UNSEEN PATHS

I woke to a faint rustling, my senses overwhelmed by the stench of wet earth and something… foreign.

My eyelids fluttered open, and the blur of the forest was replaced by the dim glow of a fire crackling nearby. I was no longer in the clearing.

*Where am I?*

My heart skipped a beat, panic surging through me. I tried to sit up, but my limbs felt heavy, like I'd been drugged. As my surroundings came into focus, I realized I was in a small cabin—rustic, aged—the kind hidden deep in the woods.

The fire crackled in a stone hearth, casting dancing shadows across the walls.

And then I saw him.

Luca.

He sat against the wall, eyes closed, jaw tight with an unreadable expression. The comforting warmth of his presence was gone, replaced by something cold.

*What happened?*

I tried to speak, but the words stuck in my throat. My mouth was dry, every movement a struggle. The world felt slowed, distorted.

Luca's eyes snapped open. He stood quickly, movements sharp, predatory.

*"What happened?"*

"You're awake," Luca said softly, but there was an edge I hadn't heard before.

My body stiffened. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came.

"What happened to me?" I finally whispered.

Luca's gaze softened for a moment. "I know you have questions. But listen carefully—you're not just human anymore. You're one of us."

His words hung in the air, thick and heavy.

"I don't understand," I said, voice shaking.

"You've been changed," Luca explained, stepping closer. "The pack, the bond—it's stronger than you think. Last night, you didn't just lose consciousness. You crossed a threshold."

Fear tightened my chest. "What does that mean?"

"It means your life… has changed forever," Luca said quietly.

I tried to move, to stand, but my body was sluggish—heavy, as if weighed down by something invisible. Panic prickled at my skin.

Luca knelt beside me, his gaze locking onto mine, sharp and intense, searching for any sign of understanding. His eyes held a fierce urgency I hadn't seen before.

"Don't be afraid," Luca said, voice low but edged with something urgent, almost desperate. "I'll explain everything. But first, you need to understand one thing—you're no longer just Lina."

My heart hammered in my chest. The world tilted. I blinked, trying to make sense of the words.

"I—what are you talking about?" I stammered, shaking my head as dizziness blurred the edges of my vision.

"You're going to shift soon," Luca said, voice steady but firm. "And when you do… everything changes. You won't be able to go back."

A sudden creak sliced through the silence as the door eased open. A figure stepped into the flickering firelight, casting a long shadow across the room.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat.

Derrick.

The cold smirk on his face, the calculating gleam in his narrowed eyes—it twisted my insides with unease.

Luca didn't hesitate. He moved swiftly, placing himself protectively between Derrick and me, his stance unwavering.

"Don't listen to him," Luca warned, voice low but sharp. "He's trying to get under your skin."

Derrick's lips curled into a cruel grin. "You'll never be like us. Not really. You think you belong? You're just a mistake."

The words hit me like ice, sharp and cold. My breath hitched. A knot formed in my stomach.

Luca's eyes flashed with anger. He turned sharply toward Derrick. "Enough. We don't have time for your games."

Derrick's chuckle echoed through the room, low and menacing. "Games? No, Luca. This isn't some childish game. This is reality. You're blinded by your foolish loyalty to her. She's a liability—a danger to the entire pack."

I felt a cold shiver snake down my spine, every nerve on edge.

Luca's jaw tightened, fists clenched so hard his knuckles whitened. "She belongs to this pack. She's stronger than you think. Don't underestimate her."

Derrick's eyes gleamed dangerously, sharp like knives. "Stronger? She's barely an omega. Weakness spreads like a disease. If she falters, she'll drag all of us down with her."

Luca's voice dropped into a growl, thick with fury. "You're the weak one, Derrick. Your hatred has blinded you. She's not just an omega—she's our future."

Derrick sneered, stepping closer, voice dripping venom. "Future? Ha. More like a mistake waiting to explode. You're playing with fire, Luca. One day, she'll turn on us. You'd be wise not to get burned."

The tension between them coiled tight, suffocating. It felt like the room could crack under the weight of their words.

Luca took a deliberate step forward, eyes blazing cold as ice. "Leave, Derrick. Before I make you."

Derrick's smirk twisted into something darker, a silent promise hanging in the air as he backed away slowly, eyes locked on mine with a warning I couldn't ignore.

Derrick's smirk deepened, sharp and cruel. "Oh, I'm not going anywhere. I'm here to watch you fall, Lina. You really think you're protecting her? You're protecting a threat. And when it all comes crashing down, I'll be standing right there, watching."

I swallowed hard, my heart hammering so loud it felt like it would burst through my ribs. Every word hit me like ice, but beneath the fear, something fierce stirred inside me.

Luca's eyes softened for a brief second as he glanced at me—an unspoken reassurance—but his voice remained steady. "You have to be ready, Lina. This isn't just about you. It's about all of us."

The weight of his words pressed down on me. This was bigger than anything I'd ever imagined. I nodded, but before I could say anything, Luca turned away.

The door slammed behind Derrick with a force that echoed like a warning shot in the night. I was left alone, the crackling fire the only sound in the cabin.

Silence settled, heavy and thick, as my mind spun with doubt and fear.

The wooden walls groaned under the weight of the night, each creak a whispered secret of old battles and broken promises. A single candle flickered weakly on the table, its light stretching long shadows across the room, shadows that seemed to flicker and pulse with the unease I felt crawling beneath my skin.

I sat on the edge of the bed, my fingers tracing the grain of the wooden floor as if it would ground me somehow. The memories of the past days blurred and tangled—Luca's distant gaze, Derrick's unsettling smirk, and that mysterious figure lurking in the woods.

Was I ready for what was coming?

Suddenly, a gust of wind slammed the cabin door open, sending a cold draft swirling inside and snuffing out the candle's flame. Darkness swallowed the room whole.

My breath hitched. Footsteps echoed in the silence—slow, deliberate.

"Lina," the voice came, low and familiar, yet strange.

I spun toward the doorway, heart pounding so hard it echoed in my ears. The moonlight spilled through, illuminating Luca's face—but something was off. His eyes glowed with an eerie, unnatural light. No warmth. No softness. Just cold, sharp intensity.

"It's time," Luca said, stepping closer with a predator's grace.

"Time for what?" I asked, voice shaking as I instinctively took a step back.

Luca reached out, his fingers brushing lightly against my cheek, sending an unexpected shiver down my spine.

"To embrace your true nature," he whispered, voice low and filled with a strange promise.

Before I could react, a searing pain exploded through my body, relentless and consuming. I crumpled to the floor, vision blurring, breath shallow and ragged.

As the darkness claimed me, Luca's voice echoed—soft, commanding, and haunting all at once.

"Welcome to the pack."