Chapter One: The Town That Watches

The forest was dark and full of shadows as Sophie Hayes drove down the winding road into Silver Hollow. Her old Jeep rattled across the rough pavement, cutting the fog that hung like ghostly fingers among the trees with its beams.

"This place really is giving me a strong horror film vibe," she said, pulling on the steering wheel.

The name Silver Hollow had sounded so inviting in the rental ad-a peaceful mountain community ideal for a new beginning. Still, she passed through the bent wooden sign that said Welcome to Silver Hollow and couldn't shake the haunting feeling creeping up her spine.

By the time she got to downtown, night was fully settled in. The streets were nearly deserted except for a few folks on sidewalks whose eyes seemed to follow her Jeep very intently.

Sophie parked in front of The Hollow Bookshop, the tiny shop that was attached to the upstairs apartment she would be renting. The old man who owned it, Mr. Whitmore, had been eager to have a tenant. Possibly too eager.

She killed the engine and got out, breathing the fresh mountain air. As soon as she did, a shiver ran through her—not from the cold, but from something unseen.

"You must be Sophie."

She Jumps A woman was standing at the entrance of the bookstore, her arms crossed over a worn leather jacket that spilled dark brown hair over her shoulders.

"Jesus, you scared me," Sophie said, clutching her chest.

The woman smiled faintly. "Lena Blackwood. I own the pub a little down the street."

"Nice to meet you," said Sophie, but the way Lena looked at her—evaluative, like a predator sizing its prey—made her uneasy.

"Word travels fast here," Lena continued, her gaze flicking to Sophie’s Jeep. "Newcomers are rare around here. Even more so when they move in alone."

Sophie forced out a laugh. "I needed something different, and this town looked…quiet."

Lena’s smirk deepened. "Yeah. Real quiet."

Before Sophie could ask about the odd reply, a low growl rippled through the air.

She froze. "Was that"

"Wolves," Lena cut in smoothly. "You'll get used to them."

Sophie turned and looked down the dark street. No dogs. No people moving. But the growl had sounded close. Too close.

"You should get inside," added Lena. "Silver Hollow is not the kind of place you stroll around in at night."

Something in her tone made Sophie’s stomach twist.

"Right," she murmured, stepping toward her door.

As she unlocked it, she dared to take one last glance at Lena-only to see that she was gone, vanished into the night as if she'd never been there at all.

The apartment was warm and snug inside, but Sophie couldn't focus on that. Her head was spinning with worry.

What was that growl? And why did Lena seem to know something Sophie didn't?

Sophie shook her head. You’re just being paranoid. It’s a new place, strange people—probably just in your head.

Nonetheless, as she unpacked, a lingering feeling persisted that Silver Hollow was more than just observing her, it was waiting.

Sophie woke to the sound of howling.Low, mournful, and chillingly close.

Her heart raced as she sat up in bed, with the moonlight throwing ghostly shadows through the open window. Distance had always been her friend when it came to loving wolves. Still, there was something about this that felt so wrong.

Like the howls weren’t just from animals.

Like they were calling to something.

She shook off the thought and barefooted toward the window. The back alley of the bookstore stretched into the thick forest beyond, its trees swayed like shadowy sentinels. Just as she was about to look away, two glowing amber eyes stared back at her from the trees.

Startled, Sophie gasped and stepped back. However, when she turned back to see what she was running from, the eyes were gone. She exhaled shakily. Okay, you’re officially losing it.

Deciding she’d had had enough of the weird things for one evening, she climbed back into bed determined to go to sleep.

The following morning she walked into town with her jacket fastened to protect against the cold. The bookshop was closed on Sundays, and she needed coffee—desperately.

The Silver Hollow Café was small and rustic, filled with dark wooden beams and a fireplace crackling in the corner. The aroma of fresh coffee intertwined with that of warm cinnamon.

Sophie ordered a cappuccino and went to find a table, but then the air changed.

A thick, palpable aura pervaded the café, pricking the hairs on her arms. She turned and that would be the first time she saw him. The man who would change everything.

He was easily over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and an unspoken authority that made people step aside for him without a request. Wavy dark hair fell over a defined, chiseled face, and his jaw was sprinkled with stubble.

But it was his eyes that stopped Sophie’s breath. Amber. Just like the ones in the forest.

Their eyes locked, and an electric jolt shot through her, sharp but unsettling.

He looked at her as if he already knew her. As if he had already met her.

Sophie swallowed hard.

She asked the barista with her eyes which one it was, spoke in her ear and made him go pale.

"Elias Blackwood," the girl murmured. "He is practically a millionaire in this city. He takes care of the Blackwood estate up in the mountains above."

Turning back to him, Sophie observed he was still watching her- unmoving, unreadable. Then, just as slowly, his lips parted. "You should leave Silver Hollow," Elias said. Sophie blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You don’t belong here." His voice was low, sharp with a kind of menace. "Return to wherever you came from. Before it’s too late."

Sophie's stomach knotted, but she lifted her chin. "Wow. Not even a hello?"

A spark lit up his eyes—annoyance or perhaps amusement. "It's not a game. This town… it's not safe for you."

"Right," she said, crossing her arms. "I should just pack up and leave because some mysterious stranger told me to?"

His jaw tightened. "I’m trying to help you."

"Well, don’t." Sophie took her coffee and turned away. "I don’t need saving."

As she walked out, her pulse pounded in her ears.

What the hell was that?

But more than Elias's warning, more than the way he looked at her, the truth was what rattled Sophie the most.

She didn’t want to leave Silver Hollow.

And she had no idea why.