Chapter 2

The next morning, Amber woke to a silence that felt almost unnatural. The only sound that pierced the stillness was the soft rustle of the wind against the trees. She stretched, feeling the slight ache in her muscles from the long drive the day before. As she pulled herself from the warmth of the bed and crossed to the window, she noticed the mist rolling through the trees, winding its way through the dense forest that bordered the house. It was beautiful in a way, but there was something unsettling about the way the fog clung to the trees, as though the forest was hiding its secrets from the world.

Amber dressed quickly, choosing a comfortable pair of jeans and a flannel shirt she had found in the closet. The house had its quirks, but she would settle into it. She had no choice. There were too many things pulling her here-too many things her aunt had left behind.

The journal still lay beside her bed, its leather cover slightly cracked from the force of its binding. She hadn't opened it again since last night, though her mind kept returning to the strange, cryptic warnings it contained. *The wolves are always watching. The mark is not a gift, but a curse.* Amber had been half-tempted to call someone-a friend, maybe, or even her father-but the isolation of the town seemed to press in on her every time she even considered the idea. Shadow Creek felt like a place where people were meant to stand on their own.

Grabbing a cup of coffee from the kitchen, she stepped outside and onto the porch, inhaling the fresh morning air. The town, though small, was nestled in a valley of sorts, surrounded by the thick woods that extended for miles in every direction. She could see the town center from where she stood: a few shops, a diner, and what looked like a small, crumbling post office. The streets were quiet, almost eerily so, and as she sipped her coffee, Amber wondered if everyone was still asleep or if the town had just been designed to live in a constant state of quiet.

As she finished the coffee, her thoughts were interrupted by a loud thud from somewhere off in the distance. It was followed by the unmistakable sound of barking. Amber's curiosity piqued, and she stepped off the porch, heading toward the woods. She didn't know why, but she felt drawn to the noise, as if some primal part of her was urging her to go and investigate.

The barking grew louder as she made her way through the overgrown path that led into the trees. The air smelled of wet leaves, and the ground was soft beneath her boots. As she walked deeper into the woods, her senses seemed to heighten. She could hear every snap of a twig, the rush of wind through the trees, even the faintest rustle of small animals moving through the underbrush.

The barking turned to growls. Then came the unmistakable sound of something-or someone-struggling.

Amber's heart began to race as she quickened her pace, her feet carrying her forward, despite the voice inside her head telling her to turn back. The sun was still low in the sky, and the light filtering through the trees gave the forest an eerie, almost surreal quality. Shadows stretched long across the path, and the world felt distanced, like she wasn't quite part of it.

She finally emerged into a small clearing. The sight that greeted her stopped her dead in her tracks.

A man, bloodied and bruised, was sprawled on the ground. He was barely conscious, but his chest heaved with shallow breaths. Around him, two large dogs-wolves, she realized-circled, their eyes glowing with an unnatural amber hue. They were watching him, their teeth bared, but they didn't seem interested in attacking. They were merely waiting.

Amber's pulse pounded in her ears as she froze, torn between rushing to the man's aid and stepping back to avoid whatever danger these creatures might represent. But before she could decide, the wolves turned and disappeared into the forest, vanishing as suddenly as they had appeared.

Her breath came in quick, shallow bursts, and for a long moment, she was rooted to the spot, staring at the man on the ground. He looked vaguely familiar-someone from the town, she was sure of it-but she couldn't place him. Her instincts screamed at her to run, to call for help, but something held her there. A force she didn't understand kept her feet planted.

The man moaned, dragging himself up onto his elbows. His face was pale, his lips cracked, and his eyes were wide with terror. When he looked at Amber, something flashed across his expression-recognition, but also fear.

"Help," he rasped, barely able to speak. His voice was hoarse, as though he hadn't spoken in days.

Without thinking, Amber rushed to him, kneeling beside him and pulling out her phone. But as she tried to dial, the signal was nonexistent. Of course. She was miles from civilization, surrounded by dense forest. There would be no help unless she found it herself.

"Who-who did this to you?" Amber asked, her voice shaking as she looked at his wounds. The blood was congealing around his ripped clothing, and there were deep gashes on his arms and legs.

The man's eyes flickered toward the woods, and his face contorted with fear. "They're out there," he whispered. "The wolves... they'll come back for me."

Amber's brow furrowed. "Wolves? What are you talking about? Wolves don't attack people like this."

He shook his head weakly, his breath catching. "You don't know the truth about this place, do you? You don't know what lurks in the woods."

Before she could respond, he collapsed back onto the ground, his body shaking as if he couldn't control it. Panic surged through Amber as she placed her hand on his chest, trying to calm him. "What do you mean?" she asked urgently. "Who are you?"

His hand reached up, and with trembling fingers, he grasped her wrist. "Tell them... tell them to stop... the full moon's coming. It's too late for me. It'll be too late for all of us."

With a final, ragged breath, the man's body went still. His eyes glazed over, and Amber felt her heart stop in her chest. He was gone.

She could only stare at him, her mind racing. The man's words echoed in her mind. The full moon. The wolves. A curse.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as the sound of footsteps approached. Amber stood quickly, heart hammering in her chest, and turned to find Marcus Blackwood walking toward her, his face grim. His eyes locked on the body of the man she had just tried to help, and his expression darkened.

"Stay back," Amber warned, but Marcus didn't stop. He walked over to the man's body, kneeling beside him. His gaze lingered for a moment before he slowly stood and faced Amber.

"You're not supposed to be here," he said quietly. "Not now. Not with him."

Amber's pulse was still racing. "What the hell happened? Who is he? What are those wolves?"

Marcus's eyes flickered to the forest, as if searching for something. Then he turned to Amber, his expression unreadable. "That's Victor Keller. He was one of the town's hunters. He went into the woods last night to track something... but he wasn't prepared for what he found."

Amber's heart sank. "What was he hunting?"

Marcus's voice dropped to a whisper. "The wolves. But you don't want to know the rest."

Amber's thoughts were reeling, the weight of his words sinking into her like a stone. The wolves weren't just ordinary animals. There was something darker at play in Shadow Creek, something that the town had been hiding for generations.

Before she could ask anything else, Marcus took a deep breath and stood up. "You need to go back to your house, Amber. This isn't your fight. Not yet."

"But I-"

"Now," Marcus cut her off. "Get out of the woods. You're not safe here."

Amber opened her mouth to argue, but something in his eyes silenced her. There was a fear in them, a deep-rooted fear, that made her blood run cold. He wasn't just trying to protect her from the wolves. He was trying to protect her from something even worse.