Ayla was standing in the middle of a dark forest, the air was cold and heavy, and the ground beneath her feet was soft with damp leaves. She looked around, confused.
"Where am I?" she whispered, but no answer came.
Then she heard a voice, soft and clear.
"Ayla..."
She froze.
Her name echoed between the trees. The voice was distant, almost like a whisper carried by the wind.
"Who's there?" she called out, turning in circles.
No one answered.
"Ayla..." the voice came again, closer now.
She spun around and saw a woman standing between the trees. Her hair was silver, glowing under the faint light, and her eyes were strange. The woman didn't speak; she only turned and walked deeper into the woods.
Without thinking, Ayla followed her.
Branches scraped her arms as she pushed forward, trying to keep up. But just as she reached a clearing, the woman vanished.
Ayla stopped, panting, eyes scanning the empty space.
"Where did you go?"
Suddenly, the woman reappeared, standing just a few feet away, her expression unreadable.
"You carry the curse," the woman said softly, "and the gift."
Ayla took a step back, heart pounding.
"What curse? What gift? What do you mean?"
The woman's gaze sharpened. "He's coming for you. The one who ruined everything... he's already on his way."
Ayla's throat tightened. "Who? Who is coming? Tell me what's happening?"
But the woman only whispered, "Meet the deer... he has all the answers."
The forest began to close in. The air turned thick. Ayla felt like she couldn't breathe. Her chest tightened, her hands clawed at her throat.
Everything spun.
She gasped and her eyes snapped open.
She was in bed, drenched in sweat, her breath ragged.
Rhett sat up quickly beside her. "Ayla? Hey… look at me. You're okay."
"You were dreaming," he said gently.
She pressed her hands over her face. "That wasn't just a dream."
"What happened?"
"There was a woman." Her voice trembled."She had silver hair, and her eyes… her eyes weren't human. She said I carry a curse and a gift. That someone who ruined everything is coming for me."
Rhett's jaw tightened. "Did she say who?"
"No. She just said... meet the deer. He has all the answers."
He frowned. "The deer?"
"I don't know what it means," Ayla said quietly, "but I think... I think we need to go back. To Ashpine. To my grandmother's house. There might be answers there."
He studied her for a long moment. "You're sure?"
"Yes."
"You're not scared?"
"I'm terrified." Her voice cracked. "But I need to know who I am. What I'm becoming. And if someone is coming, I want to be ready this time."
He nodded once. "Then we'll leave tonight."
Ayla's eyes softened. "You're not going to try and stop me?"
He shook his head. "I promised to help you, Ayla. I'm not backing down now."
She leaned into him, resting her forehead on his chest. "Thank you."
~~~~~~
They left before midnight, sticking to the woods and avoiding the roads. They didn't speak much. The air between them was tense but full of silent understanding. They stayed off the path, careful not to be seen by the Silver Claws or anyone else who might be watching.
By dawn, they arrived at the old house.
Ayla paused at the front door. She ran her fingers across the door frame where the beast left a mark before unlocking it.
The air inside was stale and cold. The furniture was covered in dust. Everything was exactly as she'd left it, yet it felt like something had changed.
Rhett stepped in behind her. "Where do we start?"
Ayla walked into the living room. "Here, I guess."
They searched for hours, pulling books from shelves, opening drawers, and flipping through notebooks and old papers. They found notes about herbs, recipes, and even strange dream entries but nothing that made sense of her dream.
Finally, Rhett looked at her. "Think. If your grandmother was hiding something important, where would she put it?"
Ayla hesitated. Then it hit her.
"The basement. She always kept it locked. Said it was dangerous down there."
"Good, let's check there."
They found the old key in a ceramic jar by the fireplace.
The basement door creaked as they opened it, dust pouring out from the stairs. They descended carefully, their footsteps echoing.
At the back, under a loose floorboard, Rhett found a wooden box. Inside were several journals, wrapped in cloth.
Ayla opened the first one and began reading.
It was filled with information about the Lunaris bond. The ancient soul link between fated wolves. It explained how their bloodline was tied to old magic, how certain wolves were born with more than strength, some with visions, and others with power over life and death.
But there was nothing about the silver-haired woman.
Just when Ayla was ready to close the book and give up, a letter slipped out from between the pages.
She picked it up carefully.
The handwriting was her grandmother's.
"Milo, if you're reading this, then the time has come. You must find Ayla and train her. She won't understand what's happening, but you do. Use your gift. Guide her. She'll need you now more than ever."
Ayla's heart jumped. "Uncle Milo..."
Rhett leaned over. "What is it?"
"My grandmother wrote this to my uncle. Milo. She wanted him to help me. Train me."
Ayla reached for another journal, this one thicker, older. Inside was a family tree, drawn by hand. She ran her fingers down the page until she found his name.
Milo thorn
Beside it, in faded ink: deer, the seer.
Her eyes widened.
That was it. That was what the woman in the dream meant.
"Meet the deer," Ayla whispered. "She wasn't talking about an animal. She meant him. Milo."
"Why would she call him the deer?" Rhett asked.
Ayla thought for a second, then remembered something. "When I was little, I used to draw this strange man in the woods with antlers. My grandmother would always tear the drawings up. Said it was just imagination. But I think I was dreaming about him even then."
Rhett's eyes darkened. "If Milo's a seer, and he knows what's coming, then we need to find him. Fast."
Ayla looked down at the letter again, her hands shaking slightly.
"He's the key to everything," she whispered. "The curse. The gift. The one who's coming for me. Milo knows."
Rhett stepped closer, voice steady. "Then let's find him before the one who ruined everything does."