EMILY'S POV
The forest is impossibly quiet. Even the wind seems to hold its breath.
I glance down at my hands. They're shaking—or maybe they're not. Maybe it's not fear anymore. It's something else. Something ancient. Something I can feel crawling under my skin, settling into my bones.
Tyler steps closer, but I don't step back. Something inside me urges me forward. My heart still races, but it feels… different. Stronger. Commanding.
"Emily," Tyler says, his voice low, tense. "You need to stay calm. Focus. The hunters—if they catch even a trace of what just happened—"
"They won't," I whisper. My voice sounds strange to me—like it's coming from somewhere else. Somewhere deep. "I won't let them."
Tyler freezes. His golden eyes sharpen, wary. "You… you feel that power already?"
I nod, slowly. The warmth in my chest spreads, and the pendant pulses faster, almost like it's alive. I lift it slightly, cupping it in my hands.
"Your blood remembers," Tyler murmurs, echoing the words he said before. "And if it's calling, it's only a matter of time before—"
A growl interrupts him. Deep, guttural, surrounding us from every direction. My stomach twists. The wolves are closer now, and they aren't just ordinary wolves.
Tyler steps in front of me, fists clenched. "Stay behind me," he warns again.
But I don't move. Instead, I take a breath—and it feels like inhaling the forest itself. The growls sharpen, but there's something different. Something… respectful.
"Emily…" Tyler's voice falters.
I look at him. The gold in his eyes flickers with confusion, awe, and fear all at once.
"Call them back," I hear myself say. Not in my head. Out loud. My voice carries like a drumbeat through the trees. The growls halt. The air trembles.
And then—something incredible happens.
A dozen wolves emerge from the shadows, circling us slowly. Their eyes aren't red. Not even normal wolf amber. They glow faintly, like molten silver. They bow their heads slightly, tails lowered, as if recognizing something only I hold.
Tyler's jaw drops. "Emily… what—what did you just do?"
"I don't know," I admit. "It just… felt right."
The pendant on my chest blazes suddenly, sending sparks of light along the chain. My pulse matches the rhythm of the wolves' movements. Every hair on my arms stands on end.
Then one of them—larger than the rest, its fur almost pure white—steps forward. Its gaze locks with mine.
I know you, I hear in my mind. Not words. A feeling. A connection. A memory.
My knees go weak. I've known you before…
Tyler swears softly beside me. "First Blood," he breathes. His wolf growls low in his throat, unsettled. "It… it recognizes you."
The white wolf nudges forward, brushing its nose against my hand. My pendant pulses violently, hot enough to make me gasp. The memory hits me like a wave:
A battlefield under a blood-red moon. Wolves circling a glowing girl. A seal. A promise. A sacrifice. And me—standing at the center.
I collapse to my knees, overwhelmed, and the wolves kneel around me like guardians.
Tyler catches me before I fall completely, holding me close. "Emily… whatever that is… you can control it," he says, voice urgent. "But you have to listen to me. We have no time. The hunters—they won't wait for you to learn."
I lift my head, eyes glowing faintly silver. "I… I think I can," I whisper. The truth trembles in my chest, but I can't lie to myself. Something inside me—the First Blood—has awakened.
A distant howl pierces the night, sharper than the others. This one isn't from the wolves around me. It's from them. The hunters.
Tyler stiffens. "They know."
I stand, shaking off fear and disbelief. "Then let them come," I say, voice steady, glowing with power I barely understand. "Because they're about to meet something they've never seen before."
The wolves around me growl low, answering my call. The white wolf steps beside me, taller now, more imposing. I feel it—the connection, the memory, the power—and I realize…
I am no longer just Emily.
I am the First Blood.
And the forest, the wolves, the world—they all know it now.