The forest was alive tonight. Eli felt in the moment the stepped off the bakery path and into the tress. The air hummed, cool and damp, heavy with the scent of pine and earth. He didn't know why he had come. Not really. Maybe it was the way the wind whispered his name. Or the soft. unexplained tug in his chest that had been pulling him toward all week--------like an invisible thread, wrapping tighter every day. The moon hung low, a pale silver coin above the tree line, and the world felt quiet, like it was holding its breath. Eli near a thicket of berry bushes, brushing his fingers over the tiny, dark fruits. His hands were shaking, and he didn't know why. He told himself it was just the chill in the air. But it wasn't. There was something else. Something that made the hair on his arms stand up. Something that made his heart race----------- Not with fear, exactly, but with...something he couldn't name. He glanced over his shoulder. The trees loomed dark and endless, the shadows Deeping with every breath. And yet.....he didn't leave. A soft sound. A low ruble, somewhere in the darkness. Eli froze, his breath catching the throat. Not a growl exactly-------------- but close. Low. Warning. He swallowed hard, his fingers tightening around the berry branch. ''Hello?'' His voice was barely a whisper, shaky and unsure. No answer. Just the wind in the trees, the distant creak of branches. And the feeling------stronger now, like something was watching him. Something.......big. Wild. Hidden. His pulse thundered in his ears; He should have been scared-----------he was scared. But beneath the fear was something else, something soft and strange. He wasn't alone. He could feel it in his bones. Somewhere in the trees, unseen golden eyes watched him. Caleb breath came heavy and ragged, his wolf side restless, fighting the need to go to him, to push forward, to revel everything. His wolf ached----his mate was so close, so vulnerable, and all he wanted was to go him, to curl around him, to breath in his scent and never let him go. But Eli didn't know yet. Didn't know what he was, didn't know who he was. Didn't know the threads of fate already twisting between them. So, Caleb held himself back, muscles tensed, claws digging into the dirt, fighting the urge to step into the moonlight. Eli turned back, but his hands trembled. And when he finally walked back. The forest different tonight. The deeper Eli walked, the thicker the air became- heavy with mist and the scent of pine. The shadows stretched long and strange under the moonlight, and every step seemed to echo in the quiet. His hands full of berries, his heart still buzzing from the feeling he couldn't explain----------the pull, the sense of something watching. And then he saw it.............A house. Tucked deep in the woods, half-hidden by the trees, it looked old, weathered----------like it had been there forever. The windows were dark, the roof covered in moss, but smoke curled from the chimney, and the faint glow of firelight flickered behind the curtains. Eli breath caught in his throat. Who Live's here? he wondered. His heart pounded, a soft, uncertain thrill curling in his chest. He stepped closer, berries forgotten in his hands. But as he approached the front porch, a voice called out. ''Lost, boy?'' Eli jumped..........................An old man stood in the doorway, his eyes sharp and glinting in the dim light. His silver hair was long, tired back loosely, and thought his frame was thin, there was something solid and powerful about him------like he wasn't just old, but something ancient.''I--------uh-------I didn't mean to...'' Eli stammered, shifting awkwardly. ''I got turned around. I think I took the wrong path....'' The old man's gaze lingered on him, quiet and unreadable. For a long moment, Eli felt pinned, like the man could see through him, past his skin and bones, into something deeper-----something even Eli didn't understand. Then the old man's face softened, just a little. ''The forest is dangerous at night,'' he said, voice low and steady. ''Go home, boy. Don't linger here.'' Eli swallowed hard, the weight of the warming setting heavy in his chest. ''Right. Yeah. Sorry.'' He turned quickly, almost stumbling over the uneven ground as he hurried away, his heart racing, the old man words ringing in his ears. Behind him, the old man watched. He muttered under his breath, almost like a prayer. ''strange......there's something special about this one.'' His eyes glowed faintly in the dark---golden, like the wolf's............................ Eli didn't stop until he was back on the narrow path, the lights of the city twinkling in the distance. And that's when it happened. He collided----------hard-------into someone coming the other way. ''Oh-----I'm sorry.'' Eli gasped, stumbling back. The berries spilled from his hands, scattering across the path. The man caught him before he could fall, steadying him with strong hands. ''Careful.'' the man was tall-really tall- with dark hair that fell across his forehead in soft waves. His eyes were sharp, deep almost brown that almost seemed to glow, and his smile---small, a little crooked-made Eli heart stutter. ''I------uh---thank you,'' Eli mumbled, cheeks flushing. The man crouched to pick up the berried, his movements easy, graceful. He handed them back, fingers brushing Eli hand. Eli pulse jumped at the brief touch. Eli looked up and it was Caleb. Eli smile almost blush. Their eyes met for a long moment. Something clicked. Something soft and warm and unspoken. Caleb tilted his head slightly, as if studying him. Then, without another word, he turned, walking beside Eli like it was the most natural thing in the world. Together, they headed back toward the city lights.......................Toward something they couldn't name yet.......But felt..............deeply. ----------------------------------------------------But something else is going to happen.........
