Chapter 7 Secrets of the Forest

Luna waited three days before she went into the forest.

Three days of classes. Training with Ryder. Avoiding Darius's constant stares. Listening to Nova's warnings about staying within academy boundaries.

But every night, she looked out her window at the dark treeline.

And wondered.

The Moon Circle had awakened something in her. She could feel it constantly now. Her wolf. Restless. Curious. Wanting to run.

Ryder's training focused on control. Discipline. Holding back.

But Luna needed to know what she was holding back from.

She needed to understand what she could actually do.

So on the fourth night after Moon Circle, she waited until Nova fell asleep. Then she dressed in dark clothes, slipped out of the dorm, and headed for the forest.

The campus was quiet. Patrol schedules were predictable. She'd watched long enough to know when gaps appeared.

She crossed the courtyard, keeping to shadows. Reached the treeline without incident.

The forest was different at night.

Darker. Wilder. The air tasted like earth and pine and something else. Something that made her mark tingle.

Magic.

Luna stepped between the trees.

Immediately, her senses sharpened. She could hear everything. Owls hunting. Mice scurrying through underbrush. Water running somewhere in the distance.

She could smell the forest. Individual scents layering over each other. Moss. Bark. Flowers that only bloomed at night.

Her mark glowed faintly, providing just enough light to see by.

She walked deeper. Away from the academy. Away from rules and professors and students who watched her every move.

Here, she was alone.

Free.

Her wolf stirred. Pleased.

Luna let it rise slightly. Just enough to enhance her senses further. Her vision sharpened. Colors became clearer even in darkness.

She could see the path animals had worn through the undergrowth. Could follow trails by scent alone.

This was what she'd been missing. What training couldn't teach her.

The wild.

A branch snapped behind her.

Luna spun around.

Nothing.

Just trees and shadow.

She kept walking. Faster now. Her instincts whispered warnings but curiosity pushed her forward.

The trees grew thicker. Older. Their branches blocked out the moon almost completely.

Luna's mark provided the only light.

Another sound. Closer this time. Breathing.

Heavy. Deep. Not human.

Luna's wolf surged forward. Protective. Ready.

"Easy," she whispered to herself. "Just an animal."

But animals in this forest weren't normal. Nova had told her that. Creatures lived here that didn't exist in the human world. Things that fed on magic. Things that hunted marked wolves.

The breathing grew louder.

Luna turned slowly.

A shape moved between the trees. Low to the ground. Massive.

Her heart pounded.

The creature stepped into a patch of moonlight.

It looked like a wolf. But wrong. Too big. Too angular. Its fur was black but seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. And its eyes glowed red.

Not gold like shifter wolves. Red.

"What are you?" Luna breathed.

The creature's lips pulled back. Teeth like daggers. A low growl rumbled from its chest.

Luna's wolf screamed danger.

She backed up. Slowly. Carefully. "I'm not a threat. I'm just passing through."

The creature stalked forward. Matching her pace.

"Okay. New plan."

Luna ran.

The creature chased.

She could hear it behind her. Crashing through undergrowth. Faster than she was. Gaining.

Her wolf rose without permission. Instinct taking over.

Luna's hands shifted. Claws extending. Her vision sharpened further. Her speed increased.

She dodged trees. Leaped over fallen logs. Her body moved with grace she didn't know she possessed.

But the creature was still gaining.

She needed more.

Luna let her wolf surge higher. Teeth sharpened. Her jaw ached as it restructured. Fur pushed through skin on her arms and legs.

She was partially shifted. More wolf than human. But still in control.

Barely.

The creature lunged.

Luna twisted midstride. Claws met teeth. The impact sent her stumbling.

The creature recovered first. It circled her. Looking for weakness.

Luna's mind raced. She couldn't fight this thing. It was too big. Too strong.

She needed to escape.

The academy. If she could reach the boundary, the wards would protect her.

But which direction?

Everything looked the same. Trees. Shadow. No landmarks.

The creature lunged again.

Luna ducked. Rolled. Came up running in a different direction.

Please be the right way.

Her mark burned. Hot. Painful. But also guiding. Pulling her toward something.

She followed the pull.

The creature followed her.

Branches whipped her face. Roots tried to trip her. But she kept running.

The mark's pull grew stronger.

Then she saw it. A faint shimmer in the air ahead. The wards.

The boundary.

Luna pushed harder. Her lungs burned. Her muscles screamed. But the shimmer grew closer.

The creature's breath was hot on her heels.

Luna dove through the wards.

The shimmer flared bright. A wall of light erupted behind her.

The creature hit the barrier and bounced back with a howl of rage.

Luna tumbled across grass. Academy grass. Safe ground.

She lay gasping. Her body still partially shifted. Claws. Teeth. Fur.

Slowly, she pulled her wolf back. The shift reversed. Painful. Exhausting.

When she was fully human again, she sat up.

The creature stood on the other side of the wards. Watching her. Its red eyes glowed with intelligence. With recognition.

Like it knew what she was.

Like it had been waiting for her.

"What are you?" Luna whispered again.

The creature tilted its head. Then turned and melted back into the forest.

Luna sat in the grass, shaking.

That wasn't a normal forest animal. That was something else. Something that shouldn't exist.

And it had chased her. Specifically her.

Movement caught her eye.

Another pair of eyes. Watching from deeper in the forest.

These eyes glowed gold. Wolf eyes. Shifter eyes.

Someone else was out there.

Someone who'd watched her encounter with that creature.

Someone who'd let her run without helping.

The golden eyes blinked once. Then disappeared.

Luna scrambled to her feet. She ran toward the dorms. Heart pounding. Mind racing.

She'd gone into the forest to test her powers. To understand her wolf.

But she'd learned something else instead.

The forest held secrets. Dangerous secrets.

And something in those trees knew who she was.

Something had been following her.

Watching her.

Waiting.