"Lucas!" Dylan shouted.Before he could react, something big slammed into Lucas."What the hell is that?!" Dan yelled, backing up.The impact sent Lucas crashing to the ground, the wind knocked out of him.Lucas groaned, coughing. "I can't breathe..."He gasped for air, struggling to push himself up. But before he could react, something heavy slammed into his side, knocking him back down.. "Aaaaaah!" Lucas screamed, his body going rigid as pain exploded through him. The creature's claws raked across his chest, dragging him into the dirt. He tried to push it off, but his arms were too weak. "Please" His voice barely came out, a desperate plea. The creature snarled, leaving Lucas in a pool of his own blood and vanished into the darkness. As Lucas lay motionless, Dan and Dylan crouched in the shadows, peering out from behind a thick tree. “Do you think he’s dead?” Dan started, voice trembling with fear. “No,” Dylan replied sharply, his eyes scanning the darkness. "Not yet. B

“You can’t stop it once it begins,” Dylan said. “You’re shifting. It’s already in motion, Lucas.”Lucas stumbled back, his legs giving out beneath him. His spine bent unnaturally as he crashed to the cold floor, his body convulsing violently. He gasped, choking on his own breath as a searing pain tore through him like fire igniting from within.“No! What’s happening to me?” he rasped, his voice strained and desperate. His fingernails thickened, darkened, and sharpened into points like curved daggers. His skin rippled. Muscle spasms traveling under the surface like snakes, twisting his limbs in angles they weren’t meant to bend.Then came the snap, his jaw dislocated with a sickening crunch as his teeth lengthened into brutal fangs, jagged and wild.He screamed. But the scream wasn't human.It was deep, guttural, torn from somewhere primal. Like something had clawed its way out of his soul and taken over, replacing the boy he was with something monstrous.Dylan didn’t flinch. He crouc

"You gonna say something, or just keep staring like I’m the one who dragged you into this?"Lucas blinked. The air felt heavier than before, like it had thickened the moment she spoke. He couldn’t decide if the tightness in his chest was fear or anger."You knew my name. You knew what I was," he said slowly. "That’s not normal."Skylar stood a few feet away, arms crossed, back pressed casually against the crumbling brick wall of the old warehouse. Her hoodie was dusty, one sleeve ripped along the seam, but her posture wasn’t careless. She stood with intent. Like someone who knew the room, the exits, the hiding spots and how to turn anything in it into a weapon. Lucas didn’t trust her. Not yet.Skylar arched a brow. "Neither is turning into a wolf and surviving your first shift without killing someone."Lucas stiffened. "So, you have been watching me."She shrugged, eyes flicking toward a shadow in the corner before returning to him. "Not just me. Others too. But I’m the one who got to

Lucas stirred awake to the smell of sulfur and stone. His back ached from sleeping on cold rock, and the darkness of the mine swallowed everything beyond a few feet of Dan’s flickering flashlight. The light bounced off jagged walls, casting eerie shadows that danced like phantoms.Skylar sat near the entrance, wide awake, sharpening a silver dagger with deliberate strokes. The scraping echoed faintly, a metallic whisper in the silence. She looked like she hadn’t slept at all, her eyes locked on the darkness ahead, as if daring it to move.Dan passed him a protein bar. “Breakfast of champions.”Lucas groaned as he tore open the wrapper. “Tastes like cardboard.”“You’re welcome.”Skylar didn’t turn. “Eat fast. We move in ten.”Lucas rubbed his eyes, trying to blink away the lingering exhaustion. “Where are we even going?”“To meet the contact Dylan trusted. If they’re still alive.”Dan leaned back against the cold stone. “Anyone else notice how often people we’re supposed to meet are ‘p

Rain began to fall. It started as a light drizzle, then picked up until the trees of Moonveil hissed and dripped, masking every footstep in a chorus of water hitting leaves. The forest around them, usually so dense and quiet, now felt different—alive in a way that made Lucas uneasy. Lucas adjusted the hood of his jacket as they left the ruins behind. His muscles ached from the fight with Carver, but something else had awakened in him. A hunger. Not for violence—but for answers. The kind of answers he couldn’t even articulate yet, but deep down, he knew they were waiting for him. The kind that had been buried in his past, hidden even from him. Skylar moved ahead, silent and watchful, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings, always alert. Her long, dark hair was matted to her shoulders, water streaming down in thin rivulets. Lucas couldn’t help but admire her resilience, even if he didn’t fully understand her motivations. She was a mystery, wrapped in a veil of secrecy. Dan walked