(Meera's POV)
I always believed life was simple… school, home, family, laughter.
But everything shattered the day Papa didn't come home.
I still remember Maa's scream — a sound I wish I could forget. The doctors said car accident. Everyone said time will heal.
But nothing healed. Not for me. Not for Arjun. Not for Maa.
Soon after the funeral, Maa decided we couldn't live in that house anymore. Too many memories… and too much silence.
So we packed what was left of our lives and moved to Badalghati — to Papa's younger brother's family.
That's how Anjali entered my life — our cousin, bright, loud, and trying too hard to make us smile.
That first evening, she hugged me and said,
"New place. New beginning. Let's go for ice cream. My treat."
Her eyes were warm. Like she knew we needed a distraction.
So the three of us walked through the chilly town, licking cones that melted faster than we could eat. And for the first time in weeks… we laughed.
Later, we sat in the big garden behind the house. A strange cold breeze was blowing, but the place was peaceful — almost magical.
And then I saw it.
A butterfly glowing like moonlight.
It fluttered near my shoulder and drifted toward the woods… almost calling me.
I knew I should stay with my siblings — but my feet moved on their own.
The world around me grew darker, colder.
An unfamiliar scent filled the air — wild, sharp, and electric.
I crossed a point on the ground that shimmered faintly… and suddenly, the world shifted.
The trees around me stretched taller, the air turned heavy, and a deep growl echoed from somewhere far — and yet too close.
My heart froze.
Two wolves stepped out of the shadows.
Not normal ones — giants, with shoulders reaching my chest, claws deep in the earth.
One was grey with white streaks, lips curled, ready to pounce.
The other… black as night, and his eyes glowed golden — powerful, angry, yet controlled.
The grey wolf roared and charged.
I ran — screaming, stumbling through trees.
My foot hit a root and I fell hard. My locket — the one I've worn since childhood — flew from my neck and slid away.
The wolves stopped.
Something in the air changed the moment the locket touched the ground.
I looked up — the golden-eyed wolf took one step towards me… and the grey one backed off immediately. Almost like he was obeying him.
Terror rooted me to the spot.
He wasn't attacking.
He was… studying me.
His eyes lingered on the locket lying near my hand — then on me. A strange shock passed through me, like his gaze reached inside my soul.
My instincts screamed run.
So I grabbed the locket, scrambled to my feet, and sprinted.
The moment I crossed that same invisible border, the air snapped back to normal. The butterflies, the garden, the distant lights returned.
Anjali waved at me from the swing — smiling, unaware.
I pressed the locket to my chest, breath uneven.
Nothing had changed around me…
But everything inside me had.
I whispered to myself, trembling,
"What was that place?"
And deep in my bones… I knew this was only the beginning.