EMILY'S POV
For a heartbeat, neither of us moves.
The forest feels alive — every branch, every breath of wind, every shadow watching us. Tyler stands perfectly still, but the air around him hums like a storm waiting to break.
"What do you mean you've known me?" I whisper.
He steps forward, slow, controlled. "You're shaking."
"I'm not."
I absolutely am.
He tilts his head slightly, like he's listening to something I can't hear. "Your heartbeat says otherwise."
My palms go cold.
"How do you know that?"
He doesn't answer — not with words. His eyes flash gold again, brighter this time. The kind of glow that isn't human. The kind that makes you question everything you thought was real.
My throat tightens.
"You… you're not—"
"Human?" he finishes gently. "Not entirely."
The wind sweeps through the clearing, and something inside me stirs in response. My pendant grows warm again, pulsing softly against my skin — almost like it's calling to him.
Tyler's gaze drops to it. His jaw clenches.
"You touched it," he murmurs.
"How do you know about this?" I ask.
He meets my eyes — and in them, I see fear. Not for himself.
For me.
"Because that pendant isn't just a charm, Emily. It's a seal. And now… it's breaking."
My heart slams against my ribs.
"What does that mean?"
He steps closer, and this time I don't move away.
"It means you're remembering," he says softly. "And when you remember, they'll come."
"Who?"
But before he can answer — the world shifts.
A rumble shakes the ground beneath my feet. The trees tremble, the air thickens, and suddenly I feel it — a force pressing in from every direction. My knees almost buckle.
Tyler grabs my arm, steadying me. His touch is warm, grounding… familiar.
"Emily," he says urgently, "listen to me. Whatever you feel right now — do not fight it."
The pressure builds, crawling up my spine, burning under my skin like molten fire.
"I can't—"
My voice cracks as the pain hits.
He moves closer, his chest inches from mine. "Look at me."
I do.
And the moment our eyes lock, the pain shifts—
becoming something else.
Something powerful.
Something ancient.
My vision flickers again. The forest dissolves. And suddenly—
Snow.
A battlefield.
Wolves circling something glowing.
A girl with my face… but not me. Not here. Not now.
I gasp, snapping back into my body.
Tyler's grip tightens. "You saw it."
My breath trembles. "What was that? Who was that?"
"You," he whispers. "Before."
Before what?
Before I can ask, a sharp, distant howl cuts through the trees.
Tyler's head snaps toward the sound. His muscles tense instantly.
"No," he growls. "They're too close."
I stare at him. "Who is that?"
His eyes darken, voice dropping to a dangerous rumble.
"The ones who want your power."
He turns back to me, face tight with urgency.
"We have to go. Now."
But before he can pull me away, another howl rises — closer this time, sharper, laced with hunger.
And something deep inside me… answers.
A soft vibration leaves my chest — a sound I don't recognize, a call that didn't come from my mouth but from somewhere deeper.
Tyler's eyes widen, shock flickering across his face.
"Emily… what did you just—"
I shake my head. "I don't know."
But I do.
Somewhere in my bones, I know.
Something inside me is waking up — something older than the wolves in the forest, older than the pendant, older than Tyler himself.
And it's calling back.
---
TYLER'S POV
This is bad.
The moment Emily released that sound — that instinctive, ancient call — the entire forest shifted. The wind stilled. The shadows stirred. And every wolf within miles would have felt it.
She doesn't realize what she's done.
What she is.
I step in front of her, shielding her from the dark edge of the trees.
Her scent is different now — raw, potent, threaded with something that makes my wolf bow in instinctive recognition.
"Tyler," she whispers shakily, "what's happening to me?"
I don't know how to tell her gently — there's no gentle way to say it.
"Your blood is remembering," I say quietly. "And the world is answering."
She looks terrified — but also luminous. The moonlight bends toward her, as if drawn to her very existence.
I swallow hard.
"We need to leave before the hunters get here."
Her eyes widen. "Hunters? For what?"
"For you," I say, voice low. "They've waited centuries for a First Blood to awaken again."
She steps closer to me without realizing it, her fear scent spiking.
"Tyler… am I in danger?"
I force myself to look directly into her eyes.
"You're not just in danger," I say softly.
"You are the danger."
Her breath catches. I step forward, letting my hand hover near hers — not touching, but close enough for her to feel the promise in my presence.
"But you're not alone," I add. "I won't let them take you."
A howl splits the night — louder this time, furious and hungry.
Emily flinches. I bare my teeth.
"They found us."
I shift slightly, preparing to protect her with everything I am.
"Stay behind me," I warn.
But when I look back—
She's not trembling anymore.
Her eyes… are glowing.
Not gold.
Not wolf.
Something older.
Something that makes even my wolf fall silent.
"Tyler," she whispers, voice steady and strange, "I think… I think I remember something."
And the forest bows in silence.
As if the First Blood has finally woken.