to me, his presence as tangible as the mist swirling through the trees that bordered the campus. The eerie howl I had heard just moments

it was the lingering question. How much of the legends whispered in the quie

older than time itself, the trees standing like silent sentinels, guarding secrets lost to history. I'd spent hours as a child imagining what

Blackwood had spoken of myths with a conviction that made them seem real, tangible. His words

just reflections? What

ssive. The thick, weathered volumes there were filled with the kind of folklore that had always fascinated me-espe

hrough the rows of towering shelves until I reached a section tucked away in the back-the one dedicated to local history and

nside that mattered. I sat down at a small table near the window, the light filtering through fractured beams. As

elieve, the truth is as clear as the full mo

unded to fully believe in them. Now, though, with everything that had happened recently, doubt was

ent laws. There were stories of powerful Alphas, leaders who could command their packs with just a look, their strength derived from the moon itself. But what in

f Crescent Falls were not just protectors of the land; they were guardians of

egends were still so prevalent in Crescent Falls? Were they more than just stories, pa

yet there was something about his tone when he spoke of these myths, something that made me

d, thick clouds rolling in as the sun dipped below the horizon. I glanced at my phone-hours had passed without

was nearly deserted, the usual buzz of students replaced by an eerie quiet. I hurried toward th

the wind, their branches casting long, distort

ho

l, and impos

coincidence, maybe even a stray dog. But deep down, I knew better. This was no ordinary sound.

the darkness between the trees. The wind whipped through the branches, and f

The stories I had read in the library, the legends of the pack, flooded my mind.

t. It sent a shiver of dread down my spine, and I k

ing against the pavement. I didn't stop until I reache

y breath coming in ragged gasps. The silence inside was suffocating, but

ls were no longer just stories-they were real, and something

me. My heart thudded painfully in my chest as I whi