*Nyla*
The sound of the old floorboards creaking beneath my feet echoed through the boarding house as I wandered the narrow hallway, trying to shake off the conversation with Damon—or more accurately, the intensity of his stare. My heart was still acting like I'd run a marathon, and for what? A stranger with pretty eyes and a warning?
I flopped onto the small bed in my room, the mattress groaning like it was older than me. Silvermist was supposed to be a reset. A break from the noise, from the confusion in my head, from the dreams I couldn't explain. Not… whatever *that* was.
I closed my eyes and breathed in the scent of pinewood and something faint—something earthy and musky that clung to the air like an invisible fingerprint.
Probably him.
I hated how I noticed.
—
The next morning, I explored town. Silvermist was all winding roads, quiet cottages, and people who stared a second too long before looking away.
The coffee shop was quaint, and the barista was already smirking when I walked in.
"You must be the new girl," she said.
I raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. Town gossip runs faster than internet here?"
She grinned. "Faster than light. I'm Talia."
"Nyla."
She handed me a latte with a wink. "Word of advice? If Damon talks to you again, don't fall for the eyes."
I froze.
"Excuse me?"
She laughed. "He's… complicated. Silvermist royalty, basically. But he doesn't usually talk to anyone new."
"Good to know," I said, sipping the drink and pretending like my stomach wasn't already tangled with questions.
—
Later that night, I took a walk. Something about the woods pulled at me. The trees were tall and ancient, the kind that didn't just grow—they remembered.
I wasn't alone.
Twigs snapped. My pulse quickened. Then, out of the shadows—Damon.
Again.
He stepped closer, something unreadable in his expression. "You shouldn't be out here at night."
"Why not?" I challenged, folding my arms.
He stared at me like he was trying to see inside me. "Because *they* can smell you."
I frowned. "They?"
He leaned closer, voice low. "You don't belong here, Nyla. But something in your blood does."
Before I could respond, a howl echoed in the distance—raw, loud, and close.
And for a split second, Damon's eyes flickered gold.
---