The Beasts

Lena

I barely slept that night.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him—those piercing silver eyes, the way his voice wrapped around me like both a warning and a secret. The way he disappeared into the darkness, leaving me with more questions than answers.

By morning, I almost convinced myself I had imagined it. That I had wandered too deep into the woods, let my fear get the best of me. That there was no such thing as werewolves, no impossible man with a presence so overwhelming it stole the air from my lungs.

But when I pressed my palm to my chest, my heart still pounded like it hadn't yet recovered.

Something had happened last night.

And I needed to know what.

The village was quiet as I made my way toward the marketplace, the early sun casting long shadows over the stone pathways. People bustled about, trading goods, speaking in hushed voices like they always did. But I couldn't focus. My thoughts were tangled in the events of the night before.

I needed answers.

"Lena!"

I turned just as Elise, my closest friend, jogged up to me, her blonde curls bouncing as she frowned. "Where have you been? I went to your house this morning, but you weren't there."

I hesitated. I had known Elise since childhood, but even she wouldn't believe what I had seen. "I went for a walk."

She raised a brow. "A walk? At dawn?"

I forced a smile. "Couldn't sleep."

She studied me for a moment before sighing. "Well, I'm glad I found you. Did you hear? Another farm on the outskirts was attacked last night."

My stomach clenched. "Attacked?"

Elise nodded, lowering her voice. "Livestock torn apart. No one saw what did it, but…" She glanced around before whispering, "They're saying it's the beasts again."

I swallowed. The beasts. The reason why no one ventured beyond the village after dark.

Stories of creatures lurking in the forest had been passed down for generations. But I had always thought they were just that—stories. Warnings to keep children from wandering too far.

Now I wasn't so sure.

"Elise," I said carefully. "What do you know about the beasts?"

She blinked at me. "Why?"

I hesitated. "Just curious."

She shrugged. "Not much. Some say they're spirits, others say they're cursed men. Either way, they're dangerous. My grandmother told me the last time someone went into the woods and came back… well, they weren't the same."

A chill ran down my spine.

I had gone into the woods.

And I had come back.

But something inside me told me I wasn't the same, either.

Elise chattered on about how the village council was holding another meeting to discuss the attacks, but I barely heard her. My mind was still trapped in the memory of last night—the way his body had shifted, how the moonlight had caught the ridges of his features when he stood before me in his human form.

I had spent years hearing about monsters in the woods, but no one had ever described him.

A man, but not just a man.

Too tall, too sharp, too otherworldly to belong among us. His silver eyes had held a quiet power, a warning unspoken. Even now, I felt the weight of them pressing against my skin.

I shook my head, trying to clear it.

"Lena?" Elise nudged my arm. "Are you even listening?"

"Sorry," I muttered. "What were you saying?"

She huffed. "I said my father wants to leave before things get worse. If the beasts keep attacking, we're not safe here."

The words hit harder than I expected. Leave? It had never occurred to me before. This village was my home, the only place I had ever known. But the thought of being trapped here, always fearing the forest, always questioning what lurked beyond it…

I didn't know if I could live like that anymore.

Before I could respond, a commotion near the center of the marketplace caught my attention. A group of villagers had gathered, their voices hushed yet urgent. Elise and I exchanged a look before moving toward them.

Old Man Foster, one of the farmers who lived on the outskirts, stood in the center of the crowd. His hands trembled as he spoke. "It was the beasts," he rasped. "I saw the shadows moving—too fast, too big to be wolves."

The crowd murmured, some fearful, others skeptical.

"There ain't been proof," someone said. "Could be wild dogs."

"Wild dogs don't tear apart cattle like that," another argued.

An uneasy silence followed.

I swallowed hard. I had seen him shift, seen him disappear into the night with ease no human could possess. The people in this village feared the beasts, but they didn't know the truth.

I did.

And I needed to find him again.

Because if the attacks were happening so close to the village, if creatures like him were lurking in the shadows, then I had to know why.

Why had he told me to leave?

Why had he let me go?