The Howling Storm

The wind howled through the dense pines of Blackwood Forest, carrying with it the scent of rain and something wild, something alive. Lliora Hart shivered beneath her thick woolen cloak, her lantern casting flickering shadows as she hurried along the muddy path. She shouldn’t have stayed so late at the village apothecary, but old Mrs. Caldwell had needed a remedy for her aching joints, and Lliora  couldn’t refuse.  

A low growl rumbled through the trees.  

Lliora  froze. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she slowly turned, her lantern illuminating two glowing amber eyes in the darkness. A massive wolf stood at the edge of the path, its fur dark as midnight, its muscles coiled tight. But it wasn’t just a wolf, there was something more in its gaze, something intelligent.  

Before she could scream, another figure emerged from the shadows, a man. Tall, broad-shouldered, with unruly dark hair and piercing golden eyes that matched the wolf’s. He placed a hand on the beast’s head, murmuring something in a language Lliora  didn’t understand, and the wolf melted back into the forest.  

“You shouldn’t be out here,” the man said, his voice rough but not unkind. “Not when the moon is full.”  

Lliora  swallowed hard. “Who, what are you?”  

The man hesitated, then stepped closer, the moonlight revealing sharp, angular features and a scar running down his jaw. “My name is Bardan. And you’re in danger if you stay.”  

Before she could respond, a chorus of snarls erupted from the trees. More wolves, no, werewolves emerged, their eyes gleaming with hunger. Bardan snarled, his body tensing as if preparing to shift.  

“Run,” he commanded.  

But Lliora  didn’t run. Instead, she reached into her satchel and flung a handful of powdered silver at the advancing beasts. They yelped in pain, recoiling. Bardan stared at her in shock.  

“You’re… prepared?”  

Lliora  lifted her chin. “I’m the village healer. I know what lurks in these woods.”  

Bardan’s lips curled into a reluctant smile. “Then maybe you’re exactly who I’ve been looking for.”  

As the howls of the pack filled the night, Bardan grabbed her hand, and together, they fled deeper into the forest toward a destiny neither of them could escape.  

---  

The forest blurred around Lliora  as Bardan pulled her through the undergrowth, his grip firm and urgent. Behind them, snarls and snapping branches signaled the pack’s pursuit. Her lungs burned, but she forced herself to keep pace, her healer’s instincts warring with raw fear.  

What have I gotten myself into?  

Bardan suddenly yanked her behind a massive oak, pressing a finger to his lips. His golden eyes glowed faintly in the dark, his breath steady despite their sprint. Lliora ’s own came in ragged gasps.  

A low, guttural voice echoed through the trees. “Bardan… traitor.”  

Her blood turned to ice. The werewolves could speak.  

Bardan’s jaw tightened. He leaned in, his lips brushing her ear as he whispered, “They won’t stop. When I move, run north, follow the creek. There’s a cabin. Barricade yourself inside.”  

Lliora  grabbed his arm. “What about you?”  

His gaze flickered with something unreadable. Regret? Resolve? “I’ll hold them off.”  

Before she could argue, a monstrous howl split the night. Bardan shoved her forward just as a massive, russet-furred werewolf lunged from the shadows. Lliora  stumbled but didn’t fall, sprinting as Bardan’s body twisted mid-air, bones cracking as he shifted into his wolf form, a sleek, black beast with those same piercing amber eyes.  

The two wolves collided in a whirl of fangs and fury.  

Lliora  ran, her boots splashing through the icy creek. The cabin loomed ahead, its windows dark. She slammed the door shut behind her, barring it with a heavy wooden table. Her hands trembled as she lit a lantern, revealing shelves of herbs, weapons, and silver.  

A snarl rattled the door.  

Not Bardan.  

The wood splintered as claws tore through. Lliora  grabbed a silver dagger from the wall just as the door burst open. A hulking werewolf stalked inside, saliva dripping from its jaws. Its voice was a grotesque mockery of human speech. “Little healer… you smell like fear.”  

She raised the blade. “And you smell like rotting meat.”  

It lunged. Lliora  sidestepped, slashing its shoulder. The beast howled, recoiling as silver smoke hissed from its wound. But it wasn’t enough. It swiped at her, claws ripping through her cloak. She fell back, hitting the floor.

A black blur crashed through the window.  

Bardan.  

He tore into the other wolf with savage precision, his fangs finding its throat. The fight was brutal, short. When it ended, Bardan stood over the corpse, his fur matted with blood. Slowly, he shifted back into human form, his body streaked with wounds.  

Lliora  scrambled to her feet. “You’re hurt”  

“No time.” He grabbed her wrist. “They’ll keep coming. The alpha wants you dead.”  

“Why?”  

His grip tightened. “Because you’re the only one who can break the curse.”  

Outside, the howls began again, closer this time. Dozens of them.  

Bardan’s eyes met hers, desperate. “Trust me.”  

Lliora  exhaled. “Then we fight.”  

She tossed him a second silver dagger. Together, they stepped into the moonlit night, where the pack waited and the real battle began.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***