He’s rescuing me. Why would a beast that should want me dead now seem determined to save me?
The wolf continues his careful ascent, easily bearing my weight. When we reach the surface, he carries me further, away from the treacherous ground of the sinkhole, and gently places me on a bed of moss near the forest's edge.
From here, I can see lights in the distance—Echo team searching. Close enough that they might find me soon, but far enough that the wolf has time to disappear.
He stands over me for a long moment, those intense eyes studying my face as if committing it to memory. I should feel afraid. I should raise my gun and fire at this point-blank range. I don't. Can't.
Something passes between us—understanding, recognition, connection.
Then, with visible reluctance, he turns and vanishes into darkness, taking with him answers I desperately need.
I lie there, rain washing over my face, mind struggling to make sense of what just happened. The wolf—the monster I was hunting—saved my life. Left me where humans could find me. Why?
And how did the man know my name?
My leg throbs with each heartbeat. With gritted teeth and bile rising in my throat, I grasp my broken leg and snap the bone back into alignment. A scream tears from my lungs, echoing through trees. I collapse backward, blackness threatening at the edges of my vision. Focus on breathing. In. Out. In. Out.
Every sound in the forest suddenly seems amplified. I freeze, listening for footsteps, for voices, for any sign of an Enclave member. Or worse, someone from my own team. The last thing I need is to explain how a shattered femur is miraculously healing itself. If they discovered what I really am… that would be my true end. And my mother’s.
My body will heal now that the bone is properly set, but I need to move. I scan the perimeter, watching for the telltale glow of tactical flashlights. If Marcus or Chen found me like this... if any GUIDE operative saw me healing at this rate... public execution would be the best-case scenario.
Hours later, I'm able to stand, though each step sends bolts of pain shooting up my leg. I ignore the still-distant lights of Echo team, heading back toward my mother's house through the forest. I don't want to help them find the wolf's trail.
The house is quiet when I return, though police lights still flash at the perimeter. GUIDE has established a containment zone. Standard protocol is spinning a web of lies about domestic terrorists to explain a firefight in a suburban backyard.
I slip past them using back trails, entering through Mom's basement door. The climb up the stairs is agonizing, but I manage through sheer stubborn will.
She's waiting in the kitchen, face pale, hands twisted into a knot of worry.
"Astrid!" She rushes forward, then stops abruptly at the sight of my bloodied clothes and unsteady stance. "What happened? They wouldn't tell me anything. Just ordered me to stay inside while men with guns searched my garden."
I sink into a chair, exhaustion washing over me in waves. "The shapeshifter," I begin, then pause, searching for words to explain the unexplainable. "I saw him transform from human to wolf right in our backyard. And I think he knew me. The man he was before the shift. He said my name."
Mom's hands freeze midway through making tea. "A shifter? Not just a wolf? And he knew you?" The cup clatters slightly as she sets it down. "How is that possible?"
"I don't know." I stare into my cup, watching steam curl upward like question marks. "But I'm going to find out."
A sharp knock at the door interrupts us. Mom tenses, teacup rattling against saucer. I recognize the pattern—three quick raps, a pause, then two more. GUIDE protocol.
"I’m sure it’s Weyland," I murmur, squeezing her hand. "Stay here."
I open the door just enough to slip outside onto the dark porch, keeping my injured leg in shadow. Weyland looks haggard, clothes and gear muddied from hours searching, eyes rimmed with exhaustion.
"Mathieson." Relief flashes across his face. "Where the hell have you been? We've had teams combing the forest for hours."
"Lost the trail in the rain," I lie smoothly, the words falling into place like well-practiced steps. "Tried circling back, but the downpour washed everything away. The wolf is gone."
His eyes narrow, suspicion flickering in their depths. "You've been out there for hours.”
"I know these woods better than anyone." I shift my weight to my good leg, careful not to wince. "Any sign of the others? Of Enclave?"
"Two in custody, three escaped." Weyland runs a hand through rain-flattened hair. "Hayes is livid. You went after the primary target without backup, without comms, without proper gear."
"I took your vest and it was my call to make. I’m the senior agent." I cross my arms, spine straight despite the grinding pain in my femur. "I know what I'm capable of. I was in control."
"Were you?" He studies my face, searching for cracks in my armor. "Because you went after a creature that tore a grizzly bear apart like it was made of tissue paper. Like it was nothing."
I shrug, keeping my expression neutral while my mind replays the image of those golden eyes studying me with unmistakable intelligence.
