Chapter 2 - Shadows at the Door
The morning light broke grey and quiet over Blackthorn Village, but inside the small cottage, an unusual peace remained.
Maja woke to find the silver pup awake, resting its chin on her knee. Its leg was still wrapped tightly in her linen bandage, but the creature looked significantly stronger. Its golden eyes followed her every movement as she moved about the small kitchen, preparing a light tea from dried pine needles.
"You're a resilient little fellow," Maja said with a faint smile, kneeling to check the bandage. The bleeding had stopped completely. "I'll have to let you go back to the woods soon. Your family must be looking for you."
At the mention of family, the pup tilted its head, letting out a soft howl—not of pain, but of longing.
Maja spent the day working at the village bakery, cleaning soot from the heavy brick ovens in exchange for a copper coin and a small bowl of watery cabbage broth. Throughout her shift, the whispers of the villagers seemed louder than usual.
"The hunters found tracks near the eastern ridge," old Silas was telling the blacksmith near the well. "Massive tracks. Bigger than any beast we've seen in years."
"They say the pack is moving down from the high peaks," the blacksmith replied, crossing himself nervously. "If the Alpha comes down here, God help us all."
Maja kept her head low, tucking her copper coin safely away and hurrying home as dusk fell. A strange stillness hung over the valley. The birds had stopped singing. The wind had died down completely, leaving the forest eerily quiet, as if the entire landscape was holding its breath.
By eight o’clock, darkness had swallowed the village.
Maja sat near her fireplace, mending an old blanket while the silver pup rested near her feet. Suddenly, the pup’s ears perked up. It stood on three legs, its gaze locked onto the heavy front door.
A low, vibrating resonance shook the air—not a sound heard with the ears, but a tremor felt deep in the chest.
Then came the howl.
It started low and deep, echoing from the pine forest, rising into a mournful, powerful cry that chilled the air. Seconds later, dozens of answering howls burst forth from the darkness, surrounding the cottage on all sides.
Maja dropped her sewing needle, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Outside, screams erupted from the direction of the village square. Shutters slammed shut. Horns blew in panic.
Maja crept toward her window and peered through a small gap in the frost.
What she saw took her breath away.
The perimeter of her clearing was completely encircled. Dozens of wolves stood in the snow—massive, terrifying beasts with thick fur ranging from charcoal black to winter white. Their golden eyes glowed like embers in the moonlight, illuminated by the silvery beam filtering through the cloud canopy.
In the center of the pack stood a beast unlike any other.
He was giant, easily double the size of an ordinary timber wolf, with fur as black as midnight and shoulders as broad as a stallion. His gold eyes locked directly onto Maja’s window.
Panic seized her chest. Had the wolves tracked the pup? Had she brought a terrifying fate upon herself?
Before she could move, heavy steps sounded on her wooden porch.
Three slow, deliberate knocks echoed through the small house.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Maja..."
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A voice echoed from behind the heavy door. It was deep, commanding, and smooth as dark velvet—unmistakably human, yet carrying an otherworldly power that vibrated through the floorboards.
"Open the door."
