The Ordinary BeginningAiden’s life had always seemed unremarkable, wrapped up in the cozy monotony of Silverwooda town cradled by dense forests and winding rivers, where everyone knew each other’s business, and secrets were rare. Or at least, that’s what he had always believed.He lived in a small, two-story house on the edge of town with his father, Liam. Their house sat like a stubborn relic of the past: faded wooden panels, flower boxes with half-dead roses, and a creaky front porch that groaned under the weight of a person’s footsteps. Liam, though far from the most conventional father, had his own unique ways of keeping life lively.Mornings in the house were sacred, a time when pancakes were shaped like animals, laughter bounced off the walls, and Aiden could almost forget the emptiness left by his mother, who had vanished years ago.“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!” Liam announced one Saturday morning, brandishing a spatula like a sword. He attempted to flip

Secrets in the DarkThe attic had always been a place of dusty memories and forgotten relics, a part of the house Aiden rarely ventured into. It was a small, sloped room with cobwebbed corners and floorboards that creaked with every step. Boxes of old clothes, photo albums, and forgotten toys lined the walls like the silent witnesses of generations past.But today, curiosity overpowered caution. Liam had left the house early, claiming errands in town, and Aiden found himself drawn to the attic by a restless energy he couldn’t explain. It was as if the room itself was calling to him.He climbed the narrow staircase, the wooden steps groaning under his weight. Dust motes danced in the slanting sunlight from the small attic window, and for a moment, everything seemed ordinary.Then he saw it.A trunk, unlike the others, sat in the far corner. It was carved from dark, heavy wood, adorned with intricate symbols of wolves, crescent moons, and swirling patterns that seemed almost alive in t

Bloodlines RevealedThe morning after Liam’s first full transformation, Silverwood felt different to Aiden. The sun seemed sharper, shadows longer, and the forest beyond their home almost sentient in its silence. He could still hear the memory of his father’s growls, the shimmer of gold in his eyes, the power that had radiated from him under the full moon.Breakfast was quiet. Liam moved slower than usual, the exhaustion from last night evident in the slump of his broad shoulders. Aiden poured syrup over his pancakes, careful not to spill. “You okay?” he asked, finally breaking the silence.Liam looked up, and Aiden noticed a faint scarlet in his eyes a remnant of the struggle. “I will be,” he replied slowly. “But there are things you need to understand, Aiden. About our family, about the blood that runs through us.”Aiden’s stomach tightened. He had anticipated some explanation, but the weight of it still felt suffocating. “I’m listening,” he said, trying to sound braver than he felt

The Awakening TrialThe forest was alive with whispers. The wind carried hints of danger, the crunch of leaves underfoot seemed amplified, and every shadow shifted with a consciousness that made Aiden’s heart race. He had spent weeks learning under his father’s guidance awareness, perception, control of his instincts and now, the first real test had arrived.Liam led him deeper into the woods, far beyond the safety of Silverwood. The trees here were ancient, towering like sentinels, and the undergrowth thickened until the path barely existed. Aiden clutched the wolf pendant in his hand, its warmth steadying him as he followed, each step a mixture of nervous anticipation and excitement.“Remember, Aiden,” Liam’s voice was calm but commanding, “the blood will call to you. It will sharpen your senses, strengthen your reflexes, and awaken instincts you did not know existed. But it will also tempt you, test your patience, and push you to the edge of control. Do not yield. Control is every

THE NIGHT HIS BLOOD AWAKENEDThe wind over the rooftop tasted different tonight. Cooler, sharper, almost metallic like the air before a storm, even though the sky remained oddly clear. Liam Hawthorne stood alone, staring out over the sleepless city as if its countless lights might somehow anchor him to humanity. But nothing felt grounded anymore. Not his breathing, which kept rising in shallow bursts. Not his heart, which thudded against his chest in a frantic rhythm. And certainly not his body, which felt ready to tear itself apart from the inside.He gripped the cold steel railing so tightly that the metal bent under his fingers, warping like soft clay. It should’ve scared him. Weeks ago, it would have. But fear had become an old companionone he had grown tired of acknowledging.Somewhere deep in his bones, something throbbed.A hunger.A pulse older than his bloodline.A call he didn’t understand but could no longer ignore.He squeezed his eyes shut as another wave of heat sur