of orange and purple. She made her way to the small inn where she was staying, her mind still replaying the encounter in the forest.
There was something about Kaelen—something that didn't make sense. He didn't act like the other villagers, who seemed wary of her but largely ignored her presence. He was… different.
As she passed through the village square, she noticed a group of women huddled together, their voices low. They glanced at her as she walked by, their expressions a mix of curiosity and something else… fear?
Ariana frowned, quickening her pace. She wasn't in the mood for small-town gossip.
But as she reached the inn, she couldn't shake the feeling that they had been talking about her. Or, more likely, about him.
Later that night, as Ariana sat on the edge of her bed, reviewing the photos she'd taken, she overheard voices drifting through the open window.
"…Kaelen. He shouldn't have gone near her."
"Do you think she knows who he is?"
"She'll find out soon enough. Everyone does."
Ariana's heart skipped a beat. She leaned closer to the window, straining to hear more, but the voices faded into the night.
Who was Kaelen? And why did everyone seem so afraid of him?
The question lingered in her mind, refusing to let her rest.