I chased a black wolf into the ruined courtyard of the castle where I worked, only to find a man waiting for me in the shadows.

Part 1

The digital clock on my nightstand read 3:17 a.m. when the sound of snapping twigs jolted me awake.

I rubbed my tired eyes and glanced across the cramped cabin.

Heather was completely passed out, her arm thrown dramatically over her face.

I slipped out of bed, the wooden floorboards freezing against my bare feet.

Through the small, grimy kitchen window, moonlight spilled across the clearing that separated our cabin from the looming, ancient castle.

My breath hitched in my throat.

A massive black wolf stood at the edge of the tree line, its icy blue eyes glowing in the dark.

It stared directly at me.

Moonlight caught the silver object dangling from its jaws.

My hand flew to my collarbone, my fingers grasping at empty air.

The silver crescent moon pendant I’d found earlier that day was gone.

I didn’t stop to think or grab my shoes.

I pushed the heavy wooden door open and sprinted into the freezing night air, wearing only my thin pajama shorts and an oversized t-shirt.

Gravel bit into the soles of my feet, but the pain barely registered over the roaring in my ears.

The wolf didn’t run immediately.

It held my gaze for a long, heavy second before turning and loping toward the castle gates.

I chased after it, branches scratching my bare arms as I plunged into the forest path.

The towering iron gates of the castle stood wide open, a blatant violation of Craig’s strict security rules.

I followed the wolf into the shadowed courtyard, my chest heaving.

The ancient stones felt slick beneath my bleeding feet.

I spun in a circle, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of dark fur.

Instead of a wolf, a man stepped out of the heavy shadows.

My lungs forgot how to pull in air.

He possessed a sharp, flawless symmetry that made my stomach knot with an entirely different kind of panic.

His eyes, pale and striking, locked onto mine with a hunger that made the hairs on my arms stand up.

The air between us suddenly felt too thick to breathe.

I took a hesitant step back.

He moved closer, his gaze dropping to the scratches on my feet before snapping back to my face.

His jaw tightened, a muscle feathering near his ear.

A low growl vibrated through the silent courtyard.

The black wolf stood just behind him, teeth bared, the silver pendant gleaming between its paws.

I braced myself for an attack.

The man didn’t flinch.

He knelt slowly, his movements fluid and unnervingly controlled.

His voice dropped into a commanding, velvet register that sent shivers down my spine.

The wolf whined, a pathetic sound, and nudged the pendant forward with its nose.

I stood frozen as the man picked up the silver necklace and held it out to me.

My fingers brushed against his cold skin as I took it.

A jolt of electricity shot up my arm, making me gasp.

He closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, his chest rising in a shuddering breath.

I wanted to ask him a thousand questions, but he stepped back, creating a physical distance that felt agonizing.

He told me to come back tomorrow night.

Then he vanished into the shadows before I could even ask his name.

The next morning, the sky was a bruised, heavy gray.

Heather and I walked toward the castle gates for our shift, our boots crunching loudly on the gravel.

I hadn’t told her about the man in the courtyard.

She was still convinced I was reeling from Brian calling off our wedding three months ago.

I didn’t have the energy to explain that Brian’s betrayal felt like a distant, faded memory compared to the burning intensity of the stranger’s eyes.

Heather stopped abruptly, her fingers digging painfully into my bicep.

She pointed a trembling finger toward the massive iron gates.

A crumpled shape lay motionless on the gravel path.

We rushed forward, our breath clouding in the cold morning air.

Craig lay sprawled on his back, his gray hair matted with dark, dried blood.

His neck was bent at an unnatural, horrifying angle.

My stomach pitched violently.

Heather stumbled backward, covering her mouth with both hands to stifle a scream.

I forced myself to look closer, my hands shaking uncontrollably as I draped my jacket over his exposed body.

The local police arrived an hour later, asking endless, circular questions we couldn’t answer.

The roar of a motorcycle engine cut through the heavy silence.

A sleek black bike tore through the open gates, spraying gravel as it skidded to a halt.

The rider swung off, yanking his helmet off to reveal sharp, familiar features.

He introduced himself as Dan, Craig’s cousin and the owner of the castle.

His eyes scanned the scene with clinical detachment, lacking any trace of grief.

He ordered the castle closed and explicitly told us to stay away after dark.

His commanding tone rubbed me the wrong way, reminding me of the stranger from the night before, but entirely devoid of the warmth.

That night, Heather paced our small cabin, begging me to listen to reason.

I tuned her out, my fingers tracing the cold silver of the crescent moon pendant at my throat.

When her breathing finally deepened into the steady rhythm of sleep, I slipped out the door.

The forest felt unnervingly alive as I made my way back to the castle.

The heavy wooden door to the east wing stood slightly ajar.

A warm, golden light spilled out into the dusty corridor.

I pushed it open, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs.

Hundreds of candles flickered in the drafty room, casting dancing shadows on the stone walls.

The man from the courtyard stood by the massive fireplace, his broad shoulders tense.

He turned, his pale eyes locking onto mine with devastating intensity.

He told me his name was Tyler.

The raw guilt etched into his features knocked the breath from my lungs.

He stepped closer, his hands grasping mine with a desperate, burning heat.

He whispered that Craig had died because of him.

I couldn’t process the confession.

All I could focus on was the way his thumbs stroked my wrists, hypnotic and slow.

The distance between us vanished.

His lips brushed against mine, hesitant at first, then consuming.

His hands tangled in my hair, pulling me flush against his hard chest.

I arched into him, my sensible nature completely evaporating in the heat of his touch.

His mouth trailed down my jaw, pausing at the sensitive skin of my neck.

I tilted my head back, a soft plea escaping my lips.

A sharp prick of pain flared against my pulse point.

He pulled back with a ragged gasp, and in the flickering candlelight, I finally saw his fangs.