The hospital doors slid open behind them with a hollow hiss, and the night air rushed in—cold and sharp like it had been waiting for them. Lucy pulled her cardigan tighter around herself. She hadn't realized how late it was until she stepped outside and saw the empty street stretching in both directions like two dark mouths.
Merlin walked beside her quietly, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket. The silence between them didn't feel uncomfortable. It felt necessary… like the night itself was holding its breath, listening.
Streetlights flickered overhead, their pale glow breaking across the pavement in long cracks of yellow. Lucy's steps echoed softly. Her mind churned with everything the doctor had said, everything Merlin had revealed, and everything her grandmother whispered through her fear.
She stared straight ahead until something tugged at her attention—her heartbeat.
It had shifted.
It wasn't anxious anymore.
It was… aware.
She turned her head slightly and looked at Merlin.
He walked with effortless steadiness, eyes scanning the empty road like the soldier he was. But there was something softer tonight—a shadow of vulnerability around him, something she hadn't noticed earlier.
He was handsome.
Not in the polished, charming way Samuel pretended to be.
But in a grounded, unshakeable way.
A man shaped by duty.
And loss.
Her cheeks warmed at the thought, and she quickly looked away.
What am I doing? What is wrong with me?
She rubbed her arms, annoyed at herself.
Merlin glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
"You okay?"
Lucy nodded too quickly. "Yes. Just… tired."
He studied her for a moment longer, like he saw more than she wanted him to.
They walked a little farther before Lucy found her voice again.
"Merlin… about that man in the video."
He stopped walking for half a second, then continued.
Lucy took a slow breath. "You still don't know what he was, right?"
A muscle in Merlin's jaw twitched, the only sign of hesitation.
"No," he admitted. "I've replayed the footage… probably fifty times now. And every time, I see something new. Something that makes even less sense than before."
Lucy wrapped her arms tighter. "Like what?"
Merlin slowed, turning his head toward her. "His shadow."
Lucy blinked. "His… shadow?"
"It didn't fall the way it should've," Merlin said. "The moonlight was behind him. But his shadow stretched sideways. Sometimes forward. Sometimes… nowhere at all."
Lucy felt a chill race up her spine. "That's not possible."
"I know," Merlin murmured. "But it happened."
They continued walking, the cold digging deeper into Lucy's skin. She swallowed.
"And the wolves… bowing to him. You're sure that's what they were doing?"
Merlin nodded slowly. "Wolves don't bow. Not even to their alpha. They lower themselves, they show submission. But this—" He shook his head. "It was reverence. Like he was… above them. Like he wasn't their leader… but something more."
Lucy's breath fogged in the air.
A shiver crawled down her neck.
"And my father…" she whispered. "Was he anywhere in that footage?"
Merlin hesitated.
Then: "No."
Lucy felt her heart sink.
Of course. Nothing in her life was simple.
They reached a crossroads. Lucy's house sat at the far end of a quiet lane, its porch light faintly glowing like a dying ember.
When they arrived at the gate, Lucy turned to him. Her voice was small but steady.
"Merlin… can you stay tonight?"
He blinked. "Stay?"
Lucy looked down, embarrassed but determined. "Not in the house. Just… here. Nearby. I don't feel safe. And Grandma's in the hospital. And after what happened today and everything you said about the forest and the man in the video—"
Merlin lifted a hand gently, stopping her ramble.
"Lucy."
She looked up at him.
He gave her a small nod.
"Of course. I'll stay."
Relief washed through her so strongly her knees almost buckled.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Merlin stepped back, giving her space. "Go inside. Lock the doors. Leave the porch light on. I'll keep watch."
Lucy nodded, trying to calm the strange warmth blooming in her chest. She turned toward the door, but paused one moment longer.
"Merlin?"
"Yes?"
She met his eyes.
"Thank you… for everything."
His expression softened in a way she hadn't seen before.
"Get some rest, Lucy. We'll figure this out tomorrow."
Lucy finally went inside.
Merlin watched until the lights turned on. Then he leaned back against the fence, eyes scanning the dark.
He stayed there for hours.
THE DREAM
Lucy fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow. Exhaustion pulled her under fast, like a deep wave swallowing her whole.
