Chapter 4 SHADOWS IN THE FOREST

Kiara's POV

The forest felt alive, watching, breathing. Every step I took pressed against the thick mist curling at my ankles, and every rustle of leaves was amplified in my ears. My chest was tight, and my heart hammered so loudly I was certain the creature-or whatever it was-could hear it.

Rylan's hand remained firm on my arm, steadying me as though his presence alone could protect me from what lurked in the shadows. I wanted to jerk away, to push him off, to run. My instincts screamed at me: run, Kiara, run now, while you can.

But I didn't move. I couldn't.

"You need to stay close," he murmured, eyes scanning the darkness between the trees. "It can sense fear."

I swallowed hard. "Then why am I so afraid?"

"Because it's not just any fear," Rylan said, his jaw tightening. "It's the fear that comes with being marked."

I flinched. His words clawed at me. I hated being marked. I hated the pull that had tied me to him, to this forest, to something I didn't understand. "I never asked for this," I whispered.

"You didn't," he admitted, softer now, almost regretful. "But it doesn't matter. You're marked whether you like it or not. And the forest doesn't forgive."

The amber eyes glowed again, closer now. The low growl rumbled in my chest, vibrating through the fog. I caught the subtle shift of muscles under Rylan's coat and felt the tension radiate off him in waves. He wasn't human, not entirely. I'd felt that from the moment I'd met him, and now there was no denying it.

The creature stepped forward, its form emerging through the mist. A wolf-or something that resembled one-its fur dark as midnight, eyes glowing amber, massive and menacing. It moved with calculated precision, circling us, testing us.

I felt myself freeze, caught between terror and disbelief. My legs felt like lead. My heart thumped in my throat, but Rylan's presence anchored me. He didn't take his eyes off the wolf.

"Do you see it?" I whispered, voice trembling.

Rylan nodded, his jaw set. "It's guarding something... or someone. And it doesn't like intruders."

"Then why is it following me?" My voice barely carried above the fog.

He looked at me then, his storm-gray eyes locking on mine. "Because it's drawn to the mark. And the mark... It's yours."

I swallowed hard. The word echoed in my mind: mark. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to deny it, to run, to fight, to do anything to distance myself from the invisible chains tying me to this place, to him.

But I couldn't.

The wolf moved closer, snarling low in its throat. Its amber eyes glimmered with intelligence-far more than any normal animal. Every hair on its massive body bristled. It padded toward us, a predator, a hunter, calculating each step.

"Kiara," Rylan said, firm now, almost commanding, "step behind me."

I hesitated. "Why should I-"

"No," he interrupted sharply. "Now."

I obeyed, pressing myself against the thick trunk of a pine. His hand remained on my back, steady, unwavering. My pulse rattled in my ears. My lungs burned as I tried to regulate my breathing.

The wolf stopped a few feet from us, sniffing the air, growling softly. Its gaze flicked between me and Rylan, as if trying to understand the connection it couldn't see, but could feel.

Rylan's voice was low, almost a whisper, but every word carried authority. "You don't belong here. Not yet. Back off. Leave her."

The wolf's growl intensified. Its body lowered slightly, tail swishing in a tense rhythm. Its amber eyes fixed on me, and I felt the pull again-the mark in my chest flaring, hot and urgent, vibrating with a force I couldn't control.

I stumbled back slightly, breath catching. The fog swirled around my feet, wrapping around me like invisible hands.

Rylan's hand shot out, gripping my wrist, steadying me. "Don't move," he hissed. "Not until it leaves. Not until I tell you."

I obeyed, trembling, wishing I could push him away and yet needing him closer than ever. My body was caught between fear and something else, something dangerous, something magnetic.

Then, as quickly as it appeared, the wolf stopped. Its head tilted slightly, ears perked, then it vanished into the mist, silent and deliberate, leaving only the echo of its growl in the distance.

I let out a shuddering breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. My legs felt like jelly. My hands trembled.

Rylan finally released my wrist, but he didn't move away. His storm-gray eyes were fixed on me, unreadable, intense. "You're lucky," he said softly. "It could have been worse."

I wiped a tear I hadn't noticed forming. "Lucky?" I whispered, voice trembling. "I just- I don't even know what's happening. What am I supposed to do?"

Rylan's gaze softened just slightly, though the storm didn't leave his eyes. "You survive. That's all you do for now. Survive, and learn what it means to be marked. That's step one."

I shook my head, panic rising. "I don't want this. I don't want any of this!"

He stepped closer, close enough that I could feel his warmth, the magnetic pull of him threatening to draw me in despite every warning I'd given myself. "You don't have a choice, Kiara. Not here. Not in Red Hollow. And not with the forest deciding your fate."

I swallowed hard, backing away slightly. My mind raced. I wanted to deny it, to run, to leave-but I knew I couldn't. My chest burned where the mark lay hidden beneath my clothes, the pull stronger than ever.

The forest seemed to shiver around us, alive, watching, breathing. And somewhere deeper in the mist, I knew... it wasn't done.

Something was still out there, waiting.

And I had the sinking feeling that the forest, the wolves, and Rylan-storm-gray eyes and all-were all part of a fate I couldn't escape.