IRIS POV
Iris hasn't slept.
She's been staring at her phone for twelve hours waiting for another message. Refreshing her email. Checking the windows. Looking for shadows that don't belong. The text messages from the anonymous number keep repeating in her head. He died. You'll end up the same way.
At some point around four in the morning she'd tried calling back the unknown number. It rang once and went straight to a dead line. The number doesn't exist anymore. Of course it doesn't.
By the time sunlight creeps through the lodge windows, Iris has convinced herself of two things. First, whoever sent those messages either wants to scare her away or knows something real about Marcus. Second, she's not leaving either way.
She's packed her camera equipment and set up in a clearing near the lodge when a man appears on the trail. He's older, maybe forty, with silver hair pulled back and warm brown eyes that crinkle at the corners when he smiles. Nothing about him screams danger. Nothing about him looks like he's hiding a dead girl in the forest.
"You must be the filmmaker," he says, walking over with his hand extended. "I'm Marcus Thorne. Conservation liaison. I help coordinate with visitors on pack land."
Pack land. Not forest. Pack land. Iris shakes his hand and notes the way he said it so casually. Like it was a normal thing. Like packs of what exactly were walking around claiming territory.
"Iris Vale," she says. "Thanks for helping me get set up."
Marcus gestures for her to follow him. He walks her through the clearing and points out the zones where she's allowed to film. The western part of the forest where wildlife congregates. The northern trails where predators leave signs. The southern lake where birds nest. He's thorough. Professional. Kind in a way that almost makes her forget she's standing in the territory where her brother died.
"We do have some rules," Marcus says when they reach the boundary line. "You can film anywhere in the approved zones, but we ask that you don't venture deeper into the forest. There are dangerous areas. Unstable cliffs. Abandoned mining shafts. We'd hate to see you get hurt."
Iris nods like she's listening. Like she won't absolutely ignore every single word he just said.
"How long are you planning to stay?" Marcus asks.
"Two weeks," Iris answers. "If that's okay."
"Two weeks is perfect. After that, we'll need the territory clear for seasonal maintenance." Marcus smiles again but this time there's something behind it. Something careful. "Two weeks and you move on. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Iris lies.
Marcus starts to leave. He's almost back to the trail when Iris sees movement in the trees behind him. A flash of black between the pines. She blinks and there's a man standing at the edge of the clearing. Just standing there. Watching.
He's tall. Broad shoulders that make the forest seem small. Black hair that catches the light. And when he turns his head slightly, his eyes find hers and something electric shoots through her body.
Iris stops breathing.
The man doesn't smile. Doesn't wave. Doesn't acknowledge her in any way except for that look. That intense, burning look that feels like it's seeing through her skin and reading everything underneath. Her fear. Her determination. Her grief. All of it laid bare in a single second.
Then Marcus turns around to follow her gaze and the man is gone.
Vanished. Like he was never there at all.
"Did you see someone?" Iris asks, her voice coming out shaky.
Marcus looks at the empty trees. His jaw tightens slightly. "Just wildlife. The wolves sometimes come close to the boundary. They're curious but they won't bother you."
Wolves. Right. Of course. Except that man was definitely not a wolf and definitely not just curious. And Marcus definitely knew who he was and definitely didn't want Iris asking questions about him.
"Right," Iris says. "Just wolves."
Marcus leaves soon after that. Iris sets up her camera equipment on autopilot. Her hands are shaking. Her heart is racing. And she can't stop replaying that moment. That man's eyes on hers. The way her entire body responded to him. The way he looked at her like he knew something she didn't.
She's still thinking about it when evening falls.
The forest goes dark fast. By six o'clock the sun is dropping behind the trees and the temperature is dropping with it. Iris packs up her equipment and heads back to the lodge. She's almost to the door when the first howl cuts through the night.
It's far away. Distant. Probably a few miles at least. Iris pauses on the lodge steps and listens. The howl comes again. And again. Multiple wolves. Maybe a whole pack. Calling to each other across the darkness.
She goes inside and tries to focus on her laptop. Reviews the files again. Looks for any connection between her brother and the Silvercrest Pack. But her concentration is shot. Every few minutes another howl echoes through the forest. Getting closer. Or at least sounding like it's getting closer.
Around midnight, Iris goes to the window.
The howls have stopped. The forest is completely silent now. The kind of silence that feels heavy. Waiting. Like everything out there is holding its breath.
Then they start again.
But this time they're different. This time they sound like they're right outside the lodge. Close enough that Iris can hear the individual voices. Close enough that she can picture huge animals moving through the darkness just beyond the trees.
She checks the locks on all the windows. Then the door. Then she does it again.
The howls keep coming. Closer. More insistent. Like they're calling to someone inside the lodge. Like they know exactly which room she's in. Like they're hungry.
Iris pulls the curtains shut and sits on the edge of her bed with her phone in her hand. She scrolls through the files again. Photos of her brother. Articles about missing hikers. Forum posts about strange animal sightings in the forest.
One post catches her eye. It's from two years ago. A user named TruthSeeker wrote about seeing something impossible near Silvercrest territory. Something that walked on two legs but moved like an animal. Something with eyes that reflected gold in the moonlight.
Gold eyes. Just like the man in the clearing today.
Iris's phone buzzes.
Another text from an unknown number.
You saw him today didn't you. You saw the Alpha watching you. If you're smart you'll get in your car right now and drive away from here before sunrise. Because if he decides he wants you, there's nowhere in this forest you can hide.
The howls outside intensify.