But it didn't bring peace.
The dream came instantly—sharp, vivid, too real to be imagined.
She was small again. Barefoot in the Evergreen woods. The trees towered above her like silent giants. Sunlight filtered through the leaves in warm beams.
She laughed and ran forward, chasing after a butterfly.
Her father's voice followed her.
"Careful, little one! Don't run too far."
She turned and saw him—Robert Desmond, alive, smiling, younger. His forest uniform was open at the collar, and he looked… peaceful. The way he never did near the end.
Lucy's eyes burned.
"Papa!" she cried and ran into his arms.
He caught her with a grunt and lifted her into the air.
"Ah! You're getting heavier."
Lucy giggled.
"No, you're getting old!"
Robert groaned dramatically.
"Is that how you speak to the bravest forest officer in Merrow?"
"You're the only forest officer I know!" she teased.
He laughed—a warm, full laugh she hadn't heard in years. He set her down gently.
"Come on," he said. "I want to show you something."
They walked together through the forest. Birds chirped. Leaves rustled. It was… peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Her father stopped suddenly.
Lucy tugged his hand. "Papa?"
He didn't answer.
He leaned forward.
Coughed.
Then coughed again.
This time—
Blood splattered onto his hand.
Lucy's heart froze.
"Papa?" she whispered.
Robert turned toward her—
And collapsed.
"NO!" Lucy screamed and ran to him.
She dropped to her knees, grabbing his shoulders.
"Papa—Papa, please—get up—please—"
He was still breathing.
Barely.
Lucy sobbed and looked around. "Help! Somebody—HELP!"
She shook him again.
"Papa, look at me—please—Papa—"
A shadow fell over them.
Lucy froze.
Slowly—very slowly—she lifted her eyes.
A man stood behind her father.
Tall.
Still.
Unmoving like a statue.
The moonlight poured over his body like liquid silver. It clung to his skin, making him glow. His face was hidden in shadow.
Lucy tried to speak, but her throat locked.
The man tilted his head.
And then—
With a sound that ripped through the forest—
He HOWLED.
A deep, furious wolf's roar that shook the ground beneath her.
Wolves burst from the trees—dozens, forming a circle around her and her father, their eyes blazing like burning embers.
Lucy screamed.
She tried to run.
But the wolves surged forward, snarling, crawling toward her, one step at a time—
She shook violently. Her heart pounded.
The man stepped forward.
His voice cracked the air like thunder.
"LUCY."
Her eyes snapped open.
She woke with a choked gasp, drenched in sweat, clutching her blanket as if it were the only thing keeping her alive.
Her room was dark.
Silent.
But her heart wasn't.
It hammered against her ribs like it wanted out.
She stumbled out of bed and rushed to the window, throwing it open, desperate for air.
Cold night wind hit her face.
And then—
She saw him.
Merlin.
Sitting on her porch steps with his head tilted back, half-asleep but alert enough to notice her the moment she opened the window.
His eyes met hers instantly.
"Lucy?"
He got up. "What happened? Are you okay?"
Lucy swallowed hard, her breath shaking.
"No," she whispered. "Merlin… I saw him."
Merlin froze.
"Who?" he asked quietly.
Lucy gripped the window frame until her knuckles turned white.
"The man in the moonlight," she whispered.
Merlin stepped closer, all sleep gone from his eyes.
"What did you see?"
Lucy stared into the night, voice trembling.
"He was standing behind my father."
The wind stopped.
Everything went still.
Merlin's voice dropped into something dark, something ready.
"Lucy… tell me everything."
And Lucy did.
Every detail.
Every howl.
Every wolf.
Every impossible shadow.
Merlin listened without interrupting, his expression shifting slowly from concern… to dread… to something she couldn't name.
When she finished, her voice cracked.
"Merlin… what does it mean?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he turned to the trees at the edge of the road—Evergreen Forest looming far away in the distance, barely visible in the darkness.
His jaw tightened.
"It means," he said softly, "that you weren't just dreaming."
Lucy's heart stopped.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Merlin stepped closer to the window.
His voice was a whisper, trembling with something he rarely allowed himself to feel.
"Lucy… I think he's reaching for you."