Updated Jan 5, 2026 • ~7 min read
POV: Rory
The pull started three days into staying at Morgana’s.
Subtle at first. A nagging feeling I’d forgotten something. Left the stove on. Needed to check on the cottage.
Normal anxiety. Rational concerns.
Except it wasn’t rational. And it wasn’t about the cottage.
It was about the forest.
I could feel it. Like invisible strings tied around my ribs. Tugging. Pulling. Calling me back.
“You okay?” Morgana asked over breakfast. “You keep staring out the window.”
“Fine. Just thinking.”
“About?”
The forest. The cottage. The woods where something had been hunting. Where I’d apparently been walking at night with no memory.
“Nothing important.”
She didn’t believe me. But she didn’t push.
I went to work at the library. Tried to focus on cataloging. On helping patrons. On anything other than the constant pull in my chest.
It got worse as the day progressed.
By lunch, my hands were shaking. By three, I couldn’t concentrate. By closing time, every nerve in my body was screaming to go north. Toward the forest. Toward home.
I drove there without deciding to.
One moment I was leaving the library. The next, I was pulling up to my cottage. No memory of choosing this. Just… compulsion.
The sun was setting. Gold light painting everything amber. The forest edge looked inviting. Safe. Like it was welcoming me back.
I should have gone inside. Should have grabbed what I needed and left.
Instead, I walked toward the trees.
The moment I crossed into the forest, relief flooded through me. Like coming home after a long trip. Like everything wrong suddenly felt right.
This was insane. I knew it was insane.
But I kept walking anyway.
The forest was different at dusk. Alive in ways daylight hid. I could hear everything—birds settling for the night, small animals in the underbrush, wind through leaves.
Too much. Too clear. My senses were sharpening. Heightening.
I should have been terrified.
Instead felt peaceful. Like I belonged here. Like the forest recognized me and I recognized it back.
I walked for an hour. Maybe more. Lost track of time. Followed paths I didn’t know existed. Moved through underbrush like I’d walked these routes a thousand times.
Eventually found myself in a clearing.
The same one from before. Where I’d found the deer carcass.
Except now there was no carcass. No evidence of the kill. Just clean earth and the smell of pine.
And in the center—a man.
Hooded. Dark cloak. Standing perfectly still.
My brain screamed danger. Run. Get away.
My body stayed frozen.
He turned. Slowly. Like he’d been expecting me.
I couldn’t see his face. The hood shadowed everything. But I felt his eyes on me. Studying. Evaluating.
“Aurora.” His voice was low. Rough. Like he hadn’t spoken in years.
“How do you know my name?”
“I’ve always known your name.” He moved closer. Not threatening. Just… inevitable. “Your wolf is waking. It’s time.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do. You feel it. The pull. The calling. Your true nature fighting to emerge.” He was close enough now that I could see amber eyes beneath the hood. Glowing. Inhuman. “You’ve been dreaming of running. Of hunting. Of freedom you’ve never known in your human skin.”
“Who are you?”
“Someone who’s been waiting. Watching. Protecting you until you were ready.”
“The wolf. In my bedroom. That was you.”
“Yes.”
“The footprints. The deer kill. All of it?”
“Yes.”
I should have run. Should have screamed. Should have done anything other than stand there staring at this stranger who admitted to stalking me.
“Why?” My voice was barely a whisper.
“Because you’re mine. Have been since the day you were born. I’ve just been waiting for you to awaken.” He reached out slowly. Gave me time to pull away.
I didn’t.
His hand brushed my cheek. Warm despite the evening chill. Rough skin. Calloused.
The touch sent electricity through me. Recognition. Like my body knew him even though my mind didn’t.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said softly. “I would never hurt you.”
“You’ve been leaving claw marks on my skin.”
“Your wolf has been trying to emerge. The marks are from resisting transformation. From fighting what you are.” His thumb traced my jaw. “Let go. Let it happen. Stop fighting yourself.”
“I don’t know how.”
“You do. Instinct will guide you. Your wolf knows what to do. You just have to trust her.”
“Her?”
“Your wolf. She. Female. Beautiful and fierce and desperate to run free.” He pulled back slightly. “She’s been trying to reach you in dreams. Calling you here. Wanting you to meet me. To understand what you are.”
“And what am I?”
“Half-human. Half-wolf. Born of a bloodline that was supposed to be extinct. Your mother hid you. Suppressed your nature. Tried to keep you safe by keeping you ignorant.”
“My mother died when I was five.”
“Your mother was murdered. By those who feared what you could become. What your bloodline represents.” His voice hardened. “She died protecting you. Making deals to keep you hidden. To let you live a normal life as long as possible.”
Tears burned my eyes. “You’re lying.”
“I wish I was. But Aurora—your mother was like you. Half-wolf. Half-human. And she loved a full wolf. Your father. That union created you. Something rare. Something powerful. Something both kingdoms would kill to possess or destroy.”
“Kingdoms?”
“Wolves live in packs. Governed by alphas. Your mother was from a pack that forbids mixing with humans. Your father was a rogue—cast out for refusing to follow pack law. Their love was forbidden. You were forbidden. And when you were born, the pack hunted them both.”
The clearing was spinning. Too much information. Too many impossible things.
“I don’t believe you.”
“You don’t have to believe me. Your wolf knows the truth. She’s known all along. That’s why she’s fighting to emerge. Why you’re being called here. Why you can’t resist the forest anymore.” He stepped back. “Go home, Aurora. Think about what I’ve told you. But don’t fight the calling. Don’t resist what you are. It’s killing you. Slowly. Surely. The more you fight, the more damage you do.”
“Wait—who are you?”
“Fenrir. But you can call me Fen. And soon—very soon—you’ll understand why we’re bound. Why I’ve waited centuries for you. Why your awakening means everything.”
He disappeared. Not walked away. Just… vanished. Like he’d never been there.
I stood in the clearing as darkness fell. Alone. Confused. Terrified.
And somewhere deep inside, my wolf howled.
I ran back through the forest. Branches whipping my face. Roots trying to trip me. But I knew the way. Knew every turn. Like I’d run these paths a thousand times before.
Made it back to the cottage. Slammed inside. Locked every door.
My phone was ringing. Morgana. Fifth call.
“Where the hell are you?” she demanded. “You were supposed to be back hours ago.”
“I’m at the cottage. I’m sorry. I lost track of time.”
“You drove there? Alone? After everything that’s happened?”
“I had to. I can’t explain. But Morgana—I met him. The wolf. The one who’s been watching me. He told me things about my mother. About what I am.”
“Are you safe right now?”
“I think so. He’s gone. But he said—” My voice broke. “He said my mother was murdered. That she was half-wolf. That I’m forbidden. That everything I thought I knew about my life is a lie.”
“I’m coming to get you.”
“No. Stay there. I need—I need to be here tonight. I need to think.”
“Rory, this is a bad idea.”
“Maybe. But it’s my choice.” I looked around the cottage. My home. My safe space. “I’ll be okay. I’ll call you if anything happens.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
I hung up. Sat in the silence of my cottage.
And outside, in the forest, something howled.
Long. Mournful. Beautiful.
Like it was calling my name.
And deep inside, something answered.
Reader Reactions